Actually, it has BEGUN AGAIN!!!!
Yup, this is PROGRESS in Iraq!
"Fun and games in Baghdad? Bingo!; As city stabilizes, Saturday night ritual returns" by Rebecca Santana, Associated Press | November 27, 2009
BAGHDAD - The streets outside may still not be as safe as they once were, and the occasional deadly bombing still rips through Baghdad, but....
But nothing!!
After years of bombings and killings, Baghdad’s 85-year-old elite social club is making a comeback. There’s no better evidence than the open bar, the deafening Arabic pop music, and the Saturday night bingo games that draw hundreds of fun-seekers, from teenagers to grandparents.
Yup, THAT is the EXTENT of our "liberations!!!"
While it is only a small snapshot of Iraq, bingo mania reflects the growing sense of security in Baghdad and the resurgence of a community that wants no part of the religious divisions that almost destroyed the city. They are Sunnis, Shi’ites, Christians - and nobody seems to care.
Related: Occupation Iraq: Stoking Sectarianism
Yeah, anyone notice that s*** never really starts until WE get there?
Founded when Iraq was ruled by Britain, the Alwiyah’s lawns, tennis courts, swimming pool, and bar were long the gathering place of the cultural, political, and intellectual elite - those who met the membership criteria of a college degree and knowledge of a foreign language.
It continued to thrive under Saddam Hussein until the early 1990s, when the dictator cut the country’s booze supply to curry favor with Muslim conservatives and tribal leaders.
Yeah, thanks to the WAR CRIMINAL SANCTIONS that KILLED HALF-a-MILLION KIDS!
Also, many women stopped coming to the Alwiyah for fear of the sexual predators among Hussein’s family and cronies.
He's dead, MSM. Let it go.
“It became like a military club. No drinking. No parties. What kind of club is that?’’ said Abdul Rahman Hamza, a 45-year-old lawyer whose relatives were among the founding members.
After the 2003 US-led invasion, the Alwiyah started rebuilding itself, said Kadam Mokdady, vice president of the club....
The turning point was 2008, when violence in Iraq dropped dramatically. The Alwiyah came alive again. On bingo night, the parking lot is packed, pop music blasts over the lawn, and the atmosphere is decidedly secular. While women on Baghdad’s streets usually cover their hair, here young women in blue jeans and snug-fitting blouses mingle with the men. Alcohol is served in the bar....
It is what we are ALL ABOUT, isn't it?
THIS is "democracy?"
Related: Occupation Iraq: Country in Crisis
I can see why the world is disappointed when they are "given" it!
The pool has been fixed and “Shipwreck Parties,’’ which entail getting thrown into the water fully clothed, are on again.
So we give them WET T-SHIRT CONTESTS, too, huh?
Mokdady said the club plans to add a bowling alley, gymnasium, and cafeteria....
Anyone tell this guy the country is in shambles?
Nowadays confidence in the future means everyone expects to be back next Saturday, and the next.
Then WE CAN LEAVE NOW, right?
“Let’s hope it will stay like this,’’ said Samar Edward Hana, a 60-year-old civil servant in a dapper suit and tie who has been a member for 25 years, “and all the families will return from abroad.’’
That counting the 2 million refugees living in Syria and Jordan?
I'm sure they could use a drink.
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