Subj : Re: BSG To : alt.tv.farscape From : weirdwolf Date : Tue Sep 27 2005 15:58:57 From Newsgroup: alt.tv.farscape John I wrote in news:Xns96DE6F6F95144oiwhnanri@66.26.32.8: > Tyler Trafford wrote: > >> Ken McElhaney wrote: >>> Tyler Trafford wrote: >>>> Ken McElhaney wrote: >>>>> TNW7Z7Z7Z12345 wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> But whatever Saddam did has no relation whatsoever to our >>>>>> treatment of prisoners of war. >>>>> >>>>> I point it out because it keeps getting lost in the arguement. >>>>> That somehow everything in Iraq was peachy-keen (like Moore's >>>>> depiction of Iraqis flying kites in his film "Farenheit 911") >>>>> until we showed up. Again, ask the Kurds 'n Shia (who rarely >>>>> appear on tv since almost all the violence is happening in Sunni >>>>> territory) if the United States is just as bad or even in the same >>>>> ballpark as Saddam. >>>> >>>> I don't think anyone uses Abu Gharib as a reason the US shouldn't >>>> have gone over there. (Have they?) What happened there is a >>>> separate issue. >>> >>> Well, TNZ seems to think that our status among Iraqis dropped >>> waaaaay down because of what happened at Abu Ghraib. And my >>> response is that while what happened there was a black eye for the >>> US and everyone involved should be punished, the Kurds 'n Shia (who >>> represent 80% of the country and were 100% the target of Saddam's >>> abuses) will not be as critical of what happened as we have been to >>> ourselves. >>> >>> Can anyone think that the Kurds, who lost over 100,000 of their >>> fathers, brothers, sisters, sons 'n daughters to Saddam's men will >>> view Abu Graib in the same light? How about the Shia who lost even >>> MORE of their people? Again, do they view us on the same level as >>> Saddam? Since they represent the vast majority of the Iraqi >>> population, isn't their view of what happened really important to >>> our future with their country? >> >> Ah, I see what you're saying. I think people will be more critical >> of the US though, as we often are to outsiders. >> >> Long term, who knows. >> >> It still blows my mind that no one in charge stopped what was going >> on in that prison. Morality aside, I am shocked that no one foresaw >> the story getting out to the public -it's like a total disconnect >> from reality. > > There were individuals who recognized that it was wrong and reported > it. I think the key to understanding why no one in charge stopped it > is that it was policy and it was encouraged by the people in charge. > > Also don't foorget that Bush I encouraged the Shia to revolt at the > end of the first Gulf war and then left them to be slaughtered. That > didn't exactly instill trust. And the Kurds were killed with American > weapons supplied by the Reagan admin with Cheney's and Rummy acting as > liason to Saddam. Oh well. > Not to mention that the "no fly zone" was about as much use as a chocolate tea pot. Don't forget kids Iranian Kurds are so-so and can be ignored, Turkish Kurds are bad, Iraqi Kurds are good. Unless of course there is an incursion by the Turkish army into Iraq in which case they become the bad Kurds and it's ok to let the army stand by and do nothing. Ted -- Stare too long into the abyss and the abyss looks like a nifty place to hide the bodies .