This morning before boarding the bus to work I caught part of the press briefing from CentCom. They showed a video of distribution of aid packages in Iraq. It opened with a massive convoy of box bearing trucks parked on a desert road as far back as the eye could see. The only recipients of aid in the piece were about 4 or 5 kids standing outside of a rude shack; certainly such a wealth of food is not going to be turned over to only them, but there didn't seem to be anyone else around. The soldier shook hands with the kids, and I had a feeling I needed to be hearing 1950s military march style music in the background.
But no music, just the CentCom officer droning on about how the clip demonstrated the welcome our aid packages are receiving in Iraq. This was obviously some form of damage control, as a much rowdier clip was shown yesterday on regular news of unruly Iraqis engaged in a death struggle over aid packages being loaded off a U.S. Army truck, all the while chanting their support for Saddam.
This morning's clip ended with a shot of a smiling young Iraqi boy giving the American viewers a "thumbs up" sign. Certainly the military must know that in Arabic when someone gives you a "thumbs up" it means about the same thing as when an American gives you "the finger".
Oh well. Perhaps Central Command is counting on us not knowing the difference.
Uncle Dave Lewis