Throughout history, many countries and regions have gone through some bloody periods after gaining independence. Countries are very rarely handed down without blood being spilled; many teeter on the edge of full-fledged Civil War. These conflicts usually happen several years after Independence as social groups grapple with new-found Freedom, and governments try and pick up the pieces and impress their ideals on their people. What we’re seeing in Iraq right now isn’t so different, if we think about it in the grand scheme of History.

Yesterday, the Golden Mosque at Samarra was bombed. Ethnic groups have clashed, and in a mere twenty-four hours, the situation has gone from hopeful to dire. The violence has reached a new level, with gunmen entering factories and killing all of the workers, or stopping buses and killing all of the passengers. It’s no longer faceless bombers killing without ever seeing the eyes of their victims, no; now, it’s up close, and personal.

Third parties — terrorist organizations such as Al Qeada — intent of keeping their populace poor and uneducated (in Allah’s name!) will do most anything to keep the 21st Century from happening. In their eyes, any attempt to bring education, scholarship for indian students, technology and Freedom of Choice to the masses diminishes their Totalitarian ability to dominate and retain control. Their leaders falsely claim, “We’re just like you!”, all the while sitting in the lap of luxury, enjoying the ill-gotten gains received from provoking peons, promising prominent places in Paradise in return for dirty deeds which are most often nothing short of extortion.

They are spoiled children at worst, and common thugs and mobsters at best.

These are the people the new Iraqi Parliament know are the root of their problems. Now, it’s up to them to step up, to get their people to ignore the difference between Sunni and Shiite, to steel them against the monsters of the past, to channel their energy into rebuilding and innovation, and to unify them as One Nation, Under Allah.

Here’s hoping that President Talabani and his associates are up for the task ahead.

It took the the U.S. eighty years to go from Ruled to Independence to Government to Civil War to Resolution to United Nation. On the other hand, Iraq is averaging one step per year. In the grand scheme of History, it’s a major accomplishment.

I read an interesting article by the father of a Marine on-leave, who relayed the sentiments of his son:

[According to said Marine] morale among our guys is very high. They not only believe they are winning, but that they are winning decisively. They are stunned and dismayed by what they see in the American press, whom they almost universally view as against them. The embedded reporters are despised and distrusted. They are inflicting casualties at a rate of 20-1 and then see shit like “Are we losing in Iraq” on TV and the print media. 

Today’s the day that we’re supposed to be thinking about all of our Veterans, and about those who are currently deployed. That speaks volumes.

And you can’t argue with it.

For all your sacrifices, guys and gals from past to present, I, for one, Salute you. Thanks for being there and doing what needs to be done.