Saturday, August 27, 2005

United States's Achievement in the Mid East- a theocratic Iraq

The United States’ achievement(you may need to register at the NYT site to access the article) in the Middle East- an Islamic Iraq. Contrafactual 'historians' may like to envisage an alternative scenario where the US wins in Vietnam...only to install a Viet Cong government !
...Indeed, under the constitution now completed, Islam will reign as the official state religion and as a main source of Iraqi law. Clerics will in all likelihood have seats on the Supreme Court, where they will be empowered to examine legislation to make sure it does not conflict with Islam. They will be given an opportunity to apply Islamic law in family disputes over matters like divorce and inheritance. Those provisions have raised concerns here, especially among Iraqi women and secular leaders, who fear that they are laying the groundwork for a full-blown Islamic state.

Within the US, the US Army seems to be doubling its efforts to 'catch them young', as the Sheehan protest shows signs of converting into a longer protest, though it is not a movement as yet, Karen Houppert reports on the tactics of the US Army as indicated in the US Army Recruitment Command:
To make sure they are the first folks to contact students about their future plans, Army recruiters are ordered to approach tenth, eleventh and twelfth graders--repeatedly. Army officials spell out the rules of engagement: Recruiters are told to dig in deep at their assigned high schools, to offer their services as assistant football coaches--or basketball coaches or track coaches or wrestling coaches or baseball coaches (interestingly, not softball coaches or volleyball coaches)--to "offer to be a chaperon [sic] or escort for homecoming activities and coronations" (though not thespian ones), to "Deliver donuts and coffee for the faculty once a month," to participate visibly in Hispanic Heritage and Black History Month activities, to "get involved with local Boy Scout troops" (Girl Scouts aren't mentioned)...



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