About Iraq

Craig Howell asked:


If you subscribe to the military surge or the immediate withdrawal as the only viable options to ending the war in Iraq, there is another way. Here is an idea that defies the present mindset, yet will bring the honor and integrity of our nation back to where it used to be. And it may save a lot of young soldiers lives as well.

I’m not going to rant about the reason we are there or who’s to blame. I want to talk about people; people who need help. I have my views, but I’m not taking sides. I want peace above all.

The first problem in Iraq is the insurgents. How does one conquer an enemy that wears no uniform, obeys no rules of war and has no single leader? You do it with food, not guns.

The first thing that needs to be done is to feed and house the people. Use the army to supervise and guard food supplies as they travel through rogue militias or warlord territory. If this requires temporary tribute to pass through unharmed, for God sake do it. Pay them off if necessary. Anything to stop the violence, however temporary. If we use the army to bring them food, water, medical and personal supplies, we will then truly be seen as heroes and not conquerors or an occupying force that will not leave.

Give some money directly to the people to help jumpstart the economy. Then start programs where skilled and unskilled Iraqi labor is used to rebuild schools, roads and other infrastructure, leaving Haliburton out of the picture for now. Supervise and guide this with the military, but use Iraqi bosses as foremen for Iraqi work crews.

To get power up quickly, install solar panels and fuel cells (the super-storage batteries that he army uses). Then you won’t have to wait to rebuild the generators, or use gas or oil, or have need of any electric wires or gas pipes. This would bring quality of living conditions and bring communications on line. This could happen really quickly.

Soon you will find that a well-fed populace with jobs, a decent place to live and a little spending cash are very willing to give away any information needed to crack down on the location of those who are committing the atrocities and disrupting daily life. They will actively assist in ridding the country of those who they are now cheering on.

Don’t forget that many of these “insurgents” are just uneducated and angry youths with nothing to do and no opportunities. Kids are paid just a little money to lay mines and take pot shots at American soldiers. Many don’t even care about what they are doing or why they are doing it, they just need the money.

So let’s give them the money to be at peace through jobs, instead of letting the opposition give it to them for war. Insurgents can not viably exist in a peaceful place. They feed on chaos and destruction. Take that away and they wither, crawling back into the cracks they came out of.

Once the violence starts to cool, there must be assistance to bring the religious factions into some form of cooperation or separation so that this does not cause any friction and begin the violence all over. For that, I leave it to the creativity of the diplomats. My main idea is to get the violence stopped or at lease under control without getting our troops injured or killed in the process.

I hear people saying that it doesn’t matter how we got there, that now that we are there and we have to deal with it. Well here is how I recommend we deal with it. If there are any politicians reading this, or anyone who has the ear of an influential person in Washington, please, let’s at least float this idea. It is a positive solution to a terrible problem. It is a way to unite both the Iraqis and the Americans in a cause to work together for the benefit of all.

Kathleen

Lilian Rodriguez asked:


"Once again I call on the American people to recognize the request that I have been making for over one year. I have asked for our administration to cease fire in Iraq, pull back the troops to our bases, and to renegotiate with Nouri al-Maliki on behalf of our taxpayers, and our American soldiers."

Imperato supports an Iraqi oil discount program in order to offset the cost of Iraq’s liberation and reconstruction that has been incurred by the United States.

On Monday Night, Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador in Baghdad, announced that the Iraqi Cabinet had approved a national oil revenue sharing plan that would involve the Sunnis, the Shiia, and the Kurds.

"Today I call on what I believe is a two sided coin. Zalmay Khalilzad has welcomed a deal that Iraq has approved, in draft, concerning oil legislation. This is great. The Iraqis approve a draft oil legislation that needs to be approved by the Iraqi Parliament identifying the split up of oil revenues in three groups, basically protecting the Sunnis, the Shiia, and the Kurds."

It was unclear what concessions led to the compromise, and the precise terms of the deal were not immediately available. The United States has been exerting considerable pressure on Iraqi leadership for months to reach the accord, and one Sunni politician said Monday night that the deal had been brokered by Khalilzad himself.

The deal also opened the door for what the Los Angeles Times called, "a bonanza for foreign oil companies", through international investment provisions in the Iraqi oil industry.

However, there was one group that Imperato felt was left out of the new Iraqi oil deal.

"Guess What. They forgot America. I stand up today to request our administration to demand an inclusion of the draft oil legislation agreement. Iraq must include the missing link, the fourth party to its oil deal, the United States of America and its taxpayers. The taxpayers must be paid back the $400+ billion it has invested in the Iraqi government.
This must be done before the parliament can even consider bringing this piece of legislation to the table. The American people need to yell loud and clear, and the administration needs to listen."

In Washington, White House spokesman Tony Snow called a new oil law the "key linchpin" in Iraq’s recovery because it gives "everybody a shared economic interest in working together."

There was no comment from Snow as to why the United States taxpayers were not involved in the deal.

"It is the perfect time for our President to negotiate a payback structure for the United States while the parliament of Iraq is considering approving this legislation. I cannot believe that our administration and the people of the United States are allowing our administration to lead us down a rosy path of darkness with no repayment plan in sight. This is unacceptable."

Imperato concluded his remarks with the following, "That’s why I should by your next president. I will protect the people of the United States first. I will draw the line in the sand with leaders of countries who have enjoyed the help from America and to date have not returned the favor. It’s time the American people are paid back for their help. It’s time that the American leadership negotiates in good faith with the world on behalf of the people of the United States of America."

Jessica

anicoleslaw asked:


Can you help me with specific examples that compare the U.S.’s involvement in the Iraq conflict to the U.S.’s involvement in the Cold War?

I’m trying to write a paper and need suggestions to back up the theory.

Thanks in advance for any help that you can provide.

Leonard