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Before Germany was liberated, all Germans knew they were beaten. Before Japan was liberated, all Japanese knew they were beaten.

There is a significant component of the Iraqi population that does not know they were beaten.

Not as significant as you might think. CNN has all of that so hosed. We laugh when we see it; it's that fictional.

And Fallujah is an anomaly (one of a few) at this point. It still requires a lot of work.

The war is not over. Just the major combat operations are.

>>CNN has all of that so hosed. We laugh when we see it; it's that fictional.

I wouldn't doubt that statement for one second.

The Saddamite towns to the north and west of Baghdad didn't get the full effect of the U.S. military rolling through. We don't seem to see much of this stuff from the towns to the south and east.

I expect Fallujah is about to get the full effect now, and long overdue.

Thank you for serving over there. I have many friends in the area.

It is clear that most of the Iraqi people wnt us there and are glad we have liberated them.

In the process of doing so, we soundly defeated the Iraqi armed forces and they all know that.

However, in the Sunni triangle, and particularly in this city, there are large numbers of people who did not surrender, but blended back into a population that was much more supportive of Saddam because he empowered them over the rest of the millions of Iraqis.

In these areas, we are going to have to take harsher measures IMHO to put down the insurgency and do things more akin to our defeat of similar fascist/totalitarian supporting populations like we did in World War II. The Marines are the best instrument to accomplish this IMHO. We should employ these tactics (total martial law, rounding up of insurgents through large scale operations which in effect take any male individual into custody above the age of 14 who so much as looks suspicious, brutal suppression of any resistance, internment camps and heavy interrogation of those we take into custody, execution of any individuals founding to have taken part in any such atrocities, and a wholesale reorganization of all civil authority in the area) after giving them ample opportunity to take care of the issue themselves, or to disburse. And, in these areas, particularly after this ruthless attack on our people and the desecration of their bodies, it is we who should do it IMHO, before the turnover of power to the Iraqis in order to finish the job of providing a safe and stable environment for that free Iraq.

I do not believe an Iraqi government, which is representative of the majority of the feelings of the rest of the Iraqis, will allow the Baathist strongholds, where a group who is doing everything in its power to thwart and destroy any free Iraq, to exist after the takeover. I believe they will attempt to crush them ruthlessly because they, above all people know what they represent and have done.

Perhaps it would be better if we let them do it themselves...but it would be very dangerous for that new government and could lead to a more general civil war, or a greater involvement of outside sources.

We shall see.

Best Fregards.