Making the Peace

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Scarletwine

New Yorker
Joined
May 1, 2002
Messages
2,753
Location
Outside it's Amerika
I'd like to hear what we are doing to provide water and food for not only Bagdad but more importantly the surrounding areas that we have bombed the crap out of.
This is a little bit of an article from the Iraq Independence Leader. Has anyone read of any humanitarian accomplishments?
Like Red cross provided acces by US troops ect.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/04/09/sprj.irq.saddam/index.html

While Chalabi offered gratitude to the coalition for Iraq's liberation, he also expressed irritation that the coalition has not provided more assistance in cities such as Nasiriya and Basra.

As long as humanitarian and infrastructure problems in the country persist, Chalabi said, the country will remain unstable, despite the coalition's military progress. Referring to Iraqi's ruling Baath Party, he called for "de-Baathification" of the country.

"There will be no absolute security with the current situation. The U.S. troops have defeated Saddam militarily. That was never a problem. The issue is the Baath party and the remnants of the Baath party who will continue to pose a threat."

He asked why coalition officials are in Kuwait when the southern region is in "great need of assistance."

"This is true all over the south," he said.

"It's very important to be in the southern part of Iraq," he said, because people have become "dispossessed" and the citizenry needs to be "empowered."

"They must feel they are part of the political process," he said.

"Where is General Garner now?" Chalabi said, referring to retired Army Gen. Jay Garner, who is to head up U.S. reconstruction effort in Iraq.

"The people need assistance here in Nasiriya. Why are they not here? Why don't they work to rehabilitate the electricity and water? Why don't they start working on the curriculum? Why are they in Kuwait? This area is in great need of assistance now. People are hungry. Their supplies are going to run out. Basic services have to be restored," he said.

"Where are they?"

He said he met with a Marine commander in Nasiriya to "get a police force going."

"I think the way to move forward is to create a police force from scratch. Many of the police officers have gone home," he said.

I think how we handle the next few days to a week could cement our intentions here. If we dawddle to react to the Humanitarian Crisis , whis grows bigger by the day, we will still be seen as Imperalists only concerned with OIL and POWER.
 
If we don't do something about this we will look really bad, and not without reason. These people need help. A humanitarian crisis is everyone's crisis.
 
Saddam is overthrown and that's it. Air of liberty is the best food and water that I Know...
 
Scarletwine,

There has been an humanitarian problem in Iraq created by Saddam, for the past 24 years! Guess why there are not millions of refugees like the Anti war crowd said their would be? Because most people in Iraq have been living like this for years, because Saddam has been denying them the things they need to live.

There was supposed to be over 800,000 dead according to the Anti-war crowd, but the number of civilians killed so for is only 1,300. A fraction of the number of people Saddam has murdered tortured and raped every month for the past 24 years!

I agree that the help that the Iraqi people have been waiting for, for years, should be swiftly brought to them. There is still fighting going on though, and this is not somthing that will be accomplished in days, its going to take weeks and months.
 
Sting, I'm aware that there was a humanitarian problem under Saddam. About 60% of the Iraqi people were dependent on the oil-for-food program of the UN, which means that they couldn't get adequate food on their own. Not good. But every day that this looting and such goes on too many Iraqis are just plain getting screwed. I admit that I'll never win an award in the patience department. I just hate to see this :censored: happening to anyone. It's hellish.
 
"its going to take weeks and months."

That statement is unacceptible, If we can supply the troops, we can bring aid in also. The figure you quoted is the result of the exact situation the people are in. It wasn't meant to be a 3 week number.
 
Scarletwine said:
"its going to take weeks and months."

That statement is unacceptible, If we can supply the troops, we can bring aid in also. The figure you quoted is the result of the exact situation the people are in. It wasn't meant to be a 3 week number.


That's right. People are not supposed to have to wait this long to get humanitarian assistance. A whole new humanitarian crisis can start "in a matter of weeks or months", and it can be in the millions. 27 million people live in Iraq. Right now the whole country is vulnerable. The looting in Baghdad is getting worse. There are reports that it's spreading. This situation stinks. Yet Bush didn't even mention it in his radio address. That says something, right there. "We're not doing anything about the looting". This is shortsighted and dangerous. It makes me mad. :mad: :censored: :scream:
 
It's not just looting either. I saw news footage today of a man being chased by a gang of ten or twelve men who were carrying planks of wood and other weapons and trying to attack the man. He only just got away from them by climbing over a wall or I dread to think what might have happened to him. The reporter said that he was suspected of having worked for Saddam's regime. Regardless of whether that is true or not, it does not mean it's okay for people to violently attack one another. I guess this is what happens when the regime which had control over the country collapses entirely and there is no attempt to put in place alternative security forces. Iraq must be an awfully scary place to be right now. :(
 
I'm sure it is a very scary place. I read an article and it quoted an Iraqi woman saying "We're destroying the things that now belong to us." Many buildings in the city are on fire also.
 
Ugh. They shouldn't be attacking people they *suspect* of working for the regime, even if the regime did stink. That's just guilt by association, which is never rational.
 
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