David Buckley writes: "But … they CAN be free. If they are willing to CHOOSE to be so. No "Constitution" can protect their freedom of speech for them. They both acquire it and defend it by practicing it."

Please, David, tell us what exactly these young Iraqis would do in order to "choose" to be free. Please tell us how they can "choose" to be free by practicing their freedom of speech.

You are probably sitting somewhere in the U.S. safe in the knowledge that your house will not be invaded or shot up, and that you can get up tomorrow and drive someplace without having to worry about being searched, shot, blown up, etc. You know for a fact that there is a future for you with potential for jobs and productivity and security. These Iraqi young men have none of this.

Your message seems to suggest that they should have a comprehensive understanding of political theory or something. These are young men! They're not history professors. You're acting like they should start a political movement to make freedom happen. I am sure they would do something like this if they didn't have to worry about being lined up and shot just for showing up in public.

Seriously, David, you're talking out your ass. You are repeating the old argument that we gave Iraqis this wonderful freedom and then they screwed it up. It's their fault, not ours, right David?

Pardon me but you're stuck in a loop of denial. It is just too hard for you to wrap your mind around the fact that the U.S. fucked up royally.

My two cents: While I ***HATE*** the talking bunnies, I find "Hometown Baghdad" tolerable.

My problem with Hometown Baghdad is that they only seem to interview and interact with the same 4 or 5 dudes, who all seem to live in some upper-middle-class suburb of Baghdad. I do not trust that their point of view is representative of average Iraqis.

But beyond that, at least it has some journalistic merit, providing a window into other people's experience.

I agree, the little editing tricks are completely unnecessary.

I thought the sad music used in the background of another video was also completely unnecessary.

It's journalism, not an MTV show. The heavy-handed editing adds LESS, not more.

What is "Momento"? I don't recall this film.

I do remember a film named "Memento" though.

Are you Nathan Jr. the abducted baby from "Raising Arizona"?

I am not suggesting that "ordinary people can't be responsible for their own liberation." I am suggesting that it is foolish to say the Iraqis should be doing something more to liberate themselves, and then not even state an example of what they could do.

Maybe we have different ideas of what the word "liberate" means. In the context of the Iraq war it was supposed to mean freeing people from the oppression and tyrrany of Saddam. Clearly they are more oppressed and terrorized now than they were before, with less security in their lives.

There is another definition of "liberate" that is a more American version having to do with equal rights, freedom of political speech and so on. I don't think this is what we meant when we said we were going to "liberate" the people of Iraq.

Your statement about "the tip of [my] elitist iceberg" is funny. First, how am I being elitist? Second, did you know that I mounted an Ivory Tower on top of my iceberg? It's pretty cool (just like empty metaphors are cool).