Unfortuneately Deb whether they want to or not thhey are the police and must
prevent such nonsense. This is part of the Geneva Conventin which we signed.
However, since we havent abided by what the world thinks on this from the
start why should we expect anything more now? my favorite quote of all this
is the rioting and looting according to Rumfeld is "untidy", when Africans
Americans did the same in the 60's they were called animals.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Deb Fuller" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, April 13, 2003 10:38 PM
Subject: Iraq looting - blaming the troops - CNN article


> I know this isn't a political forum but that last article from CNN really
> cheesed me off and I really feel I need to say something.
>
> In summary, the US troops were blamed for not stopping the looting of the
> museum in Baghdad.
>
> To quote one of the US commanders, "We're not a police force." (Not in the
> article.) The military isn't a police force. They aren't trained to be a
police
> force. They're trained to stop the enemy which they have done. Looting is
> EVERYWHERE and there's just not enough tanks or troops to keep everything
safe.
>
> These guys have been on the go for 3 weeks. They haven't had showers, used
a
> real flush toilet or probably gotten more than 4 hours of sleep a night in
> those 3 weeks - not to mention spending many weeks before that on high
alert
> ready to move at a moment's notice. They've been shot at; they've seen
their
> friends shot. They're extremely on edge because they don't know if the
Iraqi in
> civilian clothes coming towards them wants to thank them or blow them up.
Right
> now, the average solider probably cares more about getting a home cooked
meal,
> a hot shower, wearing something that isn't all shades of sandy brown and
> getting a full night's sleep in a real bed than stopping someone from
filtching
> a really old clay tablet. I can't really say that I blame him.
>
> There are still pockets of resistance in Baghdad and the troops don't know
what
> traps were laid by Saddam's troops as they fled. And up until Sunday AM,
they
> were still looking for 7 POWs. 4 are still MIA.
>
> Tanks and troops can't be everywhere nor is it their job. I could start
asking
> where are the UN troops who's responsibility it is to do this, but I just
won't
> go there. If the decision comes down to protecting the US troops in
Baghdad or
> protecting a museum that's one of hundreds of buildings being looted,
where do
> you think the tanks will go? My guess is that human lives are a bit more
> important than artifacts.
>
> The US troops freed the city and turned it over to the Iraqi people. THEY
are
> the ones doing the looting. It is THEIR fault for destroying their own
> artifacts. The US gets criticized for trying to revive colonialism and
control
> Iraq. So we live up to our original assertion of turning control of Iraq
back
> to the Iraqi people. Now the troops are getting blamed for NOT controlling
the
> people. You can't have it both ways. Don't blame the troops for what the
Iraqi
> people have done of their own free will. Once things die down, hopefully
cooler
> heads will prevail and people will start returning the artifacts and
rebuilding
> the museum. But again, it will be up to the Iraqi people to do so, NOT the
US
> or any other outside group.
>
> Sorry again for venting but that article was way out of line.
>
> Deb
>
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