Trooper

today was the iraqi's big vote.....i was reading some new articles and the polls are saying abou 15 million people voted.....as of july 2005 the population of iraq was around 27 million...so over half voted....

me personally i find that number amazing...these people want to move on and like there new freedoms....agree or disagree with the war but numbers like that are amazing....we dont even get those good of numbers in our own elections....and there was no real violence today either....which is even cooler.....im really proud of our troops for what they are doing...

maybe we dint all the information when we went in but we are doing an amazing job with this country.....they almost have as many troops that are Iraqi's as we have stationd over there..another amazing fact......i do look forward to the day when we can pull all of our troops out and say congrats..wont be long...


plz keep this thread on topic....no flaming or no opinion bashing....

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that sounds like a good idea trooper.
-Vulcan

Delta_Swift

Putting aside my opinions about the war and assuming that the polls are accurate, I was very impressed with the voter turnout and the overall lack of violence. I wish we could get that kind of turnout in the States.

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Trooper

i was thinking the same exact thing when i read those articles....

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that sounds like a good idea trooper.
-Vulcan

Hero

Yea, we get about 30% turnout. The next wave of voters isn't looking to good (that would be my generation).

"Alright Greg, what's the capital of the United States?"
"...TRICK QUESTION THERE IS NO CAPITAL!"
*hysterical laughter*
"is it New York?"

^^true.

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[gchq-c1]-[squadl]-[conduct]

Steel_Penguin

I'm really surprised at the turnout too. I wish we could get than many voters to turn out here.

I really think i'm somehow not American. I know the names of more than three foreign countries besides Canada, Mexico, and Britan.. I also am ambivalent towards French people. Maybe i'm really Aussie lol. </sarcastic semi-rant thing>

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Drizzid

The only way you will get those kind of numbers at an election here in the good ole USA, is if we lost the right to vote. It's sad that people here in the US don't realize what they have. The one thing that pisses me off the most, are the ones who critisize the people who are in power but, they are the ones who don't vote. I think that is criminal. If you don't vote and exercise your right to vote, then you do not have the right to complain. End rant

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munchkin

We'll take ya. Only requirements are a liking of beer and the beach. Oh yeah, and you might need to learn a new national anthem.

I was also really impressed at how well the vote went in general - personally, I think that the US should make voting a mandatory duty of a citizen.

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Kemotaha

The funny thing about the Aussie national Anthem is that it say that they are a free country but the last time I looked they were still under the Queens Rule. J/K

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

munchkin

Heh - not quite. She's only our "Head of State" - with no real powers....except being able to veto our laws and dissolve the government through her pet monkey known as the "Governor-General". It sucks.

Also we have no Bill of Rights

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leejo

JimmyTwoHand

I hate to be the doom monkey swinging into town but two things disconcerted me a little. First is that a lot of the footage i saw from inside polling stations was lit by torches, gas lamps and battery powered lamps. I assume this meant power was still a problem in some areas or the the counts were being done under a cloak of secrecy. Second was that although the massive turnout is very promising and uplifting to see for someone who lives in a country where average turnout is about 30-40%, i worry that a more even Sectarian split will mean we see a lot more Vetos and wrangling over new and vital legislation. After the problems the constitution had being drafted i fear we could see escalated reruns of this in the future. God, just reread that and it sounds relly depressing and gloomy. Im not trying to reignite the the whole war debate nor take anything away from a wonderful step forward.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Ribbons The tactical and strategic application of textile accoutrements is a constantly underrated part of battle.

leejo

Vetos and wrangling are good things. I don't think anyone is under any illusions about a pain-free future for Iraq, or suggesting that things are peachy right now simply because the election happened. Point is, they clearly want to work things out themselves. If 70% of the country voted, that means that at least 70% of the country wants to VOTE to express and wield political power. They're doing fine.

The big splash of cold water is the looming question about Iran's nuclear ambitions. Ahmadinejad is acting like a real nutbar and we may have to do something about him.

JimmyTwoHand

Good point. I just worry that a solid foundation needs to be formed ASAP before the violence causes terminal rifts between the Kurds, Shia and Sunni communities.


True, its a big worry. I deleted the rest of the post after i realised i seem to have a bent to play devils advocate for no good reason today.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Ribbons The tactical and strategic application of textile accoutrements is a constantly underrated part of battle.

SmokingTarpan

Except that the laws of the country allow us to complain. Ah, the double-edged sword of freedom.

Glad to see the voter turnout was good in Iraq, even more glad to see that there was apparently no huge amount of violence. Still doesn't change my opinion on the end-result of this whole thing, but at least they're trying.

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[squadl]
"I am the prettiest african-american, vietnamese..cong..person." -SugarNCamo

Buck Fush

I think the best thing in all of this is the lack of violence at the polls. Maybe they're finally learning that the easier way to control their new government is by using their power to vote. Maybe, but I doubt it.