quote:

Originally posted by occrider I don't get it ... the author of the article is attempting to refute or diminish the statistical findings of the poll by giving us insight into the happenings of one Iraqi family? By that regard, I suppose I could refute the unemployment report by writing a peice on the hilton sisters showing how booked they are with work and that they're so filthy rich that they don't even need to work.

Hence the term, "viewpoint", not differing statistics.

Of course it was a mere case study view, and is a weak comparison to the posted recent statistics. Though some facts in the article about electricity, water, lawlessness, kidnapping, etc. I think are somewhat noteworthy.

While I'm happy that the Iraqi overall sentiment is upbeat, I'm still pretty skeptical that it will remain so (despite the fact that it came from the neutral BBC News). It honestly wouldn't surprise me to find differing statistics in the near future. But here again, Mr. Cynical is talking through me.

___________________
Whence September dusk grows crisper still,
with leaves all crimson conquered,
I yearn to shout,
and dance about,
and stick pickles in my honker...

quote:

Originally posted by MisterOpus1 Of course it was a mere case study view, and is a weak comparison to the posted recent statistics. Though some facts in the article about electricity, water, lawlessness, kidnapping, etc. I think are somewhat noteworthy.

That's why I posted the link to the entire study ... it does a whole slew of survey questions regarding those very things. Check out question 4 and Questions 7 A,B, and C.

Pretty thorough polling job

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Retro ...

quote:

Originally posted by arctic Gee, you're an intelligent chap! Just out of interest, are you a fundamentalist Christian by any chance?

Thanks! You're on the money, I am everything that you just stated!

quote:

Originally posted by MisterOpus1 You've posted some highly intriguing, thought-provoking, and wonderfully engaging posts here so far. No doubt, this is one of them. I thought I might counter with one of my own: Maybe all you hick Texan,ultra-conservative, highly-polluted, fundie dimwits can get your head out of your asses and buy a clue as to what your idiotic New England spoiled-brat wannabe-cowboy, ex-governor, corrupt, failed businessman panderer is actually doing to the rest of our country and the world. Or you can continue in your meager attempts to belittle opposing viewpoints in your Ann Coulterish, Nazi-like manner to further yourself in ridicule. Either way, I really don't give a f$ck. But I think everyone here, including those who may agree with you, might enjoy a more thoughtful engagement from you in the future. Cheers.

As for this fellow...
The poll in this thread is a direct result of what Bush did in the world, and it looks pretty good! Maybe you should look at all the good things he has done as the president instead of trying to blame everything on him when its clearly not his fault.

Also, I wasn't trying to post something 'thoughtful', just wanted to get a rise out of you liberals. So I guess, uh, it worked?

quote:

Originally posted by rainbow_marble The poll in this thread is a direct result of what Bush did in the world, and it looks pretty good! Maybe you should look at all the good things he has done as the president instead of trying to blame everything on him when its clearly not his fault.

It's certainly a promising sign, but you can call me greedy for preferring that that money be spent on us. The war is essentially one giant nation-building project. I didn't like nation building under Clinton, and I still don't like it under Bush. Let's just hope it doesn't become a failed nation building project.

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Retro ...

I wonder what the real reason was to invade Iraq...
Because it won't be possible to leave the country without leaving a vacuum of force where the Iraquis will start to fight for leadership and slaughter themselves (like in Afghanistan after the retreat of the Soviets)!
And with the fact (i think the US are thinking about) to double the number of soldiers What is it all about??
There have to be "more" than the search for Saddam (who is already in prison) and Al-Quaida...

quote:

Originally posted by rainbow_marble As for this fellow... The poll in this thread is a direct result of what Bush did in the world, and it looks pretty good! Maybe you should look at all the good things he has done as the president instead of trying to blame everything on him when its clearly not his fault.

I look very closely at some of the things he has done well - the initial war in Afghanistan is a prime example of correct retaliation and the correct measure to fighting terrorism.

However, his overwhelming shortcomings far outweigh the few things he has done right. The war in Iraq is a prime example. Sure, things are looking better, as I have stated earlier, but at what price?

-$9 billion/month, which is contributing greatly to our biggest deficit ever recorded. Strange that Bush refuses to put these costs on his annual budget report. You ever asked yourself why?
-Money spent on this misleading war is putting the sqeeze on federal and esp. state budgets, which include rising various local and state taxes (property, county, sales), thus offsetting those wonderful beneficial federal tax cuts Bush has given all of us.
-Money spent on war contributing to the lack of federal funding to other social services, including Bush's touted No Child Left Behind Program (which is destined for failure in the first place), Medicare, state and federal highway programs, and so on.
-Money spent on war has led Bush to propose a cut combat pay for soldiers in both Afghanistan and Iraq by $75 a month for imminent danger pay and by another $150 for family separation allowance (and you Repubs. say Kerry votes to cut combat pay as if it's a liberal idea!).
-577 servicemen and women killed
-tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians killed. But since Rummy ordered the newspapers to stop counting the dead civilians, we can no longer know for sure just how many (gee, wonder why he asked that?)
-A welcome sign for other terrorist groups to come into the region and contribute to the bombing chaos
-Iraqi soil and water fully contaminated with our uranium ammo for many years to come
-lack of WMD which was the ORIGINAL intent for invasion from the supposed threat to us, thus hurting our credibility with other foreign nations, including those who supported us (Spain, Poland leaving).


Need I go further? Perhaps YOU should look a little closer at your ex-governor and realize that his propensity for being involved with failed business dealings shows a few things about his professional character. But that would mean you would have to take a critical look at him, which I doubt you're willing to do.

quote:

Also, I wasn't trying to post something 'thoughtful', just wanted to get a rise out of you liberals. So I guess, uh, it worked?

Indeed it worked, Ms. Coulter.

___________________
Whence September dusk grows crisper still,
with leaves all crimson conquered,
I yearn to shout,
and dance about,
and stick pickles in my honker...

quote:

[i][b]Originally posted by imokruok

Nice pic.

You could say that at least they were trying, unless the Arabic underneath translates to "Infidel targets this way."


[[[smoke]]]