It seems, when reading between the lines, that majority of the Iraqi people are being bullied by the various militias that are running around there. Well, let’s fix that. Not with another assault on some training camp, or stronghold, but with the Iraqi people. I think another error of the Bush Administration is looking at the situation in Iraq the same way as the gun control crowd does: the government is the only way to impose peace. However, a peace imposed is no peace at all, and a government that, in most cases, has no recollection of anything other than imposed peace. Sadam was good at that. Mass graves quiet a lot of people.
(What I say below is my opinion, and based upon what I read and hear, and therefore may be a wildly inaccurate understanding of the Iraqi people.)
The people of Iraq have been cowed for so long (habits learned well under Sadam have not yet been unlearned, it seems), that they find it hard within themselves to fight back. Instead of focusing all our efforts on the Iraqi government’s security forces (which some are rumored to be acting as death squads), we should spend our efforts on the Iraqi people. I believe we can trust the Iraqi people to govern themselves, except the problem is that all these blood-thirsty “militias” keep trying to kill them.
Let’s arm them. If we want to arm them under the auspices of gender equality, anyone over the age of 12 (male or female) is given (not issued) a Winchester .22 (hey, at least I didn’t say M-16 or AK-47) repeating rifle, and a semi-automatic pistol. The only law is that, of course, only shoot in self defense (not in celebration), and that the pistol is to be worn visibly at all times outside of the home (and due to doors being broken down in the night, I would strongly suggest keeping the pistol at hand at home). There would be the option of carrying the Winchester, but it would not be required.
Here’s the refrain “but they’ll kill everyone. It will be a blood bath!” Yada, yada, yada.
Even die-hard Republicans (supposedly in the pocket of the NRA), have heard that so many times, that many are beginning to believe it: despite evidence to the contrary. Granted, this is not being reported on (why am I not surprised) in this fashion, but as a general rule, the stricter the gun control laws (here in the states), the higher the crime rate. Hmmm, oh, yes, the typical refrain, “when owing a gun is a crime, only criminals have guns.” Put another way, if someone is going to rob (an illegal act) you, do you really think that they’ll say to themselves, “I’m not going to use a gun, since it is illegal to have one.” Instead their thoughts are probably along this line, “hmmm, it’s illegal to own a gun, so my victim, who is a law abiding citizen won’t have one, therefore I win when I use my gun.”
Now, before someone says, “this guy’s blood-thirsty,” I’m not. I pretty much avoid violence. I even do my best to avoid it on TV and with movies (and that’s a chore). Being a (not very good) Christian, it is even more important to avoid unnecessary violence. However, in no way shape or form, is defending one’s family unnecessary!
A sad part of the cold war, was how very human is was, and there is a very important lesson in it. Most people have heard of “Mutually Assured Destruction”. This is where both the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. had enough nuclear armaments to irradiate the world, depending on which report was read, 17 to 30-something times. Once was enough! However, that led to a forced diplomacy, the actual cold war itself. Neither side was willing to take on the other, because it wasn’t worth it, which was (and is) the point.
Most of these obnoxious evil people running around killing everyone, are trying to impose their version of an Islamic state, or getting revenge that was put on hold by Sadam. However, if they knew that everyone was armed, honestly, how likely do you think this will continue.
I would guess that the suicide bombings and car bombings and IED killings would increase, for a short while. Since the media and convienient anti-war mouths keep saying how bad it is over in Iraq, a slight uptick wouldn’t even be noticeable (that is sarcasm. Any uptick is BAD). However, once the people realize and fully comprehend that they have the power to steer their course (and, frankly, the responsibility), I would guess that things would quiet down quickly.
Now, the one thing I don’t know, is whether the majority of the Iraqi people have arms. I remember the pictures of people shooting guns into the air to celebrate the fall of Sadam, but how many of those who were shooting into the air, are now shooting people.
I believe that the biggest danger is that the Bush Administration, the Iraqi government, or other world governments, believe that the government must grant peace and freedom, while in truth the people must recognize that is THEIR peace and THEIR freedom, of which they GIVE a PORTION to the government.
