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rjzeller · 07-29-2005, 11:52 AM

Those do seem like contradictory statements, but they make sense to me.

Saddam was an evil, tyrranical, ruthless maneace of a dictator. The fear then (I presume) was that if you said anything contrary to his way of thinking or violated laws, there was no telling what level of punishment you could receive. There also, from tales I've heard about his sons in particular, was a very random risk that you could lose property or family for seemingly no reason.

So having him gone is a good thing, and becuase they're a democracy now, however fledgling it is, they at least have HOPE of a good future. I think that hope and the support of the US in establishing a fair and reasonable government would make all they're going to through worth it if it works out in the end. So they're glad we kicked him out of power.

But their lives are not any better -- they have more money, and perhaps more supposed freedoms; but the insurgency is very real and a dangerous threat to everyone there. It's a tough life when there's always the risk that you could get killed at any moment. And they're still rebuilding infrastructure, so I'm sure life is still not convenient, as it were.

So to me, I guess those two replies basically indicate that they're struggling now, but that at least now there's hope and a future brighter than the one they had with Saddam.

My 2 pennies, anyway. Some of this WAS based on comments I've received from friends who've served there as well as some contractors who are currently there....

07-29-2005, 11:52 AM	#2 (permalink)
rjzeller Forte User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Rochester, MN Posts: 1,212	Those do seem like contradictory statements, but they make sense to me. Saddam was an evil, tyrranical, ruthless maneace of a dictator. The fear then (I presume) was that if you said anything contrary to his way of thinking or violated laws, there was no telling what level of punishment you could receive. There also, from tales I've heard about his sons in particular, was a very random risk that you could lose property or family for seemingly no reason. So having him gone is a good thing, and becuase they're a democracy now, however fledgling it is, they at least have HOPE of a good future. I think that hope and the support of the US in establishing a fair and reasonable government would make all they're going to through worth it if it works out in the end. So they're glad we kicked him out of power. But their lives are not any better -- they have more money, and perhaps more supposed freedoms; but the insurgency is very real and a dangerous threat to everyone there. It's a tough life when there's always the risk that you could get killed at any moment. And they're still rebuilding infrastructure, so I'm sure life is still not convenient, as it were. So to me, I guess those two replies basically indicate that they're struggling now, but that at least now there's hope and a future brighter than the one they had with Saddam. My 2 pennies, anyway. Some of this WAS based on comments I've received from friends who've served there as well as some contractors who are currently there.... __________________ There are 10 kinds of people in the world: Those who understand binary and those who do not.