MUST READ! Juan Cole: If America were Iraq, What would it be Like?

[milkyway]

What would America look like if it were in Iraq's current situation? The population of the US is over 11 times that of Iraq, so a lot of statistics would have to be multiplied by that number.

Thus, violence killed 300 Iraqis last week, the equivalent proportionately of 3,300 Americans. What if 3,300 Americans had died in car bombings, grenade and rocket attacks, machine gun spray, and aerial bombardment in the last week? That is a number greater than the deaths on September 11, and if America were Iraq, it would be an ongoing, weekly or monthly toll.
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What if the grounds of the White House and the government buildings near the Mall were constantly taking mortar fire? What if almost nobody in the State Department at Foggy Bottom, the White House, or the Pentagon dared venture out of their buildings, and considered it dangerous to go over to Crystal City or Alexandria?
<snip>

There are estimated to be some 25,000 guerrillas in Iraq engaged in concerted acts of violence. What if there were private armies totalling 275,000 men, armed with machine guns, assault rifles (legal again!), rocket-propelled grenades, and mortar launchers, hiding out in dangerous urban areas of cities all over the country? What if they completely controlled Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Denver and Omaha, such that local police and Federal troops could not go into those cities?
<more>

http://juancole.com/

[Bluebear]

1. "What if 3,300 Americans had died in car bombings"? Remember 9/11!

It's why we fight! 3000 Americans died that day too!

(Scary, one can just answer for the rightwing without even waiting for their response.)

[mhr]

2. This Is The Picture Of America Freepers Want As They Polarize

the population and force us toward civil war.

Juan Cole is doing us a service by envisaging the future that awaits us all.

[cal04]

3. I would love to see what repubs would do if they took Bush out

of the white house and started to run our country
too bad most people don't have the attitude, what if it was us
almost 3,000 here were killed, yet no one talks about the civilians being killed there on a daily basis

[Carla in Ca]

4. This is yet another great article

It is Pulitzer material.

[Moderator]

5. Locking as duplicate.

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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x74825