Dancing in the streets, part Deux!

[Kropotkin]

I would think there shouldn't be any problems finding a smoking gun in a warzone...

[Lancer]

Words of wisdom.

[SlowwHand]

[DinoDoc]

Markos has issues. What on earth did this have to do with Cyprus?

[Ned]

Yesterday, papers in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon agreed that "some" of the looting appears to be "revenge."

Today the story from Baghdad is that the looting has largely subsided -- except that the people sacked one of Saddam's palaces. The comments from the looters are along the lines of "So this is how our Pharoh lived?"

The problem with the anti-Americans here is that they refuse to admit that any part of the looting is for the purposes of revenge. The pro-democracy people admit that some of the looting is pure lawlessness.

Apparently, even the Arab press recognizes the that some, if not most, of the looting, sacking and burning is directed at the regime.

[GePap]

Yeah! all worth looting already was! Good thing.

Ned: so you think revenge is good? Interesting. I guess it is better than Justice.

[MarkG]

The problem with the anti-Americans here is that they refuse to admit that any part of the looting is for the purposes of revenge.

1) revenge is ok?
2) the problem is not what motivates looting(other than the refusion of US troops to do anything about it). the problem is the results of looting(you know people dieing, properties stolen, other insignifant stuff compared to FREEDOM)

[Ned]

Robin hood stole from an unjust government that extracted wealth without consent from the people and gave it to the poor.

I think that looting of Saddam's palaces, government offices and Ba'ath party facilities and homes is entirely appropriate.

Killing without justification is murder. However, there are examples of Nazi's being killed even by American officers immediately after discovery of the "camps." What the SS did was so horrible as to forfeit any right to due process.

The Ba'ath party appears to have been worse than the Nazi's.

[Sava]

Ned, IIRC, you are a big Reagan supporter. Tax the poor give to the rich, hope it trickles down. Don't quote say you support Robin Hood style justice when its obvious you don't.

[Ned]

Originally posted by Sava
Ned, IIRC, you are a big Reagan supporter. Tax the poor give to the rich, hope it trickles down. Don't quote say you support Robin Hood style justice when its obvious you don't.

Since when is taking from the government in the form of tax cuts and returning the money to the people not the very essence of Reaganism.

[MarkG]

I think that looting of Saddam's palaces, government offices and Ba'ath party facilities and homes is entirely appropriate.

(i have this strange idea of repeating myself)
it's also hospitals, museums, stores, banks, hotels....

Killing without justification is murder.

and what is allowing murder in a location for which you are responsible?

[Sava]

Originally posted by Ned


Since when is taking from the government in the form of tax cuts and returning the money to the people not the very essence of Reaganism.

Answer: When the poor and middle classes are taxed, and when the rich and corporations receive free money.

[gsmoove23]

I love how pro-war people go to interviews of Iraqis in the act of looting government buildings, obviously trying to justify the fact that they are looting by saying "Oh, well the Baathists have been taking from us so long." Well the fact is that the US forces are supposedly there to rectify the situation and the stuff they are looting would be better and more fairly used for the benefit of the Iraqi people by a recognized government.

I wonder what the many Iraqi people who are looting museums, banks, shops, and private homes of people who are not Baathists would say to justify themselves.

[Ned]

There is no excuse for looting museums, shops and innocent folks homes. Obviously, we were totally unprepared for the speed of the regime's collapse across the whole country. Otherwise, we would have had police on hand.

If there is a subsequent inquiry on this, I think Frank's plan may be faulted for overestimating the staying power of Saddam's regime.

[Alvaro]

Originally posted by gsmoove23
I wonder what the many Iraqi people who are looting museums, banks, shops, and private homes of people who are not Baathists would say to justify themselves.

wild guess: we don't give a ****.

and they'd not be lying. it's so easy to take the moral highground from the comfort of your armchair.