Why aren't we doing anything to stop the looting and protect the citizens?

Nocturnal

Lifer
Jan 8, 2002
18,927
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76
????

WTF was the entire point of this liberation if we aren't even protecting the people who liberated?
 

Heisenberg

Lifer
Dec 21, 2001
10,621
1
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We are. It's unrealistic to expect to be able to go from a war situation to normal, civilized life in a few days.
 

freakflag

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2001
3,951
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71
Originally posted by: Nocturnal
????

WTF was the entire point of this liberation if we aren't even protecting the people who liberated?

Wow, dude. I really wish everyone would STFU with second guessing the war effort already.

If we go in there and kick @ss and restore order, all the anti-war armchair generals will scream that we're imperialists who are bent on killing civilians.

So, we wait and give the Iraqi's a chance to take care of the problem themselves (and they are) and we still have people screaming that it's our fault and "why aren't we doing anything?".

This is driving me nuts. Let's just put Saddams corpse back on the throne, load up a couple of million barrels of oil and call it a day.

At least I won't have to hear any more chirping.

I'm tired of playing the ping-pong.

 

SuperTool

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
14,000
2
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All that talk about protecting the cultural treasures of Iraq in the buildup to the war, and we don't even protect the museum where 4 thousand year old artifacts are kept.
The response to looting so far has been anything from looking the other way, to a wink and a not saying "go ahead, you deserve it."
Apparently looting government buildings is OK, as if there isn't going to be a new government that will need all that equipment and buildings. We are going to have to pay to replace all that was stolen there for the new government.
 

Jmman

Diamond Member
Dec 17, 1999
5,302
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Let me see.....

250,000 coalition soldiers
22 million Iraqi looters
Bullets still being fired
Suicide bombers
Threat of WMD
Looking for Saddam and the leadership
Still fighting the war


Oh yeah, saving the museum is the first priority......
:confused:
 

SuperTool

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
14,000
2
0
You are saying all 22 million Iraqi's are looters? Or that we couldn't spare 5 soldiers' time to guard the entrance to a museum to make sure irreplaceable 4500 year old cultural artifacts are not looted and destroyed?
This war is about he hearts and minds too, and we don't want to be insensitive to the Iraq's great history. Take away that, and the only history they have is that of either Saddam Husseyn or colonialism.
 

wyvrn

Lifer
Feb 15, 2000
10,074
0
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Actually I heard on NPR on friday that coalition forces are working with Iraqi police forces to stop looting. So they ARE starting to do something about it. The problem is, and has been well documented, that an army force and neighborhood police force are two different things. Our guys aren't trained for this, so they should not be held completely responsible.

Secondly, the WAR IS STILL GOING ON. Just because Saddam has lost power, does not stop the bullets. American troops are still going building to building looking for pockets of resistance. If we didn't do this it could lead to more suicide bombing disasters. The war isn't quite over yet, even though the heavy fighting likely is.

Lastly, I don't see people quetioning where the Iraqi people are in all of this. When the US declared independence from Britain, we fought our own battles and wrote our own governments. Sure the French helped us, but we earned it ourselves. In this war, the US and Britain have liberated Iraq, and the Iraqi's respond by looting their own hospitals, schools, and govt. offices. Maybe they should be trying to establish a government and police force and take some responsibilities for themselves, mmm??

This does not bode well for US and Britain because it looks like we are gonna have to babysit Iraq for several years until they can come up with a coherent plan. It's not all their fault because they have been ruled by a ruthless dictator, but it is their primary responsibility because it's their damn country!
 

bentwookie

Golden Member
Aug 3, 2002
1,771
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Originally posted by: SuperTool
You are saying all 22 million Iraqi's are looters? Or that we couldn't spare 5 soldiers' time to guard the entrance to a museum to make sure irreplaceable 4500 year old cultural artifacts are not looted and destroyed?
This war is about he hearts and minds too, and we don't want to be insensitive to the Iraq's great history. Take away that, and the only history they have is that of either Saddam Husseyn or colonialism.

grow up...putting 5 troops at a museum? they would be sitting targets..they will get those artifacts back, not all, but I am sure they will reappear.
 

Grakatt

Senior member
Feb 27, 2003
315
0
0
Originally posted by: freakflag

This is driving me nuts. Let's just put Saddams corpse back on the throne, load up a couple of million barrels of oil and call it a day.

Lol, well, no one said it was going to be easy. Perhaps mr Bush & co failed to mention a lot of potential 'bad things' about a war before it began, but so begins the propaganda and need to keep the opinion of your people from going against you,

 

Judgement

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2001
3,815
0
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Originally posted by: SuperTool
You are saying all 22 million Iraqi's are looters? Or that we couldn't spare 5 soldiers' time to guard the entrance to a museum to make sure irreplaceable 4500 year old cultural artifacts are not looted and destroyed?
This war is about he hearts and minds too, and we don't want to be insensitive to the Iraq's great history. Take away that, and the only history they have is that of either Saddam Husseyn or colonialism.

What can 5 soldiers do against a mob of Iraqi civilians trying to loot? Shoot them?
 

aznparty

Member
Aug 9, 2002
70
0
0
Originally posted by: bentwookie
Originally posted by: SuperTool
You are saying all 22 million Iraqi's are looters? Or that we couldn't spare 5 soldiers' time to guard the entrance to a museum to make sure irreplaceable 4500 year old cultural artifacts are not looted and destroyed?
This war is about he hearts and minds too, and we don't want to be insensitive to the Iraq's great history. Take away that, and the only history they have is that of either Saddam Husseyn or colonialism.

grow up...putting 5 troops at a museum? they would be sitting targets..they will get those artifacts back, not all, but I am sure they will reappear.

Oh please, its not necessary to guard every place in Iraq but the US/British should at least take the responsibility of guarding places such as hospitals and foreign embassies and they are not even doing that. It's not that they don't have the manpower to do that, they choose not to. As the occupying power, the coalition has the responsibility to bring order and protect the civilians under the 4th Geneva Convention. But I mean who cares, its not our country that's getting trashed so its all good.
 

aznparty

Member
Aug 9, 2002
70
0
0
Originally posted by: Judgement
Originally posted by: SuperTool
You are saying all 22 million Iraqi's are looters? Or that we couldn't spare 5 soldiers' time to guard the entrance to a museum to make sure irreplaceable 4500 year old cultural artifacts are not looted and destroyed?
This war is about he hearts and minds too, and we don't want to be insensitive to the Iraq's great history. Take away that, and the only history they have is that of either Saddam Husseyn or colonialism.

What can 5 soldiers do against a mob of Iraqi civilians trying to loot? Shoot them?

Fire few warning shots, if they don't stop, shoot them. What's wrong with that? They are not shooting innocent civilians, they criminals!
 

mastertech01

Moderator Emeritus Elite Member
Nov 13, 1999
11,875
282
126
I heard on a news broadcast that there were 173,000 items missing.. that would be one hell of a lot of looters wouldnt it? Maybe it was emptied out long before we got there.
 

jagr10

Golden Member
Jan 21, 2001
1,995
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Let them loot. If you were living in the conditions they are and are dirt poor you'd be out there looting too.
 

aznparty

Member
Aug 9, 2002
70
0
0
Originally posted by: mastertech01
I heard on a news broadcast that there were 173,000 items missing.. that would be one hell of a lot of looters wouldnt it? Maybe it was emptied out long before we got there.

No doubt some were, but I doubt it with Saddam still in power. But still, that doesn't mean you should do nothing when you get there. Wasn't the whole point to liberate and provide freedom to the people? I don't think anarchy = freedom.
 

conjur

No Lifer
Jun 7, 2001
58,686
3
0
Originally posted by: abaez
How do you restore something that has been looted and destroyed? Glue?

All that leftover Homeland Security Duct Tape!

I'm sure they'll try and recover what they can find...restore? No clue.
 

Speedy3D!

Golden Member
Oct 31, 1999
1,794
0
0
Originally posted by: Nocturnal
????

WTF was the entire point of this liberation if we aren't even protecting the people who liberated?

Um, I think that the Iraqi people are more intelligent than a herd of cattle. We will do the best we can, but don't you think that the Iraqis bare some reasonsibility not to steal and loot?


 

MooseKnuckle

Golden Member
Oct 24, 1999
1,392
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Originally posted by: Nocturnal
????


Why aren't we doing anything to stop the looting and protect the citizens?

WTF was the entire point of this liberation if we aren't even protecting the people who liberated?


Maybe because we're still fighting a war. Futhermore, could you imagine what al-Jazeera would do with pics of U.S. soliders arresting civilians. It's obviously a delicate situation and not as easy as you might want to believe.

 

Alistar7

Lifer
May 13, 2002
11,978
0
0
Originally posted by: MooseKnuckle
Originally posted by: Nocturnal
????


Why aren't we doing anything to stop the looting and protect the citizens?

WTF was the entire point of this liberation if we aren't even protecting the people who liberated?


Maybe because we're still fighting a war. Futhermore, could you imagine what al-Jazeera would do with pics of U.S. soliders arresting civilians. It's obviously a delicate situation and not as easy as you might want to believe.

We wouldn't be arresting civily disobedient people, we would be rounding them up for execution...


BTW Iraq police are back onthe streeets of Baghdad with Us forces assisting, ask and ye shall recieve, lol. Next complaint please?
 

TheNinja

Lifer
Jan 22, 2003
12,207
1
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Originally posted by: aznparty
Originally posted by: Judgement
Originally posted by: SuperTool
You are saying all 22 million Iraqi's are looters? Or that we couldn't spare 5 soldiers' time to guard the entrance to a museum to make sure irreplaceable 4500 year old cultural artifacts are not looted and destroyed?
This war is about he hearts and minds too, and we don't want to be insensitive to the Iraq's great history. Take away that, and the only history they have is that of either Saddam Husseyn or colonialism.

What can 5 soldiers do against a mob of Iraqi civilians trying to loot? Shoot them?

Fire few warning shots, if they don't stop, shoot them. What's wrong with that? They are not shooting innocent civilians, they criminals!

I hope you are kidding. Can you imagine what the complainers on this board and in the world would do if we started shooting civilians? It is a damned if you do, damned if you don't deal. If we let them loot people will complain that we don't have order and bitch about anarchy (i.e. this thread). If we stop them from looting by using force, the same people will complain b/c we are being to harsh on the innocent civilians and claim that we are trying to take over the country......People... they're the worst.
 
Jul 1, 2000
10,274
2
0
Originally posted by: Nocturnal
???? WTF was the entire point of this liberation if we aren't even protecting the people who liberated?

If we shot a looter, would you bitch and moan about the US killing civilians?
 

LilBlinbBlahIce

Golden Member
Dec 31, 2001
1,837
0
0
Originally posted by: Jmman
Let me see.....

250,000 coalition soldiers
22 million Iraqi looters
Bullets still being fired
Suicide bombers
Threat of WMD
Looking for Saddam and the leadership
Still fighting the war


Oh yeah, saving the museum is the first priority......
:confused:

You're absolutely right, first priority was securing the oil fields and buildings related to their infrastructure and maintainance, then came everything else.

 

Phuz

Diamond Member
Jul 15, 2000
4,349
0
0
Originally posted by: LilBlinbBlahIce
Originally posted by: Jmman
Let me see.....

250,000 coalition soldiers
22 million Iraqi looters
Bullets still being fired
Suicide bombers
Threat of WMD
Looking for Saddam and the leadership
Still fighting the war


Oh yeah, saving the museum is the first priority......
:confused:

You're absolutely right, first priority was securing the oil fields and buildings related to their infrastructure and maintainance, then came everything else.

Well, before the first bomb was dropped, the pentagon supposedly made quite an effort to communicate with Iraq to determine what areas in Iraq it could not bomb, due to historical/cultural significance, etc. There were MANY, many areas restricted... despite all of this, the Museum, with more historical/cultural value than most of these sites, were NOT protected. This is confusing a lot of people.