The whole history of the United States’ involvement with Iraq is a very dark and filthy dirty one that spans decades and numerous administrations, and about which most Americans know very, very little. As I have pointed out before, the best periods in Iraq’s history were during times that the U.S. had the least involvement, and the more involved the U.S. became, the worse things would be. I do not think that is a coincidence at all.

Nevertheless, I don’t think that has ever been an effective defence in a case of treason, and I doubt it would be effective if the U.S. were in the situation Iraq is in now. At best it might be used to get prison time in place of a death sentence.

And, although I’ve never been in your situation, I understand that you’re in an awful position. You’re watching helpless from afar as the country of your birth is destroyed by your adopted country. Your friends and family are there, getting bombed on.

Your definition of collaboration may be harsh, though? I’m not sure it’s that black and white. [Although, if the situation were reversed, I probably would agree with your definition.] Some of the “collaborators,” however, may just be trying to survive during a war, trying to get work to feed their families, trying to prevent more bloodshed, etc.

Those who prefer, rather than to try to understand my position, to resort to nasty, cheap, and - dare I say it? - racist (and very presumptuous for people who do not really know anything about me) ad hominems like “why did she choose to become a citizen since she hates everything about this country”, and so on, I am sorry you are unwilling to consider what it might be like for someone to watch one of their countries tearing the other to pieces.

But I am not talking about “supporting the troops” here. What I am talking about is Susan’s obviously appalled reaction to my statement that Iraqis who collaborate with the foreign invaders of their country are traitors, as is anyone who does that. To me that should be obvious to any reasonable person, no matter how you feel about your American troops. A person who aids and abets an invading force in carrying out its activities is a traitor, independently of your gratitude or whatever it is for their assistance in the subjugation and destruction of their own country and its people.

What I am talking about second of all is the one-sided blindness of even very progressive and strongly anti-aggression Americans to the fact that these Iraqis are NOT courageous wonderful Iraqi heroes, but collaborators and quislings who would be viewed as traitors and subject to execution for treason anywhere else in the world, including the United States.

I find it offensive that these Iraqis are viewed as wonderful heroes. I also find it offensive that the United States government and the United States military seems so far to be willing to use these people and then just throw them out and leave them to the fate that usually greets traitors everywhere.

Each of those people had their own reasons for doing what they did - in the beginning some of them even had good motives. A few at least actually believed the United States really was there to liberate them, and thought they were doing something good for their country (I actually know one person like that, but he quit as soon as he understood the reality). Some, after their means of livelihood was destroyed or taken from them by the Americans took jobs with the invaders because it was the only way they could support their families. Some were simply misguided, and others were motivated by greed or ill will toward some of their fellow Iraqis.

I don’t wish any of those people any harm, and I don’t judge them as human beings. I DO judge their actions. I want the United States to take responsibility for them and to take care of them and their families. I want them out of Iraq for their own protection and because they have betrayed their country and their people, and do not belong there anymore. The best place for them is the United States now that they have proven their loyalty to that country.

But because we’re Americans talking about US troops, our loyalties are with the troops. Even though we don’t support the war and view it as a war crime. Even though the troops are volunteers. Even though, on the orders of the Bush administration, US troops are killing thousands of innocent people, which is abhorrent. It’s one of the tragedies of this war Shirin.

The war should never have been. It’s not right. But we still support the troops. It may not be the right decision, it may not be the moral decision, but the troops are family members, friends and neighbors. We support them. We want them to come home.

First, you are making assumptions about me and my history and my feelings and beliefs that that you know nothing about and have no basis to make. You simply do not know enough about me to say these things.

Second, all I have done is ask you to rethink your horrified reaction to my considering Iraqis who worked for an invading and occupying foreign power as traitors. I asked you to rethink that by considering how you would view Americans who worked for foreign invaders and occupiers of the United States - a very reasonable think to suggest. And you not only refuse to respond or acknowledge this very reasonable suggestion, you seem to be very hostile toward it, and now it seems you find it anti-American.

You know, I find it difficult to imagine that you, who DO have an ability to see things from another point of view, and to think logically are unwilling to consider that any person who works for a foreign invader and occupier of his country is a traitor even if that invader and occupier is the United States of America.

I am disappointed to see you holding such a one-sided view and being so unwilling to see the reality of things.

And by the way, you can worry about those traitors who assisted in the invasion and occupation of their country, but I will not hunt them down and kill them or even say a harsh word to them. All I have said is that they should be in the United States and not in Iraq because they do not belong to Iraq anymore.

And now I’m worried for the safety of the Iraqis who worked for the U.S. in Iraq and are being brought to the U.S., supposedly to live in safety. Will they be hunted down here too because they helped the Americans? Really. It is a worry.

If you can honestly say that you would not consider as traitors Americans who went to work for a Chinese or Russian military occupation of the United States, and if you can honestly say to me that you would call those Americans brave and courageous for assisting a foreign occupier of the United States, then no one can argue that your position is inconsistent, illogicalm, or unfair. If you would, on the other hand, consider those Americans as traitors while still considering Iraqis who assisted in the foreign occupation of their country as brave and courageous, and my characterizing them as traitors, then there is something inconsistent there, that is all.

I saw that you did not respond at all the first time I posed the question to you, and I was not sure whether you had missed it or were simply not willing to answer.

Russia invades and occupies the United States, and Susan speaks passionately about Americans who courageously go to work for the Russians and are in grave danger.

If the United States were invaded and occupied by China, or Russia, would you refer to Americans who went to work for the Chinese or Russian military and departments to be brave Americans?

This is a completely separate issue from that of the refugees, however. The refugees are victims of the Bush regime’s imperial project. The collaborators and quislings are its beneficiaries. The United States owes protection and citizenship to its collaborators. To its victims it owes support, compensation, and restoration of their destroyed lives in their homeland, not permanent removal from their homeland in the form of resettlement.