April 18, 2003
Not really courting popularity
So, our original reason for invading that country over there was because we knew they had "weapons of mass destruction." Though, um, it seems now that maybe they didn't.
So, as it became clearer to Those In Charge that we weren't going to find any such weapons, the story shifted to one of regime change, and this idea of rescuing citizens from their oppressors, made official through the name Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Then we go stormin' in, and, with some minor hitches, make our way into Baghdad, take over the city, and Iraqis cheer at the toppling of the statue of their (likely dead) leader.
And I get this sense that I'm supposed to feel joy at the liberation of the oppressed, the cheering masses in the streets, yet, what keeps recurring (and this is where I'll be distinctly unpopular) is, "Fuck them."
If Hussein's regime was so painfully repressive, where was the revolution from within? Don't tell me it's just because they were afraid. Throughout history people have risen up to fight for their freedom, if the situation had become unbearable. And it's pretty clear that we're dealing with a culture that's willing to die for its cause, yet, in this instance, the only Iraqis willing to die were those fighting the Coaltion of the Shilling.
Why are we expending value people and resources to help people who won't help themselves?
