Thanks for the Freedom! ...where is it again?

Yesterday was the Iraqi election. Many conservatives neocon/Bush supporters have been rejoicing over this, hailing it as a victory for both the U.S., and most especially Iraq. They paint this wonderful picture of Iraqi's braving the insurgent battles because they are so happy to vote, and that now that things are over, everyone is "dancing in the streets". I do not have counter evidence to show that this is not the case for some - although I have yet to recieve any information saying this is so for anyone as well. Just like our elections, these elections are staged as well. They put up politicians and such and tell the people they have a choice, when in reality, things are manipulated through vote rigging (and in the last election, having your distant cousin and fellow Skull & Bones brother run against you knowing he'll lose). Bullshit conspiracy theory you say? Well aparently, even an Iraqi finds truth in this. As Dahr Jamail had reported from Iraqi: “All of it was 100% staged. Good PR before the election,” he says. Then in a reference to mainstream America he adds, “Fallujah is fine, now go back to sleep.”. I'd say that last part really rings soundly. There was some collumnist that said after the election that (paraphrased) "now that George Bush has won the election, all the (right winged) Christians can go back to sleep for four more years" - basically implying that after election, many just go back to dream land and paint roses over everything King George does. The situation is turning into the same thing with the Iraqi election. Bushites are celebrating a victory for Iraq already, without even looking for some facts... A while back I got into some debates with the Bushites about how many Iraqi's feel that they'd much rather have Saddam back in power than have U.S. forces occupying their cities. No no, they said, that would never happen! Sure enough, I found a dozen or so links that stated otherwise. The Iraqi people are not free, most aren't even happy! Children have been throwing things at American soldiers - does that really seem like the thing that happens to liberators? But it gets better! CNN got footage of U.S. Soldiers throwing out candy to Iraqi children. Staged propaganda, I say! What does our Iraqi friend have to say of this?

“I’d never seen those guys anywhere in the city before. I don’t know where they came from.”

After a pause to take a drink of soda he adds, “I’d never seen any boots on the ground at all, and all of the sudden there are all these marines standing around like everything was ok. It was the first time I’d seen any soldier not in a Humvee or a Bradley. I was really surprised.”

Smells like propaganda, looks like propaganda.. hmm.... This is the despotism Americans unkowingly put up with. Our media is (mostly) controlled, so as to paint a certain picture. It's pathetic. Iraq is still a war zone, thousands lay dead, even more are severely wouned, the Iraqi people officially hate most Americans.. That's some freedom, some liberation. King Georges words were "it's a resounding success". Say George, is that anything like the quagmire in Iraq being a "catastrophic success"? We went in there for what again? WMD? OBL links? Mobile weapons labs? Sarin Nerve Gas? Uranium? preventing a 1980's Skud missile from reaching the US even though it's never been able to? Yeah, that's just great...

“Now I’m afraid mortars will hit my home if the polling station is attacked”

“I’m already living off my food ration, and have little business,” he says while pointing at the deserted street, “Now who wants to come near my shop? All of us are afraid, and all of us are suffering now.”

A tired looking guard standing nearby named Salman chimes in on the conversation. “I would be crazy to vote, it’s so dangerous now,” he says with a cigarette dangling from his hand, “Besides, why vote? Of course Allawi will stay in. The Americans will make it so.”

“They can block the whole city and people cannot move,” says a man speaking to me on condition of anonymity, “The city is dead, the people are dead. For what? For these forced elections!”

...sad.. this is supposed to be freedom?


edit:

"Two of the food dealers I know told me personally that our food rations would be withheld if we did not vote," said Saeed Jodhet, a 21-year-old engineering student who voted in the Hay al-Jihad district of Baghdad.

There has been no official indication that Iraqis who did not vote would not receive their monthly food rations.

Many Iraqis had expressed fears before the election that their monthly food rations would be cut if they did not vote. They said they had to sign voter registration forms in order to pick up their food supplies.
-Truth Out

Much thanks to my good friend Pieces for that last part!