posted @ 09:43...

We're here to "win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people."

That's the mantra we hear from time to time. It's a way to get us to think twice about shooting first and consulting the Geneva Convention later. So, winning hearts and minds... If you'd asked me before I made the trip North, I would have had a snappy comeback, like, "Is that before we shoot them?"  But along the way, the only Iraqis we saw were friendly. Not only were they friendly, but most gave us a thumbs-up. Some just waved. A few even clapped. One woman even offered to let us ride her camel. (No, that's not a figure of speech.) Well, these people's hearts & minds are won. Can we go home now? I know, I know... the bad guys seem to hide from us. Terrorists are largely cowards.

Sadly, there are a minority who want to basically pick up where Saddam left off. One group, who was suppressed under the tyranny of Saddam is now free to do what it pleases. Unfortunately, in what seems quite ungrateful from my perspective, a member of the group was quoted in Time Magazine as saying something to the effect of, "We will fight until the U.S. is out of Iraq."

Hey, you're welcome there, sport! Of course, these people are also dangerous. One editorial cartoon I saw recently in the Stars and Stripes had opposing factions shouting to an American Soldier, "Will you just leave already so we can kill each other in peace?!"

Back to the non-combatant type of Iraqi people... It would seem a lot of them are beggars. During the trip up here, just about all of them asked for food and/or water. Do they not have any? Weird.