Responding to many email questions about yesterday's piece "Have We Taken Investment Advice from the Best Plumber in Town? Many of you pointed out that both Britain and France set up Parliaments and other democratic forms during their tenure between the two World Wars. True, but the colonial powers over-ruled anything passed by these bodies that they didn't like or that threatened their rule. The Brit or French military became the Tribal Leaders enforcing laws and disciplining law breakers in civil cases. They allowed Shiria law by just closing their eyes. Secondly, and most importantly, the old Arab tribal ways were even more entrenched by this phony democracy.

To cover this era quickly, the people "elected" during the period between the wars were all members of the already powerful tribal families. No more than 200 families out of the thousands in any country held seats in the "parliaments". If anybody wanted anything from anyone in government they had to go back to bargaining lives with other families. During the Cold War, the "independent" Arab countries (all became dictatorships almost immediately)were particularly adept at "electing" or appointing families that might support the Soviet Union or the U.S. depending on who would give them the most money in foreign aid. Iraq was particularly clever in this regard until Saddam came along.

Several of you emailed opinions that said basically "screw these assholes, they do what we say or we walk" which is basically what we are going to do anyway. An "occupation" of a year or so is not going to erase 3,000 years of their "civilization". We have opened schools so that what? Just what are these young people going to do with their new tools? What industry or work will they do? The same as always: work for the government, engage in primitive entreprenurial bargaining busineses, or become smarter robbers (see the Sadr "followers"). Girls will be kicked out of the schools the moment we leave so they can go back to the "old days". I pointed out in an essay over a year ago that most people in the U.S. would toss out sections of our own constitution. What makes us think Iraqis want freedom anyway?