Double Standards

Many of my fellow Americans have a greater standard for Iraq than they do for our own country. They claim that violent crime in Iraq is an indicator of failure. They claim that sectarian violence in Iraq is an indicator of failure. They claim that the Iraqi government’s refusal to work together is an indication of failure. However the United States, with its 230 years of experience, suffers these same tragedies and misfortunes, with some being on a greater scale than a young democracy that is less than 5 years old.

According to the Associated Press, Iraqi officials reported 16,273 violent deaths in Iraq in 2006, which was more than 2,500 violent deaths estimated by independent AP research.[1] But both numbers fail to meet the 17,034 US murders reported by DisasterCenter.com for 2006.[2] The Citizen’s Journal reports that the annual murder rates for many major US cities over the last ten years have exceeded those of all Iraq for that year.[3]

Gang violence has plagued the US for decades. Urban gangs are quite literally rival factions at war for control over American neighborhoods. Organized Crime Digest reports that a rise in gang violence is a direct correlation to the rise in violent crime throughout the US, and that police officers continue to be stalked and murdered, namely in Los Angeles.[4] In my opinion, Muslim factions and sects that commit violence against their rivals are no different than the thug gangs roving the streets of any major American city. Their motives are certainly the same-control of an area. Their methods are the same, too. Kill whoever stands in their way.

But control isn’t the only reason Iraqi factions kill. Nor is it the only reason American gangs kill. The Los Angeles Times has reported that the gang known as F13 has launched a street war against blacks in general, in order to “cleanse” its neighborhoods. (Thanks to JammieWearingFool for the find)

There were even instances in which Florencia 13 leaders ordered killings of black gangsters and then, when the intended victim couldn’t be located, said “Well, shoot any black you see,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said.

“In certain cases some murders were just purely motivated on killing a black person,” Baca said.[5]

Replace the words “Los Angeles” with “Baghdad,” and “F13 and black” with “Sunni and Shia” and you have the ingredients for any left-thinking discussion on Iraq.

In US politics, Republicans and Democrats have a long history of refusing to work together in order to get nothing done, and we are currently experiencing what is arguably the worst instance of that in our nation’s history. With a Democratically controlled congressional approval rating of 20% and a Republican presidential approval rating of 32% [6], the American public is clearly not satisfied with the job either party is doing. And of course, both parties accuse the other of holding back the progress that only their party can bring. Yet, we expect the Iraqi government to instantly resolve its factional and party differences and work together to rebuild their country. We threaten them in their wallet, where it hurts the most. But we don’t place any timetables for our own government to work together. We don’t threaten not to pay our politicians when they won’t work together.

If these factors are indications of failure in Iraq after less than 5 years, what does that say of America after 230? The United States certainly has its share of problems, but we don’t give up. We debate and vote and try to make things better. Nor should we give up on Iraq simply because we refuse to recognize that it has the same type of problems as we do. We were given plenty of chances to work ours out. Let’s not deny Iraq that same opportunity.

 UPDATE: And here is a good reason not to give up.

In a safer Baghdad, Iraqis party for 2008

2008 arrived in a less-violent Baghdad, and residents said it was the first real party they had seen in years.
…
While the city is still far from peaceful and many of the festive gatherings had a tentative feel, many said it was a happier occasion than they could have dared to hope just a few months ago.
…
“The security has changed and it took us by surprise. We’re very happy. Especially us young people,” said al-Azzawi, a 22-year-old student taking a break from dancing to a traditional Iraqi band in the ballroom of the Palestine Hotel.
…
“I haven’t seen a happy place like this in so long. I wanted to see if I could maybe meet a few girls!” he said. “I only hope the Iraqi people can enjoy more happy times like this.”
…
Salah al-Lami, 27, the singer who performed at the Palestine ballroom and then for another New Year’s Eve crowd at the Sheraton Hotel across the street, said it was the first time he had sung before a live audience in four years.
…
“This will be the year that we take our freedom!” he told Reuters after singing through a boisterous set in front of a packed dancefloor.[Link]

Simply stated, Iraqis now have hope for the future.

BS I learned at University

Last week I completed my first quarter at a major Southern California university. Perhaps the biggest lesson that I learned was how to bite my tongue and keep my mouth shut. Here are some of the reasons why:

In the World of Islam class I learned that Muslim explorers discovered America centuries before Columbus. Engravings that have been found in North America and carbon dated have proven this claim. The classroom was amazed at such news.

It’s just too bad they didn’t realize that engravings can’t be dated with carbon dating. Carbon dating can date the material being engraved in, but not the engraving, itself.

We also learned that terrorists are really just people who feel there is nothing left for them in this life, so they perform desperate acts that often result in their own death. Most of the open-minded class accepted this information.

It’s just too bad they didn’t hear about the 45 doctors in Great Britain that have sworn jihad against the West. A web site exposing their plan was found, and three students arrested. One student was a biochemist and another was a law student. And these people feel there is nothing left in life?

The professor for this course came from Syria.

The Modern Middle East class was even worse!

The MME professor used his classroom as a soapbox. Here is a sample of what we learned.

Europe has been butting into Middle Eastern affairs for centuries.

That’s a pretty broad statement. However, reading the course textbook sheds a clearer light on the subject of European intervention in Middle Eastern affairs. During the Tanzimat period of the Ottoman Empire, several states, including Iran, Egypt, and Turkey, wished to reform their militaries and societies according to European standards. Teachers from Europe were brought in to open schools. Military officers were brought in to teach at military academies. And money was borrowed from Europe to pay for these reforms. When these states could not repay their debts, their European creditors set up offices within these governments, and restructured their economies so that the debts could be repaid.

So you see, Europe did not butt in-it was invited in. The worst part is that the teacher admitted that to me, only after I went to his office and spoke to him about it in private.

But that isn’t the half of it! Here’s what else we learned about the Modern Middle East.

The American mainstream media has the sole agenda of selling advertising, and accurate news comes secondary to that agenda.

You’ll get no argument from me on that. How did we learn that lesson? We were told by a vulgar rap artist that ABCNNBCSB=BS as we were shown his music video. The video ended with the artist (term used very loosely) telling us “Read n****r.” And just in case there was any question on what to read, he ends the video with a particular book cover. Sounds like an agenda to me.

But the irony doesn’t end there. That same day we were shown a video explaining events during the Iran-Iraq War. It described how a US ship shot down an Iranian passenger jet. The event is not what is ironic. What is ironic is that we were told about it by an ABC News: Nightline Special Investigation. So I guess the MSM is only full of crap when it says what people don’t want to hear. But if it says what people do want to hear, it is a source worthy of a university classroom.

We were told that any young person that wants to support the troops in Iraq should support them by enlisting. If a young person supports the troops, but doesn’t walk alongside them in downtown Baghdad, they are chicken hawks.

But the chicken hawk lessons didn’t end there. We were told how our president, George W. Bush is a chicken hawk who has never served in the military and never worn a uniform.

George W. Bush did serve in the Texas Air National Guard from 1968 through 1973. However, since there was a war going on and he did not fight in it, his service is not recognized as such. The facts are, National Guard and reserve troops were not sent to Vietnam. Oh, and by the way, the Texas Air National Guard has uniforms, too.

So the final weeks of our Modern Middle East class was filled with lessons of the US foreign policy in the Middle East, while we were being told at the same time how the US thinks the world revolves around it. Where were the lessons of Middle East foreign policy? Good question….

The professor for the Modern Middle East class was an Armenian from Iran.

And this is the garbage being taught to those who will eventually rule our society. I think we’ve got trouble ahead.