Well, I didn’t expect to cry first thing this morning, but here we are. What a powerful reminder that, for all the troubles and worries we have currently in America, I’m still incredibly blessed.
As a Military parent with a son about to leave on his second Deployment, I am processing your article.
I watched the 60 Minutes stories on 3/19/23, about the buildup by the US Navy to China's growing Navy. We all take it for granted, but the US Navy protects shipping lanes and free trade on a daily basis. We just don't see it from our computers and phones safely delivered in ships and planes from factories in China. Once in a while, some Pirates decide to steal from a ship, and we send in a US SEAL team and then make a Tom Hanks Hollywood movie to send a message - Don't Be a Pirate.
The buildup of "Drone Warfare" from the 60 Minutes story is concerning to me. Once you take away the humanity of "direct connection" to your targets, where is the pull-back? Right now I am commenting on a screen to a writer. Would I say the same thing if I was having morning coffee with you? My son is about to Deploy to literally the other side of the world, live in the culture, feel the people. If he is doing these war games in the basement of a US Military base on US soil, it is a different experience.
The entire COVID lockdown, take the shot, or else - was really really bad for humanity. We need to BE with humans, not turn them into robots that shoot at each other with Drones and untested "Vaccines".
I worked with 3 Afghan women (in the USA), during the Afghanistan war, and I just have no real idea what you have gone through from a one to one human experience. Thanks for posting your article, and Team Bari for their "Journalistic Curiosity" to look at issues from different perspectives.
"Having the chance to make others laugh—potential persecution for doing so notwithstanding—is better than a life entirely devoid of humor." - Weird how this has seemingly gone full circle where we are now trying to incarcerate someone in the US for making memes. Yes, humor if directed at the opposition, is now considered election interference and is being prosecuted as if it were a real crime. To spend $2B to bring freedom to a group of people only to rob the very citizens you gave the bill to for that freedom - now that is a turn of the wheel that almost no one could have seen coming.
It’s easy to be cynical about the failure of US policies overseas, but it’s because of articles like this that remind me that America is, despite all our faults, still a force for good.
A friend of mine is an Afghanistan veteran (for those who know, he was with 3/6 when they pushed Marjah). I asked him how he felt about the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“We brought freedom to a generation of Afghans. That’s worth a lot.”
There is a lot of talk today about “nepo babies” that inherit familial wealth and are therefore born with a leg-up over everyone else.
As Americans, we are ALL nepo babies of freedom and individual liberty...which likely explains why so many citizens don’t appreciate what we have here.
Iraq war was one of the largest mistakes of US politics in last 30 years. Bush and Cheney have done more damage to US during their time than any enemy ever did. They completely degraded US image abroad, it costed us trillions of $$$, caused god knows how many Iraqis dead, and 1000s of US soldiers who died fighting pointless war all based on lie.
I honestly hope, that one day, we in US will put Bush and large part of his administration on trial for lies and crimes that they committed not only against Iraq, but also for treason against USA, at least doing so, we would wash part of the shame that those people have caused.
We sadly cant change past, but for me, one moment of 2016 elections I will treasure as long as I live, when Trump humiliated that POS of Jeb Bush, when Jeb tried to defend his idiot brothers record in Iraq. For many it was "Emperor has no clothes" moment, when it finally destroyed any political aspirations of Bush family for decades to come.
And for author saying, that Iraq war was not that big mistake, I am sorry, but I deeply disagree, from US perspective, it was horrendous terrible mistake, we lost 4500 solders based on lie, we lost trillions of $$$ that we don't have and didn't achieve anything. And Iraq is worse of on any metric that it was before war. It is easy to look at it positively if you are Iraqi in US, but why dont we get some opinion of what Iraqis in Iraq thing about what happend.
Thank you for this excellent article. It breaks my heart to learn of the actions of Saddam's sons, there are moments when I feel so clueless about the freedoms and safety I enjoy.
The real question is where would the world be if Saddam had been left in charge? Yes, I was surprised when he hid in a hole in the ground. We were led to believe that he had a nuclear proof bunker.
Welcome to America. I am glad you are here. Please continue to remind us of what we stand to lose if we are careless and unwilling to speak up.
Regardless of ones opinion of the Iraq war and what one thinks of Bush Cheney et al, there is always the contrast between what America is and stands for ( its values and beliefs) and the very stark contrast with the beliefs and values of the rest of the world. We may make mistakes but let us hope and pray that we never make the mistake of forsaking those beliefs and values. Unfortunately as most of us know who read these articles in TFP, it is those beliefs and values that are under attack today, particularly those who have made clear their disdain for the Constitution itself which embodies those values and beliefs.
A corrupt leader who enjoys ill-gotten riches; who oppresses and routinely lies to his people. A dissolute son who is protected from prosecution; free to carry on with this own debauchery and corruption. A retinue of hangers on and miscreants. A comical flack who lies for the leader.
Hmmmm......sound familiar?
And, no, the nation building fiasco was not a good idea. Breaking Saddam's toys - his military - and neutering him could have been done at a fraction of the cost. And America's treasure - its young soldiers and borrowings = were needlessly squandered in a "war" that was completely the doing of the Iraqi ingrates, who erupted in a frenzy of murdering each other and our soldiers. So, no. If you want liberty, fight for it. Don't ask others to do it for you. We might soon enough learn that lesson here at home.
The world is usually not black and white, yes or no, them or the others. The answer usually is a blend, in its own balance, more than just two sides, each side, with its own weight.
I do not understand how he can say he is optimistic for Iraq to ever be a "free" country, like he is experiencing in the west. I do not see that EVER happening. I do understand that he is lucky... he got out, and that is why he feels that the war was not a mistake - he escaped. Good for him. Not so good for America and the loss of blood and treasure.
I, from experiences of watching my wife and her friends always say, those who understand liberty and freedom best are those who have gained it. America is still the best.
Great story and I also hope one day you can go back and see your homeland. From a father who had sons in Iraq and Afghanistan, I can say, stories about goodness and people who have gained a better life from the wars make it a little more bearable. Unfortunately, as like my experiences in the Vietnam War, our politicians from both sides manage to continue screwing things up.
But at least we have the right and freedom to say they are idiots and mostly self-serving fools and continue to suck up and waste more and more money without being jailed, tortured, and killed for speaking the truth.
Reading Will Selber’s account of his experiences during the war (linked at the end of the article) makes it clear that the barbarism of the Hussein regime was matched, if not exceeded, by the barbarism of the insurgency and civil war that followed. History is still being written so there may come a day when the US invasion is seen as the first step on a path towards a free and modern Iraq but it certainly doesn’t look that way right now.
Well, I didn’t expect to cry first thing this morning, but here we are. What a powerful reminder that, for all the troubles and worries we have currently in America, I’m still incredibly blessed.
As a Military parent with a son about to leave on his second Deployment, I am processing your article.
I watched the 60 Minutes stories on 3/19/23, about the buildup by the US Navy to China's growing Navy. We all take it for granted, but the US Navy protects shipping lanes and free trade on a daily basis. We just don't see it from our computers and phones safely delivered in ships and planes from factories in China. Once in a while, some Pirates decide to steal from a ship, and we send in a US SEAL team and then make a Tom Hanks Hollywood movie to send a message - Don't Be a Pirate.
The buildup of "Drone Warfare" from the 60 Minutes story is concerning to me. Once you take away the humanity of "direct connection" to your targets, where is the pull-back? Right now I am commenting on a screen to a writer. Would I say the same thing if I was having morning coffee with you? My son is about to Deploy to literally the other side of the world, live in the culture, feel the people. If he is doing these war games in the basement of a US Military base on US soil, it is a different experience.
The entire COVID lockdown, take the shot, or else - was really really bad for humanity. We need to BE with humans, not turn them into robots that shoot at each other with Drones and untested "Vaccines".
I worked with 3 Afghan women (in the USA), during the Afghanistan war, and I just have no real idea what you have gone through from a one to one human experience. Thanks for posting your article, and Team Bari for their "Journalistic Curiosity" to look at issues from different perspectives.
"Having the chance to make others laugh—potential persecution for doing so notwithstanding—is better than a life entirely devoid of humor." - Weird how this has seemingly gone full circle where we are now trying to incarcerate someone in the US for making memes. Yes, humor if directed at the opposition, is now considered election interference and is being prosecuted as if it were a real crime. To spend $2B to bring freedom to a group of people only to rob the very citizens you gave the bill to for that freedom - now that is a turn of the wheel that almost no one could have seen coming.
It’s easy to be cynical about the failure of US policies overseas, but it’s because of articles like this that remind me that America is, despite all our faults, still a force for good.
A friend of mine is an Afghanistan veteran (for those who know, he was with 3/6 when they pushed Marjah). I asked him how he felt about the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“We brought freedom to a generation of Afghans. That’s worth a lot.”
There is a lot of talk today about “nepo babies” that inherit familial wealth and are therefore born with a leg-up over everyone else.
As Americans, we are ALL nepo babies of freedom and individual liberty...which likely explains why so many citizens don’t appreciate what we have here.
Iraq war was one of the largest mistakes of US politics in last 30 years. Bush and Cheney have done more damage to US during their time than any enemy ever did. They completely degraded US image abroad, it costed us trillions of $$$, caused god knows how many Iraqis dead, and 1000s of US soldiers who died fighting pointless war all based on lie.
I honestly hope, that one day, we in US will put Bush and large part of his administration on trial for lies and crimes that they committed not only against Iraq, but also for treason against USA, at least doing so, we would wash part of the shame that those people have caused.
We sadly cant change past, but for me, one moment of 2016 elections I will treasure as long as I live, when Trump humiliated that POS of Jeb Bush, when Jeb tried to defend his idiot brothers record in Iraq. For many it was "Emperor has no clothes" moment, when it finally destroyed any political aspirations of Bush family for decades to come.
And for author saying, that Iraq war was not that big mistake, I am sorry, but I deeply disagree, from US perspective, it was horrendous terrible mistake, we lost 4500 solders based on lie, we lost trillions of $$$ that we don't have and didn't achieve anything. And Iraq is worse of on any metric that it was before war. It is easy to look at it positively if you are Iraqi in US, but why dont we get some opinion of what Iraqis in Iraq thing about what happend.
Thank you for this excellent article. It breaks my heart to learn of the actions of Saddam's sons, there are moments when I feel so clueless about the freedoms and safety I enjoy.
The real question is where would the world be if Saddam had been left in charge? Yes, I was surprised when he hid in a hole in the ground. We were led to believe that he had a nuclear proof bunker.
Welcome to America. I am glad you are here. Please continue to remind us of what we stand to lose if we are careless and unwilling to speak up.
Thank you for this perspective.
Regardless of ones opinion of the Iraq war and what one thinks of Bush Cheney et al, there is always the contrast between what America is and stands for ( its values and beliefs) and the very stark contrast with the beliefs and values of the rest of the world. We may make mistakes but let us hope and pray that we never make the mistake of forsaking those beliefs and values. Unfortunately as most of us know who read these articles in TFP, it is those beliefs and values that are under attack today, particularly those who have made clear their disdain for the Constitution itself which embodies those values and beliefs.
A corrupt leader who enjoys ill-gotten riches; who oppresses and routinely lies to his people. A dissolute son who is protected from prosecution; free to carry on with this own debauchery and corruption. A retinue of hangers on and miscreants. A comical flack who lies for the leader.
Hmmmm......sound familiar?
And, no, the nation building fiasco was not a good idea. Breaking Saddam's toys - his military - and neutering him could have been done at a fraction of the cost. And America's treasure - its young soldiers and borrowings = were needlessly squandered in a "war" that was completely the doing of the Iraqi ingrates, who erupted in a frenzy of murdering each other and our soldiers. So, no. If you want liberty, fight for it. Don't ask others to do it for you. We might soon enough learn that lesson here at home.
"It is hard to express what it means, if you have lived under an authoritarian regime, to experience freedom."
As we slide deeper and deeper into the former, should we experience the latter in my lifetime, I'll let you know how it feels.
The world is usually not black and white, yes or no, them or the others. The answer usually is a blend, in its own balance, more than just two sides, each side, with its own weight.
Thank you for this perspective.
I do not understand how he can say he is optimistic for Iraq to ever be a "free" country, like he is experiencing in the west. I do not see that EVER happening. I do understand that he is lucky... he got out, and that is why he feels that the war was not a mistake - he escaped. Good for him. Not so good for America and the loss of blood and treasure.
Anyone else see parallels between how the author describes living under Saddam and what the woke left is trying to achieve?
Persecution for wrong think?
Listening to unapproved media?
Humor?
Saying the wrong thing?
I, from experiences of watching my wife and her friends always say, those who understand liberty and freedom best are those who have gained it. America is still the best.
Great story and I also hope one day you can go back and see your homeland. From a father who had sons in Iraq and Afghanistan, I can say, stories about goodness and people who have gained a better life from the wars make it a little more bearable. Unfortunately, as like my experiences in the Vietnam War, our politicians from both sides manage to continue screwing things up.
But at least we have the right and freedom to say they are idiots and mostly self-serving fools and continue to suck up and waste more and more money without being jailed, tortured, and killed for speaking the truth.
Reading Will Selber’s account of his experiences during the war (linked at the end of the article) makes it clear that the barbarism of the Hussein regime was matched, if not exceeded, by the barbarism of the insurgency and civil war that followed. History is still being written so there may come a day when the US invasion is seen as the first step on a path towards a free and modern Iraq but it certainly doesn’t look that way right now.