Comments on: A Terrorist is a Terrorist - Except When He’s Not? http://pleadthefirst.com/2005/12/07/a-terrorist-is-a-terrorist-except-when-hes-not/ Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of an unnecessary blog, or prohibiting the free posting therein. Sat, 22 Nov 2008 06:11:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Plead the First » Blog Archive » Iraq and Trends in Terrorism http://pleadthefirst.com/2005/12/07/a-terrorist-is-a-terrorist-except-when-hes-not/#comment-10302 Plead the First » Blog Archive » Iraq and Trends in Terrorism Tue, 26 Sep 2006 02:40:45 +0000 http://pleadthefirst.com/2005/12/07/a-terrorist-is-a-terrorist-except-when-hes-not/#comment-10302 [...] On the one hand, as I wrote last year, many of those we are fighting against in Iraq seem to be Iraqis themselves, and they may not necessarily fit the usual definition of “terrorist”. [...] […] On the one hand, as I wrote last year, many of those we are fighting against in Iraq seem to be Iraqis themselves, and they may not necessarily fit the usual definition of “terrorist”. […]

]]> By: PotatoStew http://pleadthefirst.com/2005/12/07/a-terrorist-is-a-terrorist-except-when-hes-not/#comment-128 PotatoStew Fri, 09 Dec 2005 05:47:56 +0000 http://pleadthefirst.com/2005/12/07/a-terrorist-is-a-terrorist-except-when-hes-not/#comment-128 Hi Brenda, Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I have not been to Iraq, and I admit that I haven't directly spoken to anyone who has been there. That's why I do try to qualify my statements and cite sources where possible. I attempted to present the above as questions rather than trying to pass it off as me knowing exactly the way things are there. I am sure there are a significant number of Iraqis who have come to trust us and think well of what we are doing there. However, they aren't the ones I was talking about, as they are not the ones who are attacking our troops. My questions related only to the motives and tactics of the Iraqis who are fighting against our troops, and those people obviously do not think kindly of our presence there. As for whether we should stay or go, I actually tend to agree with you that we should stay there, for much the same reason. However I don't feel confident that the Bush administration is actually doing the best job that could be done there, and I'm far from certain that our invasion will be a net positive for our country or the world. I hope I'm wrong. Despite the fact that I feel we should stay, I still think it's fair to question the President's claims that the bulk of the people we are fighting there are actually terrorists of the same cloth as those who attacked us on September 11. To effectively engage those who fight against us, we need an honest assessment of who those people are. Hi Brenda,

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I have not been to Iraq, and I admit that I haven’t directly spoken to anyone who has been there. That’s why I do try to qualify my statements and cite sources where possible. I attempted to present the above as questions rather than trying to pass it off as me knowing exactly the way things are there.

I am sure there are a significant number of Iraqis who have come to trust us and think well of what we are doing there. However, they aren’t the ones I was talking about, as they are not the ones who are attacking our troops. My questions related only to the motives and tactics of the Iraqis who are fighting against our troops, and those people obviously do not think kindly of our presence there.

As for whether we should stay or go, I actually tend to agree with you that we should stay there, for much the same reason. However I don’t feel confident that the Bush administration is actually doing the best job that could be done there, and I’m far from certain that our invasion will be a net positive for our country or the world. I hope I’m wrong.

Despite the fact that I feel we should stay, I still think it’s fair to question the President’s claims that the bulk of the people we are fighting there are actually terrorists of the same cloth as those who attacked us on September 11. To effectively engage those who fight against us, we need an honest assessment of who those people are.

]]> By: Brenda Bowers http://pleadthefirst.com/2005/12/07/a-terrorist-is-a-terrorist-except-when-hes-not/#comment-127 Brenda Bowers Fri, 09 Dec 2005 04:49:00 +0000 http://pleadthefirst.com/2005/12/07/a-terrorist-is-a-terrorist-except-when-hes-not/#comment-127 Sir have you personally been in Iraq, or spoken directly to anyone who has been? I have spoken with a soldier who has been in Iraq for three tours of duty and his reports are entirely different than those of the media. It is true that at first the Iraqi people disliked and distrusted the Americans because they had after all been brain washed for decades. But as the population has been exposed to our troops and seen for themselves who we Americans are, and learned to trust what we are offering them they want very much to live in a country free of dictators and tyranny. I was personally against the war and felt that Isreal would take out any real threat in the Middle East as they always have. But, we are there now and we have an obligation to stay until the people can defend their country against other meddlers and run their own government. If you break it, you buy it. We broke a functioning social order, not a good one but FUNCTIONING nonetheless, and now we have the obligation to stay until it is repaired. Sir have you personally been in Iraq, or spoken directly to anyone who has been? I have spoken with a soldier who has been in Iraq for three tours of duty and his reports are entirely different than those of the media. It is true that at first the Iraqi people disliked and distrusted the Americans because they had after all been brain washed for decades. But as the population has been exposed to our troops and seen for themselves who we Americans are, and learned to trust what we are offering them they want very much to live in a country free of dictators and tyranny. I was personally against the war and felt that Isreal would take out any real threat in the Middle East as they always have. But, we are there now and we have an obligation to stay until the people can defend their country against other meddlers and run their own government. If you break it, you buy it. We broke a functioning social order, not a good one but FUNCTIONING nonetheless, and now we have the obligation to stay until it is repaired.

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