"As is commonly the case, you don't know what you're talking about." - Vitus

right .... and you do?

The oil fields in Iraq are mainly in the South and the Kurds are from the North.






You're right, it would have been. My apologies. - Vitus979

Learn something, will you? The oil fields of the north are some of the largest in the world; Kirkuk (a historically Kurdish city prior to the Hussein "Arabization" program that forced them out) sits on top of those fields.

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"Go yell at an M&M"

Close your eyes and keep repeating the same incorrect information. It really shows off your intelligence.

Here's a hint. Go to google and type in Northern Iraq Oil. You should get a few million hits. Maybe then you'll change you're "argument".

What Ken said, absent the tone, of course.

Thank you guys. I feel so much more educated and enlightened now that I have that info on the geographical locations of the Iraq oil fields all worked out. One good came out of it. It gave the likes of Tyrius the opportunity to feel just that little bit more intelligent. -:)

By the way the misinformation on my part was based on the analysis of the war situation on the news during the invasion which somehow gave the impression that the Kurds were not blessed with oil in the north. I clearly remember that one of the potential worries mentioned about a free Iraq was the Kurds wanting to get a share of the oil they did not have and the unwillingness of the Muslims who did have it in their territory would be unwilling to share. This being a big bone of contention and obstacle to reunification.

So I really deserve to be beheaded for my wrongful facts about Iraqi oil fields.

But what I do have is much first hand experience with Muslims from different origins all my life. I have Muslim friends and aquaintances observed it many times, once they start becoming more devout a very obvious transformation takes place making them from friendly and open to less affable and a little hostile. I have studied in University on the topic of Islam and the Middle East in general, take in whatever information I come across (admitedly not Iraq or the Middle East that I have never been to and have no desire to go to) and I have my eyes open to the everyday going ons around us. I have seen first hand how Muslims behave toward innocent people of other cultures both in Malaysia and Indonesia during the riots, typically targeting the defensless and raping and mutilating particularly women and girls in their homes and on the streets. Soldiers and police doing nothing or even joining in because they are Muslims as well. In Indonesia the Muslims had their riots first then turned their attention to East Timor where they attempted to genocide the non-Muslim population not so long ago. If the Aussie troops hadn't intervened there would have been a genocide completed.

If any of you have ever had the pleasure of having to serve rich Muslim businessmen in the service industry like the hotel industry, I suspect you would have had a taste of just how little regard they have for others not of their own, especially women.

In Hard Talk on BBC hosted by Tim Sebastion recently, a debate was conducted in Dubai with prominent Muslims three on each panel taking part. The studio audience was basically all Muslim and there was also a Q&A after the debate. The topic was, "Oil, is it a curse or blessing to the Middle East". The recurring argument was that the wealth of oil was so badly mismanaged with corruption by the governments that the people on the street themselves never realize the real benefit. Of course these debators were so eagerly making their points they were not even aware that they were pin pointing another one of the bad failings of their religion and culture.

The big irony is that Muslims in general blame the USA and the democratic greedy world for their lot, poverty and sorry situations. In reality it's their own Muslim leaders who are screwing them left, right and centre. The only place I know of that this doesn't happen as badly is in Brunei. After the Sultan of Brunei ensures that he is Bill Gates rich, he has a system of welfare to ensure that each Muslim gets a good consistent salary for doing nothing. The Chinese Brunians who have been there for generations are the ones with no handouts but have the business acumen and work ethic to keep an economy running.

I also am not American and unlike many Americans I can understand that there are people who simply do not think like Americans and cannot be analysed in the same manner and cannot be best interacted with via American democratic rights and principles.

A good example is that pretty British activist aid worker. She just got kidnapped together with her parents whom she was giving a tour to in Lebanon. I'm almost tempted to say that it serves her right. Aren't there any other better callings to dedicate herself to than a bunch of incorrigible Muslims who don't appreciate her help anyway? And who in their right mind buys tickets for their parents to do the touristy thing in downtown Lebanon anyway?

It's commendable that you guys can recite verbatim details so well. But it is not entirely necessary to know every detail of a leaf's molecular structure to understand the basics of what the forest looks like. I don't need to have all my geographical facts straight to realize that a religion that 40% of the world's population follows really sucks. The less people get sucked into the anals of Islam the better it will be for humanity.

Happy New Year!

Thank you guys. I feel so much more educated and enlightened now that I have that info on the geographical locations of the Iraq oil fields all worked out. One good came out of it. It gave the likes of Tyrius the opportunity to feel just that little bit more intelligent. -:)

Thanks, I like to use other's ignorance to show off my intelligence. I'm surprised you were able to see that. When you make a point that is completely wrong and then try and repeat that point as if it were correct no one is going to believe anything you write. At least you can actually admit you are wrong though (well, that is after about four seperate people showed you that you were wrong).

Me, I know basically nothing about the Muslim way of life so I don't comment on it. In this way I don't take a situation that I am ignorant of and make a fool out of myself.

1) "Thanks, I like to use other's ignorance to show off my intelligence."

You're most welcome. Small things amuse small minds.

2) "When you make a point that is completely wrong and then try and repeat that point as if it were correct no one is going to believe anything you write."

Well my attempt was not so much to argue the oil geography of Iraq itself but to point out that somehow many Muslims globally were blessed with oil seemingly as a make-up for the handicap of lack of abilitiies. One of the exceptions being the Kurds and the oil fields in the North which the Kurd's probably never had access to during Sadam's reign.

You are most welcome not to believe anything I write.

3) "Me, I know basically nothing about the Muslim way of life so I don't comment on it. In this way I don't take a situation that I am ignorant of and make a fool out of myself. "

So basically you don't know anything about the nature of the war on terror .... since it is not a battle against a tangible nation or group of people but a mentality that permeates and originates from Islam. So magnanamous of you then not to take a situation and make a fool of yourself.

So basically you don't know anything about the nature of the war on terror

Why do we call it a "war on terror"? Is it like the "war on drugs"? Shouldn't we have a "war on murder" or a "war on rape"?

Does calling it a "war on terror" give us the ability to attack anyone, anywhere that we suspect of harboring or beign terrorists? Does the "war on terror" give our current administration carte blanche to do whatever they want in the prosecution of this "war"?

I understand the nature of the "war on terror" pretty well, I'm just not going to go out and make sweeping generalizations as you seem apt to do, nor am I even going to get into a discussion of those generalizations.

since it is not a battle against a tangible nation or group of people but a mentality that permeates and originates from Islam.

I couldn't agree more.

Now, despite your poor geography, would you admit Iraq is a tangible nation?

Then, it's not a big leap to understand why many of us are opposed to being in this tangible nation.

There is a certain irony to the fact that those who support the effort in Iraq are actually doing less to fight the war on terror than those of us who are opposed to the war in Iraq (and it could be argued you are making things a lot worse). At least we are thinking we should be doing something to stop the terrorist mentality instead of fighting insurgents bent on making life difficult for their own people.

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You sir, are my new hero! - Trifan 11/13/2008

Casey, you are a wise man - blueraider_mike 11/13/2008

Casey, This is an astute observation. - Slowbern 11/17/2008

Yes Casey Iraq is a tangible nation.

But like your Commander and Chief who I take it you're not so fond of and many others in position of leadership say, Iraq now is a symbol of that "Struggle" between Islam and the West. (seen the thread Big Kahuna started here on that?)

In fact it is more than just a symbol. The outcome if Iraq is taken over by fundamentalists represents, especially to 'tunnel visioned' fanatics and the largely uneducated and smaller proportion of educated Muslims for that matter, that going back to the roots of Islam is all that much more the enlightened way. "It is the the will of Allah that the infedels are defeated and their influence driven away as they should be in all other lands." That increases the active opposing numbers by only Allah knows by how much and will certainly cement the resolve of terrorists and stimulate more potential converts to active terrorism.

If on the other hand Iraq is formed into a sustainable democracy, able to interact globally with other nations, it is a shining example to many other Muslims that there is in fact a much better way of life alternative to devout Islamic governance. The latter alternative being bad news for us of the ignorant masses.

It is the belief I have about the Iraq situation and I came to this conclusion way before I heard it from George Bush's mouth.

"I understand the nature of the "war on terror" pretty well, I'm just not going to go out and make sweeping generalizations as you seem apt to do, nor am I even going to get into a discussion of those generalizations. "

If you don't understand Islam and the Muslim mentality it invokes, you don't understand squat. Like I said before, this form of terrorism doesn't come from the Christians, Catholics, Hindus, Budhists, Mormons, Seven Day Adventists, KKK, Satanists, Alcoholics Anonymous or Weight Watchers. Nothing to do with generalisations which you won't discuss because you simply can't, (please do prove me wrong and point out my over generalisations if you can) and everything to do with the single fundamental source of the problem.

Without understanding and factoring in the mentality element and how to deal with that in every situation presented, everything else you say is just meaningless verbal gymnastics.