With one oppressor gone Iraqis now face their occupiers

“I will only negotiate with the Americans if their country says that it has come here to liberate us not to occupy us, as occupying a country is incompatible with the very principle of negotiations... We are not hostile to America, but we are the enemy of occupation... I only want a government based on freedom and rule by the people. Obviously, such a government will be an Islamic one.”

Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr interview with Iranian news agency Irna, 23 Feb 04”

Shia news outlet shut by Coalition sparked violence.

Samaa means sky

error

an oppressive chunk of concrete

Duration 00:01:10

error

you going over there to shed you own sweat & blood or are you another arm chair hero?

what's with the hidden status? now I am curious.

Join a USO or military chatroom if you wish discuss personnel non news non article related topics ---- this is not the place.

“And I can still strip and fit a M60. While still hot.” Spoink.

What to Publish: Please use this form to contribute new stories. Relevant comments belong with the story being discussed. So, to have your say in response to a story on the site....

we hope you understand --- Los Angeles Independant Media Center

But your editorial process is unpredictable.
Rather than support this statement with innumerable examples, I will try to follow your advice.
In defense of my 'USO' or 'military chatroom' dialogue I will say in defense of my hidden comments that I was responding -perhaps inappropriately -to the question of whether I had the basis of experience to the question of whether or not I was speaking of personal knowledge.
I will keep your advice and idiosyncratic sensitivities in mind.
You may wish to consider this. Or not.
Out.

"you going over there to shed you own sweat & blood or are you another arm chair hero?"

Are you going to join the Post Office just to make sure the mail's delivered on time?

I'll take "arm chair hero" over "arm chair traitor" any day.

btw I'm a veteran. Are YOU?

I posted the response I did. Yes fool -this is for the 'veteran' who probaly served in the navy peeling potatos- I am. US ARMY Infantry.
I can't say anymore because I will be tossed into the hidden comments section.
And being there and doing that, gives me the privilage to say any damn thing I want to about this cluster fuck of plans devised by chicken hawks who never heard a shot fired in anger.
My brothers in arms are being wasted for arm chair comandos who would wet themselves at the prospect of actually getting shot at.
I had a lot a good friends killed for similar crap as you are puffing out your chicken chests about.
If you've been there you would know. Some things are too mean and fucked up to wish on others.

Why don't you tell us about one of your war stories? How about that time you snuck behind enemy lines under the cover of darkness and, since you were out of ammo, bayonetted an entire enemy battalion to death while they slept? Didn't you get the Congressional Medal of Honor for that one? Or was it for the time you spent as a tunnel rat during your fouth tour in the Me Kong?

"The stupid leftists here--ever class conscious--think all military personnel are simpleton cattle."

This isn't true. Several years ago in an online discussion group of radical leftists, I learned that a lot of them were avid students of military science and history. I considered doing time in the service to afford college, but after all the Iran-Contra stuff bubbled up, I was turned off forever. I had socialist leanings in high school, but that didn't prevent me from wanting to sign up, because they help pay for college, and, they do allow you to serve society in some capacity, teach discipline, and have some cool weapons.

What "the left" sees in the military is a class division between those who command, and those who are commanded. They sometimes see this in terms of the division of labor between management/owners and workers.

A private, or a worker, have intelligence and freedom of thought, but the conditions of war/work demand obedience, not critical thinking (except within the parameters of the task at hand).

Likewise, management/officers definitely have intelligence but little freedom of thought, but the conditions of war/work demand that they advance the policies of those higher up in the chain of command.

The working class within the military have different interests than the managerial class, who have different interests from the ruling class. The working class interests include things like having a family, going to school, and protecting domestic peace. The managerial class interest is to control labor on behalf of the ruling class, in exchange for higher pay, and less risk of life and limb (and unemployment). The ruling class interests include expanding markets, controlling natural resources, and affecting changes in law to get more tax money. The ruling class interest also includes propaganda for convincing the working class into thinking that we're all on the same side.

I'm sure this is totally obvious, but, I felt it had to be reiterated. I'm "left" and that's how I see the military.

yer a jerk

no, yer a jerk

yer stupider than a liberal you hippie

you dumb republican go back to watching fox news

HAVE WE LEARNED ANYTHING?

This site is so swamped with distraction-bombing, I don't think that the mods could even keep up; they would need to hire someone for a full-time position. I'm new, so could someone tell me how this happened? Is this part of some coordinated attack on non-corporate-funded data sources, or were some people on the "God Bless America, and Fuck Liberals" forum just bored one night?

and a sidekick to help you with the fringed cowboy outfit.

The last comment of mine was directed at the new Coast Guard rambo.

sheepdork,

Mr. Rogers is dead. and that leaves no one to offer you marxian neo-hippies a hug, spoon or lollipop.

Awwww, looks like someone needs a hug from Rush Limbaugh.

Or, should I say, LUSH Limbaugh.

More rational: kudos for contributing to the discussion. It's an interesting model, though the socialist stratification is too cut-and-dry for my taste. Where does the other side of the tracks begin? Where is the line? I'm not completely certain (but hey, I'm a Postmodernist; it's our motto).

When dealing with hierarchical structures like the US military, there is a clear increase in power as you get toward the tippy-tip-top of the pyramid. One's level of influence, however, does not always bear on one's knowledge of the system. For instance, consider all the people in corporate middle management who could become upper-level managers, but choose not to because they don't want the extra pressure.

Some of the folks near the bottom of the military ladder aren't too well informed, but a lot of them are. For any given military action, some of the personnel involved have their misgivings. However, the honor code of the US military holds them to a firm duty to "put on a good face" and show that they are loyal to their country. This doesn't necessarily show consent for the specific actions. It does not even mean that they support the current administration in Washington; after all, they will probably see a few different presidential cabinets over the time they serve for their country. It means that they support America, the whole package. To me, this is a good thing 99 times out of 100.

All the same, I hope that they stay informed about what their country is dong and why. And by this, I do not mean reading USA Today. The NY Times is getting warmer. Best-case scenario a comparitive analysis of commercial and indy news sources from a number of countries (reading The Onion for dessert is optional).

anti-lessoff:

"Or, should I say, LUSH Limbaugh."

Your obsession with Limbaugh is flattering. Keep on listening to him (just to keep your "liberal rage" hot of course) and soon you'll have a clue.

toodles!

Your obsession with ME is even more flattering.

Ta-ta!