The biggest part of the plan is to trap and kill as many al Qaeda as possible, and to eventually leave the city completely in Iraqi hands. The Iraqi leaders I have seen are thankful and are taking part. Their biggest complaint was that the attack started just as students are trying to take their National Exams. So, early today there was a large gathering of students who wanted to take the exams, but the schools are closed. Bad news is that this is the latest serious disruption to Iraqi lives, but I do find it heartening that the biggest complaint is about the National Exams. It's hard not to respect people who see helicopters shooting rockets, and who are hearing the explosions from the shells and rockets, yet they are thinking about exams. (emphasis mine--Darren)
It is hard not to respect that.
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Compare that to the kid in Germany who convinced two friends to storm his class and steal the report cards with his bad grades so, he thinks, will prevent him from flunking out.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070618/od_nm/germany_student_dc_1;_ylt=Ao9kP2S5DtAncuylfeugj.gE1vAI
Wow. From that link:
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The youth sat quietly at the back of the classroom as the two masked robbers, aged 14 and 15, burst in and threatened his teacher with a steel bar if she did not hand over the reports.
After grabbing them, the two tried to flee but dropped the reports as other students leapt to defend the teacher. The two were arrested close to the school, and told police their friend had devised the raid because he was afraid of flunking a year.
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Good thing we don't draw large lessons from anecdotes, or I'd say something like, "So much for the vaunted German education system!"
I just finished reading "Three Cups of Tea" and for all of it's underlying liberalism, there is a core belief that educating these children will overcome the indoctrination done by madrassas. In fact at one point the main narrator says (and this is a paraphrase because my daughter ran off with my copy of the book...)we educate the girls because the boys get an education and move away to become successful. The girls, on the other hand, come home and apply what they have learned and become leaders in their towns and villages...I think I could support a move to educate children and offer them an unfettered education that fits within their culture rather than the ignorant brainwashing that passes for schooling in madrassas.
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