>>Tom
>>
>>If the people are only going to rise up once SH is dead... why will that be a good thing for "whoever" is in charge at that time?
>>
>>Regards
>>
>>JR
>
>John;
>
>Personally, I think the people of Iraq are hesitant to celebrate until SH is no longer in the picture. After 30 years of suppression and God knows what people will have to find emotions that have been suppressed or non-existent. We are told that the militia is keeping people in line within the cities. Having an automatic weapon pointed at you or your family members will do wonders for forming the “correct attitude”.
>
>If the people of Iraq rise up after SH is gone, then that can take on several meanings. They can rise up in celebration, rise up against any government, rise up against the coalition or the world.
>
>At this point I do not think that anyone knows what is going to happen and there is no reason to "rise up" for anything. Just wait and see...
>
>Governments and leaders come and go throughout history. The plight of mankind remains the same. We are here to suffer.

Tom,

It is easy for outsiders like us to make the assumption when an Iraqi civilian says something like "when Saddam is dead" he is meaning that it is only then that he will dare to say what's really on his mind.
What if he means 'once Saddam is dead, then I will back someone else', allowing that it will be some outsider???

Personally I have lots of trouble rationalizing the reported 6,000+ mostly Iraqis living outside Iraq RETURNING to fight. Saddam has no grip on them where they are (Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, etc).

>
>Tom