[Aaron0617]

Look what Geraldo has found. For the love of Christ...

This country is overflowing with Ammo, Guns, RPGs and all kinds of crap. Not the mention all the paid mercenaries and terrorist training camps.

Why are people poor? Why are they living in mud huts in slums???

[retrokitten]

According to the anti-war folks, it's because we starved them with UN sanctions.

[Catspaw]

Why are people poor? Why are they living in mud huts in slums???

Good question.

Saddam lived large. Check out this LA Times article (you'll have to register) to see how HE lived:

Hussein's 64-Bath Getaway
At one of his palaces, troops explore 22 kitchens and countless bedrooms. They also find cheetahs, bears and packed suitcases.

By David Zucchino, Times Staff Writer

BAGHDAD -- For the record, Saddam Hussein seems to prefer Italian suits, double-breasted, by Canali. He favors silk ties, some by Hermes, in solids or subtle patterns. He brushes with Colgate.

The dictator's clothes were hanging Thursday in the wardrobe of a luxurious upstairs bedroom in one of the dozens of compounds within a palace complex that stretches for two miles along the west bank of the Tigris River here. On a coffee table lay a wedding album containing photos of Hussein cutting a wedding cake, and on a bureau were snapshots of his sons, Uday and Qusai, as young boys.

<snip>

The palace was so large that DeCamp had his men count the rooms and write the numbers on an index card: 142 offices, 64 bathrooms, 19 meeting rooms, 22 kitchens, countless bedrooms, one movie theater, five "huge ballrooms" and one "football-field sized monster ballroom."

<snip>

In a closet were 20 to 30 black and navy blue suits, tailored for a tall, barrel-chested man. Many were still inside garment bags, tailors' tags on their sleeves. Dozens of shirts with French cuffs hung in long rows.

<snip>

DeCamp moved on to another ornate compound where, the night before, his battalion had discovered a hoard of luxury items. He dragged open a door. Inside were vast supplies of TV sets, Moet champagne, Russian vodka, imported American cigarettes, 150 Persian rugs, Parker pen sets, French wines and expensive Lladro figurines. These, according to the colonel, were gratuities handed out by Hussein's functionaries to favored members of the ruling Baath Party. He offered no explanation for the cache of UNICEF children's clothes and toys.

<snip>

[GeorgiaYankee]

Look what Geraldo has found. This country is overflowing with Ammo, Guns, RPGs and all kinds of crap. Not the mention all the paid mercenaries and terrorist training camps.

Why are people poor? Why are they living in mud huts in slums??? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Our troops have also found govt buildings/warehouses full of food, medical supplies and even baby food(from the Oil for Food Program).
Shades of N Korea/KimJongILL

At the Intl Airport ABC/Ted Koppel found a huge pile of empty baby formula bottles where the Iraqi forces were staying. Apparently that's all they had left to eat at the end.

[cyncooper]

This country is overflowing with Ammo, Guns, RPGs and all kinds of crap. Not the mention all the paid mercenaries and terrorist training camps.

Why are people poor? Why are they living in mud huts in slums???

These items were not accessible to the ordinary people, if you are suggesting why there wasn't a looting of the arms and an uprising. These caches were heavily guarded until the Coalition of the Willing arrived to save the day.

Bringing up Dr.Bob again, last week he showed a warehouse in the south that was filled with weapons AND stocked with lots and lots of food. He said the village around, the people were malnourished. Yet in the military barracks was stockpiled all of this food from the "food for oil" program. It had been taken and saved for the military. Not the regular citizens it was meant for.

This is the very thing those on the right have said for years and were mocked.

You have seen the palaces, right? Built with the oil money that the citizens reaped no profit from.