Iraqis shocked by beheading, despair over violence

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ABD243716.htm

BAGHDAD, May 12 (Reuters) - Most Baghdad residents on Wednesday condemned al Qaeda's beheading of a U.S. civilian in Iraq, but many said his death was just the latest atrocity in a cycle of violence that is driving them to despair.

A Web site video showed a masked man cutting off the head of Nick Berg, a 26-year-old civilian, and said al Qaeda's leader in Iraq had personally carried out the killing in revenge for abuses against Iraqi prisoners.

Berg went missing last month when dozens of foreigners were seized by guerrillas after Marines launched a crackdown in the city of Falluja. The Marine operation followed the killing and grisly mutilation of four U.S. security guards in the city.

"The Americans killed hundreds in Falluja in retaliation for the mutilation of the four Americans and now those people are killing an American in retaliation for the torture of prisoners," said Arkan Mohammad, a cleric at Baghdad University.

"Someone has to do something to stop the cycle of violence from going on and on."

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[ewagner]

1. Cycle of violence

That's what we seem to be caught up in and it isn't much different from what is going on between Palestine and Israel. Neither side seems to be able to pull back from the cycle in the entire middle east.

How do you stop it?

How?

[THUNDER HANDS]

3. easy

Get rid of the right-wing reactionaries who set the policy.

Of course, that's easier said than done.

[NNN0LHI]

4. We pack up our shit and leave

We don't share a common border as Palestine and Israel do. Are we going to pay dearly for leaving in defeat? You bet we are. Are we going to pay dearly for staying in Iraq for 10 years and then leaving in defeat? You bet we will. This is a no brainer. Cut our losses, take our licks, and never, ever do something as stupid as this again. Preventative war my ass. Shock and awe my ass. Worlds only super power my ass. The war on terror is over. Bring the troops home and call in the lawyers.

Don

[CookieD]

8. Yeah it may be time to go

When June 30th gets here we should just hand over power to someone - anyone - then get the heck out of there. Maybe we can stage some kind of "Mission Accomplished" ceremony and get Bush, Cheney, Rummy, Condi and Rove to attend. While they are prancing around for their photo-ops, maybe we can just pull up the helicopter ladders and leave their asses in Baghdad.

Sure would solve a few of our problems.

[frankieT]

9. the Empire is overstretched

thats how empires fall. people don't want wars anymore. no more greedy conquests !

[Just Me]

2. Will this silence those who assert inadequate outrage at American deaths?

No.

[Bandit]

5. How can we stop this?

We can not go on trading one atrocity for another. All of the reasons stated for invading Iraq have been accomplished so what are we doing there? WMDs have been determined not to be a threat because they cannot be found. Saddam the bad man has been toppled. the Iraqi people have been liberated. They no longer have to answer to Saddam. If they are to be a free people then we must get out and let them be free. How many more Arabs do we need to kill to satisfy Bush*'s blood lust? We can not win the hearts and minds of these people by force. We can make them grovel if that is what the Republicans want but then the rest of the world will despise us. Why are we there? The people do not want us there and all the reasons/excuses the Administration has given for us being there have been fulfilled. we need to get our people out now. I had to take off from work yesterday because I was so upset over the latest atrocity committed against us. It will only continue with them doing something and us killing a bunch more Arabs. This is spiraling out of control. Is this how we "liberate" them by killing as many as possible?

[Greylady]

6. Every news story mentions

*Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq*. I'm curious about this as we are also told that Al Qaeda's connections with Iraq are tenuous at best. Is there an established Al Qaeda presence or not?

[Minstrel Boy]

7. It's really sloppy. "Al Qaeda" here is shorthand for Ansar al-Islam,

which operated in the northern, Kurdish no-fly zone of Iraq, which was a virtual US protectorate. It was also a sworn-enemy of Saddam.

[Greylady]

10. Thanks, that's what I thought

but I've heard it reported that the murder was done by *bin Ladin's second in command*. And, someone was doing a maniacal, incoherent rant on Imus this morning; something about beating someone with brass knuckles and then he screams out *Al Qaeda is in Iraq* and goes on to say we need to hit them hard. This whole thing is spiraling out of control.

[nodehopper]

11. wait, what?

was it, like, "beating with brass knuckles got useful info?" are they trying to justify torture with this one, too?

[Greylady]

12. I don't know who this man was

but he was hyperventilating while describing how he beat someone with brass knuckles (including sound effects) and implied that brutal force was what it takes to deal with murderers.

[BonjourUSA]

13. Yes, Saddam was our ally against AQ.

And AQ was, de facto, under US protection in the no-fly zone. Like de Gaulle said : "l'Orient est complexe" (I think Churchill said the same (?) )

[Shakespeare]

16. Yup, and they're NOT Al Qaeda, either

They're loosely allied, but operate completely independently of each other. Of course, you hear NO one on the news making that distinction--and it's an important distinction.

[BonjourUSA]

14. Things doesn't seem so very clear.

For a Arab Muslim, a sexal abuse is worse than the death and many people in Baghad said this decapitation is a right response

[sandnsea]

15. They're saner than some Americans

Maybe we should all move to Iraq.