"The country stinks, but great people!"
Perhaps true in some cases but
bad people = bad country

Now that Saddam is out, the Bush administration is now on their heels because now the Iraqi people want direct elections, and we all know what's going to happen there when 60% of the population want the remaining 40% to cease living. Does this sound like the opressed now breathing free?

I was shocked when I heard someone ask the question: did Saddam make the country bad? or did the country make Saddam bad?

He poses that Saddam had to use extreme force to stabilize the crazy jerks he rules over from wrecking society and infrastructure. That's the only thing that would keep them from bombing themselves at each other, hucking rocks in the streets, ect. Though they did take priviledge and got some sick pleasure out of it, in all of it, there had to be some benefit for them to keep doing it. At the end, look at the freaking palaces saddam was building for himself.

Well how can people just HATE each other? People of vastly different races and religions get along elsewhere. But there are special cases, the Bible says that the people of Israel and Palistine will always naturally hate each other, and that has held true for over 2000 years! lol

So will a democracy work in a unified iraq? or are they going to have to eliminate each other? or draw some lines down the floor a la I Love Lucy?

I like the lines on the floor idea, except all the oil would be on one side. It is regionalized, it is a brewing holy war within a holy war... and yes, we're screwed.

Saddam was a thug, but he was our thug. There's a great bounty to be gained from democratizing Iraq, but it's for our Grandkids. Get used to Iraq in the news.

Originally posted by ANMAN
Well how can people just HATE each other? People of vastly different races and religions get along elsewhere. But there are special cases, the Bible says that the people of Israel and Palistine will always naturally hate each other, and that has held true for over 2000 years! lol

I thought I knew my Bible, but I missed that part. Where does it say that?

Autocratic rule is the norm for that region....it's the level of benevolence that varies with those in power.
While the minority was in power under Saddam, it was unneccessarily harsh. Most Arab countries maintain varied sects that coexist peacefully.
If everyone's rep is at the table & none are held in higher esteem than others, Iraq will be just fine.
But that won't happen via appointments from the occuppying forces.

I thought I knew my Bible, but I missed that part. Where does it say that?

I think ANMAN is reffering to something about two brothers who started two different religions.(Jewish/Muslim) I forget exactly what took place, but it led them and their followers to hate each other.

And yes, hate is evil. I've never hated anyone, there's never been a good reason to.

Debating who is going to give the world its savior is a serious thing, though I believe he already came lol.

I don't think we get a savior. I don't believe Jesus was a savior, I think he was a very good man who was blown into mythical proportion. When they asked him who he was and he said he was the son of god, I think he meant it metaphorically. Like, "we are all the children of god", "we all have a common ancestor or backround", or something like that.