Iraq: No End in Sight

While I pray that your editorial on Iraq (May 13) is correct, my heart tells me that there is no end in sight. In fact I tend to believe that the current administration is looking for new venues in which to further entrench continuing American adventurism in the region. Perhaps the recent statements by Cheney against supposed Iranian interference with shipping in the Gulf are an indication that a desire exists to provide another arena of combat in order to justify or to deflect Congressional disdain for the continuing intransigence in Iraq

Why place any credibility on the words of the Democrats? After all they too supported the illegal invasion of Iraq. I can believe that all they are doing is simply setting up the voting public to support them in the upcoming elections. They are fully aware that their efforts to contain the Iraqi situation will be met with presidential resistance and yet despite the futility of their efforts, they nonetheless are content to continue this bantering. This is nonsense to me. It is only political showmanship. There are valid avenues of resistance by the Democrats that involve developing a level of public resistance as occurred during the fraud of Vietnam. Yet is any real effort underway to encourage the people to stand up to the White House? No! Why not? Because the Democrats are not telling the truth. They really do not care about Iraq or the Middle East. Tell me I am wrong! You know I am right.

If it were to their political advantage to support continued oppression in the Middle East, they would be first in line. But instead they find it convenient to exploit a president who appears to be more buffoon than leader and turn him into a convenient scapegoat in the hopes that the American public will buy it and forget that the Democrats’ hands are also covered in the blood of the innocent women and children of the Middle East!

Currently it is my belief that the only reason the occupation continues is that the American political circus does not want to feel that Al-Qaeda has pulled off another victory in their resistance against the Westernization of the globe. Yet to leave Iraq as is will only provide an effective propaganda coup for Al-Qaeda though they may not rightly claim full responsibility for the failure of the foreign occupiers.

Because of this reason I would tend to think that the level of violence by the occupiers will have to increase in an effort to destroy Al-Qaeda support and insurgent teams within Iraq before any real measurable withdrawal of the occupying troops will occur. Even a Democratic president would be remiss to consider these realities, as his leadership would then be on the line in the face of Republican resistance.

So then just wait for what is ahead. Probably even more troops as the push is made to stabilize the nation and to destroy selected resistance. Hopefully the American administration will not attempt to expand the conflict into more of the Middle East by forcing a confrontation with neighboring states or between neighboring states. Hopefully the reasonable approaches that are voiced by King Abdullah in dealing with the issues of the region will be the guidelines that will be pursued and not the hysteria and bigotry of the American ally.

Jerry Copeland, United States published 17 May 2007

Driving Aimlessly

This is in response to the article, “Why Do They Drive Around Aimlessly?” (May 11).

I’m from UK but currently in the Kingdom, consulting for a client in Jeddah. I am 25 years old and probably old enough to know better than to “cruise” about in my car at nights. This “cruising” culture is not limited to the Kingdom, nor is it limited to the Middle East; it is a worldwide phenomenon that is quickly spreading, as the youth of today find themselves with more and more disposable income burning holes in their pockets. In the UK, we choose to spend the nights in our cars, as we use them as a social point, for meeting our friends and getting places, as many don’t live in the city, so this is their only means of staying up today with what their friends are doing. The cost of housing in the UK has risen to a level where only the wealthiest first-time buyers can afford a house, so more young people tend to stay at home, and rather than spend money on drink or drugs, they spend it on their cars.

There is a massive modifying or customizing scene in the UK, and I myself have a modified Nissan Pulsar GTi-R, a model which your readers will be unfamiliar with, but nonetheless, my pride and joy. I have spent a lot of time, and too much money on it, but I enjoy going out, driving about and being seen in my car.

I read that within the young people in Jeddah, there are those who tarnish their names by carrying out stunts and crazy stuff, and if it is any consolation to your readers, they are not alone in this. We face the very same problem in the UK, as I imagine, the young people of the world do. Those carrying out the stunts and reckless driving, trying to show off, just spoil it for everyone. But it is something we have learned to live with, and just ignore. They soon disappear again, and we’re left to socialize with our friends. We do it, because it is a love for us. Some people enjoy computers and gaming, some enjoy spending all their time and money in the gym; we just choose to have our cars and the social scene as our passion.

Michael Wilson, Jeddah published 17 May 2007

Filipino Voting

I won’t be surprised if there will be no more absentee voting for the Philippines’ next national elections in 2010. And there are many reasons. The dismal turnout of voters overseas is the biggest factor. When I voted last Thursday, I almost backed out because of what I saw. Election paraphernalia was stored in an ordinary carton. And to my disappointment, the ballot boxes were also made of cartons sealed by masking tape! If in the Philippines, ballot boxes are of steel material, locked and sealed, there are party representatives as poll watchers guarding the sanctity of the votes. Switching and vote padding are two common malpractices. How much more here overseas, where election monitoring by party representatives is almost nonexistent. I am not saying that the election inspectors overseas are cheaters. But what assurance do we have that our votes here are protected, the results will truly reflect the choice of the voters and tallying of votes will not be manipulated? The automatic voting machines costing 1.3 billion pesos are left rotting in a warehouse rented by the Comelec. Why were they not used? Or is it easier to manipulate the results through manual counting of votes? In other countries, the results of an election are normally known overnight. We wait for the results to be announced for at least a month.

Antonio C. Buen, Abqaiq published 17 May 2007

Karachi Burning

Karachi is burning once again (40 dead, scores injured). After over a decade the ruling MQM party has once again bared its violent and destructive teeth. Rallies by the supporters of chief justice of Pakistan were held in Lahore and outside the Supreme Court and even in Islamabad. Why only in Karachi did things take an ugly turn?

Syed Raiyan Abu Zafar, Riyadh published 17 May 2007

Aggrieved Canadians

This is regarding the article, “Canadians Have Every Reason to Feel Aggrieved” (May 12). Thank goodness for individuals such as Tariq Al-Maeena who stand up to a commission intended to improve society but which increasingly seems to have its own agenda. Mr. Al-Maeena I applaud you, you have offered your Saudi (and non-Saudi) sisters the noblest support.

Barbara Allison, United States published 17 May 2007

Aggrieved Canadians [2]

I am an American living in UAE. If Canadians don’t like segregation between men and women in Saudi Arabia, they should go back to their country.

Why did they use women as reps? To allure/seduce men to their society they call modernized? Segregation does not diminish women’s rights.

Doreen Del, Dubai published 17 May 2007

Makkawis’ Complaint

I read the report, “Makkawis Complain About ‘Rampant’ Commercial Coverup” (May 12). The “commercial coverup” is actually helping the Saudi economy. A lot of expats who succeed through this economic coverup make Saudi Arabia their home and spend the bulk of their income in the Kingdom.

Admittedly this is a small percentage. However, people complaining about this should realize that these expats bring in their own capital, and help provide vital services and goods in vital areas. Look at the example of the UAE.

The UAE has acknowledged the presence of “coverup” and its benefits, and has actually allowed a 51-49 partnership between locals and expats. In Saudi Arabia, SAGIA first blacklisted fields such as trading and retail, and secondly, for the fields that are open, the levels of investment are fairly high. Small-time foreign business people should also be allowed to set up. If they are then taxed, any growth or profits will also benefit the locals, as these taxes could be used to fund social security for Saudis.

Wasim Al-Harb, Jeddah published 17 May 2007

Makkawis’ Complaint [2]

First of all we should remember that it is not merely Saudis who come to Makkah or Madinah. Millions of people from all over the world visit these holy sites and spend money there.

As such, how can anyone say that Saudis should own everything in these holy cities? The world has become globalized and everyone is doing business everywhere. If foreigners are taking money out of Saudi Arabia, then they earned it through hard work.

Khalid Ahmed, Jeddah published 17 May 2007