or why US troops caught over 200 afghans crossing the iran/iraq border without passports?

because people fear change...a lot have died..a country ruled by men and conservative views is falling apart..and they are afraid. they resent the fact that we feel we have the right to tell them how to live. they have only known thier previous life for probably generations. not mention all the propaganda.....(sP?)

<anyone here know why the insurgents are trying to get rid of us and crumble what we've tried to pull together over there?>

Here are my thoughts on the subject. I think the insurgents are trying to get us out of there for a number of reasons. These are just some of them. 1) they are mostly the Sunni sect who are a minority. They don't want to lose power in a democracy to the Shia, who will hold most power as the majority group. The Sunni's are the bunch that held power as long as Sadam was around because he's from that sect and his soldiers were all Sunni's. They have all the wealth, too. They don't want to lose out.
2) The Islamist fundamentalists want to go back to a 14th century lifestyle (as they were trying to do in Afghanistan) and they think that the U.S. is in the way of that. Put yourself in their shoes for just a minute--they hate what civilization has brought about. They are VERY modest people and we must look like the devil incarnate with our blatant sexuality plastered all over creation. In some ways, I do wish we could tone it down just a bit. We look like a pretty depraved, decadent society. This is purportedly what happened in Rome--it slipped into decadence. On the other hand, don't get me wrong--I'm totally for freedom and self-expression as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. But just think about how it must look to these extremely modest people.
3) They see how corrupt our government is and they don't want the U.S. govt. parasitizing them as they have us American citizens. Here's a very pertinent quote:

“Today, unemployment, shortages, and surpluses are artificial, man-made situations which have meaning only in relation to an artificial economy which penalises the producers and favours a minority of parasites.”
~ unsigned editorial featured in Freedom (UK Zine)

These are just a few of the reasons. The situation in Iraq is extremely complicated. I hate that we're there, and think we had no business starting a war there, but now that we are, I think it would be incredibly dangerous for us to leave without getting a stable govt set up over there.

One of the main reasons we're there is to have a permanent military presence in the volatile Midde East and to set up a U.S. friendly government so we can exploit the oil there. One of the best things we can do is REDUCE OUR DEPENDENCE on oil!!!

Get rid of that SUV and drive a small car. If you have issues about safety, just get off your cellphone and pay attention when you're driving. I live in the very crowded Bay Area and I've never had an accident in my entire life in the car. I'm a very conscious driver. Well I've never had a broken bone or a stitch in my life either. Yet I've rapelled off mtns, rode horses every day of my life for several years, danced, hiked, rode bicycles, swam in canals and lakes, etc. Walk more often, carpool once in awhile, ride a bike more often, stay home more often. Plan your shopping trips to coincide with other errands in the same neighborhoods. Support alternative means of energy. Put on some more clothes and turn off the heater a little more often.

I recently met a woman who bought an older VW bug. She then got some kind of reasonably priced converter to make her car run on vegetable oil. She's getting free used cooking oil from McDonalds & other fast-food places because they can't get rid of it fast enough! If we can put a man on the moon, we can certainly create alternate sources of energy! There just has not been the political will.

Just look at all of Bush's cronies--ALL of them are or have been involved in the oil business. They are in big cahoots with the Saudi's. They benefit big time from all of us stupes using oil!

Sorry to be so abrasive, but I'm pretty passionate about this issue. Our young people from the poorest families in America are over there losing their lives over this!

Best wishes for 2005 to all of us!
Lynne

i thought about writing a book or article about this...but i would not feel right capitalizing on misery