h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"Once again, it's the cultural differences that are being ignored here. It is part of the culture of Iraq to have guns, not just as weapons as it says in that article. Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq all have long histories of weapons manufacture, everything from knives to swords to guns. In shops and villages in the region is it possible to leave a modern gun and come back in a length of time to find an exact duplicate made to your specifications along with the original. Gunsmithing is a highly prized vocation."

Presumably, then, you support the American's right to bear arms, since it is a long-time cultural tradition in that country.

"""During the Saddam era, few people used to keep weapons in their houses because there was real security, but now you have to protect your family by yourself," said Ali Hassan, a 27-year-old factory worker."

From anhanga's link

It doesn't relate well to the pictures painted by the pro war people does it?"

Police-states are traditionally lawful. That's why we used to get authoritarian halfwits of the Left and Right saying how they were on holiday in the USSR/Franco's Spain and "it was so safe! You could walk down the streets without getting mugged! We're so *soft* over here!".

Saddam's police kept the peace. They also took people away and tortured them and murdered them for disagreeing with the government.

The picture stands.

Different situations...

If Americans vote for their right to bear arms, then I don't think anyone would try to force them to do otherwise. Not saying that its a good idea, personally guns scare the hell out of me.

The trouble is, the Iraqis are being forced to give up their weapons *that they paid for and prize* by a foreign provisional government, and being threatened with a fine if they don't. Admittedly it is for their own good, but they're still really not going to like it, especially since the criminals will be the last ones to hand their guns in. Its one of those long-term measures that elected governments hate because the short-term consequences get them kicked out of office.

They are also subjected to house to house searches with no warning by the US military. That does not sooth the questions they have about "am I safe in my home"?

The US military comes with guns and the *bad guys* will retain theirs.
Hard to blame them for wanting one too

*I hate guns*

*Presumably, then, you support the American's right to bear arms, since it is a long-time cultural tradition in that country.*

No, actually. It's not my country so I have no right meddling in it's affairs without good reason. Get it?

a few notes:

I find "Anhanga" an interesting (and somehow disturbing) misspelling of my name.

I thought the point of the article about guns in Iraq was to relate a bit of news about what was happening in Iraq.

My point in posting the news story was, to quote Shylock, "If you prick me, do I not bleed?"

Lentilla, I am glad to hear there's activity going on in the USA that we don't hear of here...
It's so difficult to know *what* to believe about anything!

>>{nothing but spite and rumer} Did you have a straight face when you typed that?<<
Hi, birth! Probably I was a bit p*ssed off at the time I wrote that, actually - massive access problems which mean I am not my sweet reasonable self these days...
Yes, I have become somewhat anti-American, which means *anti American foreign policy, not anti American people!*
Besides, Zagreb wants me and some others to wear that label, so I do...

First thing that springs to mind, is some part of the USA, Appalachia in the 1920s, Montana or suchlike, but you said *country*... Nope, don't know..

I hate guns too, abbi, but I can understand the way the people feel, with random house to house searches... That'd scare the living s out of me, (as my baby used to say (when he was a baby))

Yup. That's been the problem all along - if you aren't democratic, Christian, and capitalist, why then you must not be happy - here, let us shower you with the wisdom of modern Western thinking.

Bleah.

Whups - that reply was to the earlier comment about the coalition introducing new ideas into the Iraqi culture.

About guns and gun control...

If we were to outlaw everything except for light munitions in Iraq, then by all rights we should make sure that the occupying forces aren't carrying anything heavier. It's only fair. We should also be deputizing people to act as police... why not? This way the people of Iraq are helping to keep their neighborhoods safe, rather than depending upon a foreign militia, whose loyalties are already suspect.

Really, we should be allowing the Iraqi people to get on with the business of rebuilding their country - instead of sending in the military, send in the carpenters and plumbers. We need to get out of there! Enough is enough - what are we doing, waiting around to make sure that France doesn't get a piece of the pie?

"Yup. That's been the problem all along - if you aren't democratic, Christian, and capitalist, why then you must not be happy - here, let us shower you with the wisdom of modern Western thinking."

There does seem to be an unhappy tendency to ignore human rights abuses (often serious) in the third-world because they are carried out by regimes that are "another culture" from the West.

Human Rights are, imho, universal and neither political correctness nor right-wing isolationism should be allowed to change that.

"This way the people of Iraq are helping to keep their neighborhoods safe, rather than depending upon a foreign militia, whose loyalties are already suspect."

Interestingly, the occupying forces *did* recruit Iraqi police officers to keep order. I was listening to the radio the other day and someone was ranting about how this "proved" that the regime "hadn't changed" as "these police officers once worked for Saddam!". He also plugged his book called "Evil Yank Empire threatens peace-loving juntas everywhere" or something.

You can't win, you can't lose. And all that

Zag

Della - what scares me most is that the international community is watching our news media, which gives no clue as to what the attitudes are in the nation. The media is usually the liberal voice - I don't know why that's changed.

'Interestingly, the occupying forces *did* recruit Iraqi police officers to keep order.'

Good! (I hope!) I wish they'd recruit the people of Iraq, not just those who had a past history of working with Saddam. But at least they're working with the current civil government.

'Evil Yank Empire Threatens Peace-Loving Juntas'... hmm... have to check that out.

Saw a Weekly World News Headline - "Iraq Chemical Weapons Hidden In Cuba/Castro Smoking Poison Gas Cigars!" So I went to check out the website, and saw "Saddam's Moustache Found! USA Confident DNA Tests & Hummus Residue Will Prove He's A Goner!"

At least we're keeping our sense of humor!

The fan is turning, just waiting for something to hit it:



http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/06/03/british_vote030603

Noam Chomsky (Zagreb's bete noire) has written a lot about your media - there's a very dense book called 'Manufacturing Consent' I read a while ago, check it out!

Just to be clear, for those who haven't read much Chomsky (I like Deterring Democracy, myself), Della: whose media are "your media"?