Be interesting to see the reports from western journalists in Iraq over the next few days...I wonder if the people on the street will be saying something quite different.

And if we have any Iraqi-American astronauts in the pipeline, we ought to run that info on those handbills we've been dropping.

>>"Is that Allah's will, too?"

Yes. Look around Muslim land, poverty, suffering, ignorance, bigotry, hatred, brutality and prayer are the Muslim Way.

Oh, yeah, and self righteousness.

If a failure on the Space Shuttle Columbia costing the lives of 7 brave astronaughts is Allah's will, I can hardly wait to see the will of GOD when he has HIS retributuion.

"Yes. Look around Muslim land, poverty, suffering, ignorance, bigotry, hatred, brutality and prayer are the Muslim Way.

Oh, yeah, and self righteousness."

In terms of bigotry and self-righteousness, you're doing pretty fucking well; is that what you think of all Muslims? Then you're a bigger ignorant than anybody, Islam has more than just one face. or perhaps you should have all the Muslims living in your country arrested.

Oh wait, since 9-11, the US has done exactly that with many Americans born in black-listed Islamic countries.

Hang on a minute...I've got half a bag of old Troll Biscuits around here somewhere...

Ah, the hell with it.

Don't feed the trolls!

I know what MY will is. It involves Saddam, a blowtorch, and a pair of pliers.

That'd be kinder then what Saddam does with nails, a hammer, and someone's head...

When first I heard the Fox News anchors announcing the disintegration footage around 9:40 Eastern, I couldn't help but wonder if the Ba'athists would really be so obstinately stupid as to spit in the faces of frontiersman.

When Baghdad falls, I hope to see a NASA flag flying right beneath the Stars and Stripes.

>>"In terms of bigotry and self-righteousness, you're doing pretty fucking well; is that what you think of all Muslims?"

Welll, not the ones I'm related to, nor the ones I work with, just the ones living in "Muslim Land".

I think you should move there, take up that "human shield" position, you know, where you clasp your ankles and pray for Allahs mercy?

Of course, you would find a way to make this thing political. Apparently, the Iraqis (every single one of them apparently) are happy that one of our shuttles blew up. You would think that Iraq would feel the pain of seven lost souls, six American and one Israeli. You would think they wouldn't be so selfish and wouldn't remember the estimated half million Iraqis that died because of our sanctions, the ominous gathering of a 100,000 troops at their borders and the openly aired threat that we will use nuclear weapons not in defense, but whenever our oil-addled plutocracy thinks it's a swell idea. Some nerve those Iraqis have...Of course they don't like us. It's called history, past and present.

"Welll, not the ones I'm related to, nor the ones I work with, just the ones living in "Muslim Land"."

Muslim Land.. Cute, makes you sound like less of a bigot and more of an asshole who knows shit.

When you (your country, not you personally, as I don't think you'd actually have the balls to be on the battlefield) are shooting down Iraqis, are you going to check if your friends and/or co-workers are related to them before cribbling them with bullets?

"Of course, you would find a way to make this thing political. Apparently, the Iraqis (every single one of them apparently) are happy that one of our shuttles blew up. You would think that Iraq would feel the pain of seven lost souls, six American and one Israeli. You would think they wouldn't be so selfish and wouldn't remember the estimated half million Iraqis that died because of our sanctions, the ominous gathering of a 100,000 troops at their borders and the openly aired threat that we will use nuclear weapons not in defense, but whenever our oil-addled plutocracy thinks it's a swell idea. Some nerve those Iraqis have...Of course they don't like us. It's called history, past and present."

If a major disaster would happen to strike Iraq on the brink of a war against the US, I'd love to see if you wouldn't cheer at their misfortune. Of course they don't like you, but it's not like you'd tuck them into bed with a kiss on their forehead either.

Mike charges in on his white horse, waving the flag of sanctimony and his "educated" superiority:

Of course, you would find a way to make this thing political.

Actually, he didn't. The Iraqis quoted by Reuters did. "It's all your fault, and God is punishing you for your foreign policy" sounds pretty political to me.

Not that we shouldn't take these "spontaneous" statements by "average" Iraqis with an entire shaker of salt. You'd think Reuters would be kind enough to add the little tidbit about any Iraqi who expressed genuine sympathy expecting the rest of his life to be torture at the hands of Saddam's security forces. Nah...

You would think they wouldn't be so selfish and wouldn't remember the estimated half million Iraqis that died because of our sanctions

Yeah, yeah, our sanctions were so mean and brutish and nasty that Saddam managed to only triple the number of palaces he has. It's all our fault, really.

and the openly aired threat that we will use nuclear weapons not in defense, but whenever our oil-addled plutocracy thinks it's a swell idea

Jeebus, I really wish people who write stuff like this realized that history didn't begin in 2001. This policy has been in place for as long as we have had weapons of mass destruction.

Some nerve those Iraqis have...Of course they don't like us.

Hey, I don't really care for a lot of countries on this planet, but I don't rejoice every time they have a train wreck. There is something particularly odious about feeling pleasure at the death of people who have never meant you any harm. Not that I really believe this bit of Reuters' "reporting," but if it is true, the guy they quoted is a first-class asshole.

The brave intrepid Jones heroically posts thus:

If a major disaster would happen to strike Iraq on the brink of a war against the US, I'd love to see if you wouldn't cheer at their misfortune.

I don't think any of us would. I don't feel any hatred for Iraqis at all; I just want their lunatic leadership disarmed and turned into maggot food.

And anyway, this is really quite rich from the same nitwit who confessed earlier to feeling satisfaction over the 9/11 massacres.

Frankly, I have a far more favorable opinion for some poor workaday Habib in Baghdad, than I do of a useless overprivileged Canadian sloganeer, whose idea of "bravery" is challenging people to pissing contests in online forums, while valiantly slaying straw men and spitting on the very people who have kept his pathetically weak nation independent, and his own ass safe enough to proclaim his stupidity for all the world to see.

...but hey, to each his own.

"I don't think any of us would. I don't feel any hatred for Iraqis at all; I just want their lunatic leadership disarmed and turned into maggot food."

I kindly remind you "Mike" said otherwise, so much for "any of us".

"And anyway, this is really quite rich from the same nitwit who confessed earlier to feeling satisfaction over the 9/11 massacres."

It probably gives you great joy to twist my words around, I never expressed satisfaction over the 9-11 massacres, I was reporting stuff I had heard, stuff that was along the lines of "US needed to face a harsh reality, perhaps this will change things" and not "thank God Americans are dying". You obviously still lack the skills to read between the lines because there's no fat red blinking sign right before my texts that says "read between the lines!".

"Frankly, I have a far more favorable opinion for some poor workaday Habib in Baghdad, than I do of a useless overprivileged Canadian sloganeer, whose idea of "bravery" is challenging people to pissing contests in online forums, while valiantly slaying straw men and spitting on the very people who have kept his pathetically weak nation independent, and his own ass safe enough to proclaim his stupidity for all the world to see."

You're right, I don't go gung ho in the Middle-East to "liberate" without helping, Canadian military usually must follow the US in the wake, do the shit/non-heroic work, and get little recognition for it. Oh, and Canadians get bombed by American jets in "friendly fire" incidents. I'll be childish about it and ask you to tell us all how many years you've spent in the US military, or are you one of those loud-mouthed who didn't do basic service like Bush and his merry band of oil experts.

Stop looking down on the rest of the world as if we're all a bunch of retards waiting for your God-sent Pax Americana.

Not the rest of the world, Jones. Just you. Have a nice day.

What America and NASA have achieved is awe inspiring. It belongs to the ages. It will be appreciated even more in the future. In many areas America has been the hope for mankind. I honour the astronauts including the great Israeli bloke. I hope a free Iraq can have many astronauts in the future.

Mike,

Are you in the habit of cribbing straight from Philip Shropshire? Or ARE you Philip Shropshire?

Just wondering....

Thank you Aussie Joe for injecting a little reminder of what began this string. How 'bout a little attempt at class from the rest of you; are you the kind who bring active cell phones into funerals?

This Iraqi man in the street report came from Reuters. I hold them responsible for its tone and content.

Iraqi archaeologists have contributed to knowledge of Iraq's own past achievements, and thereby humanity's.

I think Fred's comment is correct. Reuters got 2 (count 'em, 2) iraqis to make jackass comments, and then turned around and trumpeted it as 'WORLD NEWS!!!'

OK, in last year's MLB playoffs, the Cards are visiting the D-Backs, and a local DJ calls up the widow of Darryl Kile and asks her if she needs a date for the game.

You know that Jerry Colangelo and the team wanted to find the guy, tie him up, and use him for batting practice.

Well, fortunately, the Iraqi government doesn't read Sporting News, etc...

I think I read that six of the seven astronauts had military experience. Our professional troops may not need extra motivation to do their job, but anything that can go on the "locker room" wall will only serve to steady their resolve.

Jones follows the typical ass-clown flowchart:

1. Is opponent smarter than you?

Yes: Change subject
No: [error]

2. Does opponent favor attacking Iraq?

Yes: Go to question 3
No: Proclaim victory of the proletariat. End

3. Is the opponent in the military?

Yes: Go to question 4
No: Call them "chickenhawk". Really, that's it. End.

4. Is opponent in a "combat role?"

Yes: Call them killer of brown-skinned people. Rail against air power. End.

No: Tell them they don't count. Only people in combat count. End.

I always love a hypocrite...

And I always love a useful idiot.

yay baking moonbats...

remember.. don't feed the trolls....

btw ever wonder why anthrax has never been solved? check us policy on attacks using nbc (aka wmd)... somebody in the whitehouse doesn't want to make glass...

and also, state has always said we'd never nuke a non nuke country... the joint chiefs have said they'll nuke as needed, where needed, and they don't care... no official policy has ever been declared (see taiwan, israel, etc) cause its a little too tense.. but never said we wouldn't...

Well, I personally think some countries such as Iraq have no power at all to fight us, so it uses words that tear at the fabric of what holds Americans together. Such as integrity, pride, patriotism and many other characteristics that a few other countries have demonstrated, although very few. At a moment such as the Colombia tragedy, countries poured their condolences, but Iraq (Iraq's Leaders) in this moment of tragedy has chosen to strike at us with its hatred even though we have yet to strike them. As an fomrer U.S. Soldier I would like to say it is time to take the lives of a few key Iraqi individuals so that we will have the opportunity to rejoice at their demise. I only wish that we would enable black ops to assasinate once again so that these problems would not arise in the first place. This is only my opinion so when you USA haters and human shields feel a need to reply, GO FOR IT!

In remeberance to the seven ASTRONAUTS that perished February 1, 2003, God Speed on your new Journey. You will be remembered forever.

Heath S.