The "situation" in Baghdad
13OCT2004
I received this comment from a reader of my blog:
“I like your blog. Wondering if you could comment on the email from WSJ reporter Farnaz Fassihi that has been circulating like mad over the past few days. If you haven't read it, here it is:
http://tinyurl.com/46j3s
Is this an accurate description of the situation over there? “
-- Posted by Anonymous to AbleKaneAdventures at 10/13/2004 03:42:52 PM
To answer the question directly I have to say yes, and no. Many of the examples Mr. Fassihi gives about things going on here are accurate, but the conclusion he draws and expects the reader to draw is not.
I normally don’t like to comment on what other people write, but this one needs to be exposed for what it is. (It can also be found at this link if the one above isn’t working):
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0930-15.htm
I don’t know Mr. Fassihi, but I very much dislike this kind of commentary. He wants us to conclude that things are very bad in Iraq. It is obvious isn’t it? The “situation” is bad… and he uses many true examples of how it is bad; violence, fear, crumbling infrastructure, no security, and the fact that journalists like him find it too dangerous to go outside in the current “situation.” And of course it is the fault of the Americans. This is fine if it is true, but is it?
Before the U.S. attacked things were more secure he claims. Okay, yeah, if you consider living under the threat of arbitrary death at all times “secure.” If you think being inside an isolated prison cell is “secure.” If you think dictatorship is morally equivalent to a representative republic and don’t mind being the voiceless subject to an inhumane monster who butchers all who disagree with him. Point taken, things were secure.
Was it Ben Franklin who said those who prefer security over freedom will end up neither secure nor free? Better yet, check out Sam Adams’ quote:
"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." Samual Adams, Father of the American Revolution
But, let’s look at what Fassihi says. First, it’s dangerous in Baghdad. Yes! It is a war zone. There are people here who hate the U.S. because of ideological reason – the militant Islamists - and also there are a lot of criminals who profit from chaos. Not to mention there is an overwhelming amount of ignorance in Baghdad, a belief in a system of entitlement, and the ever present Arab insecurity that cripples ones ability to reason. On top of that people are misled in droves by propagandistic Arabic leaders through state-run media outlets like Al Jazeera. Have you checked out any Arab language websites lately? Try MEMRI. You can find it easily with a Google search. You will be shocked at how much filth is openly aired on Arab language media. Is that the fault of the U.S.?
This is guerilla warfare at its most difficult. The terrorists take advantage of poverty stricken Iraqis by offering huge sums of money to rent a room in their house so that they can operate or hide weapons. Then of course when the coalition forces attack the house, who do you think gets blamed for the “collateral damage?” Not only that, but it is well known on the street here that hospitals get paid to fake injuries. They show video and pictures of wounded women and children that have no connection to the incident they claim to have been injured in. Sometimes they do this for money and other times they do it because they are threatened, or their families are threatened.
Fassihi also claims that the terrorists and criminals are increasingly cooperating in ever more sophisticated attacks. This is the line that he hopes will make us give up hope of winning this type of war by saying that in spite of it all the criminals and terrorists are getting stronger. Nonsense. If anything the anti-freedom forces are getting more and more desperate and more and more weakened by the daily poundings from the U.S. and Iraqi Armies and the coalition forces. They are being killed and tracked down with increasing vigor and accuracy. More and more peace-loving Iraqis are turning in information to help stop the violence – in spite of the fact that they are afraid. I am willing to bet that virtually every American Soldier who has come into contact with Iraqi citizens on a regular basis has been approached with information. I have, and I work in the safest place in Baghdad – the International Zone. And I hear about it every day from Soldiers I talk to who go out on patrols.
Next Fassihi talks about problems with the Iraqis taking over security for the country and that we need to find a quick exit. I’m sure he would like to see the carnage that would take place if we did a quick exit and left this place to the dogs of militant Islam. Or does he imagine that all will be rosy once the coalition forces leave?
The truth is that it is a difficult thing to create an army from scratch. The U.S. went into Iraq with the idea that they would be training an army to defend against outside invaders. I don’t think anyone knew that the greatest threat would be attacks from within and against Irais themselves, whether from foreign terrorists like Zarqawi or by Iranians set on establishing a religious coup from within the population.
Now there is a huge push to train Iraqi police to help stabilize the security within the country and the National Guard is also training along with the Iraqi army. All trying to refocus on fighting against an enemy within. Our war planners “gamed” all kinds of scenarios with Iran swarming over the borders, Syrai attacking, and much more. I heard one senior officer say that there were no classes on what we are doing over here – no scenario gaming because no one ever thought we would be “building the airplane as we fly it” as Lt. Gen. Petraeus has said. He’s the guy in charge of training and equipping the Iraqi forces. Military leaders came here to fight a war and end up building an army from scratch! This is unprecedented.
Think about that last idea for a minute. How do you build an army from nothing? The former army was nothing more than armed thugs controlled by appointees from Saddam’s gang. Former enlisted soldiers here tell me they were regularly beaten and abused. Money was extorted from them and their families and training was virtually non-existent. They are shocked by the “scientific” training provide by our Marines and Soldiers. And they love us for it. That is the one thing you hear nothing about in this commentary from the so-called journalist/commentator. Iraqis who have contact with Americans are almost silly with appreciation. I have never been more gratefully received and more sincerely thanked by so many people in my life.
And finally Fassihi talks about how no one will vote because they are too afraid. Yes, people are afraid, but many more people are afraid of what will happen if they don’t vote. Afghanistan seems to have done alright in their election. It’s a start.
Bottom line is Mr. Fassihi blames everything on the Americans. But the Americans can not ultimately win or lose this thing. Only the Iraqis can. There are less than 140,000 American troops in Iraq right now. That’s not an official number but I believe it is pretty close. There are about 25 million Iraqis. They need to be educated and they need to speak out. That is slowly happening.
I don’t think this is going to be a pretty or clean victory. Nor will it be a short battle. There is a lot of complexity and very little understanding. We, the Americans will do things bit by bit, stepping forward and back, and making our way through this seeming minefield of confusion and some great things will be done while some great opportunities will be missed. In the end, I can point you to one of my earliest blog entries about my outlook for Iraq. Whenever I get confused or discouraged by things this refreshes me and puts me back on track.
“This will be primarily a war of ideologies, and it is inevitable that we win. I just flew over the rooftops of downtown Baghdad and what do you think I saw? A lot of poverty, overheated heaps of garbage, small herds of goats and sheep among dried vegetation, burned and bombed out cars and half-naked children gazing up from mud-brick walls.
I also saw cell phone towers, and most importantly I saw satellite dishes. Shining disks, perfectly round, straining like great aluminum flowers toward an unseen sun of free-flowing information orbiting the equator, bringing light into minds as surely as the other sun brings daylight into the cold of the desert night. These are the weapons of freedom. These are the destroyers of tyranny.
No amount of tyranny can stand against people who are free to engage in the trafficking of ideas. That is why our first amendment is protected and fought over so fiercely at home, and ultimately, if you want to understand the American soul you can look back over our history of arguing and fighting and dying for that very thing - the right to speak your mind regardless of what anyone else might think of it.
Maybe the first thing we ought to start broadcasting is the history of our presidents and greatest philosophers like Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and George Washington.
The founders of our country understood that the individual reasoning mind is the root of everything sacred in this world. They knew, and they pledged to oppose all tyranny against it, and I think if we cannot find the courage to do the same then we will get whatever the coins of cowardice will purchase.”
To read the complete entry from Aug. 25, 2004 click:
http://ablekaneadventures.blogspot.com/2004_08_01_ablekaneadventures_archive.html
Goodnight free world. The true strength of liberty is in the free exercise of your mind… never surrender that.
Joe Kane
Baghdad
I received this comment from a reader of my blog:
“I like your blog. Wondering if you could comment on the email from WSJ reporter Farnaz Fassihi that has been circulating like mad over the past few days. If you haven't read it, here it is:
http://tinyurl.com/46j3s
Is this an accurate description of the situation over there? “
-- Posted by Anonymous to AbleKaneAdventures at 10/13/2004 03:42:52 PM
To answer the question directly I have to say yes, and no. Many of the examples Mr. Fassihi gives about things going on here are accurate, but the conclusion he draws and expects the reader to draw is not.
I normally don’t like to comment on what other people write, but this one needs to be exposed for what it is. (It can also be found at this link if the one above isn’t working):
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0930-15.htm
I don’t know Mr. Fassihi, but I very much dislike this kind of commentary. He wants us to conclude that things are very bad in Iraq. It is obvious isn’t it? The “situation” is bad… and he uses many true examples of how it is bad; violence, fear, crumbling infrastructure, no security, and the fact that journalists like him find it too dangerous to go outside in the current “situation.” And of course it is the fault of the Americans. This is fine if it is true, but is it?
Before the U.S. attacked things were more secure he claims. Okay, yeah, if you consider living under the threat of arbitrary death at all times “secure.” If you think being inside an isolated prison cell is “secure.” If you think dictatorship is morally equivalent to a representative republic and don’t mind being the voiceless subject to an inhumane monster who butchers all who disagree with him. Point taken, things were secure.
Was it Ben Franklin who said those who prefer security over freedom will end up neither secure nor free? Better yet, check out Sam Adams’ quote:
"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." Samual Adams, Father of the American Revolution
But, let’s look at what Fassihi says. First, it’s dangerous in Baghdad. Yes! It is a war zone. There are people here who hate the U.S. because of ideological reason – the militant Islamists - and also there are a lot of criminals who profit from chaos. Not to mention there is an overwhelming amount of ignorance in Baghdad, a belief in a system of entitlement, and the ever present Arab insecurity that cripples ones ability to reason. On top of that people are misled in droves by propagandistic Arabic leaders through state-run media outlets like Al Jazeera. Have you checked out any Arab language websites lately? Try MEMRI. You can find it easily with a Google search. You will be shocked at how much filth is openly aired on Arab language media. Is that the fault of the U.S.?
This is guerilla warfare at its most difficult. The terrorists take advantage of poverty stricken Iraqis by offering huge sums of money to rent a room in their house so that they can operate or hide weapons. Then of course when the coalition forces attack the house, who do you think gets blamed for the “collateral damage?” Not only that, but it is well known on the street here that hospitals get paid to fake injuries. They show video and pictures of wounded women and children that have no connection to the incident they claim to have been injured in. Sometimes they do this for money and other times they do it because they are threatened, or their families are threatened.
Fassihi also claims that the terrorists and criminals are increasingly cooperating in ever more sophisticated attacks. This is the line that he hopes will make us give up hope of winning this type of war by saying that in spite of it all the criminals and terrorists are getting stronger. Nonsense. If anything the anti-freedom forces are getting more and more desperate and more and more weakened by the daily poundings from the U.S. and Iraqi Armies and the coalition forces. They are being killed and tracked down with increasing vigor and accuracy. More and more peace-loving Iraqis are turning in information to help stop the violence – in spite of the fact that they are afraid. I am willing to bet that virtually every American Soldier who has come into contact with Iraqi citizens on a regular basis has been approached with information. I have, and I work in the safest place in Baghdad – the International Zone. And I hear about it every day from Soldiers I talk to who go out on patrols.
Next Fassihi talks about problems with the Iraqis taking over security for the country and that we need to find a quick exit. I’m sure he would like to see the carnage that would take place if we did a quick exit and left this place to the dogs of militant Islam. Or does he imagine that all will be rosy once the coalition forces leave?
The truth is that it is a difficult thing to create an army from scratch. The U.S. went into Iraq with the idea that they would be training an army to defend against outside invaders. I don’t think anyone knew that the greatest threat would be attacks from within and against Irais themselves, whether from foreign terrorists like Zarqawi or by Iranians set on establishing a religious coup from within the population.
Now there is a huge push to train Iraqi police to help stabilize the security within the country and the National Guard is also training along with the Iraqi army. All trying to refocus on fighting against an enemy within. Our war planners “gamed” all kinds of scenarios with Iran swarming over the borders, Syrai attacking, and much more. I heard one senior officer say that there were no classes on what we are doing over here – no scenario gaming because no one ever thought we would be “building the airplane as we fly it” as Lt. Gen. Petraeus has said. He’s the guy in charge of training and equipping the Iraqi forces. Military leaders came here to fight a war and end up building an army from scratch! This is unprecedented.
Think about that last idea for a minute. How do you build an army from nothing? The former army was nothing more than armed thugs controlled by appointees from Saddam’s gang. Former enlisted soldiers here tell me they were regularly beaten and abused. Money was extorted from them and their families and training was virtually non-existent. They are shocked by the “scientific” training provide by our Marines and Soldiers. And they love us for it. That is the one thing you hear nothing about in this commentary from the so-called journalist/commentator. Iraqis who have contact with Americans are almost silly with appreciation. I have never been more gratefully received and more sincerely thanked by so many people in my life.
And finally Fassihi talks about how no one will vote because they are too afraid. Yes, people are afraid, but many more people are afraid of what will happen if they don’t vote. Afghanistan seems to have done alright in their election. It’s a start.
Bottom line is Mr. Fassihi blames everything on the Americans. But the Americans can not ultimately win or lose this thing. Only the Iraqis can. There are less than 140,000 American troops in Iraq right now. That’s not an official number but I believe it is pretty close. There are about 25 million Iraqis. They need to be educated and they need to speak out. That is slowly happening.
I don’t think this is going to be a pretty or clean victory. Nor will it be a short battle. There is a lot of complexity and very little understanding. We, the Americans will do things bit by bit, stepping forward and back, and making our way through this seeming minefield of confusion and some great things will be done while some great opportunities will be missed. In the end, I can point you to one of my earliest blog entries about my outlook for Iraq. Whenever I get confused or discouraged by things this refreshes me and puts me back on track.
“This will be primarily a war of ideologies, and it is inevitable that we win. I just flew over the rooftops of downtown Baghdad and what do you think I saw? A lot of poverty, overheated heaps of garbage, small herds of goats and sheep among dried vegetation, burned and bombed out cars and half-naked children gazing up from mud-brick walls.
I also saw cell phone towers, and most importantly I saw satellite dishes. Shining disks, perfectly round, straining like great aluminum flowers toward an unseen sun of free-flowing information orbiting the equator, bringing light into minds as surely as the other sun brings daylight into the cold of the desert night. These are the weapons of freedom. These are the destroyers of tyranny.
No amount of tyranny can stand against people who are free to engage in the trafficking of ideas. That is why our first amendment is protected and fought over so fiercely at home, and ultimately, if you want to understand the American soul you can look back over our history of arguing and fighting and dying for that very thing - the right to speak your mind regardless of what anyone else might think of it.
Maybe the first thing we ought to start broadcasting is the history of our presidents and greatest philosophers like Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and George Washington.
The founders of our country understood that the individual reasoning mind is the root of everything sacred in this world. They knew, and they pledged to oppose all tyranny against it, and I think if we cannot find the courage to do the same then we will get whatever the coins of cowardice will purchase.”
To read the complete entry from Aug. 25, 2004 click:
http://ablekaneadventures.blogspot.com/2004_08_01_ablekaneadventures_archive.html
Goodnight free world. The true strength of liberty is in the free exercise of your mind… never surrender that.
Joe Kane
Baghdad
posted by Joe at Wednesday, October 13, 2004
10 Comments:
Thankyou. That was a great posting. You tell the good, bad and ugly but cover it with the GOOD news that is and will happen. People need to keep the faith and forget about the headlines and soundbites. People forget how or maybe don't know how difficult the process was in Japan and Germany after WWII.
I certainly hope you're right. I have generally been quite pessimistic but not in the sense of Mr. Fassihi. I think the US was right to go in but prevented by its own altruistic ideas from winning the conflict conclusively. Nevertheless, it is good to hear from individuals actually on the ground that things are not necessarily as bad as some reports indicate. On behalf of myself, my wife and child I would like to thank you for fighting for truth, freedom and justice.
AMEN! & Praise God the Creator for the Gift of reason and for the freedom to use it! And THANKS to all of you who are fighting to keep it so!
Keep writing little brother!
warrior
Hey Joe,
I just sent an email the other day to the more right of the two local papers here in Pittsburgh. Talking about unfair and unbalanced reporting in the newsmedia about the Iraqi situation how all the media keeps showing the
American people with is the bad of the Iraqi situation, the dead americans, the hostage takens and beheadings, and the rising inusurgencies. I pulled a quote from your site the one used at Cox and Forkum, the way i found your blog, about the Iraqi civilian reading the US constition and how he wept...the opinion has yet to be posted..I also requested that the paper possibly do an editorial about soldiers there opinion about the war and also spot light blogs..quoting obviously yours. I think the people should know this...the coverage of the war is to left and is no longer objective or give you two sides to the story.
Hey Joe,
Another question and also a suggestion. I am unsure if you have heard of Fantasy author Terry Goodkind but he is an Objectivist. His books are filled with objectivist ideas and thinking you should check them out. Also i was wondering if you would look at my blog site the current state of the union, even though i haven't even touched the subject my blog is title, but possible read my poetry and post a comment over on my blog..who knows maybe you can even print it out and use it somehow over in Iraq. I also have other poems for use..i may have to edit some of them due to me being an Atheist...but let me know.
hey joe, i just began reading your blog but im defintely hooked. in a young man, just out of college, pretty idealistic, and ive known a bunch of people who are or have been involved in iraq in the past 2 years. thank u for the fresh insight that is so hard to find, its nice to know not everything there is fire and brimstone, i truly appreciate what you and everyone else is doing over there even though i didnt agree with how our government went about doing it. thanks again
-dave
hey joe, i just began reading your blog but im defintely hooked. in a young man, just out of college, pretty idealistic, and ive known a bunch of people who are or have been involved in iraq in the past 2 years. thank u for the fresh insight that is so hard to find, its nice to know not everything there is fire and brimstone, i truly appreciate what you and everyone else is doing over there even though i didnt agree with how our government went about doing it. thanks again
-dave
Excellent blog, very well written. I have a great deal of trouble understanding why our media insist on "spinning" the news a la Vietnam. It's inconceivable to me how anyone can not understand that we must win this war, as it *is* part of the "war on terror". They are playing right into the terrorists' hands and I find it disgusting. God bless you all, stay safe, and thank you for standing on that wall. Happy Birthday, too!
I couldn't agree with you more. I've been thinking some similar thoughts about how we convey democratic ideals. I understand from some folks that there are programs set up to teach people about democracy and government, but I have been wondering why no one has taken advantage of television and radio and news papers and other media in order teach "en masse" about freedom and democracy and voting, etc.
I remember when I was growing up we had the "schoolrock" cartoons that had a little song that walked you through the process of how a bill was presented and passed. Do you remember "I'm just a bill on capitol hill"? Or the one that explained the three brances: judicial, legislative and executive.
Maybe I can't see it or we just don't hear about it. Since certain stations are getting more popular, like Al sharqiya or some others and the American station appears to have limited appeal and broadcasting abilities, I wonder why no one in the information department of this little war of ideas hasn't put something together and bought time on these stations? Is it me, or wouldn't that be cheaper than trying to run our own, not as popular, TV station?
I like your idea of presenting revolution period American founders, the constitution, bill of rights, etc. Explaining what freedoms are and why they are important. Or even something simple that explained the interim TAL and the process that will be used to change it after Jan 2005? Seems like we are being awful lazy to leave it up to the media.
Just some thoughts. And since you are in the "business" so to speak, you probably have some contacts. Maybe you have more ability than you think?
Thank you for your explanation of the situation Joe, I feel better now. It's so easy to get depressed reading the news here.
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