Iraqi Expatriates Begin Voting in U.S.

[Freddie Stubbs]

1 hour, 8 minutes ago Middle East - AP


By DEE-ANN DURBIN, Associated Press Writer

SOUTHGATE, Mich. - Joyful tears and frequent applause marked the start of U.S. voting Friday in Iraq's first independent elections in more than 50 years.

Iraqi expatriates began casting votes at 7 a.m. inside an abandoned store in this Detroit suburb. Periodically, cheers would erupt from one of the 15 polling stations.

"We feel happy now. This is like America, this voting," said Zoha Yess, 64, who moved to Inkster nine years ago. "We want fair, good government."

Overseas voting continues through Sunday, which is election day in Iraq itself.

more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20050128/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_iraq_overseas_vote

[shadowknows69]

1. uh.....

"We feel happy now. This is like America, this voting," said Zoha Yess, 64, who moved to Inkster nine years ago. "We want fair, good government."


this is America you're voting in. If you were voting in Iraq you'd probably be blown up. I'm assuming all these expatriates are moving back to Iraq after the election? After all it will be just like America there.

[trogdor]

8. Not a chance.

On a seperate note, if you believe the Creationist hogwash that we're all descencant from Adam and Eve, every living human is technically eligible to vote in Iraq, since that's where Adam and Eve allegedly hail from.

[shadowknows69]

16. cool

I'm voting for candidate # 338

[NickFun]

2. Oh Boy! Free Elections!

No one in Iraq even knows who the candidates are! They are keeping their faces concealed to avoid being killed! Nothng has changed over there. The candidates are all US picked puppets. The number of people we have killed in a short period of time greatly exceeds the number killed during Sadaams time in office. Of course, everyone wants "fair, good government" but even WE do not have that!

[Mandate My Ass]

4. Great rant, and unfortunately too true

Welcome to DU, NickFun. :hi:

[ElsewheresDaughter]

5. hey NickFun welcome to DU .....nice to have you on board!..

:hi:

[ElsewheresDaughter]

3. 40 yr old american born woman of Iraqi decent is voting..just because...

she has her dead fathers passport bush says she can vote in the Iraqi elections along with her 2nd generation american son....both are voting in CA today!

WTF is that all about???

[buzzard]

12. Exactly what I was wondering, are other US citizens allowed to vote

in elections of their country of origin by polling places set up in the US?

[ElsewheresDaughter]

14. yes!even if they are 2&3 generation Americans of Iraq decent they can vote

as long as they have their deceased parents or grandparents documents such as passports or birth certificates or immigration papers.

[NYC]

19. Who made that rule?

[peacebird]

15. to claim the "election" is a success * has to show people voting

doesn't matter to him WHO voted, or in what country they voted, or if they have ever seen Iraq, or....

all that matters is photos showing people voting.

IMHO - it also does not matter who they vote FOR, all those petty details were worked out long in advance...

[Village Idiot]

6. HEEHEEHEE!!!

"We feel happy now. This is like America, this voting," said Zoha Yess, 64, who moved to Inkster nine years ago. "We want fair, good government."


YA - and, just like America, it won't matter a bit who you voted for when Allawi is confirmed as Iraq's new president!!!

Idiotsidiotsidiots!!!

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Career Prole]

11. 10% turnout if they're lucky...and they won't be.

Only a brainwashed fool would expect a functioning democracy to come from this invasion and occupation...and you?

[Tracer]

9. Last night on the NewsHour ...

... there was a segment on Iraqi-Americans voting.

Other than some really happy-looking Kurds from Connecticut(!), the rest of the segment was devoted to legitimate and angry complaints about the voting system.

- People needed to make TWO trips to the voting centers (of which there were ony 4 in the whole country). Once to verity their identity, and the second time to actually vote. Many people said that this was a near impossibility for people who lived long distances away from the centers.

- The ballot was close to being indecipherable ... with hundreds and hundreds of political parties on it. People interviewed said that they really had no idea of the platforms of the parties Ñ and a government flack said that it was not the * administration's doody to inform the voters.

[oneighty]

10. Voting from a safe distance

while American boys and girls are dying in their place just as was the "Liberation" of Kuwait.

We are such suckers for a scam.

IMHO

180

[LynnTheDem]

13. This is SO WRONG. People who've never set foot in Iraq.

At least the AP bothered to mention that Iraq HAS HAD independant elections. bush keeps saying this is The First Time Ever.

[daleo]

17. Representation without taxation

I don't think you should be allowed to vote in a country's election if you don't live there, with the exception of people traveling for relatively short periods of time or who are posted to foreign locations due to job commitments. It would be like me voting in the next U.K. election just because my mother was born in Scotland eighty some years ago.

[NYC]

20. I fully agree.

I think this is nonsense.

[twaddler01]

18. "independent elections"

Even though we invaded the country and are still present there...

:crazy:

[FlemingsGhost]

21. Isn't this a convenient way to get a list of Iraqi expatriates?

Seriously. Think about it ...

[rainbow4321]

22. Well, he has one part right...

it is going to be like America in that shrub and gang have already probably picked who will win the election even though the the votes have yet to be cast!

My favorite quote from another article was a guy running for office over in Iraq complaining that religion was being used to manipulate the politics leading up to their election...gosh, glad THAT could never happen here in America....that would really suck, wouldn't it?