Monday May 28, 2012

Iraqi Shiites burn Bush effigy to protest U.S. pact

World ( 37 )

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

Back to top

Order by Time Order by Popularity

37 Comments

Login to comment

  • 0

    Sarge

    "Thousands of followers of a radical Shiite cleric ( al-Sadr )"

    Thousands of troublemakers slowing down Iraq's progress.

  • 0

    smithinjapan

    sarge: What are you so upset about? You've given them the freedom to express themselves openly. You of all people should be celebrating the progress of the Iraqi people.

  • 0

    powderfinger

    At the end here it's only Sadrists and the international Left protesting...

  • 0

    SezWho2

    There's protesting. And then again, there's aquiescing. Neither can be construed as the will of the people.

  • 0

    smithinjapan

    powderfinger: "At the end here it's only Sadrists and the international Left protesting..."

    Not sure what you mean... I mean, isn't Iraq a nation of free and loving people now that they've been freedumbized by the US? Don't they therefore have the right to protest then and burn effigies of unpopular people like in any free nation? If so, then that's what they're doing. If you're saying they are leftists or what have you, then you are simply only saying they should be suppressed like people on the right want, which really isn't freedom or democracy, is it?

    Sorry, but this has nothing to do with the left. It was to do with Iraqi people who are against the US presence in Iraq.

  • 0

    ptolemy

    Well at least they can protest noe, they couldn't do that under Saddam. Americans should be happy, this is the freedom and nation building at work. After so much blood shed and treasure spent, this is the result, right, freedom of expression. Can't "W" now proclaim "Mission Accomplished!"?

  • 0

    rjd_jr

    bring them home.

  • 0

    adaydream

    I think that george bush ought to show us what he's created in Iraq. To let the people of Iraq thank him personally. Allow him to walk down the streets and hear the songs of joy and have flowers thrown at his feet.

    Mission Accomplished? < :-)

  • 0

    powderfinger

    smithinjapan: "Don't they [Iraqis] therefore have the right to protest then and burn effigies of unpopular people like in any free nation?"

    Indeed they do. I reckon their free speech laws are more liberal than those in some of the free nations whose ranks they have recently joined;Canada, with its ridiculous Human Rights Commissions, comes to mind.

  • 0

    bushlover

    Smith missed the point that it's only such a small percentage of people. These Sadrists? Whoever they are can protest all they want. He of all people should know about the small groups that come off as if they talk for all. After all his country has Quebec in it...still.

  • 0

    powderfinger

    I think smith would agree that Al Sadr is one hell of a community organizer.

  • 0

    SezWho2

    Next to al-Sistani, al-Sadr is probably the single most powerful man in Iraq. The Iraqis, including al-Maliki, want the US out. It is the US that wants to stay.

  • 0

    powderfinger

    "Next to al-Sistani, al-Sadr is probably the single most powerful man in Iraq."

    If he is so powerful, why is he hiding in Iran?

  • 0

    powderfinger

    I predict that when Obama starts to flounder in the polls - maybe next summer or so - stories about all the good in Iraq will slowly start to appear in the mainstream media. At present it is still only bloggers bringing us such news. This is from an Iraqi exile:

    "Iraqis are telling each other the worst is behind us, and now we can look forward to the future. People are hoping to vote at the Jan. 31st provincial elections. And the economy is improving. In fact there are so many jobs available that Iraq has asked the Philippines to lift its ban on sending workers to Iraq."

  • 0

    smithinjapan

    powderfinger: Ah, yes... powderfinger gives us more wisdom from some of his favourite blogs. Who WOULDN'T believe such things??! Hahahaha...

  • 0

    SezWho2

    powderfinger,

    First, is he hiding? Second, how many of the current Iraqi leadership were out of the country when Saddam is in it? Third, do you think he is particularly safe in Iraq?

    The Dalai Lama is one of the most powerful men in Tibet. Why isn't he there?

  • 0

    mcheeky

    Well at least they can protest noe, they couldn't do that under Saddam.

    Gathering for a protest is great fun, at least until a suicide bomber comes along or a roadside IED explodes. You don't know how right you were when you said "at least".

  • 0

    Nippon5

    Smith it seems Iraq is more free then the US in your mind, I think when the Obama Effigy was hanging I heard how it was the most horrid of things... And now with the Iraq group burning the Bush one it is cool... Hrrmm any Bias there///

  • 0

    Sarge

    "bring them home"

    Wave the white flag of surrender.

  • 0

    SezWho2

    Sarge,

    I think Palin is the only one who has actually seen that flag. At least she was the only one who talked about it. It's not a surrender. It's a return of Iraq to Iraqis. Kind of like we promised.

  • 0

    smithinjapan

    Nippon5: "Smith it seems Iraq is more free then the US in your mind, I think when the Obama Effigy was hanging I heard how it was the most horrid of things... And now with the Iraq group burning the Bush one it is cool... Hrrmm any Bias there///"

    Oh, come now, you know that that is quite different. NO, it is not different because it was Obama instead of bush; it's different because:

    There were TWO Obama effigies during a very heated election campaign, and both were in the country that the now president-elect was at the time, not only posing as an actual potential threat, but also stirring up racial emotions because of American history and lynching, etc. The effigy in Iraq is -- in Iraq, and is towards a man many deem to be the devil. Many deem Obama to be the devil? Well, fair enough, but we musn't forget that we're talking about a place where bush started a war that has resulted in the death of possibly millions and was based on nothing but lies.

    Anyway, that's for starters. If people started hanging up effigies of bush right there in your backyard, burning them and then beating them on the ground, and people said it was horrible, I would side with them. I also never said it was cool, either, or that Iraq is any freer than the next place. In fact, my whole first and second statement was poking fun at people on the right who think this is an absolute disgrace by Iraqis and that they are basically Muslim radicals, but forgetting that they invaded the country to 'free' it in the first place.

  • 0

    Madverts

    Surely these Sadrists are in their last throes?

  • 0

    USAFdude

    And to think, this is what we're fighting for, when the real bad guys are free as birds in Afghanistan. I'd hang my head in shame if it weren't for the prospect of a real President of the United States on the horizon.

    21 Jan 09 can't get here fast enough.

  • 0

    sailwind

    I'd hang my head in shame if it weren't for the prospect of a real President of the United States on the horizon.

    Who was you CnC the past 8 years?

  • 0

    sailwind

    And USAFdude....What do you think of the new SOFA agreement with Iraq and us?

  • 0

    USAFdude

    sailwind - My CnC for the past 8 years has been bush. I certainly don't like that fact, but quite frankly, this kind of hatred being shown to the man who told us that US troops would be greeted as liberators is repulsive. I swore to follow my CnC, and I've done so with honor for eight years of bush and more before that. So here's a question for you: What would you expect US troops to do if they saw this happening in front of them? Call it "freedom" of expression or try to put a stop to it?

    As for the new SOFA, I agree with it. If the Iraqi government feels that it's ready to bring Iraq into the 21st century and they want us to leave, fine. Let's leave. If Iraq turns to crap afterwards, the Iraqis have no one to blame but themselves.

  • 0

    sailwind

    My CnC for the past 8 years has been bush

    Should be a capitol B instead of a small one.

    What would you expect US troops to do if they saw this happening in front of them? Call it "freedom" of expression or try to put a stop to it?

    Aerican troops have died so this can happen.......Get a grip.

  • 0

    HaroldSteptoe

    The Iraq's along with most of the world hate Bush and America. American military is a callous killing machine that the Iraq's want to leave. Gawd, how many do Americans kill by "friendly" fire.

    Oh yes, it is Bush and his co-horts pathetic foreign policies and a bloodthirsty military that kill innocents by the thousand, that make the U.S hated.

  • 0

    rjd_jr

    Sorry Sarge, it's not considered a white flag of surrender to bring our troops home, which will happen soon enough anyhow (but not soon enough for me).

    After 5 godforsaken years in Iraq, and supposedly stable and safe now and handing over province after province, it's not surrender to bring our troops home. 5 years was 5 years way too long for the iraqi parliament to be taking endless vacations, bicker like kids, and the iraqi "military" to be hiding behind bunkers and wire while their American counterparts risked life and limb on daily patrols.

    The U.S. has done their part, already had done so for years, so it's time for these iraqi's to fight, die, and govern their own country. It's done all it can, so let the iraqis do their proper share. That is not surrender, that is common sense.

  • 0

    Nippon5

    Some people say the glass is half full..

    Some people say The glass is half empty..

    Some say its not a glass at all its a car...

Back to top

Login to leave a comment

OR

Follow us

Facebook
Twitter

More in World

View all

View all