"Do not try to do too much with your own hands. Better the Arabs do it tolerably than that you do it perfectly. It is their war, and you are to help them, not to win it for them. Actually, also, under the very odd conditions of Arabia, your practical work will not be as good as, perhaps, you think it is." and "Precedence is a serious matter among the Arabs, and you must attain it." Thomas Edward Lawrence of Arabia, WWI: The 7 Pillars of Wisdom.

I think TE Lawrence's 7 Pillars of Wisdom could be more helpful than the Bible in a war against terror in the middle east.

That being said, I must protest against the revenge killings following the death of Zarquawi. Those two American soldiers were slain in revenge. In diplomacy, this just inflames the situation. Yet culturally it could make sense in that part of the world. TE Lawrence did warn us that "precedence is a serious matter amoung the Arabs", but somehow the cycle perpetuates in utter madness.

The whole revenge thing is a reaction against a reaction against a reaction against a reaction, and so on... This is just never going to end untill someone reads their books on diplomacy. It is time to get out of Iraq. TE Lawrence in his 7 pillars of wisdom: "better the Arabs do it tolerably than you do it perfectly". Now, lets talk about wisdom. Proverbs: Get thee wisdom? Now is the time.

>>"better the Arabs do it tolerably than you do it perfectly".<<

Nice line fletchy,

In hind sight I have to congratulate Bush on His move in Iraq. At first I was outraged because I could not see the whole picture. I thought the US has lost their way completely (and dragged us with them).

But now it's becoming clearer that the long vision Bush's advisors had was to distabilise the Islamic world and let them do what they know best : kill each other.

So the WMD, Sadam, and oil were just the smokescreen.

Having said that I feel deeply for the families of the young men and women who lost their lives - one way or another - on the battle field. That's unfrotunately the high price of freedom.

At the end of the day it is a religious war of good against evil - as much as we don't like it to be.

To do nothing about the rise of global Islam would have been much much worse.

Zarqawi, The One Legged Tarzan - Unidexter makes good - Part 1

This is a case of mass delusion and hysteria. Why do we all gyrate to this wierd dance?

Take three steps back from Zarqawi and for the sake of our kids, do some homework for once!

1. Take a look at the FBI's own website -
http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/fugitives/laden.htm

What do you NOT see? Any connection between OBL and 9-11. The FBI publicly admits that they DON'T HAVE ANY PROOF. Let that sink in.

2. Did you know that NO plane involved in 9-11 has been forensically identified? Read how it should have been done -
http://www.scholarsfor911truth.org/ArticlesNelson26Apr2006.html

If they know, they won't tell, for the first time in the modern history of aviation crashes. Why? You tell me.

3. Maybe the answer lay closer to home on that day (wmv 213 kb) -
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/IMAGES/911.wtc.7.demolition.front.penthouse.wmv

4. Yet we went to Afghanistan in search of a culprit. But wait, hadn't we already been there before?
http://www.proxsa.org/resources/9-11/Brzezinski-980115-interview.htm

Bush said, "The Afghan people will know the generousity of America." But those ungrateful bastards already knew -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A5339-2002Mar22

*

Stay tuned for the next thrilling episode in the life of the streamlined and aerodynamic Zarqawi - the man who had more makeovers than Joan Collin's face.

SaintFletcher - 'In diplomacy, this just inflames the situation. Yet culturally it could make sense in that part of the world'

According to MSM reports, the two young American soldiers captured were ‘just’ beaten and tortured. "Beaten and tortured" doesn’t begin to describe what really happened to them. In fact, they were tortured, beaten, their arms contorted, their testicles cut off, their penises cut off and stuffed in their mouths, their eyes gouged out, their hearts cut out and then they were beheaded.

This does not make sense in any part of the world, because it is the action of primitive barbarians on the lowest rung of human development. Yet we are expected to follow Geneva rules - ie, the rules created by and for civilised people - in dealing with them.

I am waiting with bated breath for the international Muslim community to condemn this act (without 'buts'). Where are the millions of Muslims we saw rioting when a few lame cartoons were published? Where are all the Islamic religious leaders - if Islam is truly the Religion of Peace, where are the outraged Muslims protesting at the atrocities carried out in their name?

Waiting .. waiting ...

Indeed, Dee, I agree with you on this matter.

That is why I protested against the treatment of the 2 American soldiers in the first place. It was quite clearly outrageous what those criminals did to them. I say this in the name of humanity. Like you, I wait for a "please emplain". This time, the answer should be satisfactory. Even progressives, "the left" are losing our patience. We are Aussies too.

The soldiers didn't enlist as soldiers because they hate Islam, they enlisted to defend Australia or the US.

The comment TE Lawerence made about making sense of their culture just highlights the difficulty we have in communicating in a part of the world that is too complicated to control. We thought we could control Vietnam by force? We were wrong. It drove the soldiers to near madness trying to make sense of what was going on. Iraq is even more disasterous as a mistake. We simply cannot control the situation if we refuse to understand how they see the world in their culture.

All sides should follow the Geneva conventions.

If we cared for our soldiers, and if the US cared for their soldiers, we'd let them out of Iraq, let them come home. Let them protect the interests of Australia and the United States for our defence. Let the US National Guard help rebuild New Orleans properly. Even Texas is impatient and still has refugees from Lousianna in an unresolved situation. That is their job in their National Guard on their homeland, not building Iraq to western values.

The Iraq thing is turning into a mess: less and less relevant to Australian and US interests.

Mr Coach all monotheism are by nature exclusive so it was not surprising you listed your version of the differences. Let me quote the quran: "To you your religion and for me my religion".

I think humans are not the victim of their religions, humans are more important than religions, or at least I think human are more important then Islam (it exists for humanity). I still hope we will finally find a way to live side by side.

saintfletcher, I think those goverments had calculated well what would happen in Iraq at the time they invaded the country.

It is also very sad, indeed, if such hypothesis posted by Chris Saw were correct, while likely be correct because of abundant evidences.

But I'm then such like you, hoping that we lived in civilizations with better morality than human had in medieval ages, whatever their religions are.

It is true many of us are a good willing, neutral person like you, and unfortunately the leaders are, (as usually, regardless in the West or the East) bad.

Keep your hope my friend I'll keep mine.