Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[vallop]

Hi I am thai.
My name is Vallop . Form the part,America is the police of the world. Because when other country have a problem them clear by America.
But in the present time.I think.From America attack Iraq America want to be a head of the world and America do not want other country have a force equal America .I think. finally I do not like America
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vallop

[Diana]

I guess having Saddam in power is better? Perhaps, you should ask the Iraqi people how they feel about the US-led war in Iraq. After all, it is their own country.

http://healingiraq.blogspot.com/

The above weblink is from Iraq and monitored by Zeyad, an Iraqi citizen living in Bagdad.

[Theory]

Judging by the actions of the Iraqi people, they do not exactly seem ecstatic about the presence of the US in their country. No doubt they are pleased to be rid of Saddam, but at what cost? And has he been replaced with a lesser evil? Time will tell. The US is just unbelievably arrogant to think they can walk into a country, bomb it to bits and be welcomed as heroic, especially when their actions are so transparantly motivated by self interest.

[Diana]

[genkiguy]

Diana...I agree with everything that "Iraqi" said in that post, but I get the feeling it was written by a native speaker of english -- just a thought cause its late and I'm tired.
I haven't explored your link so I could be talking out my arse here....what do you think????

[Diana]

Yes, I noticed his use of the English language. This Iraqi person Zayed told about himself in his weblink. He stated that he is a sunni muslim; however, he also admitted that he did not suffer as much as the Kurds and Shi ite muslims, and I wonder if that has anything to do with why he is able to speak English well. He also admitted that he has seen many Iraqis suffer under Saddam's regime. In another discussion forum, I also met an Iraqi female who was able to travel in and out of Iraq. She also spoke English very well. She grew up in Iraq and later moved to New Zealand and later to Europe. Unfortuantely, she saw nothing wrong with Saddam and didn't believe the things being said about him. In her post on February before the US-led war in Iraq, she told me that her relatives in Iraq never say anything was wrong with Saddam, and she still kept in touch with her relatives in Iraq. Ironically, AFTER the war, I haven't heard from her. I guess her relatives in Iraq were able to tell her the truth about Saddam now that the tyrant is gone!

There is another Iraqi in another weblink called "Iraqthemodel" and it is posted by an Iraqi named Omar. Omar doesn't speak as well as Zayed. He made more grammatical and spelling errors in his post. Also, the way he writes shows that he hasn't fully mastered the English language. Zayed, on the other hand, seems to have a better grasp of the English language. I've learned through these blogs that both these individuals know each other in Bagdad and are friends. At any rate, I've just emailed Zayed through his weblink and asked how he learned English. I am hoping that he will respond soon.

[Diana]

After doing some research on the Iraqi people, I was surprised to find that the Iraqis are familiar with English. I also came across a news report that Saddam did allow some Iraqis (especially those of influential families) to utilize the Internet; however, he monitored and censored their e-mails. The following information is what I found in the weblink:

http://www.culturalorientation.net/iraqi/icult.html
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Knowledge of English

Because of Iraq's connections with Britain over the last century, English has for some time been the Western language of choice among Iraqis. Most educated Iraqis will have at least a limited ability to speak English, although it might turn out that they read much more than they can say or understand. Those who have studied English in Iraq will gain conversational English relatively quickly if they are given opportunities to use the English they have learned.

[Nemesis]

[quote="Diana"]I guess having Saddam in power is better?

Good propaganda question. I guess with that reasoning the US can pre-emptively fight a war against any dictator it doesn't like as long as whoever replaces the dictator is "better" than the deposed dictator.

Is Cuba next? North Korea?

What happens if someone says George Bush's replacement wouldn't be "better?" I would welcome that replacement.

[Nemesis]

Diana, your long winded regurgations of all the propaganda you are being spoon fed are rather embarrassing.

Do you know how to think critically?

[Nemesis]

"With Saddam gone, the Iraqis are now getting into the Internet and voicing their opposition against the Saddam supporters and the foreign Arabs entering their country. They are now expressing their own opinions. " Diana

While the Elite Regime is supposedly building "democracy" in Iraq, it is supressing dissent in America. What do you think the Homeland Security and the Patriot Acts I and II are all about - more freedom for Americans?

Get real Diana.

[Nemesis]

[Diana]

And how is the US suppressing dissent, Nemesis? I see that you are still able to express your own opinions and criticize the US government. True suppression comes when I don't hear from you at all.