Summary: During our stateside 'immersion training' before coming to Iraq, the actors we encountered commonly chanted "Bush, Bush, Ali Baba!" as we entered their makeshift villages. It just occurred to me who they were pretending to be...Iraqis commonly refer to members of the terrorist insurgency as Ali Baba. In fact, anyone they think is a thief or some other sort of criminal is referred to as Ali Baba. If you want to know where an insurgent is, or if they come forward volunteering where an insurgent is, your linguistic bridge is the phrase "Ali Baba."
The story of Ali Baba comes from stories of The 1001 Arabian Nights. Mr. Baba was the head honcho for The Forty Thieves, who wreaked nothing but constant havoc. He, along with his forty friends, is not revered by Iraqis.
When we trained stateside before coming to Iraq, we underwent 'immersion training'. Various actors were hired, including several Iraqi expatriates, for us to interact with in various ways, and to portray the citizenry of various Iraqi cities and towns. Quite often when we entered one of their makeshift towns, either to conduct a search as a result of an intelligence tip, or as part of a foot patrol, the townspeople would taunt us with the words "Bush, Bush, Ali Baba!" I thought it interesting at the time that they would use such terminology, but at the time I dismissed it. I was too busy getting 'immersed' to think much about it.
Since being here in Iraq, and personally having had almost exclusively good relationships with the Iraqi people, it began to dawn on me that it was a bit inaccurate that the actors should be coached to chant "Bush, Bush, ali Baba!" at us at the National Training Center (NTC) in California.
Now, hold that thought...
Just today I read in the Times of London (not the New York Times, mind you) that dissident Amir Abbas Fakhravar has successfully fled Iran and arrived in the United States. Fakhravar, for whom a death warrant has been issued, has met with and given his assessment to members of Congress and the Bush Administration. In part, the news story reports:
Fakhravar believes dialogue with Iran is useless. “The regime wants to have a nuclear bomb so it can wipe out a country it doesn’t like,” he said. “We don’t understand why the rest of the world doesn’t understand this.”
In Iran, Bush is regarded as a liberator, Fakhravar said. “People are afraid to express what is in their hearts, but in small, private gatherings, they see him as a saviour.”
Now, back to my original story. If we as soldiers, and our Commander in Chief, are not seen by the majority of Iraqis as Ali Baba (and, coincidentally, if the same holds true for the people of Iran), then just who were the townspeople at the National Training Center supposed to be imitating? It occurred to me that whether they knew it or not, the townspeople were imitating American liberals.
The actors we encountered were very polished and realistic in their presentations. It means that they must have received acting lessons from somewhere. I don't know, but Hollywood is geographically fairly near the NTC...
A very small percentage of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), particularly those who never leave a forward operating base (FOB) the whole time they're 'in country', turn against OIF after buying into the vicious lies spread by the American left about what's actually happening here. And to think that, unwittingly, they may have received their first such indoctrination from 'immersion training' in the United States.
8 comments:
It's true the liberal's have done everything they can to make America look bad. They have tried in every way, including using the media, to make Operation Iraqi Freedom look like a mistake. Being in the "reddest" of the "red states", we don't really buy into that. The vast majority of Texans believe in OIF and OEF and not only support the troops, but also the Commander in Chief. I see the liberals trying to turn American citizens against the troops, much the way they did during the Vietnam war. Well....it ain't happenin here!!!
Bravo Kim! I wish there were more people in the US like you, and not so many 'sheep'. I say this, meaning that a lot of people support us, but they don't vocalize that support.
If this blogsite can serve as a rally point for your likeminded friends or an educational tool for your friends of a different persuasion, by all means, spread the word!
Thanks again!
Frank, it's funny you bring that up. I'm sure they were well intentioned at the NTC. This is because, lest you forget, we did encounter some Iraqis with negative feelings towards us. It's interesting to note though that the media never talks about anymore 1) The Iraqi people disliking us (you remember that strangely back in '03 and '04 then right after the election dropped off. Hmm...what was the motivation? *cough* election smearing *cough*) or 2) WMD. I'm assuming NTC was preparing your for those Iraqis who would be longing for the old days as they prospered and everybody else suffered. Regardless, I think it is quite interesting how you arrived at your conclusion. That's an interesting take that I never would have deduced at first glance.
Well, my father took a trip to Iran two and a half years ago and he didn't hear people praising President Bush...
And he seriously thought they dared express their honest opinons in public?
Public? I don't think he asked anyone to stand on a street corner with a sign.
Actually, what I remember my father telling me about that trip in particular was that he and the other Americans were welcomed warmly by the Iranians, some of whom voiced that they believe our foreign policy is dictated by Israel.
Gee Frank, it would seem that when people express their "honest opinions" on this site, you delete their comments. What did you do in Iraq? Shoot them in the head?
Hi WW!!!!
Good to hear from you! Just kidding.
It's embarrassing for you that you would ask me such a silly question. Of course not.
I, somehow, don't think that crazed lunacy, as you often exhibit, can be construed as honest.
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