I am a 17 yr. old student from Augusta, Ga. I really did not have much to say about the war but now that I see what terror is really going on over there. I think that the Iraqis need to take into consideration that those soilders families are watching. But instead of killing them we just feed them and bathe them and give them a place to lay low until the war is over. I am very diappointed at the US for putting us through this but I guess it had to be done. My mom is on her way over there and I swear to God if anything happens to her I WILL PERSONALLY KILL SADDAM HUSSEIN!!!! Go U.S.A

Someone from the Pentagon should send Al Jazeera a message: If they want to stay on the air they should stop broadcasting this stuff.

Thank you for saving these pictures - as you say, the Al-Jazeera website is frequently down, overwhelmed or attacked it is hard to say.

It is important that we have a view other than the official American view - which aims to present a sanitized and depersonalised image of the war.

Earlier pictures appeared to show a dead western woman as well as more graphic images of dead servicemen.

These images are the direct result of the decision by the warmongers in the US administration and, surprisingly, that of the UK prime minister to go to war against Iraq. A decision that was opposed by much of the international community as well as by substantial numbers in the UK & USA.

Perhaps it is only a coincidence that we have the republicans joining combat with the republican guard. My view however is that they are made for each other.

I think it's important to put these images in context, Al Jazeera the media agency is doing nothing different from what CNN had done a week ago when they showed images of Iraqi POW's being guarded by American soldiers. If there was a violation of the Geneva Convention (which I am not sure if Iraq even signed) then that violation was done by the Iraqi military that *allowed* the filming of the bodies and captured POW's, you can't blame Al Jazeera for doing exactly what CNN would have done (and did) last week in showing the video. That said, I think the main damage done by showing these pictures is that the American servicemen see them and are made even more apprehensive about the people they encounter in Iraq (civilian or soldiers..how do they tell the difference?) the point is, now is when the coalition soldiers start to get meaner, when cameras are not on them they may do questionable things...hopefully there will be few occurances of soldiers "letting loose" but the anger inspired by these released images certianly makes the possibility more likely. Similarly, the images of dead Iraqi civilians being shown in many parts of the world (but curiously lacking in American media) will inspire just the kind of hatred of coalition soldiers that led to the ambush and apparent execution of several members of the supply convoy from which the POW's were taken.

In Brooklyn, praying for quick peace.

I think america deserves any harm the comes to them from the war in iraq, furthermore i hope they suffer as much casualties as possible for being the most arrogant and most dictative country in the world, not to mention the most hated. The world wont tolerate America trying to impose their laws on the world, as history has taught us no empire stays dominant forever. Americas place as a world power will soon come to an end as well.

The rest of the world??? who are they??? there are no they, only us US of A, that's why we got World Cup only only for ourself...

Those puny others don't have right to exist... let them just crawl and die miserable, we won't care, as long they won't hack our MTV...

Thank you for your unkind words, "Laslo". I see from your IP address that you are at the Victoria University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. Fortunately, the wonderful contributions of so many of your fellow countrymen put your insignificent dimwittedness in perspective.

The very silly "G.I. Joe" is from Malaysia. His brand of idiocy is less of a surprise to me, considering its source.

sgsgdf

COUNTRIES BOMBED BY THE UNITED STATES AFTER WORLD WAR II
----------------------------------------------------------------

(Compiled by historian William Blum & quoted in the Sunday Observer 13 Jun 99)

China 1945-46
Korea 1950-53
China 1950-53
Guatemala 1954
Indonesia 1958
Cuba 1959-60
Guatemala 1960
Congo 1964
Peru 1965
Laos 1964-73
Vietnam 1961-73
Cambodia 1969-70
Guatemala 1967-69
Grenada 1983
Libya 1986
El Salvador 1980s
Nicaragua 1980s
Panama 1989
Iraq 1991-99 - The bombing of Iraq continues.
Bosnia 1995
Sudan 1998
Afghanistan 1998
Yugoslavia 1999

I don't understand how so many people from Iraq join the protests over here and support Saddam and his regiem, if it's that bloody good what are they all doing here in England?????

I'm afraid to say that the number of people that think like Laslo continues to grow. Blair categorised Saddam's regime as "an elite hated by the common people", but many see America in this light.

The list of countries bombed by the US omits Palestine - which is in effect being bombed by proxy - as the Israelis get their helicopter gunships and fighter aircraft from the US.

Here in Britain, B52s take off from American bases to bomb Iraq (as they have done before on Libya). It seems that we are as supine as the Arab powers, but with a lot of luck the electorate will reject both Conservative and Labour at the next election so that we (the English) can exert a restraining force on our problem child.

Thank you for providing a public venue for the exchange of opinions.

No complaints when the Tanzanian army removed Idi Amin's evil regime in Uganda. Big ups to the USA for removing the evil Castrist gangsters from Grenada. Well done USA removing evil Raul Cedras and his mercenaries in Haiti. Good show to the UK for removing evil Sanke Foda and his evil friends that took power in Sierra Leone. Soon we shall add Saddam Hussein to the recently added names of Milosevic and Karadicz. Britain is NOT a puppet of the USA, rather a true allie that can be called upon and depended upon in times of need. We are a small country but can kick arse with the best. Victory is assured. Why. Because we are doing the RIGHT thing. Bigups Sharkster :-)

We shall prevale, everyone wins when the coilition forces win. Nobody wins if they pull out!

We're a military family and we believe the POW video should be shown on American television. It will galvanize those who haven't been paying attention, and strengthen the resolve of those who have.

How many Americans were aware of the situation in Somalia until the videos of the dead American soldiers being dragged through the streets and that of POW Michael Durant were aired on U.S. television? The precedent was set then, if not during Vietnam.

For the action against Iraq, but hoping peace comes quickly.

I'm writing from the U.K and although many left wing liberals may have you believe that the British public is against this war let me assure you that the vast majority of us believe that this is a just conflict and more than that we are proud to call the US our closest allie.

For anyone to claim that war is unjust or unlawful is quite honestly deluded. Saddam is an evil dictator who delights in killing his 'own' people. The example of Halabja is just one example of his brutality, he spends money on his lavish palaces while children starve. How can anyone say our liberation of the Iraqi people is wrong?

When this is all over the world will be a safer place and generations of Americans and British will be proud of our action.

Dan , please speak for yourself. I am not a left wing liberal. I'm English and was born at the end of the blitz. My family stayed in London throughout the war, an aunt was bombed out of her home twice, an uncle had his ship sunk and surived as did all the men in the family even though they were in all in the armed forces and in dangerous places. I was brought up on RAF camps and brought up on a diet of 'All Our Yesterdays' and I am not afraid to fight for what I believe in. I am not only against this war but against USA politics period and so are most of the people I know and that includes some Americans. So it all depends on who you know doesn't it? The USA may see themselves as having the moral high ground as justification but where were they on other occasions? A notable example was when Turkey invaded Cyprus....people lost their lives and their homes but did the US of A do anything about that? No, because they wanted Turkey as an ally for just such an occasion as now....how ironic!

Prediction,
Coalition forces will eventually prevail, install a goverment acceptable to the US but not to the Iraqis. There will be continual unrest. So much so that a permanent presence of US 'peacekeepers' will be required. A soldier on every street corner. These will be targets for every US hating nutter across the Muslim world (and there will be many)who will travel long distances to take a shot at a US soldier, or go to the garden of Allah by way of a few sticks of high explosive strapped to his chest. (Think Northern Ireland with sand and about a hundred times more violent)
Eventually the body bag count will become unacceptable to the US voters and the 'Liberators' will slink away as they were forced to do in Somalia. They will return home to the same reception the Vietnam vets received and the knowledge that their actions had condemned the US to Terrorist attacks for years to come.

It is amazing to me how people point a finger at the U.S.A. and knock them for their foriegn policy.

Yes, the U.S.A. is not perfect. Can anyone name one country is? France? How did they react to world opposition to their testing their nuclear bombs? They did it anyways. Russia? Who invaded afganistan and started that country's long years of war? China? Well, they have a novel way of dispersing protesters. Germany? Ovens, gas chambers and mass murder oh my! Sure, happened in the past but so did many of the events that some people are condeming the U.S.A. for.
Nobody is perfect but I am willing to bet that the U.S.A has given more aid throughout the world than any these countries that so strongly condem the U.S.. Am I a crazy pro-American... no, we in Canada have a few beefs with the U.S. over trade issuses, but I do support their efforts of ridding the world of the threat of the Saddams regime and with a benifit of freeing the Iraq people. No one deserves to suffer as they have with little or no hope of freedom. Some say they sould free themselves... how many hundreds of thousands have died trying? Should we say "Oh well, try, try again?" We allow and expect our police forces to use force to stop and apprehend dangerous criminals to protect our society. Saddam is a dangerous criminal if I've ever seen one. Negotiations have gone on for 12 years, Saddam has had plenty of time to turn a new leaf.

Nobody loves War (unless you are crazy or evil!). I do not love war but I love Saddam and his brutal tortures and murders even less and beleive he must be stopped. Scary, sad times to be sure but how can putting an end to such evil be wrong?

Everyone should be praying for proctection of the innocent Iraq civilians, British and American service people and innocent Iraq soldiers...( there are many serving Saddam under threat of death) and pray for the end of an evil era in Iraq.

The same arguments seem to surface time and again to justify the attack on Iraq namely, "somebody had to stop this evil tyrant" or "Weapons of mass destruction" "ignoring UN resolutions" We know these mantras off by heart now. The world is full of dictators like Saddam, in Korea, Pakistan, Iran, and almost every country in Africa. Is the US going to tackle these despots with the same relentlessness it has applied to Saddam? If not, why not? Many of these dictators are just as bad if not worse. There are a number of reasons,some of which are, Proximity to Israel, Oil, and whether or not they possess nuclear weapons. I have no objection to the existence of a world police force to control the excesses of corrupt regimes but they must be muliti national and act across the board. Israel has flouted many UN resolutions,posesses Nuclear,chemical and biological weapons and according to the world court, it's leader Sharon, is eligble to be tried for war crimes. A prime candidate for 'policing' one would have thought but that is not the case as long as the US continues to fight it's battles for it. Nor will it be the case with North Korea. It is not menacing Israel. China (the only real match militarily for the US at present)is too close, and the Koreans have nuclear weapons but do not have any oilfields. This war is not about freeing Iraqis, (who incidentally are not exactly rushing into the streets waving US flags at their liberators are they?)I refuse to believe the rubbish spouted by the Pentagon that they are too scared!!! This war is about replacing a regime that has become too powerful and not compliant enough with the west. The torture and brutality of Saddam while clearly true and inexcusable, are only an excuse to install a puppet government. It is quite possible as others have speculated, that if all goes well with this invasion, A large garrison could be established and in a year or so, an excuse could be found to move into Iran and give them the same treatment. Any objections from the other arab countries could be dealt with by attacks from Israel. I am not 'pro arab' I am just reacting to the sad spectacle of people wrapping themselves in the flag and declaring this war to be a good thing because 'our boys' are over there now and not to support them would be in some way unpatriotic.

Sure, there are other nasty dictatorships that deserve the same treatment that Iraq is getting now, but they haven't invaded neighbors or used chemical weapons as of yet. There might not be any need to go to war with North Korea or Iran, after they see what happens. Sometimes, a strong hand works better than trying to negotiate with unreasonable regimes. Think about it.

Lest we forget, Saddam obtained much of those weapons of mass destruction from the US when he was a 'friend' of theirs and encouraged to go to war with Iran. There was no complaint from the US when he used chemical weapons against the Iranians as their government under the Ayatollah had humiliated the US with the hostage affair. Israel invades its neighbours on a regular basis and has ignored several UN madates to desist. They also have chemical and nuclear weapons but these facts are conveniently overlooked. There will be no question of the US going to war with Korea for the simple fact that the US were unable to defeat them in the 50's when the Koreans did not have nuclear weapons. The Koreans held out through sheer weight of numbers. So the US is not likely to risk losing massive numbers of troops for no apparent gain. This is not about making the world a safer place, it is about money,corporations and power.(Think about that.) Look beyond the flag waving and patriotic rhetoric. I am an American living abroad and I am not unpatriotic just a little cynical of the CNN view of the world! The US will be no safer from another 911 because of a regime change in Iraq. This is not payback for 911, it is using 911 as an excuse to remove and replace a once tame puppet that has now turned 'rogue' If anything this action has exponentially multiplied the potential recruits for the ranks of Al Quaeda and other terrorist groups. There will be more 911's. It took 10 years from the end of the gulf war, for Al Quaeda to form and grow large enough to instigate the attacks on the US but those attacks were a direct result of the Gulf War. I wonder what monster the war with Iraq will generate?

My purpose in the following comment is not to deride our European counterparts. Rather, I wish to clarify some misinformation that has crept up in the debate over this war. There is the frequent accusation that the United States government and/or American companies, during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980's, were a chief supplier of Iraq's chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons programs. While it is true that some United States' companies were suppliers of chemical weapons pre-cursors (not the chemical weapons themselves) and to a larger extent Iraq's rocket and conventional weapons systems, claiming that the United States provided "much of those weapons of mass destruction" (as the previous contributor claims) is a blatant overstatement. It is, in fact, a matter of public record that the primary suppliers of Iraq's WMD program lie across the Atlantic. In 1998, Iraq submitted to UNSCOM a weapons declaration, which included, among other things, a comprehensive weapons suppliers list. The Iraqi list names 56 suppliers of chemicals and equipment to process them. A majority are based in Europe. Germany is home to the most major suppliers listed in the declaration. The Netherlands and Switzerland each are home to three companies on the list. France, Austria and the United States each are home to two. The declaration says Singapore was the largest exporter of chemical weapons precursors. Other countries home to alleged chemical exporters to Iraq include India, Egypt, Spain and Luxembourg, with one each.

Now let us move on to the issue of Iraq's nuclear program. The French involvement in the Iraqi nuclear program of the 1970's is well known and infamous. With full knowledge of the Iraqi regime's intentions, France agreed to build two research reactors along with associated laboratories. Iraq built the Osiraq 40 megawatt light-water nuclear reactor at the Al Tuwaitha Nuclear Center near Baghdad with French assistance. Approximately 27.5 pounds of 93% U-235 (that is highly enriched WEAPONS GRAD uranium!) was supplied to Iraq by France for use in the Osiraq research reactor. (Coincidentally, Jacques Chirac was Prime Minister of France at the time, and it was, indeed, he who negotiated the sale of the reactors to Iraq.) Iraq also contracted with an Italian firm for highly radioactive material - a "hot lab" that can be used to reprocess spent uranium fuel to separate plutonium. Thankfully, the Israeli air-force destroyed this facility just months before the French engineers declared it would "go-live". (The technology still persisted into the 90's as revealed by weapons inspectors.) Finally, nearly all of Iraq's ballistic missile techology - e.g. the infamous SCUD and FROG missiles that have been lauched at Kuwait and Israel - have been provided by Russia. Regardless of one's stance regarding the war, it should be clear that Saddam Hussein's weapons arsenal is a hideous concoction to which many, many nations have contributed. Solely pointing the finger at the United States, which has regretably become quite popular, is baseless and irresponsible.

I want Al Jazeera. This invasion is illegal & immoral. The corruption of the USA administration should be brought to account. Even without this war the USA is bankrupt. The balance of trade is on the edge of chapter 11. I will do all I can to assist it over the line. I avoid where products, opting insted for local (Australian) or Euro equivellents. The people of Iraq will, and should repel this invasion. The UN will an should move resolution 377 'uniting for peace' ceasefire & withdrawl. I wan Al Jazeera web streamms back online. I'm sick of the ABC, CNN, FOX pro America, Pro War coverage. P.S. FYI I am a westerner of Irish/British decent.. But I so Pro Peace anti war in my rantings because it takes a moron to support this invasion.

I find al this rather disturbing, i;m sitting here watching bbc news and CNN and what do they show? dead Iraqi fighters, total hypocrisy from the western governments. But this is typical with wartime propanda, yes, let's portray theIraqis as devils, demoinsing them Do any of you remember the pictures from the first Gulf War? the dead iraqis strewn on the streets, what's wrong? Don't like to see western soldiers dying? Are Iraqi citizens less human? By the way, myt cousin is in the Royyal Marines fighting in Basra just now. It's not a pretty sight. Get real. A dead Iraqi is just as human, and as much worth as a dead American. In fact, I really hope the Iraqis give the Americans as best a kicking as they can, I hope saddam falls, he is evil, but it siickens me to see this being called a war when its actually an invasion,.

There were a lot of countries supplying weapons to Iraq. That was no secret. The US government were not unaware of who was supplying what to Iraq and if they dissaproved they would have stepped in and stopped the trade by threatening sanctions as they do on a regular basis. The unpalatable fact is, that while it suited the US that these countries were supplying Iraq they did nothing about it. The comment that the US were somehow less culpable because they only supplied the 'precursors' to make chemical weapons is truly laughable. The US surely knew what they were for? Canada can't even export something as harmless as building lumber to the US without a trade war at the moment so I am in no doubt that any country that openly defied US sanctions to Iraq would have been halted. The fact that there were so many countries supplying weapons to Saddam is a clear indicator that they had at least tacit US approval. If that is not 'irresponsible' to quote a previous contributor, what is?

First of all, thank you Stefan for creating this forum which has brought many opinions to light across the world and a special thanks for calling out Laslo as well as GI Joe. I feel sorry for people like them because they are filled with so much hatred, not only towards America but to the world at large, most likely because they have been treated unfairly their whole life. Parts of America may be corrupt but the majority of the people here are peaceful, caring and compassionate individuals. I am for peace, but war is sometimes necessary to acheive that. I empathize with ALL of the soldiers and families affected by this war and admire them for their courage.

I am an American but I refuse to vote because the ballods are always filled with incompetent candidates. I believe our Government lies to us, but whose doesn't? It's no secret that ALL Governments are corrupt in one way or another. Power and money breeds greed whether you are British, Canadian, Israeli, American, etc. I see everyone arguing over whether or not this war is justifiable. There should be no question in your minds that someone has to do something about the cruel dictatorships out there.

No matter what country you represent, you should know the basics of right from wrong. Remember the Golden Rule? Treat people how you would like to be treated. Yes, there are many tyrrants in the world, but we must challenge them one at a time. Maybe America does have ulterior motives for starting this war besides freeing the Iraqis. Maybe they do want control over a regime that has become too powerful. But the important thing is that the Iraqi's will be treated with decency and respect if America wins this war. They will no longer be unjustly beaten, raped and forced against their will. They will have choices which is something no one should be able to take away from another human being.

I've read all of your comments and found them very interesting. I can respect everybody's opinion, however, shame on some of you! None of you should wish harm on anyone no matter what nation they are from or how much you dislike them. Have we forgotten the fundamentals of humanity? I'm not for the war and I'm not against it. What I am against is everyone being so judgmental of one another. War brings out the cruelest side of human nature. If there is a God he must be looking down in disgust on his creation. We were given this beautiful gift of life and the earth and look at how we treat one another.

Peace out.

This war waged by two countries on a third against all International Laws is just a personal vendetta from US President, supported by his puppy poodle from UK.

US first supported the Mujhaideen in Afghanistan against Najibullah govt. and made movies to make them heroes First Blood, Rambo et al. Then they suddenly became villians as the realities dawned here. US IS REPEATING THE SAME BLUNDER, THIS TIME SUPPORTING KURDS. THEY ARE TERRORISTS TOO!!

Who paid Taliban Salaries?
Pakistan and Saudi. Pakistan from US money.

Where is the biggest global threat?
Islamic fundamentalism and such unilateral actions by countries against all International Laws.

Who are these Islamic Fundamentalist Regimes? Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Algeria, Pakistan and UAE, to some part Iran and Tjikstan still. Why attack Iraq?

People are not free?
C'mon give me a break what about Saudi where women can not even expose the ankle! and all have to either go to Mosque or hide 5 times a day at the time of reading the nawaz? No one can eat in public view in the month of ramadan.

How many of the 911 bastards were from Iraq?
0.

How many from Saudi?
Most.

Where were others from Pakistan, Yemen and Algeria.

Where is Osama from?
Saudi.

Where does all his money come from?
Saudi and UAE.

Where does he hide?
Pakistan and Afghanistan maybe even Saudi

How does Pakistan survive?
On a 900 Billion aid annual aid from US.

Who supported Pakistan in wars against forever democratic India?
US.

Iraq is not being run the way countries ought to?
No doubt it is not, but this is not the way to resolve it. This unilateral action risks a global arms race where no country trusts another and no one has any value for Internation law and conventions ( Iraq, US and UK have shown this and clarified it beyond any doubt ). There are so many others that are much worse off. Look at Africa and Middle east.

-- Neel

Well if you won't vote Angel how do you expect to change anything? Do you think the US would be better if everybody had your attitude and didn't vote because they didn't like the candidates? If that was to happen then the US would be run by a much worse tyrant than Saddam simply because he was unopposed.
The Iraqis will still be raped, beaten and forced against their will but this time it will be their oilfields that will be raped their pride that will be beaten and they will be forced to accept a US military goverment and occupying power against their will.(Why are they not in the streets welcoming the liberators?) 'Treat people as you would like to be treated?' Would you like a foreign army coming to your town and telling you you are now 'liberated' so you'll take your orders from us!!!

It would appear the Washington snouts are already in the trough!

Taken from the Guardian (UK) newspaper today,

Richard Perle, chief architect of the war, has resigned as chairman of the Pentagon's influential Defence Policy Board.
Mr Perle says he resigned to stop allegations about his business interests becoming a distraction from the "urgent challenge" of invading Iraq, but he apparently intends to stay on in a more minor role.

In 1996 Mr Perle, nicknamed the Prince of Darkness, was the main author of a report entitled "Clean Break" whose contents were revealed by the Guardian last September (Playing skittles with Saddam, September 3 2002). This set out a plan to protect Israel's strategic interests by reshaping the Middle East, starting with regime change in Iraq.

Last week, the Guardian disclosed Mr Perle's links to an intelligence-related computer firm that stands to profit from war with Iraq (Pentagon hawk linked to UK intelligence company, March 21 2003). Mr Perle has denied separate allegations published earlier this month in the New Yorker, and threatened to sue the magazine in Britain, where libel cases are much harder to defend than in the US.

According to a report to be published today by the US watchdog Center for Public Integrity, at least 10 out of 30 members of the Pentagon committee are executives or lobbyists with companies that have tens of billions of dollars' worth of contracts with the US defence department and other government agencies.

Britain's chief military officer in the Gulf, Air Marshal Brian Burridge, yesterday attacked American moves to hand over the running of Iraq's largest port to a company which has a history of bad industrial relations and has faced accusations of union-busting.

The firm, Stevedoring Services of American, has been awarded a £3m contract to manage Umm Qasr by the Bush administration. Britain argues that the port should be run by Iraqis once it has been made secure.

Another contract in Umm Qasr - for construction work - has gone to a subsidiary of Halliburton, Vice-President Dick Cheney's old firm.

So this is 'liberation and freedom' is it?

Another :

Why attack Irack?
It has and was delivering weapons of mass destruction. ?

Well islamic fundamentalist terrorist supporting Pakistan has them!! Gets money for buying technology from N Korea from Saudi. Also uses part of the bailouts from US to that end. They have fission bomb and are now buying delivery mechanisms for those from N Korea.

Who is N Korea?
That is the communist dictatorial country which has a nuclear arms program and weapons and who even threatens to use them agains US!!!

Who would you, then consider the biggest threat?
N Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, ofcourse!!!!

With all respect to the families of the fallen soldiers, as a former U.S. Marine, I do not mind that those bastards are showing the images of our dead soldiers. This will give us the strength and motivation to fight with more courage and get this war over soon. I am positive that our fallen comrades are watching us and saying "avenge me"...I would say the same. There is nothing to be ashamed of, that is the reality of war, and as a country we have to unite strong.

, he (Saddam) spends money on his lavish palaces while children starve. How can anyone say our liberation of the Iraqi people is wrong?"

Isn't there a Queen Elzabeth II and Co. spending money while unemplyoment rises in all the UK? And lets not get into the "Killing its own people" thing.... it would just take too long...

I have just come across this site, and my comment is that as a British citizen I shall be having a holiday in my heart each time I see the corpse of an Anglo-American invader screened on Al-Jazeera or any other TV station. No, I am not a Muslim and I have no time for religious superstitions, whether they be Islamic, Christian, Jewish or Buddhist. The US and UK have launched this criminal aggression and have already slaughtered hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent Iraqi men, women and children with their cowardly long-distance weaponry. Now they whinge and whine at the sight of a few corpses from their own side, slain in honest man-to-man combat. Tough! My only complaint is that there are not enough of them: the more bloodied and mangled GI's and British squaddies we see the better. Only that way will the message get through that they should pack their kitbags and get out of where they're not wanted. Bush has turned the US into the most hated and reviled country on earth, and as a European I have one message for Americans: go back home, have a great big slice of mom's apple pie, and maybe, with a bit of luck, you'll choke on it!

Understand this Saddam, the United States Of America will not stand for the public broadcast of it's fallen sons and daughters. Time for you to step out and die!

Daniel, thank you for your comments. You are absolutely right about my decision to not vote. I am glad that not everyone has my attitude or else we might be in the same situation as Iraq. Maybe during the next election I will get my butt to the polls and vote for the Green Party candidate. I think I may have to drive up north though because I live in Florida and our state really screwed up the last Presidential election! I'm not sure if you knew about this or not but during the Gore/Bush election, it took at least an extra week to tally the votes because at some Floridian polls the ballots were not properly aligned with the selection slots. People who thought they had voted for Bush actually voted for Gore. It was a mess!

I especially like the Guardian article you posted: very enlightening! I always suspected that Washington had ulterior motives regarding this war. What's sad is that we will probably never know the truth because of the various propaganda we are exposed to. How do we really know which source and what information to believe? It seems like the majority of people in power would rather lie to the public for their own personal gain. As you know, the news in America is filtered. The Government takes on the role of a paternalist by telling the media what they can and cannot show the public which I disagree with. I think that in certain cases our freedom is only an illusion. Still, I can't complain because we have it a million times better than other countries.

How do you know that if America wins this war that our military would force the Iraqis against their will? Have you seen the pictures of how well we are treating the captured Iraqi soldiers? If these pictures are in fact legitimate and not just another sugercoating technique then I think it is suffice to say that a US military government would not be forceful. However, obviously I am young and naive. I am just starting to follow politics and history and have much to learn. I would appreciate any feedback you have.

One more thing...you asked why the Iraqis are not in the streets welcoming their liberators. Saddam is still in power and if I was an Iraqi I would be afraid if he saw me cheerfully greeting the enemy that I would be immediately executed. Just a thought. Thank you for listening! :)

Adrian, I can respect your right to voice your opinion but how can you actually wish death on anyone... especially your own countrymen? Do you know that at night when you are sleeping peacefully in your own bed that it is only because the brave soldiers of your country have sacrificed their lives for you to have that comfort? You are entitled to your opinion and I am entitled to mine. I don't think that you are any better than Saddam when you claim you will celebrate by seeing more casualties from this war. I'm sure that all Brits will agree with me when I say, Thank God you are not in power of your country!

Hello Angel,
I am glad to hear you have an interest in History, We learn by our mistakes (or do we?) so we should know as much about the past as possible. I have a great love for history and have been fortunate enough to have a career in that field.
Now, to answer your points, I genuinely think the reason Iraqis are not on the streets waving flags for the US forces is that they simply do not want them there. They are a proud people with thousands of years of history. Civilisation was born on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers four thousand years ago. They have had a bad time from Saddam, he is a monster and has committed terrible crimes against his people but perhaps the way to understand the Iraqi response to this is to compare the Iraqi people to a battered wife. Someone whose husband abuses her terribly. She knows she should leave, but she is frightened of change,what would the neighbours think? What about the children?
She has her pride to consider. She doesn't want her private life open to public scrutiny. There are many reasons, none of them ideal but most are understandable. Arab society is tribal, built on very old fashioned values and is slow to accept new ones. Saddam must go but there were other ways to undertake his removal.
In Afghanistan,(another country in a similar situation,) there was rejoicing and celebration because they were actually happy to see the US. There was little resistance to the US troops in Afghanistan because the Taliban knew they had no popular support. The people of Afghanistan were only too keen to join with the US troops to drive out the Taliban. This is not happening in Iraq however, and the Iraqi military is fighting tooth and nail to defend it's homeland from invasion. If the Iraqi people did not support their armed forces the US would be on the streets of Baghdad by now because of the cooperation they would be receiving from the Iraqi population. Whether the Iraqi prisoners of war are treated well or not, they still do not want a US administration running their country and as more and more US companies show up to run the infrastructure all paid for with Iraqi oil, the resentment will grow.
I'm sorry to paint such a desolate picture but I really don't see any other way.

Kind regards,

Dan.

Daniel, I'm with you all the way.. but just one thing. Have you heard about the Iraqi woman hanged for waving at U.S. troops? I think in some of these cities/villages, running to the U.S. troops with open arms just isn't possible.. but I agree that this support for the American cause that Rumsfeld insists exists and will grow in Iraq just hasn't materialized.. and won't.
Also, just a tidbit for those who love to enumerate Iraq's WMD.. Iraq's military budget has gone from $90-something billion pre-Gulf War, to about $2 billion in the present. So tell me again.. threat to whom?
And something that just seems so glaringly obvious to me, but I guess not to anybody else.. So we declare war on Iraq in part because they may have WMD they aren't supposed to have. Uh, wouldn't a war just give Iraq the opportunity to use the WMD they aren't supposed to have in the first place??
And what's all this about Iraq's war crimes, when it is in fact illegal to wage war on an internationally recognized (and hence legitimate) regime? Forget about the war being just.. is it even LEGAL?
As an American, and a New Yorker who has lived in Manhattan her entire life, I'm so sick of hearing the jingoist calls to arm. I know it sounds a little bad, but I don't even know how I feel toward our troops - they're soldiers, they decided to become soldiers of their own volition, nobody has forced them to fight in this war, and everybody should understand that part of being a soldier is facing an extremely high risk of death...

Hello Bianca,
You have touched on another aspect of this awful business that I had begun to think about a day or two ago. Namely that perhaps in the future our forces may be unwilling to fight the kind of anti Arab wars our government has in store for them. The events at the 101st headquarters in Kuwait, where an attempt was made by a US soldier to exterminate the senior officers of his regiment was a chilling lesson in what may be to come if this campaign does not end quickly. The soldier was a convert to Islam, and had changed his name to a Muslim one. Surely someone in the regiment was awake enough to realise a committed Muslim was not the best person to be sending to fight other Muslims? How many more soldiers are there in the army with similar ideals?
I was born in London but am a US citizen and live in MA. My family have been in the US for nearly 200 years, and fought and died for this country. I love the place and the people deeply but I refuse to be blinded to what is clearly an unjust war by accusations of disloyalty from a flag waving corporate media obsessed with ratings.
Regarding the women who were hanged, I think if it had happened then Al Jazeera would have been given the pictures by dissidents (there are supposed to be thousands of them!) and we would have seen them on TV. Fox News certainly would have no qualms about showing THOSE pictures!!!

Angel (of Death, maybe?)-- Firstly I have nothing but contempt and disgust for what you call my "countrymen" when they turn into criminal aggressors and bring death and destruction to a land that was the centre of human civilization when Britons were half-naked savages living in mud huts. Second, my grandfather -- actually an Irishman -- fought with the British army in Belgium and France in the Ist World War, was gassed and died at the age of 42 from his injuries. My mother and grandmother both suffered grievously during the Blitz on London in WW2 and lost their home and possessions. Those wars were noble exploits, fought on strong matters of principle when Britain faced a genuine threat to her liberty and independence and had the courage to make a stand for freedom. This assault on Iraq is nothing but a squalid and immoral adventure undertaken by one nation currently in the grip of a psychopathic Jesus-freak and another presently led by a deranged egotist who believes he is the reincarnation of Winston Churchill (you can decide which is which). The British aggressors in Iraq are not defending me, you or anyone else: they are engaging in the most outrageous war crime since the Holocaust and they are using precisely the same excuse for it: "We're only obeying orders". Finally, let me say that if I was in power in my country it would not now be nothing more than George Bush's toilet roll.

Adrian- Can't say that my "heart has a holiday" everytime I see a dying soldier.. call it hippyish, but a dying person isn't exactly appealing to me, regardless of the circumstances. However, I do feel you made a valid point in reference to Angel's statement that "brave soliders are sacrificing themselves for my comfort". More like, common joes are out there fighting a war they, like most of this country, only half understand.. but mention "freedom", "american", and "patriotic", and who needs a good reason for a war?
This is part of the reason I can't really say I feel proud of the troops themselves. They're not fighting for anything I believe in, so I think when they are killed in battle, they will have died in vain. And don't be so quick to refute my opinion as insignificant or marginal. I have no faith in the March 17th CNN/Gallup poll that claims 66% favored war in Iraq.. 21% of the 66% apparently "weren't sure" if war in Iraq was the right thing to do, but went along with Bush's decision anyways. Seems like a lot of people are unsure, rather than positive.. and not to discredit my fellow Americans, but it's true that too many swallow the "fight for peace" rhetoric without a second thought or further explanation.

I am happy to hear of allied troops being killed, it is their just reward for following cynical evil leaders Bush and Blair. The troops have no business in Iraq, they are equally guilty of mass war crimes as Sadam himself. Bush is a moronic right wing nazi christian, Blair a syncophant lap dog of imperialism. PLO, Al Quada, Republican Guard, Al Jazeera #1.
Death to the Allies.
By the way I am a white from Scotland.

Bismillah
ALLAH O AKBAR........................ALLAH O AKBAR
the bush and blair and arial shroon is #1 terrarest inshallah one day.... prays of innecents and the blood of shohada will be colourfull and they will be sowrd aginest them... beacuse ALLAH says.. kuteba alikumull kataal ... so muslim shoud to do jihad aginest them ...iam allso inshllah..the seikh ahmad yaseen shaheed khalid rantisey shaheed and khalid mishal bin ladan is the hero of islam .. what u think seikh is dide no no no ALLAH says in quran.. shaheed will not die... jaza ku mullha o khair... ALLAH O AKBAR.
MY NAME IS ADNAN IAM FROM PAKISTAN..17M.. I WANT TO TLAK WITH MUJHID MUSLIM .. PLZ TALK TO ME .. ADNANJALANI519@HOTMAIL.COM........

It is a shame that we go into a country to help get rid of its crazy leader and the very people that we liberate turn on us. All I have to say is "Kill them all and let God or Allah sort them out", and lets get the hell out of Iraq thier actions are proof enough that the people do not want peace and tranquility nor a democtratic society.

I'm actually starting to believe that these Al Queda (sp) Jihad fanatics as well as the people who hate americans and other countries from trying to save them are all demons. There is a hell after all and it's in their souls. Now when you're kid asks if there really is a devil, you can safely say, "yes there is".

I'm actually starting to believe that these Al Queda (sp) Jihad fanatics as well as the people who hate americans and other countries from trying to save them are all demons. There is a hell after all and it's in their souls. Now when you're kid asks if there really is a devil, you can safely say, "yes there is".