Posted on 05/04/2003 4:33:52 PM PDT by Alouette
Jews who were rescued from the Holocaust are still thanking Americans almost 60 years later. Christians who hid and saved individual Jews in Eastern Europe are honored and sent money to this day. Yet, one week after being liberated from mental incarceration and torture, the Iraqi people are shooting at American soldiers and calling their saviors "occupiers."
Talk about not being appreciated. Virtually every book written about achieving ultimate life fulfillment, singles out gratitude as the most important element toward the magical goal of happiness. At the same time, ingratitude is rampant throughout the Arab and Muslim world, which views any outside assistance whatsoever as an affront to their civilization and abilities. Societal pride is somehow hurt because they cannot help or protect themselves, while struggling with the dilemma of thanking America for its goodness, or criticizing America for their own inabilities to achieve anything comparable.
American companies that discovered and developed the Middle Eastern oil wells were considered thieves, so the industry was nationalized. American construction companies are accused of having ulterior motives. And American movies, music and jeans are supposedly designed to corrupt their children. Helping a lone, tiny democracy called Israel survive against 22 non-democratic nations, who essentially want it destroyed, is an unfair foreign policy objective and evil. Wake up America and stop being so nice to a bunch of totalitarian leaders, sheiks, kings and imams who would prefer to see America, as we know it, dead.
Iraqis and most other Arab/Muslim states are totally embarrassed by their military weakness and civilization failures. The fact that America made it all appear so easy against the strongest Arab army in history is an affront to that entire region. The great, feared Saddam, a modern day Saladin, simply lost it all in a cakewalk. Those massive promises by Tariq Azziz and the Iraqi Information Minister have provided great fodder for the comedy circuit and brought much shame to the Arab mind.
Reality forces the entire Arab and Muslim world to confront their military ineptness, unlike their mighty historical ancestors. During the last half century, they were defeated or embarrassed numerous times -- first, by a few million Jews (can you believe it?) in Israel, and now, to those big, tough American Christians. Since pride and honor are the most fundamental values in this backward region, they refuse to confront the truth and admit defeat.
Therefore, Arab culture has come up with a new term to deflect and hide their failures -- "Occupation." American and Western societies must learn an important lesson from the Israeli-Palestinian situation. Everything is blamed on the "occupation," from the lack of flush toilets to the reason for blowing up babies in pizza parlors.
Remember when "occupation" only meant someone possessed a well-respected career -- doctor, lawyer, accountant, teacher, businessperson? Beware of a culture that completely changes the meaning of a positive word into a negative term. Revisionist terminology and history produces a culture that has difficulties providing "occupations" for its own middle class, and now blames a lack of "occupations" on the "occupation."
First, according to the Arab worldview, it is Israel´s fault for the "occupation", which does not allow any Palestinian an "occupation." Now, in Iraq, it is America´s "occupation" that is stifling all "occupations" from getting the country up and running. If all this sounds confusing, then their strategy is working perfectly.
"Get out, before we force you out," is heard throughout the Arab streets. American soldiers must literally be quaking in their boots. Sheik Ahmed al-Kubecsy, a well-known Iraqi, announces, "If America´s ‘occupation’ continues, the American military will be expelled from Iraq." Is that a riot (sic)?
We must understand the reason that so-called "occupation" is such a forbidden idea throughout the Arab/Muslim world, so much so that Osama bin Laden himself admitted it was the defining reason for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This worldview is the true essence of the fundamental(ism) problem for an entire society; that being, a virtual obsession with blood-based values. Blood ties are the overpowering element of primitive cultures. Iraq itself had a minister of "Tribal Affairs." Tribes emphasize an obsession with the past and blood.
That is, of course, unlike America, where Abraham Lincoln said, "We do not care who your grandparents were. We care who their grandchildren will be." In America, your achievements count, not your red blood cells. However, a society and culture run by blood, has no problem shedding blood. That is why "occupation" is the anti-Christ, or rather the anti-Mohammed for them. "Occupation" means there is a different blood type in the country, and that presence is unacceptable. How dare dirty American blood trample on our holy soil?
The fact that Japan and Germany were both "occupied" after WWII and were helped to build incredibly successful societies is meaningless to blood worshippers. The simple truth is that the Arab and Muslim peoples prefer evil Arab/Muslim dictators to decent non-blood saviors. So the next time we hear the word "occupation" being tossed around, unless it relates to a job interview, one must realize that the individual using this particular terminology is more than likely a miserable, evil soul, who loves blood and not character.
In addition, the American government should be concerned about one of our own great heroes, General Tommy Franks, who may have somehow imbibed this blood infatuation. He recently requested a DNA sample from President Assad of Syria.
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Irwin N. Graulich is a well known motivational speaker on morality, ethics, Judaism and politics. He is also President and CEO of Bloch Graulich Whelan Inc., a leading marketing, branding and communications company in New York City. He can be reached at irwin.graulich@verizon.net.
As far as the former is concerned they better get used to it; their nation is now one huge American military base, and we're not going anywhere.
According to some sources, the vast bulk of the populace is thrilled to have been liberated and welcome the Americans and British accordingly.
The problem is that you have to leave the hotel to discover this fact. But, since all the demonstrations are conveniently located in front of the Palestine and Sheraton hotels, where the media is housed, it's not necessary for the reporters to leave the comfort of their room (or the bar) to get the "story".
Yes. Yes. Everyone must remember and be gratful the anciaent Arabs gave us a distinct number system. They even offered ZERO to be used as a place holder. Heck, they were so generous and able that they have been giving the world ZERO ever since.
Look at what is happening in France and other places where Islam has become entrenched, they must bring the demon with them. Its name is Mohammed.
How totally depressing. At one point she even said that in Europe, anti-semitism was so strong, that it transferred itself to anti-zionism, and pro Palestine, while the Europeans couldn't figure out why the Jews didn't have the grace to just disappear after what happened. This history was a real eyeopener for me. The middle east Christians and the European Christians including Catholics side with the Palestinians rather than Israel. Some of the documentation was shocking. The churchmen in Jerusalum were the ones who actually published the fraudulent Protocols of the Elders of Zion in Arabic and that they also say that "Christianity flows from Arabism" which to me is heresy.
The only friend Israel has is the US, and I certainly hope we will always support them. The Iraqi's will never like us. European politicians have such sweet financial deals with Arab states, they will never side with Israel. The European media sides with the anti-zionists and plays up sympathy for Palestinian single victims, while ignoring the Sudanese massacre, forced conversions, rape, and slavery of Christians, because those are their friendly Muslim over sensitive sops who are offended if you publish the truth about how Islam treats dhimmi's or anyone that isn't a muslim. The UN is a total waste, and human rights to them isn't the same thing we understand as human rights at all.
Fortunately, I learned early on in life never to do anything for the gratitude that it would earn me. There are other rewards. And one usually gets its rewards from others, anyway, rather from those they directly help. But really, the old saying "what goes around, comes around" is true, and there really is a sort of cosmic justice. It looks like we are shaking the tree all over the world, and we will get rewards.
That's exactly right, their obsession with blood and the past is tied with Islam. The presence of the Infidel in their soil infuriates them. It really bothers me to see them protesting and cursing America after we saved their sorry asses.
IT'S ENDLESSLY FASCINATING to watch the interactions between U.S. patrols and the residents of Baghdad. It's not just the love bombing the troops continue to receive from all classes of Baghdadi--though the intensity of the population's pro-American enthusiasm is astonishing, even to an early believer in the liberation of Iraq, and continues unabated despite delays in restoring power and water to the city. It's things like the reaction of the locals to black troops. They seem to be amazed by their presence in the American army. One group of kids in a poor neighborhood shouted "Mike Tyson, Mike Tyson" at Staff Sergeant Darren Swain; the daughter of a diplomat on the other hand informed him, "One of my maids has the same skin as you."It's things like the way the women old and young flirt outrageously with GIs, lifting their veils to smile, waving from high windows, and shyly calling hello from half-opened doors. Or the way the little girls seem to speak much better English than the little boys who are always elbowing them out of the way. Or the way the troops get a sense of the gender violence endemic in the culture: Yesterday in the poor al Sahliya neighborhood two sweet 12 to 14-year-old sisters on a rooftop who introduced themselves to me and Staff Sergeant Gannon Edgy as Souha and Samaha were chased away by a rock-wielding male relative. His violent anger hinted at problems to come here.
But you won't see much of this on TV or read about it in the papers. To an amazing degree, the Baghdad-based press corps avoids writing about or filming the friendly dealings between U.S. forces here and the local population--most likely because to do so would require them to report the extravagant expressions of gratitude that accompany every such encounter. Instead you read story after story about the supposed fury of Baghdadis at the Americans for allowing the breakdown of law and order in their city.
Well, I've met hundreds of Iraqis as I accompanied army patrols all over the city during the past two weeks and I've never encountered any such fury (even in areas that were formerly controlled by the Marines, who as the premier warrior force were never expected to carry out peacekeeping or policing functions). There is understandable frustration about the continuing failure of the Americans to get the water supply and the electricity turned back on, though the ubiquity of generators indicates that the latter was always a problem. And there are appeals for more protection (difficult to provide with only 12,000 troops in a city of 6 million that has not been placed under strick martial law). But there is no fury.
Given that a large proportion of the city's poorest residents have taken part in looting the Baathist elite's ministries, homes, and institutions, that should tell you something about the sources preferred by the denizens of the Palestine Hotel (the preferred home of the press corps). Indeed it's striking that while many of the troops I've accompanied find themselves feeling some sympathy for the inhabitants of "Typhoid Alley" and other destitute neighborhoods and their attempts to obtain fans, furniture, TVs, etc., the press corps often seems solidly on the side of those who grew fat under the Saddam regime. (That said, imagine the press hysteria that would have greeted a decision by U.S. troops to use deadly force against the looters and defend the property of the city's elite.) Even in the wealthiest neighborhoods--places like the Mansoor district, where you still see intact pictures of Saddam Hussein--people seem to be a lot more pro-American than you could ever imagine from reading the wires.
Perhaps this is just another case of reporters with an anti-American or antiwar agenda. Perhaps living in Saddam's totalitarian Baghdad has left some of the press here with a case of Stockholm syndrome. It may also be a byproduct of depending on interpreters and fixers who were connected to or worked with the approval of the Saddam regime. And you cannot underestimate the herd instinct that can take over when you have a lot of media folk in a confined area for any length of time. But whatever the cause, the result has been very selective reporting.
The media are goiung to do the very best they can to turn this into another Vietnam. That so many already believe in the "ingratitude" of the Iraqis shows that they're already at work.
I suspect the same effect from the American Colony Hotel here in Jerusalem. It is in the Arab sector and the Palestinian Authority comes to them. Why leave the bar if the story is handed to you pre-typed?
Well I am one of the former, It is not about a better life, they are quite willing to give that up for the chance to kill and become martyrs. In my opinion based on direct observation you have it backwards. Islam is their spiritual lottery ticket, and murder the purchase price.
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