Yanks Haven't A Clue!!!

Meh

Originally posted by Victor
A maximum of 8.3% of the oil for food Program was allowed to be spent on non-humanitarian / compensation items.

Saddam had other sources of income than the OFP. Oil smuggling brought him in several billion dollars a year, for example. http://www.rferl.org/nca/features/2000/06/F.RU.000621122248.html mentions a figure of $1billion a year, for oil smuggled out through the Persian Gulf alone. There were also major overland smuggling routes through Turkey and Jordan.

Sparks

Meh - several billion?

Vorbis, RTE isn't strongly anti-US, if anything they're mildly pro-US. If you want stongly anti-US, go read the Daily Mirror.

bertiebowl

15 die as Americans start shooting

From the Indo breaking news

US soldiers have shot and wounded at least two Iraqi demonstrators in the town of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, this morning. The American troops opened fire on around 1,000 protestors who had marched to a US base in the town to demonstrate against the killing of at least 13 demonstrators by US soldiers on Monday night. The soldiers apparently opened fire at around 10.30am local time after the protestors threw stones and shoes at their compound during the demonstration. The US has suggested that the protestors may have opened fire on the Americans, but local residents said they saw or heard no shooting coming from the crowd.

I told you the Yanks didn't have a clue.........

Originally posted by bertiebowl
15 die as Americans start shooting

From the Indo breaking news

US soldiers have shot and wounded at least two Iraqi demonstrators in the town of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, this morning. The American troops opened fire on around 1,000 protestors who had marched to a US base in the town to demonstrate against the killing of at least 13 demonstrators by US soldiers on Monday night. The soldiers apparently opened fire at around 10.30am local time after the protestors threw stones and shoes at their compound during the demonstration. The US has suggested that the protestors may have opened fire on the Americans, but local residents said they saw or heard no shooting coming from the crowd.

I told you the Yanks didn't have a clue.........

I wouldn't even attempt to justify more shooting, on either side even though the war is still technically on.
But I will put this in it's proper context, that town is fairly unique in Iraq for having among the greatest number of demonstrations with people carrying pictures of Sadam.
To be honest, the best way to avoid being shot at by the Americans at the moment is not to shoot at them.

Ironically of course, the British are claiming their sucess, at winning hearts and minds in Basrah and the south on experience gained in Northern Ireland.
I have deep , deep suspicions about what is going on in Fallujah, and the motives of the protesters, when they are carrying pictures of Sadam around with them rather than tearing his image down like the rest of their fellow countrymen.
mm

bertiebowl

I have deep , deep suspicions about what is going on in Fallujah, and the motives of the protesters, when they are carrying pictures of Sadam around with them rather than tearing his image down like the rest of their fellow countrymen

The Iraqis are carrying around the pictures of Saddam Hussein not because they like him - but because it is the most anti-american symbol that they can come up with at the moment.

Originally posted by bertiebowl
The Iraqis are carrying around the pictures of Saddam Hussein not because they like him - but because it is the most anti-american symbol that they can come up with at the moment.

Oh...,they weren't in Kerballa then...,or in Baghdad when the arms dump exploded...
Why then in Falluja?? quite probably because, Sadam does have supporters there, and indeed they were out for his birthday.
mm

bertiebowl

Quote from the Indo newspaper today,

In what must be a first since the fall of the dictator, they carried a portrait of Saddam - chosen, according to one injured boy, because it was the most potent anti-American symbol they could think of.

Mohamed Abdallah, a retired accountant, said: "We don't want Saddam and we don't want Bush. The Americans have done their job and they must go."

I think that the above quotes puts it all into perspective

Originally posted by bertiebowl
I think that the above quotes puts it all into perspective

No it doesn't because, there were people out in that town celebrating Sadam's birthday, prior to the first incident.

The incident took place last night when, according to some witnesses, up to 500 people were marking the birthday of ousted Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2003/0429/iraq01.html

Whether there were shooters in that crowd,is open to question certainly, but the americans say there were.
I would agree that, the shooting of all the people makes it awkward for the Americans, but think it unlikely,that they would be so stupid to fire a second time without reason . Therefore I continue to be very suspicious, that this situation may have been orchestrated by, a few diehard Sadam supporters, whose morals, as evidenced over 35 years of that regime,do not rise above using women and children in their cause.
mm

Éomer of Rohan

These so called attacks on American military always seem to coincide with the presence of the US army in the first place and the demonstrators against that presence. Think this through logically. The people did not rise up to support Saddam, that much is obvious. These same people therefore, having come through a war, would be highly unlikely to want to risk that by attacking US army personnel - and they would be doing exactly that; if indeed there were attackers mixed among the mob, the mob surely knew and as I have pointed out, they have no reason to support this tactic - and what is more, if there were shooters amongst the crowd, is it not more likely that the crowd themselves would stop them? They couldn't possibly all be willing to die so easily?

I think also these events are beginning to occur with ridiculous regularity to claim that there were so many shooters.

bonkey

Originally posted by bertiebowl
The soldiers apparently opened fire at around 10.30am local time after the protestors threw stones and shoes at their compound during the demonstration. The <deliberate deletion> has suggested that the protestors may have opened fire on the <deliberate deletion>, but local residents said they saw or heard no shooting coming from the crowd.

You know...that reads awfully familiar once you remove which country was actually involved.

Retaliation for shoes being bullets and similar disparate comparisons....

jc