A Glorious Day For Iraq

Saddam Hussein is captured!
Update: Major Pain emails from Balad:

We got him. We got him! I can't help the grin on my face when I heard that news. Even better - we got him alive. No mistake, no fake, no claming that wasn't him. Buried in a dirty hole, didn't even have the courage to go out in a blaze of glory as he demanded so many of his people do, in the name of himself. Buried like the offal he is. We have him. I have a vast feeling of relief. Maybe now, without the specter of this man's tyranny, the people of this county can rebuild the future that was so bright before this man's rape of their nation. HE will never come back and demand reparations on those who chose to create a life NOT under his rule. He will no longer feed into the death and destruction, encouraging it by his very nebulousness. Do I think all killing, the IEDs and RPGs will stop? Do I think everyone will suddenly lay down their arms to embrace brotherhood and freedom? No. Hell no. We are prepared for the surge of terrorist attacks as the last of his party supporters, with nothing to lose, try to make it as bad as they can for their fellow Iraqians in the name of repression. But, as inevitable as the seasons change, the searing summer of his reign is over, and the calm rains have come to wash away the stink of his abattoirs.

Poetic huh?

From Ays at Iraq at a Glance:

I don’t know what to say.. I am confused.. no … I am very happy.. I am very happy.. .. I am very happy.. .. I am very happy.. .. I am very happy.. .. I am very happy.. .. I am very happy..
This is the end of tyranny.. congratulations .. a great day.. for Iraqi and all the good people.. share us our great day.. I can’t express my feelings.. thanks to the coalition forces and all the honest people who helped in that great operation….thank you thank you thousand times..

From Omar at Iraq the Model:

The big brother in a small hole
Horrraaaaa
It's the justice day.
I'm speechless.
I'm crying.
The tyrants' hour has finally came. I went down to the streets to share the joy with my brothers. This is our day, the day of all the oppressed and good people on earth.
Tears of joy filled the eyes of all the people.

From Alaa at the Messopotamian:

Before this, I prayed the traditional prayers of thanksgiving. That I, and the Iraqi people should see this day! This, surely, is the mother of all days for us. The heroes of our valiant Pesh Mergas, and the heroes of the U.S. Fourth division have done it.

The free people of America wish you well. Rejoice with the free people of Iraq on this glorious magical day.
-bear

Comments

[Peter]

I woke up to this wonderful news. I'm so proud of our intel types, the Sneaky Petes and the 4th ID.
My prayers are that you medic types will have less to do. Much less.
I'm proud of you, too.

[Tom]

Thanks for posting those. The emotion they display is almost overwhelming. They aren't simply pleased, this isn't a mere, "Oh, Saddam has been caught. How nice." Their joy is so intense that they are literally gushing with it. Incredible. Wonderful.

[anon]

Just wondering why you didn't join the peace corps instead? They get lots of work done around the world and don't have to carry guns.

[cris]

the peace corps sometimes does have to carry weapons. a young woman i know is a case in point. she was savagely beaten and raped through a 24 hour period. she was a peace corps member in ruwanda and she wasn't the only one. she should have had a weapon and there should have been people there who could have protected her. no one ever mentioned these attacks on the news.

but someone should have reported it in the news -- because it is cruel to send untrained, unprotected citizens into harm's way without some kind of protection.

sometimes the world really needs soldiers more than it needs the peace corps. and the peace corps should NOT be sent anywhere there is the kind of risk which was clearly present in ruwanda.