[lbo-talk] Re: Iraqi public opinion

[Maria Gilmore]

None of Yoshie's post speaks to the fact that the people of Iraq have been
living in war conditions one way or another for decades, which has ended
with their country finally being torn all to hell by an immeasurably more
powerful enemy which was already the vast majority of them, who are not
religious fanatics or members of the Ba'athist party or power seekers seeing
their opportunity, are really tired of this shit and don't want to do it
anymore, and so are reluctant to grab guns and start blasting away...I'm not
saying that's a good approach to their situation, just that it's quite
understandable to me.  It is possible that a nation's people can be so beat
up on that average folks are so traumatized and surrounded by chaos they
can't react anymore, or at least not right now.  It's not a failing, it's
being human.

Oh, and BTW, Doug, about 16 months ago I moved here to Bradenton, Florida
from the town I'd spent the past 14 years in:  Bloomington, Illinois.   If
it was their only choice, some of them would probably move there from Iraq
right now.  But I don't know how long they would stay.  It would not be a
welcoming environment.   I'm still amazed: somehow I spent 14 years of my
life in a community I never felt a part of...

Maria