Hungry Hungry Hipocrisy

It has been only a few hours since my last entry and I felt compelled to add this small section. I read in an article for NBC that as of March 5, 2007, “Brian Williams learned from Army officers that Iraqis want U.S. forces to remain in their country…” It is safe to say that my personal opinion is that this is just another example of pro-war propaganda from a source with its own selfish bias toward staying in Iraq. To the army, war is a business. So why would they advocate otherwise? Now another survey from June 16, 2004, also from NBC, stated in a poll surveying Iraqis on their opinions that “most say they would feel safer if Coalition forces left immediately, without even waiting for elections scheduled for next year. An overwhelming majority, about 80 percent, also say they have ‘no confidence’ in either the U.S. civilian authorities or Coalition forces.” Granted, this poll was taken earlier and after the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, the source is more credible.
But regardless of polls and surveys which can be strewed to meet a certain ideal conclusion, the quotes of everyday people in Iraq speak for themselves. Daily, innocent people are being killed by suicide bombers and attacks and the trust in American troops as well as the Iraqi government have all but faded. “I blame the government. They didn’t provide a safe route for us even though they knew we were targets for attack.” said Mustafa Moussawi—a pilgrim traveling in Iraq who was a victim of a terrorist attack killing 31 people on March 11, 2007.
I understand that some people in Iraq want U.S. troops to stay and I realize that many want us to leave. It all depends on who you ask. Surveys can be rigged and personal reports can be biased. But look at it this way: Suppose America was invaded by a foreign entity and the dictatorial government was ousted. This foreign entity installed a new government without a true consent of the people. Naturally, we would want to install the government ourselves much like we did in the American Revolution where the people made the people’s government. I am sure otherwise, we would feel like the product of this foreign entity and the national pride and independence that is at the heart of any country would be lacking. So, perhaps from this example you can see that if we were in their shoes, we would want the foreign entity out and allow us to form our own country. Foreign relations should only go so far. It is one thing to support another country; it is another to go around making mini-USAs. This is where the international criticism of the U.S. being imperialistic comes into play.
We forget how we achieved our own independence. Did the French who played a vital role in us winning the war stay afterward and model our government after their own? No! I believe I mentioned it before so I’ll say it again for symmetry: Hypocrisy!