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Linux in Iraq
Nereus writes "The BBC News is reporting on the newfound popularity of Linux in Iraq. The article discusses how the Iraqi Linux User Group believe Linux will aid the Iraqi people in the rebuilding of their country, and the benefits of open source in Iraq."
I'm not really sure on features, but it's a step forward in security so long as the people setting it up can do it right. And since the country is being rebuilt, they are doing it right and not using pirated software. They also don't have to pay for Microsoft licenses.
Hmmm.
When I was in Baghdad, pirated programs were less than $10, including windows (pirated movies were $2). I don't think the everyday joe has a computer. The cost is still too much for every family to own a PC. The locals are making a bunch selling to US forces. The selection of computer components wasn't great. We made a weekly trip to the local tech store and bought thousands of dollars worth of stuff (flash drives included).
Pod Six was jerks- Capt. Murphy
Of course he was against the Islamists. He ran a mostly secular state and only superficially used religion here and there to keep face with the rest of the Arab world. It was the post Islamic revolution Iran that Saddam was waging war against, and we helped him back in the 80's for doing so.
Actually, that's about as true as the "Powdered milk factory being a chemical weapons plant" story and the "throwing babies from incubators" story. Have you taken the time to look at pictures taken from people in Iraq during Saddam Hussein's rule? Heck, even a lot of the casualty photos, such as this famous one show bearded men. Do you not even remember the shot of the bearded man in a lot of photos who, according to a popular web conspiracy, is the same person who was shown arriving with Ahmed Chalabi and as one of the "normal Iraqis" tearing down the statue in Firdos Square? Shots of bearded Iraqis are all over the place, and are even in some of the most famous shots from the war, so if this wasn't *pure* myth, it was mostly myth.
I just invaded Grammar Czechoslovakia and duped Grammar Neville Chamberlain; now it's on to Grammar Poland.
Iraqis have a higher concentration of PhDs per capita than the US. Education was free through grad school. They've been rather proud of their educational system, and with good cause. The big thing that's been setting them back has been the boycott; even trade publications have been barred many times under the sanctions.
I just invaded Grammar Czechoslovakia and duped Grammar Neville Chamberlain; now it's on to Grammar Poland.
Sorry, but the the federal procurement system is a highly structured process. Politicians have no access to it because these contracts are in the hands of civil servants, who would be risking their careers if they were steering contracts to big political donors.
Halliburton's KBR has always been at or near the top of the bidding process. They were even awarded so-called "no-bid" contracts during the Clinton administration to help rebuild the Balkans.
KBR did a risk assessment of potential oil fires before the invasion, which was covered by their 2001 contract. In March 2003, when the attack was unfolding, Pentagon planners issued an additional bridge contract to KBR to put out any fires that were set. KBR had the experience and their personnel were in place. It would have been crazy to open up a three-to-five-month bidding process at that time.
Even Steven Kelman, who was an administrator in the Office of Federal Procurement Policy under Bill Clinton, said this regarding the Halliburton Iraq contracts:
"One would be hard-pressed to discover anyone with a working knowledge of how federal contracts are awarded -- whether a career civil servant working on procurement or an independent academic expert -- who doesn't regard these allegations as being somewhere between highly improbable and utterly absurd"
these articles say iraqi unemployment during saddam's ruthless regime was roughly 50%
. ht mr tic le=99
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1013-07
http://www.monitor.upeace.org/archive.cfm?id_a
couldn't find any more substantial references to those unemployment numbers though. but after 5 minutes on google it looks to me like america, bush and the war improved employment by 25% in iraq -- a pretty spectacular accomplishment.
Sure, from Article 1, Section 2 Paragraph 3:
"All other Persons" would be slaves. Although the term itself isn't used in the Constitution, that is to whom the framers were refering.
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