An Iraqi Reflects On American Materialism

In America, I saw a majority of people who are crushed, not comfortable…
I learned that they do not study the history of other nations in their schools, nor their geography, and know nothing about other religions… their information usually comes from the Media, and that media is usually directed, owned by a number of wealthy people, the owners of the big, beneficiary companies…meaning; they deliver the news to the people according to their moods, explaining things according to their private, narrow, visions….
I have seen the TV., and its just like in the days of Saddam Hussein, (as we used to say), repeating the same boring song over and over again, whenever you change the channel, you see the same faces, and hear the same talk…and its all about the war, the army, and fighting terrorism…
These boring vocabulary, and none other, control the whole American media; newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and TV stations.
There are some independent, non-governmental stations, like Public Pbs, and those are poor stations, without advertisements, the government used to give them some financial support, then started shrinking that support gradually… these stations still argue, and oppose the war, or at least, broadcast interviews with people who oppose the war…
As to the rest of the stations, they only show those who support the war, stations like (CNN, FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC)… the strong, rich stations, owned by private companies…or the pure governmental stations, financed by the government.
So…the picture is clear, and sad…
America lives in a semi-dictatorship condition now…
What difference between that, and Iraq, at the time of Saddam Hussein?
What is the difference between the Americans opposing the war and the government policies, and the Iraqis who opposed Saddam Hussein, and his wars against Iran and Kuwait?
Weren't they afraid of him, and his wrath? Didn't he wash the minds of the majority of people, through the media, and force them to accept his viewpoint, and none other? Didn't he accuse each Iraqi who opposes him of being a traitor to the country, or of anti-patriotism?
We were always debating: does our love for Iraq mean love for Saddam Hussein?
Is Saddam Hussein the homeland? Is he Iraq?
I always used to tell my boys: we must be patient… Saddam Hussein will go one day…but Iraq stays….
And here is Iraq now, under the fist of cruel, hateful hands, more cruel and unjust than those of Saddam Hussein's and those with him….but we are prepared to do anything now, to refuse the existence of that occupation on our land, because we love Iraq, and want it's banner to remain always high, towering, free, and independent…..
This is how we understand the love of our nation…. The leaders may be right, or wrong, they all go, sooner or later, but the homeland remains.......... and it is the homeland that is worthy of sacrifices, so it would remain free, and independent.

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