From the hard core bastion of right-wing, pro-Bush reportage – Spiegel;
Pork is available in Baghdad once again. Not just in the Green Zone, where US diplomats can enjoy their spare ribs and Parma ham, but also across the Tigris River, in the real Baghdad, at “Al-Warda” on Karada Street. Bassim Dencha, 32, one of the few Christians remaining in Iraq and the co-owner of Baghdad’s finest supermarket, has developed a supply line from Syria. As a result, he now has frozen pork chops and bratwurst arranged in his freezers, next to boxes of frozen French fries and German Black Forest Cakes. And the customers are buying.
[…]
Two kilometers down the street, business is booming late into the night at Ali Lami’s roadside snack bar. Before the war the establishment, a Baghdad institution, was a favorite hangout for former dictator Saddam Hussein’s henchmen and United Nations weapons inspectors alike. Today professors and students from the university, which is once again open every day, come here to eat shawarma, an Arab fast-food dish consisting of shaved meat and salad served in pita bread.
This fall the manager, Rassak Rashid, 44, plans to open an outdoor seating area in a grove of palm trees behind the snack bar. The lanterns are already hanging in the trees. “Maybe then the police will stop telling our customers to get off the street,” says Rashid.
It’s a link worth passing along to your friends, and those email addresses they provide at our local and national media outlets. Let them know that you know what they don’t want you to know.
h/t Bookworm Room.
Hey, thanks for that Kate!!!
The silence of the MSM concerning Iraq over the last several months is also astonishing. At least one bastion of MSM journalism is waking up. I’m not hopeful that this is part of a trend, however.
The last we heard from the MSM on Iraq was when the Iraqi government was trying to take control of Basra. When they experienced some initial setbacks, the MSM was all over the story. But when the government turned things around in their favour, the reporting effort simply vanished.
so, in london they can’t show pics of piglet but they’re selling pork in baghdad.
As recently as a few months ago when hosting Mark Steyn Chapters head honcho Heather Reisman derisively asked Steyn how the Iraq war was going and added that she could say a thing or two about it. It’s astonishing (not really) that someone in her position could be so oblivious to the facts.
Pork chops, bratwurst, Black Forest cakes in Baghdad?
Pretty soon they will be consuming saurkraut and beer.
Well women have always said that:
“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
Maybe it is a clever GERMAN invasion conspiracy headed up by that re”Merkel’ble” Chancellor.
No doubt trying to make up for the UEFA loss to Spain 1-0. Vee vill see you at ze WORLD Cup!
I don’t know, I missed that part in the Gospels that said “Go and make Germans of all nations.”
Today Baghdad, tomorrow your dinner table!!
Although, eggs Benedict may elicit some sympathy from Benedict XVI.
Cheers
Hans-Christian Georg Rupprecht,Commander in Chief
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”
Oh great, just what we need. They’re going all carbony.
Maybe it is a clever GERMAN invasion conspiracy headed up by that re”Merkel’ble” Chancellor.
Hans — don’t be getting paranoid on us now – Ha!
That is good news – thanks Kate!
For other insightful analysis on the ins and outs of military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and in general, point your browser to strategypage.com. Lots of neat pics and humour as well.
It’s an illegal quagmire and we must retreat!!
It’s amazing how 82$ of Canadians are against the liberation of the Iraqi people.
Coming from a country like Canada that pretends we care about human rights.
But of course, that is only for homosexuals, environmentalists, women, and everything else left wing.
This country should hang its head in shame that we sat by and watched 30 other countries liberate the Iraqi people to give them a chance at freedom.
Canadians should be asked of themselves for supporting Saddam.
Nothing sort of a disgrace, seeing how Chretien the thief said his greatest moment was fighting to keep Saddam in power.
Sorry for being off topic, but:
Another poll gone horribly wrong.
From the St. John’s Telegram:
‘Do you agree with Dr. Henry Morgentaler being awarded the Order of Canada?’
Yes or……NO.
http://www.thetelegram.com/
Scroll down to the poll on the left-hand side of the screen,
Let’s show them what we think of this travesty.
Agreed – things are going very well in Iraq, and our leftist sophists, the elite class of philosopher-kings who consider that they alone know The Truth, don’t like this success.
That’s because they weren’t and aren’t in control of the Iraqi people. Or the Americans, Australians, Brits, Polish and etc, who went in and saved a whole nation from a dictator and enabled the Iraqi people to start to build their own modern nation.
Sophists don’t like the ordinary people to get ideas above their class. And so, they declared the war ‘illegal’. Since when is a war legal or illegal? And what does the UN have to do with such a definition?
By the way, this success shows yet again, the UN as deeply corrupt. Did it help the Iraqi people free themselves from Saddam Hussein? No. Instead, it set up a massive money scam with him, for his and the UN cronies benefit.
What about elsewhere in the world – Rwanda, Darfur, Zimbabwe. The UN is utterly useless. What about the massive drug cartels in Mexico, Colombia, Venezuala? The UN doesn’t protect people from these criminals.
Notice also – the gradual reduction of Al Qaeda bombings in the last few years, the dissipation of the Al Qaeda energy and focus; it is turning away from ideology to pure criminality (drugs, extortion, kidnapping). Notice how, gradually, the West is starting to fight back, with questions and comments, against the Islamic ideology. [This is slow in the UK, but, it will spread there as well].
Speigel has been onto this for a while. Even before the last election, when the Democrats took power based on the lie that Iraq was a complete debacle, they wrote a long fact filled, as opposed to rhetoric filled stuff we get from the leftards, article on how Europe was going to have to face the fact that Iraq was going to be a success.
Remember when Hillary called Petraeus a liar for saying these things? And Obama declined to condemn a calumnous ad in the NYT that accused Petraeus of treason for telling what we all know now (excluding, as always, leftards) to be the truth?
Just reading Steyn’s The Face of the Tiger. He made several predictions of what he thought would happen IF the US liberated Iraq. These missives were written before the action was taken. Not amazingly he was by and large, correct.
ET wrote: Notice how, gradually, the West is starting to fight back, with questions and comments, against the Islamic ideology. [This is slow in the UK, but, it will spread there as well].
After visiting London for 2 weeks in May, I have been following commentary in UK newspapers. I’ve been surprised to find, especially among readers’ comments, points of view that would not be out of place here on SDA. Admittedly, my sampling of opinion has been thin and haphazard, but a rebirth of common sense in the UK may not be as far off as you fear.
The Iraqis will continue to tighten their embrace of their American friends so long as America’s commitment to Iraqi freedom remains intact.
Most individuals want and need the same things: freedom, security, fairness and opportunity. Iraqis aren’t blind to the sacrifices made to give them a shot at possessing those founding cornerstones of a free and democratic society.
Take that Osama you scoundrel! Oops…I’m mean Obama! It’s actually hard to choose which of those two is being hurt more by Iraq’s progress.
This appeared a few minutes ago on the New York Times website:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/03/obama-open-to-refine-iraq-withdrawal-timeline/index.html?hp
I wonder what conclusions BO is approaching ever so cautiously.
So 82% of Canadians are still smug and secure in their cocoon of ignorance. They still think we’re the good and smart guys for being AWOL in Iraq.
I believe it’s Christie Blatchford who once said that Canadians too often mistake the sidelines for the high ground.
Cretin and company would have left Hussein in power giving the unmistakeable message that his genocidal rule was “good enough for Iraqis”. The same libs who flog their multicult bona fides and welcome the world’s refugees to Canada refuse to lift a finger to help their sinking countries at source so their populations don’t have to seek refuge elsewhere.
It is impossible to save the citizens of all failing countries by importing them here. Overloaded lifeboats can swamp taking all hands down. But libs keep promoting their dumb version of kindness that ends up hurting far more people than it helps. For the same money used to settle and service a single family of refugees here in Canada, a hundred or more such families could be helped in their country of origin where the cost of living is so much lower.
Instead of Western countries spending billions recreating failed cultural norms here and turning us into dysfunctional Towers of Babel and Grievance, spend them in encouraging other cultures to fix what’s wrong in their home countries (poor governance, esp. tribal and marxist).
Be kind. But be smart kind, not the dumb liberal kind that thinks encouraging idleness and handing people someone else’s fish is moral and sustainable. The same money will multiply if you teach people to fish.
So simple. So logical. So beyond a leftist brain’s puny cognitive abilities.
BNP Paribas > Maurice Strong > Desmarais > Power Corp > Chretien-PMartinJr > BobJohn Rae, et al.
Da Canadian value$.
…-
“Iraq lodges $10bn lawsuit over ‘Oil-for-Food scam’
New York The Iraqi Government is suing dozens of companies for $10 billion (£5 billion) after they allegedly defrauded the country’s citizens out of food and medical provisions during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Iraq has hired Maney and Purrington, a law firm from Texas, to sue 70 corporations such as Chevron, the oil company, GlaxoSmithKline, the drugs group, and BNP Paribas, the French bank, for allegedly paying bribes to the dictator to secure business contracts under the United Nations Oil-for-Food programme. The programme was intended to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food and medicine for ordinary Iraqis.
The civil lawsuit filed in Manhattan, is seeking damages from companies that have already been investigated by the UN. BNP Paribas failed to return calls yesterday.”
http://preview.tinyurl.com/6mr56w
Whooppppsie Kate. Your server is acting up for the above two posts.
The war in Iraq would have been over sooner if the insurgents, al Qaeda and Iran had faced a united front. Unfortunately the philistines on the left voted for the war and then undermined it when it became politically advantageous to do so.And their propaganda arm – the MSM- cheered them on.
Fortunately, the CIC was a man of resolve who had the courage and character to see the mission through to a successful conclusion no matter how vicious the attacks of those who opposed him and no matter how many former supporters (like ET in the spring of 2007 who argued (at the tipping point yet) that the mission was doomed and America should, to quote ET, “leave Iraq”.
terry gain, I’d appreciate your telling the truth rather than lying about me. I never, ever, said that the mission was doomed. Kindly don’t assign such comments to me.
I said that IF Iraq itself doesn’t itself move into taking more control over its own protection, and instead, sits back and relies only on foreign protection (eg the US), then, the agenda of developing a democratic self-governing state of Iraq was doomed.
I said that IF it was the case that Iraq was refusing to mature and take charge of its own protection and its own development, then, the US should leave – because an immature, dependent Iraq would be vulnerable to fascism and constant violence from within.
My point was that Iraq and the Iraqi people themselves had to take charge of its own protection, the people of Iraq had to themselves reject Al Qaeda, reject Islamic fascism, and themselves want and work towards democracy, democratic institutions, the rule of law…and themselves protecting all of that.
What has happened? Iraq and the Iraqi people have taken charge of themselves; they have themselves moved into fascist areas and fought to protect the Iraqi people. They have themselves decided to develop and enable democracy, the rule of law and a modern state. You are ignoring the decision and actions of the Iraqi people to take charge of themselves.
Kindly stick to the truth rather than your own biases.
ET
In March/April 2007 you said America should leave. You tried to dress up your reasons with nonsense about tribalism. You were stridently in favour of the mission from the outset but then you buckled and pretended that superior knowlwdge about Iraq required you to readjust your position. Sorry but those in favour of this war who wanted to quit when the going got tough have much to learn and little to teach.
You were wrong. And all your revisionism and qualifications won’t change that truth.
terry – the analysis of tribalism isn’t nonsense. It’s the basic reason for the emergence of fascism in the ME. The fact that you don’t understand it is your problem – tribalism has prevented the development of a middle class, who could participate in the changing economic mode of industrialism.
The demographics of the ME with its exploding population base after the world wars, its movement into industrialism – and yet, its political retention of tribalism meant that the majority of its young, newly urban population had no role in the economic and political actions of their nation. Tribalism with its focus on group bonds, on the domination of one tribe over other tribes, the allegiance to family and old feuds rather than the movt into a flexible civic governance and middle class – that’s the reason for Islamic fascism.
The fact that you don’t understand the demographics, the economy and the societal tribal structures of the ME – and the nature of a civic infrastructure – again, that’s your problem.
I repeat my point. The Iraq war was vital to freeing the ME, and Iraq as a key site, from tribalism. BUT, a critical point had to be reached, where the Iraqi people themselves took charge of their own future, where they rejected tribalism and its feuds, and opted for a civic model, for democracy – and fought for their own citizen’s rights to live in such a manner.
I said that IF Iraq refused to take charge of its future, and instead insisted that the US do it – it would fail as a civic and democratic society. I meant what I said – and I was right. It would have failed. If Iraq had chosen such a situation, where it refused to take charge of itself, then the US would have to leave. Its staying there would have allowed the country to degenerate.
But, instead, Iraq stood up and made a clear choice for a civic structure, for democracy, and a rejection of fascism, a rejection of Muslim violence against Muslims and started to police itself. That’s what should have happened – and it did.
You think that it was simply and only the presence of the US military in Iraq at this critical time. No, you are wrong. Certainly, they were needed, but the critical action was the Iraqi people themselves deciding that they didn’t want the old tribalism, didn’t want the internal violence, and wanted a modern nation. Kindly give some credit to the Iraqi people for making this choice and taking action.
I suggest you read up on the nature of pre-industrial societies and learn a bit about tribalism.
Export food Canada is major part of export of pork to middle east such as Dubai, Iraq
in supermarket has section wrote for nonMuslim meat section in big sign and mostly is pork or ham is selling
The country main religion is Islam and why should they sell the pork and alcohol
because of all alchol is behind is son and king of Duabi who has mor than enough with their wives and doing everything except Islam if some one give them money
do not forget Arab are very barbarian and eat and pray statues and we Muslim can not surprise some barbaine Arab back whre they come from
and start drinking alchol and add more porn to their life or if Arab woman is not avaiable so they can invite English woman in Middle east to do the job Halal for them
Pamala Anderson Canadian pork product went to Dubai last month and in first day arrival she announced ” I am choosing best offer which man lunch with me ” don’t gues who?” arab men!
Then Arab men put the seed for AMerican woman now are seating with bikini andhelp those Arab men and those woman need pork and alchol in thier menue
No problme Pamala Anderson called the Export Canada and McCain pork send them one
Horra we are proud to be “Canadian ” with blue and with McCain pork
eating pork is not choice of Iraqi it is choice of Arab men invite English woman welcome package
between Clinton, prime minste and Arab Men we like Iraqi men know the best choice
ET; you forget that the Iraqi people braved violence to vote for a democratic government. They decided then and there to move forward. They needed the assurance that the Allies were there to stay. The West’s MSM and left I’m sure did anything but provide that assurance. Many tribal leaders were some of the last elements to come on board but they were not by any means the whole picture. But for El Queda, they were the straw that broke the camel’s back. Defeating Guerrillas does not require the assistance of the whole population, but it does require they do not provide support.
And as John McCain says; the US may have to stay there for 50 years. Pulling out was never an option; just a sure invitation to suitcase nukes in North America.
not every thin if it was ban if it become open to use of people is always is best choice for them
such as if we put choice for rich people
as so far you cannot immgine why drug never stop
while they can stop it within two days
is story such as below:
if prince do crime can he become prine too
probably we must give prine name to son of
that old woman prince chalrs new old wife named
Camila probaly son of camil take all herriated to Engalnd not prince William
you know that druge also ban in 90% of countries and last trip of brotehr of prince William was in Afganistan probably help his brother illegal drug
proof behind drugs is rich celbrity people are seating
as proudly some peopel like pork and alchol in Iraq
prince Willima also want proudly drug useaga
as law said no but what we can do there
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/03/monarchy.military
Prince William was involved in a drug raid yesterday when his ship, the Iron Duke, seized a large amount of cocaine in the Atlantic, north-east of Barbados.
He was flying in the frigate’s Lynx helicopter, which was alerted by intelligence to look out for an ocean-going speedboat suspected of smuggling drugs to west Africa or Europe. US coastguard officers on board the British frigate boarded the speedboat and seized 900kg (about 2,000lb) of cocaine with a minimum street value of £40m, according to the Ministry of Defence. The boat, believed to have begun its voyage in the Caribbean, stopped when ordered to do so and its crew was detained by the coastguards.
The prince was one of six navy personnel on the Lynx when the boat was spotted, the MoD said. Other crew included a sniper and a pilot.
William, a future head of the armed forces, joined the Iron Duke on June 24 as part of a secondment to the navy. Though he joined the Household Cavalry, like Prince Harry, it was considered too great a risk to the heir to the throne – and fellow soldiers – to send him to Afghanistan. William was also awarded his “wings” after a four-month spell in the RAF.
Egypt and Saudi, Ordon
is first Isreal #1 ( german immigrant in Palastin)
,,,,,,,,,,,,
Iraq and Dubai-Lebanan, Egypt Arabs is
second Isreal #2
( christina Arab)
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Afganistan and Pakistan, India Irdu is
third isreal #3
for America as political , money and geographically and religin
as you can see they plan to stay in Iraq 50 years
if McCain will choos if Obama will choose
5 year they will stay in Iraq
Isreal is not country for Jewish but also it is country for plan ot USA for future
USA made money by illegal conspiracy in world interfer in the some countries rights by stealing their right and their choice by force american choice to them
Muslim belive if you seat with bad people and has bad choice of freind you turn to become one of them
the world is up side down and change
the funy thing is these:
Arab Mulsim and Muslim in Middle east now love pork and alchol and hate Islam wish to help American what Middle east are forget continue so much war they lose their good muslim of them and stay only with American with them then we can epect middle east become soon all christian and
instead
North American soon become muslim and hater thier politician in American and all eat halal food
and American love Muslim and black and hate non Muslim law and alchold and pork now
because AMerica forget one big lessonwhich is they forget their identity and too much was to ingoner inside economic and people of them are wathching
world is going to switch the place and as north American love middle easat and middle east love america I can predict the peopel soon immigrant and move around
when I was in middle east hotel I saw the small frege cooler was full of alchol I ask to take and remove from my room and ask in Canada p eople order alchol in teir room while you put is tehre without any order they said they made lots ofmoney selling alchold in hotle in middel east
I was wonder for money people sell tehri relgition too to nonMuslim
ET
You still don’t get it.
But, instead, Iraq stood up and made a clear choice for a civic structure, for democracy, and a rejection of fascism, a rejection of Muslim violence against Muslims and started to police itself. That’s what should have happened – and it did.
Those Iraqis who wanted to reject fascism could not have done it without American soldiers killing the fascists.
You think that it was simply and only the presence of the US military in Iraq at this critical time.
I’ve never once said that. For the past year I’ve said in nuumerous posts that the combination of the Awakenings, the increase in trained Iraqi security forces and the Surge in American forces was defeating the insurgency. When you have to pretend I’ve said things I haven’t said you’ve lost the argument.
No, you are wrong. Certainly, they were needed, but the critical action was the Iraqi people themselves deciding that they didn’t want the old tribalism, didn’t want the internal violence, and wanted a modern nation. Kindly give some credit to the Iraqi people for making this choice and taking action.
“Kindly give credit to the Iraqi people”? I’ve never not given credit. It was you that joined the majority and wrote them off, using sophistry about tribalism as your justification.
I suggest you read up on the nature of pre-industrial societies and learn a bit about tribalism. But, instead, Iraq stood up and made a clear choice for a civic structure, for democracy, and a rejection of fascism, a rejection of Muslim violence against Muslims and started to police itself. That’s what should have happened – and it did. You think that it was simply and only the presence of the US military in Iraq at this critical time. No, you are wrong. Certainly, they were needed, but the critical action was the Iraqi people themselves deciding that they didn’t want the old tribalism, didn’t want the internal violence, and wanted a modern nation. Kindly give some credit to the Iraqi people for making this choice and taking action.
“They were needed”. Wow. You’re so desperate to win an argument that you are going to re-write history and minimize the role of the American soldier in the liberation of Iraq. How sad. You were once a stauunch supporter of these soldiers but now it appears you’ll say anything rather than admit you were wrong when you gave up on the mission in the spring of 2007- at the tipping point yet- and called for withdrawal.
I suggest you read up on the nature of pre-industrial societies and learn a bit about tribalism.
I suggest you admit when you are wrong.
You have to admit that even with all the bumbling and razzmatazz and the fog of war stuff that happened, Bush got it right in the end.
I seem to remember that even ardent pro-war journalists started caving when the bad news started coming. (For example, during the prison scandal even Peter Worthington called for the US to pull out of Iraq.)
The thing that I like about Bush is that he never even talked about things like Islamism. His fundamental principle was that it is innate in all mankind to want freedom and security and that this trumps everything else in the end. Democracy, modernity, literacy, prosperity, etc. all derive from freedom and security of person and family.
The ME has been changed forever. A young democracy in Iraq is happening. I think this is going to spark a democratic movement throughout the ME>
What is going to be interesting is to see how the neo-libs start spinning the war (i.e. ‘illegal’, ‘the war is all about oil’, ‘Bush should be impeached’, etc.) and spinning their positions on the war.
gunney99 – How could I forget that the Iraqi people braved violence to vote for a democratic govt? That was my whole point. But, once you make an electoral choice, you then have to make a further choice. You have to, if internal tribes start to fight to remove democracy, ..you have to yourself fight those internal tribes.
Therefore their govt leaders also had to step up to the plate and move into taking charge, themselves, of their own protection against the fight to regain tribalism and not leave it up to the Americans to act as such.
Oh, for heaven’s sake, terry, get a life and get real. I never said that the US military wasn’t needed. I said that the US was right to go in and take out Hussein and free the Iraqi people. But what must also happen is that the freed people actually want freedom – which means, to take charge, yourselves, of your society. You don’t understand this. That’s your problem.
IF the Iraqi people themselves hadn’t moved out of tribalism and into a civic mode of governance,..and not just by vote but also by their own govt, and police and military rejection of tribalism.. but instead, left it up to a foreign military force to protect them against not only external insurgents but their own internal tribal groups trying to regain power and prevent a democracy – what would have been the result? Disastrous.
No military force, either external or internal, could enable a civic democracy if the people there didn’t make a choice to have one. They made a choice, and that choice included taking charge, themselves, of their own fight against tribalism. Fighting to prevent the old tribes (or other tribes) from regaining power and preventing a civic mode.
You don’t understand the structure of tribalism and how it has to be rejected if a democracy is to emerge. And I didn’t ‘give up the mission’. Geez, you are so keen to insist that I did.
I said something that you don’t understand – that IF the Iraqi people refuse to accept democracy, with its concomitant requirement that THEY take charge, themselves, of fighting back against internal tribalism – THEN, the US should leave. Iraq had to take charge, itself, of rejecting tribalism.
Because you can’t have a nation where the people reject a political mode (ie democracy) and want the return of tribalism…while the US remains to protect them against the fights of tribes trying to regain power. Such a situation is external forced change. You have to have a situation where the people themselves, not only vote, but actively reject the militants fighting to return tribalism. That was my whole point. The fact that you don’t understand tribalism – well, I repeat. Go do some reading.
There’s no evidence that Gunney99 and I don’t understand tribalism. What you don’t understand is that I well remember your irrational suggestion that America should withdraw-just as the war was reaching the tipping point.
You argued that the tribal nature of Iraq made the establishment of “a civic mode” (your words) impossible.
You were wrong, Stop digging and admit you were wrong.