Genocide Olympics

I understand the imperatives of developing nations, noting that the U.S. did undertake horrific measures to ensure its prosperity- slavery, deals and instigating coups in shady countries
America’s hands are by no means clean nor its history sinless

But the fact is, at the time no one was in a position to remedy these situations
And I like to think that human beings learn from their mistakes, that they vow to never allow these things to occur
They know better now
The U.S. is not the same country it was 7 years ago, let alone a decade or century ago.
Our rhetoric is informed by generations of trial and error
We are in a continuous state of self-improvement

And within this context of “knowing better” we are allowing injustices to continue
Short of advocating any kind of military approach, we need to do something
Our leverage does not lie in our weapons
Our political system is stable, our institutions fair and effective, we are prosperous and our culture cloaks the world- art, literature, movies, music, even our slang
It is our presence that makes the Olympics legitimate
Victory would be hollow, knowing that they did not compete with the best in the world, that they didn’t really prove themselves

But this isn’t a statement we’re willing to make
Given how dependent we are on our polluted Asian friend

So at this point all that we can do, is honor the victims enough to educate ourselves
To know what lies at the root of all of this hoopla
I leave you with these facts

-China sold arms to Sudan
bullets that pierced innocent men, women and children were supplied by China

I understand neutrality man, but the difference between you and Sweden is that you enabled this destruction, you put the weapons in the hands of the janjeweed
You shook hands with Bashir as he stood idly by, counting his money while 400,000 people were brutally murdered, and 2 million raped and mutilated refugees fled in terror

Actively selling arms to international pariah states doesn’t exactly qualify as “non-interference”

It would be equal to America selling giant furnaces, building railroads and giving billions of dollars in unconditional aid to Germany during the Holocaust

And we’d actually have to take it a step further, as up until 2007 China barred the deployment of peacekeepers and the levying of tangible sanctions
But don’t take it from me, let the Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zhou Wenzhong explain their view on the mutilation and death of innocent Sudanese
“Business is business…the internal situation in Sudan is an internal affair, and we are not in a position to impose upon them”

So during the Holocaust, we would not only not have become involved but done everything in our power to prevent others from intervening

Maybe to China it’s just a matter of supply and demand
But when the demand is coming from one of the most conflicted areas in the world, wouldn’t you hesitate to add more fuel to the fire?
“Africa today has become, in the popular media, synonymous with poverty, a blot on the conscience of the world, the last place where absolute poverty is not yet on the way to eradication. It is also the place where the nation-state is said to have utterly failed in delivering the promises made at the time of its birth” (Chatterjee, 2005).

-China is also forging tight relationships with other unstable African countries
Currently drilling or exploring for oil in Sudan, Angola, Algeria, Chad, Gabon, Nigeria, Namibia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Ethiopia (Amosu, 2007). It is extracting copper and cobalt from Zambia and Congo, purchasing timber from Cameroon, Mozambique, Gabon, Guinea and Liberia, and obtaining platinum and chrome from Zimbabwe

Say it with me people: “zim-bob-wey” also known as “moo-gah-bee”
Do yourself a favor and wikipedia Robert Mugabe: a brutal, authoritarian senior citizen who is still in the process of rigging this year’s presidential election

Chinese and Zimbabwean military ties are among the closest on the African continent, with Zimbabwe receiving jet aircrafts, vehicles, and a Chinese radar system.
In June 2004, Zimbabwe purchased $240 million worth of Chinese military equipment (Foerstel, 2008)
China even built President Mugabe’s $9 million mansion

China is financing corrupt regimes; enabling them to continue their destructive reigns at the expense of their people’s welfare

Now wikipedia Angola and marvel at the injustice
One of those most corrupt regimes in the world, is China’s bro

Angola is rolling in the petro-dough, its growth rate has been projected at 20.8% for 2007, making it one of the world’s fastest-growing economies (Shinn, 2007).

“And yet this is the same country where one out of three children dies before reaching the age of 5, where average life expectancy is 38, where cholera, polio and hemorrhagic fevers like the Marburg virus flourish — a country that ranks 160th out of the 177 countries on the United Nations' Human Development Index. How, and when, will the cataract of oil money flow down the hill from Luanda Sul to improve the lives of Angola’s impoverished, war-weary citizens?” (Traub, 2006)

If our lack of intervention in Africa (Sudan, Rwanda, Congo, Liberia) can be seen as complicity, then what does that make China? A country actively engaged in funding and protecting corrupt and volatile regimes
Providing asses like Mugabe and Bashir with lucrative resources
Our foreign aid may suck compared to oil revenues but at least we aren’t eagerly perpetuating Africa’s debilitating instability



The sources cited in this post:

Amosu, Akwe. (2007). China in Africa: It’s (still) the governance stupid. Foreign Policy in Focus. Retrieved from http://www.fpif.org/

Chatterjee, Partha. (2005). Empire and Nation Revisited: 50 Years after Bandung. Inter Asia Cultural Studies, 6 (4)

Foerstel, Karen. (2008). China in Africa. The CQ Researcher, 2 (1) 1—26

Shinn, David H. (2007). Africa, China, the United States and Oil. Center for Strategic and International Studies Online Africa Policy Forum. Retrieved from: http://forums.csis.org/africa/index.php?s=Shinn&searchbutton=Go%21

Traub, James. (2006). China’s African Adventure. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/19/magazine/19china.html?ei=5088&en=92b91 6a872aa4d3&ex=1321592400&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=all


(This is a good one--->) Friedman, L. Thomas. (2006). The First Law of Petropolitics. Foreign Policy, May/June, 31–2.

People inadvertently or consciously make decisions that most of the time directly complicate their lives

The idea that life is hard has been ingrained into me

Why does life have to be hard?
You are constantly reminded that a schedule based on leisure is the luxury of youth
So what does that really mean?
The second you graduate college, you’re transformed and become “all business”

I do think that to some degree all people tend to complicate their own existence
Take for example the immigrant population in Freehold, NJ.

They come into the country already at a disadvantage: illegal, cannot speak the language, and most do not know a single soul in a strange country
Do they think it’s wise to make their lives even more difficult by having children?
Frankly, I don’t know what (mostly) Mexican women are thinking.
They seriously get pregnant faster than you can say: automatic citizenship

This occurs in all strata of society, especially Middle America.
Do you really think the joy of driving a gas-guzzling, overpriced, hunk of German machinery will overshadow those extra monthly payments for the next decade of your life?

I think a lot of our lives revolve around preparation
For what?
If you cannot be content in the moment you are in right now, what is the point of being prepared for the next one?
I don’t subscribe to the notion of living one day a time
Because that just sounds futile and wildly inefficient
And also because I do a lot of thinking about the future, most of it involves how I will accumulate enough money to buy the massive amounts of plane tickets that I desire

But in all honesty, what if you take all of this time planning for the future, for a time when you can kick back and enjoy something, or revel in an accomplishment, and you either reach that point in time, and it doesn’t live up to your expectations
Or you’re so stressed and burned out that you don’t even notice it?

I like to think in terms of terminal illness sometimes
As morbid as that sounds

What if tomorrow your doctor told you that you had a tumor which means 6 months of life left for you, give or take

How would you go about your scheduling?
I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t set aside some time for grad school, or worry about getting a corner office with a view

I think life would be much more fulfilling if it was simpler in some aspects
If we didn’t need roots
Which can be anything from real estate, to fair weather friends, to some semblance of a career

We operate under the pretext that we have time
That we are blessed with endless time
Yet at the same time, we know we won’t be around forever
We pollute and we don’t take care of our bodies because we know we are temporary, and no matter how much you recycle or how far away you stay from second hand smoke, nothing will extend your existence that much longer
So who cares if no sea life exists by the year 2050? You won’t be around anyway


I wonder how much more different the world would be if people were still every now and again and listened to their intuitive revelations
Deep down inside you know what you truly desire- and I bet you once you discover what that is, it won't be complicated
it'll be very simple, but very powerful


I know you all experience mental diarrhea (it’s a gross analogy but it’s fitting)
A feeling that punches you in the gut and says: “listen here fuckface, this feels right for a reason”
You want to just run with it
But then you hesitate and are immediately pulled back by misgivings you’ve never had before
Like you knock yourself down before you even get to think about it too long
I think that its moments like those, when your entire body feels it, are real moments
true and born out of something special
transcendent of mankind
something innate that is so organic it merits extreme focus and reverance

I'm not sure how to conclude all of this except with 3 easy words: simplify, simplify, simplify

I find the Middle East and Africa incredibly interesting.
There is always something going on. A vortex of eternal conflict.
Even when there’s a hard-ass running the show stability is still only superficial and extremely fragile- even though it may appear lasting.

Sidenote: Saddam is not the only hard ass, there have been tons of them, some of which we have openly supported even with knowledge of their blatantly committed transgressions (before 1980 Saddam was one of these, as were brutal authoritarian rulers in Congo, Indonesia, the Philippines, Syria…the list goes on) and others of which we directly helped to maneuver into power

These places are doomed to have a spectrum of discontent boiling beneath the surface with the ability to shatter any notion of stability at any given time.
Of course, being a spectrum and all, you have two extremes of discontent: crazies on one end and the mildly unhappy on the other
Everyone else falls in the gray area,
Until a crafty fox with some claim of credibility busts in and stirs everyone together.

The following are the most frequent types of foxes:

Cleric Fox: his claim is religion, his lure is the promise of paradise, conveying it so vividly that one starts to see it in the horizon

He is adept at inducing urgency, as if it will dissipate without immediate action, it is within reach, all that is required is action, and as an “authority” on the subject, he can articulate exactly what needs to be done to achieve salvation, some will need a little extra push: a slogan or two, but the rest will be so immersed in the ends that they will not care to justify the means

Prominent or Military Fox: his claim is a respected lineage, or status within his community or the military, he is more accessible then Cleric Fox but not as easily trusted, his only desire is to accumulate power, respect and minions

The People’s Fox: his claim is empathy, he emerged from the nucleus of society giving the common man a leader that he can identify with
He possesses unyielding magnetism, and is thus able to convince his people that because he is (or once was) one of them, he will do was is best for them, and therefore, is followed blindly

Setting that aside, I am drawn to the region because of its complexity
Its history, its present, and what is to come
But at the most basic level it fascinates me because it is plagued by perpetual strife
It’s only fitting that the cradle of civilization should convey a lot about mankind
How he relates to the world and nature, what he values, the role of violence and death, how he assimilates power and how these themes recur through time

But still, as much as the area can tell us, there is so much more that remains a mystery
It’s a place with very deep, very tangled roots
Most that will never see the light of day
And for all of those reasons, and for some that I don’t even know or understand, I will forever have a love affair with the greater Middle East

I never liked Mitt Romney
To me he embodies the stereotype of a slimy politician
He panders to conservatives' irrational passions without any attempt to conceal that he’s just regurgitating tired old slogans
It’s like those guys that are overly romantic and say what they think women want to hear
Like they’ve watched awful Matthew Mcconaughey movies and took notes
They think they’re cunning, but we see right through them

You think you’re cunning Mitt, but I see right through you

Nevertheless, I let him be
Even if he were to win the nomination (which it’s pretty much looking like he won’t) if Americans are as intelligent as I think they are, they will not vote Republican
And not just because they hate Bush, but because Republicans continue to demonstrate how out of touch with reality they are

But today, Mitt made a speech following his non-win in Florida and said something like this:

And to all of those who criticize President Bush, it is because of him that America has been safe for the past 6 years


Whoa whoa whoa
Safe?
Safe you say?

Forgetting the fact that the Middle East is in such a volatile state because President Brilliant, having a sketchy perception of the area and it’s people, decided to meddle in it
and unbeknownst to him these states do not take too kindly to a Western presence on their turf (yes even those that we have stable relations with)

It is because of Bush and his administration’s half-assed preparation for, invasion of, and current occupation of Iraq that our soldiers are still there
Still being shot at, still getting shrapnel lodged in their organs, still being sent back to their families in caskets

But o.k. I’m not really addressing Romney’s claim that America itself has been “safe” for the past 6 years because of President Bush
This assertion relies on 2 factors
What Romney defines as “safe”
And if Bush himself had a direct or indirect hand in keeping America “safe”

First of all, if anyone should be given credit for preventing terrorist attacks on U.S. soil it should be the intelligence community: the F.B.I. the C.I.A. A.T.F. the State Department, or even your local Circuit City employee (in order to find that humorous I advise you to google: “the Dukas of Cherry Hill”)

Second of all, America is far from safe
I can best elaborate with an excerpt from my paper “The War in Iraq’s Role in the Recruitment and Motivation of Terrorists”

Let’s intro a little bit:

The United States’ occupation of Iraq is a defining factor in fueling the spread of pervasive anti-U.S. sentiment and the radical ideology that is necessary to convert potential recruits. By acting as a catalyst for radicalization, Iraq has become a rallying cry for Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups, and for the new generation of disaffected Muslims that these groups target to recruit for the cause.

Operation Iraqi Freedom represented a reach into the Arab world to remove a regime and replace it with the U.S. principles of democracy, pluralism and secularism. The aim being to drain the Arab world from the sources of radicalization that made September 11th possible. Instead, the effort to transform Iraq became itself a source of radicalization. For terrorists and their potential recruits, the invasion and occupation of Iraq is the personification of America’s aggressive imperialism. Terrorist groups, specifically Al-Qaeda, frame the war in Iraq as a battle between a morally vacant superpower seeking to advance its agenda, and the relentlessly persecuted, righteous community of Muslims. By promoting the perception of U.S. neocolonialist encroachment on Muslim lands, a sense of crisis is instilled in those receptive to the message. For Al-Qaeda, this crisis is driven by an American conspiracy to invade Muslim lands and oppress its people. Vengeance becomes a necessity, and alienated, disaffected individuals feel it is their duty to join the struggle. Iraq has become the locus of this struggle; a battlefield for jihad.

Just some proof in case you needed it:

In his testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on “The Changing Face of Terror – A Post 9-11 Assessment”, Ambassador Henry Crumpton describes how violence is justified in the face of desperation. “When a lack of freedom destroys hope, individuals sometimes feel they are justified to lash out in rage and frustration at those they believe responsible for their plight” (Crumpton, 2006). The United States is the target of this rage.

Declassified Key Judgments on the National Intelligence Estimate “Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States,” cites four factors that are fueling the spread of the jihadist movement.
(1) entrenched grievances, such as corruption, injustice, and fear of Western domination, leading to anger, humiliation, and a sense of powerlessness; (2) the Iraq ‘jihad’ (3) the slow pace of real and sustained economic, social and political reforms in many Muslim majority nations; and (4) pervasive anti-U.S. sentiment among most Muslims – all of which jihadists exploit.

Benjamin states that “a new generation of terrorists is emerging with few ties to Al-Qaeda but a world-view soaked in Osama bin Laden’s hatred of the West, and new areas of the globe are increasingly falling under the shadow of this growing threat” (Benjamin, 2006). Iraq is the catalyst for this increase in individuals subscribing to a globalized idea of a struggle. He states that “The events of the last few years have helped the jihadist movement sign up recruits” (Benjamin, 2006).
The report notes that “threats, plots, and cells linked to the Iraq conflict have been uncovered in several regions of the world. A system of clandestine support networks funneled foreign terrorists to Iraq from the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Caucasus.”
Foreign recruiting efforts have been successful as foreign fighters are believed to number up to ten percent of the estimated 20,000 insurgents (Country Reports on Terrorism, 2005).
The efficiency of al-Qaeda’s recruiting propaganda is evidenced by the increase in terrorist attacks within Iraq. In 2005, terror incidents in Iraq accounted for a third of all global incidents and more than half of terror-related deaths worldwide (Country Reports on Terrorism, 2005). Militants with a jihadist outlook number more than 15,000 (Benjamin, 2006). In addition, the occupation of Iraq is not only attracting recruits but also breeding leaders. “Fighters with experience in Iraq are a potential source of leadership for jihadists….”

Here is the big picture people:

“There is a concern that Iraq will become an exporter of seasoned terrorists, weapons and shared tactics….” (Perl, 2006).

And to conclude how about this:

“We are indeed in a battle for hearts and minds, and we are not winning” (Benjamin, 2006).

Basically, all of that was to say:
We are not safe, we’re sitting ducks
And our enemy cannot be defined or identified, our enemy continues to grow larger, stronger, and more lethal, our enemy disseminates his message to all corners of the world and ultimately our enemy is driven by our presence in Iraq

Which only leaves one more question,
Who exactly is responsible for our troops’ presence in Iraq?

So suck it Romney.

Repeat after me: Please, Thank You, You're Welcome

I despise rudeness
Its basically one person’s way of expressing their arrogance.
In order for someone to completely disregard common human decency, they have to think that they are better than someone else .
An undeserved sense of superiority

I was in a bar when some dude spilled his beer all down my left side
Now, I understand that drunk people in tight, enclosed spaces tend to spill shit, but that shouldn't mean that they just can run around getting everyone wet and sticky (ha)
Anyway,
I really didn’t think something as easy as apologizing would be so hard for such a toolbox, but apparently it was
Seriously people, even if you don’t mean it: “my bad” and “excuse me” go a long ass way
but I didn’t hear any of that from this particular bastard
so I looked at him and said: (in a non confrontational way, I know that’s difficult, but it’s somewhere between offended and prepared) “you spilled your beer on me…apologize”
he looked at me and said “whatever”

that is not only as far away from “I’m sorry/my bad” as you can get
but it’s just plain rude
I grabbed his beer cup, spilled it on him and walked away
an eye for an eye I suppose

so the moral of the story is: just because most women today are feminists to some degree, fiercely independent and demand equality at work, does not mean men should throw chivalry out the window

most human males are hoping to one day fall in love, have babies with and probably end up divorcing their dream girl
you don’t know which one of us it could be, so treat us like we’re all your future baby mamas
I’m sure you all want your little sisters, or daughters, or mothers to end up with dudes that truly value them and treat them accordingly

I will concede that some of us can be a pain in the ass and some are just down right bitches
But give them a break, since middle school we’ve had to be prepared to bear your children (biologically speaking of course) that makes us moody from time to time

Anyway, we are running corporations, winning Olympic medals and basically kicking ass everywhere we go, but we are still women and we deserve the utmost respect

You should go above and beyond the call of duty because we deserve it
Holding the door open, paying for things from time to time, buying thoughtful gifts and apologizing when you are at fault does not mean we are reverting to caveman times

Whoever thinks chivalry is offensive is taking themselves much too seriously
It does not imply that women are any less capable of taking care of themselves
It simply means that you appreciate us, that you recognize that we deserve this level of respect because we make your life worth living

Think about it
What would your days be like without women? And by women I mean females that respect themselves first and foremost, females that live their own lives and form their own opinions without worrying about what a man will think of them, females that will never deign to fake an orgasm, females that can support their own damn selves and that (as much as I want Obama to win) will run this country however they see fit

Once again, what this all comes down to is respect for yourself
Because people that respect themselves, respect others
They know that they are not better than other human beings because all humans are pursing the same thing: purpose
Everyone is searching for meaning in their lives whether this comes from feeling happy, successful, balanced and at peace or simply stress-free, we are all joined in this quest
And as humans we recognize that everyone is flawed
And that is why no one is better than anyone else
That is why one person’s goals are not anymore noble than another’s
Because we share the same struggle, because we do not know everything there is to know and because we are all connected to each other

All I can do is look upon such people and hope they realize the error of their thinking, without being condescending
because pity is also based in arrogance
It is acknowledgement that your way of life is more worthy than that of another’s
and like I said before, arrogance is the basis for rudeness


This is not to say that women aren’t rude as well
There is this chick that I always seem to be in front of, and thus am charged with being the door opener and holder
Every time she walks right past me, with this unearned sense of entitlement surrounding her like a thick, self-important black cloud, without so much as cracking a fake smile
And every time I make sure to say “you’re welcome” but in tone that suggests: “you cunt”

As much as I want to slam the door in her face I must soldier on
What kind of person would I be if I gave up on all of you rude mofos?

What makes people think that:
1- they can expel every single illegal immigrant from the U.S.
2- sending these immigrants back to their home countries is beneficial to Americans
3- wanting to ship ‘em back is NOT racist


I don’t care who you are (Mike Huckabee) but even so much as considering a plan to deport millions of people is sheer stupidity.
It is not possible to do such a thing.
Even if you get through the short, brown illegal immigrant stereotype, there are still a buttload more that you would never guess are in this country illegally.
(I personally know all kinds of adorable children, really attractive ladies and super intelligent overachievers that are in this country illegally)


Aside from this, I’ve already written about how people who advocate this idea, are kidding themselves when they say they are not racist.
A truly tolerant person would see that these people are not here to rape and pillage, this person would observe the loving, close-knit family dynamic of Latino immigrants, and their (for the most part) Catholic values.
This person would recognize that if their ancestors had been so rudely deported when they arrived on U.S. soil, that they themselves would probably not be enjoying the privileged lifestyle that Americans have been blessed with.
Finally, this person, as a compassionate and just human being, he would not want to send these people back to their deteriorating, poverty-stricken home countries, anymore than they would want to go themselves.

I think all the non-racists should get together, and implement a plan that would actually be effective in reducing illegal immigration into the U.S. such as working to improve relations with, and more importantly, the economic situations in Mexico and Latin America. Maybe some of the billions of dollars that Israel is getting from us can go to countries that really need it, countries that are right in our backyard. (Yeah I take jabs at Israel a lot, what can I say i'm human)

But we will never make progress as long as you racists are in denial and continue lying to yourselves about your true intentions.


Immigrants carry the agriculture, construction, landscaping, and service industries on their backs. To send them away would leave vacancies that Americans are not going to fill.
Aside from mistreatment and exploitation, their hours and wages are absolutely miserable (that means no sick days or paid vacations- man you Americans love getting paid for doing nothing). While there are U.S. citizens that would work these shit jobs, there would definitely not be enough of them to replace the loss of immigrant labor.
In order to fill the jobs, employers will need to raise salaries and throw in some benefits.
Hey, that’s not so bad right?
Well guess who’s paying for it? You are.
The customer.
I know what you’re thinking: “pssh, over my dead body I’ll just cut the damn grass myself”
Cut away Joe Schmo, but like I said the agriculture, construction, landscaping and service industries DEPEND on immigrant labor.
You cannot go one day without enjoying the fruit of all of this labor (no pun intended)
You can snub your nose at janitors, bus boys, construction workers and fruit pickers but you cannot deny that these people are the backbone of society.
They make your life easier, and more importantly they make the way you live your life possible.
However offensive their existence is to you, our country needs them.
Not only as workers, but as small business owners and consumers.
Their purchasing power is insane, and some of them do pay taxes.

All of this may not convince you, but how about this simple fact: Latinos are the fastest growing minority in the U.S., far exceeding Blacks and Asians.
Illegal immigrants are shaping our country’s demographics. Their children and grandchildren will be a force in this country. They will be your neighbors, your friends, your coworkers and bosses, your congressmen and senators, your favorite movie star or musician, your star athletes, the valedictorians at your kid’s schools and most likely: your relatives.
Latinos are sexy people, I defy you Americans to not marry and have babies with these hot mofo’s.

So pretty much all I am saying is: we’re already here, you need us, so deal with it.

Really though, how hard is to coexist people? Come on now.

Quoted from the New York Times:

“The Iraqi Parliament passed a bill on Saturday to allow some former officials from Saddam Hussein's party to apply for government positions, in the first of the so-called political benchmark measures to pass after months of American pressure for progress.”

“The Bush administration had urged the Iraqi government to pass such a measure to help mend the deep rifts between Sunni Arabs who used to control the government under Mr. Hussein and the Shiites who now dominate politics here.”

They got it wrong in the wording. It’s more like:
“The Bush administration had urged the Iraqi government to pass such a measure in an effort to rectify its Stupidity (note that it’s written with a capital S) in the handling of post-invasion Iraq.”

The coverage of this “so-called political benchmark” makes it sound like we’re making progress when in reality Bush and his cronies are just reversing the hurried measures they took at the very beginning of this whole mess.

They set into action an exquisitely ill-advised occupation strategy that revolved around de-baathification. Like everything Bush does, it was thoroughly tactless and completely destructive.
Ba’ath party members that joined for survival weren’t taken into account, identification of rank was based on unreliable sources, and some members that had committed all forms of atrocities while under Saddam were appointed to senior positions in the interim government after the realization that everything was falling apart and some form of bureaucratic administration was desperately needed.

Meanwhile, the occupation authorities continued their idiocy and dissolved the military leaving large numbers of men with no means of supporting their families and understandably bitter.

The Baath party was mostly Sunni, although some Shia held low level positions. So they equated de-baathification with de-sunnification.
They were removed from power in one clean sweep; thus alienating a population that would had been critical to the rebuilding of Iraq. It made them defensive and distrustful of the occupation authorities.

We set free their dormant sectarian hatreds. We made distinctions between good and bad, those in power and those left to fend for themselves, along sectarian lines.

Jobless, alienated, distrustful, and pissed off Iraqis responded with the violence that our soldiers are still trying to quell.

This is not what I would consider progress.