Iraqis Offering More Cooperation, But Still Fear Hussein ['objective' press aids Saddam (mine)]

DoD - American Forces Press Service ^ | July 29, 2003 | Gerry J. Gilmore

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Iraqis Offering More Cooperation, But Still Fear Hussein

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2003 - Iraqis are providing more tips to U.S. and coalition forces searching for Saddam loyalists in Iraq, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz told a U.S. Senate committee here today.

However, Wolfowitz, who'd taken a July 18-22 whirlwind trip to Iraq, also pointed out to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the Iraqi populace continues to harbor a "pervasive" fear of the deposed Hussein regime.

"This points to one of the most formidable challenges facing us (in Iraq) today, Wolfowitz observed, noting that the Iraqi people "have much valuable information that can help us root out Baathists and help them find justice."

Yet, the Iraqi people's "willingness to tell us what they know will continue to take considerable investments on our part," Wolfowitz continued, including "investments of time, of resources, of efforts to build trust among the Iraqi people."

U.S. and coalition forces have made great gains increasing security across Iraq and in helping to reopen schools and hospitals, and resurrecting basic services such as electricity and water, the deputy secretary observed.

He noted that more work needs to be done in Iraq, such as creating more jobs and increasing electricity production.

Wolfowitz said many Iraqis have expressed their gratitude to the United States and coalition for removing Saddam from power.

"But what I also heard were continued expressions of fear - fear that has not yet left the Iraqi people," the deputy secretary remarked, noting that fear "borders on paranoia."

Such a fear is understandable, Wolfowitz asserted, in light of the fact that thousands of Iraqis were tortured, or killed outright, simply for speaking out against the Hussein government.

He said he came away with the realization that you couldn't separate Iraq's history of tyrannical government from the present day.

Wolfowitz pointed out that Iraqis who'd been tortured or had relatives that were killed and buried in mass graves under the dictator's regime "are not going to come forward willingly with information until they're absolutely convinced that Saddam and his clique are gone and that we are staying until the place is secure."

And fear of Saddam, Wolfowitz asserted, is likely hindering the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

"There are leaflets circulating in Baghdad warning Iraqis that anyone who provides information about weapons of mass destruction programs to the coalition will suffer the penalty of death," he declared.

Wolfowitz observed that the July 22 deaths of Hussein's sons, Uday and Qusay, have caused more Iraqis to provide intelligence information to U.S. and coalition forces.

This development, he pointed out, is assisting U.S. and coalition efforts to root out Saddam supporters still in Iraq.

"What Iraq needs is rehabilitation from 35 years of deliberate misuse of Iraqi resources" and oppression of the Iraqi people, Wolfowitz pointed out, noting that that effort "cannot take place without security."

Security in Iraq, he added, "cannot take place without rehabilitation."

To enhance security in Iraq, Wolfowitz requested the restoration of $200 million to DoD's fiscal 2004 budget request in House-Senate conference action that had been removed during earlier congressional deliberations. That money, the deputy secretary pointed out, had been earmarked to equip and train "indigenous" forces to fight alongside American troops in the war against terrorism.

"It is much better to have Iraqis fighting and dying for their country than to have Americans doing the job all by themselves," Wolfowitz explained, noting there was "no shortage of Iraqis willing to help us."

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Imagine knowing that your neighbor had her baby ripped from her arms and burned alive in front of her because she was caught saying an unkind word about Saddam Hussein - overheard by the neighborhood Ba'athist rat.

Then imagine seeing Saddam's face on TV - smiling, surrounded by an 'adoring' crowd.

Imagine hiding your son in a small room for 22 years, knowing Saddam's thugs would kill him if they discovered the 'bookkeeping' error - 22 years after your firstborn son and husband were brutally murdered - turned in by the neighborhood Hussein henchman - for disagreeing with Saddam Hussein.

Imagine, then, seeing Saddam's face on TV, smiling - surrounded by an 'adoring' crowd.

Imagine being told you are free, being asked to help those who are willing to risk their lives for your freedom. Imagine, then, seeing Saddam's face on TV, smiling, surrounded by an 'adoring' crowd.

"Put some ice on it", indeed!

Saddam was a professional terrorist. The Iraqi Info Ministry was terror-central. Saddam w/ his Iraqi Info Ministry, used these tapes to terrorize and control the Iraqi people daily - for decades.

Saddam understood the power of the press. He used it to enslave a nation. His continuing rule was dependent on the daily control of 'information'. The press was so crucial to Saddam's power that he protected his propaganda mill more than his own soldiers - with layers of back ups - generators, mobile satellite trucks, studios in schools or hospitals - guaranteeing civilian casualties if we took them out.

People talked, of course, in whispers and with great fear - and learned what happened to neighbors. Not just the tens of thousands murdered with chems before and during wars, or the hundreds killed in regular mass-executions for any signs of community dissent, but the stories of isolated, brutal acts of selfish cruelty.

Saddam's favorite Hollywood film was the Godfather, but Saddam's favorite entertainment was watching videos of those who opposed him being slowly and systematically tortured to death.

Torture Methods in Iraq

Medical experimentation Beatings Crucifixion Hammering nails into the fingers and hands Amputating the penis or breasts with an electric carving knife Spraying insecticides into a victim’s eyes Branding with a hot iron Committing rape while the victim’s spouse is forced to watch Pouring boiling water into a rectum Nailing the tongue to a wooden board Extracting teeth with pliers Using bees and scorpions to sting naked children in front of their parents

Every 'news' person covering this war around the world should know by now how Saddam retained control - as well as his sadistic history.

How can they then justify playing those films today? Entertainment? Profit? Ratings?

The Iraqi people now get FoxNews, as do the Kuwaitis (they were tortured and murdered by Saddam's thugs as well).

FoxNews plays one of these cruel tapes almost daily with Saddam's victims watching - newly freed after years of abuse - with Saddam still alive.

As our troops risk their lives in Iraq working to gain the trust of the innocent in order to punish the guilty, our press is aiding the guilty and terrorizing the innocent - and endangering American lives daily.

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Q:  Mr. Dhia, I want to go back to the Saddam tape.  If it turns out that the tape is authentic, how much of a setback will that be to U.S. and Iraqi efforts to convince the public he is gone and not coming back?

     Dhia:  In all honesty, I don't think there were an effort to convince Iraqi public he was dead.  We said from the beginning we don't know if he was dead or not.  The perception of Iraqis, he is not dead and his sons are not dead.  For Iraqis, his departure was the best thing probably happened in their life for the last 34 years.

     The tape itself, I watched Al Jazeera yesterday and they had a program about the tape.  And there were eight Iraqis called, if I remember correctly.  Seven of them, they said, "We really hate this tape; why you played it?  It's really hurt our feeling to listen to it.  We don't want to hear this guy again.  We despise him.  We hate him."

Excerpts from DoD Briefing on Post-War Developments in Iraq, July 7, 2003

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XTales of Saddam's Brutality [lengthy, graphic]

XSilent No Longer: Iraqi People Reveal the Past
American Forces Press Service ^ | June 26, 2003 | Linda D. Kozaryn

VOICES OF FREEDOM
Quotes from the grateful Iraqi people. Y

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

[xm177e2]

The paranoia is in part justified--not that Saddam will ever return to power, but that Ba'athist terrorists could still try to hurt them.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

They will be afraid for a very long time - victims of real cruelty and abuse.

Our military out-classes both Saddam's rotten crime gang and the terrorist wannabes that come to Iraq to meet Allah. The media makes bad guys happy, hurts the very real victims and endangers our troops - every time they play Saddam's own tapes, and lie about Saddam's fate (he's never coming back). It's basic stuff.

Our troops will complete their missions, all 8 of them - and wipe Saddam's regime from power for good - as they have been saying and doing from day one of the war. We should all know this.

No matter how many times the President, SOD Rumsfeld, the troops reassure the Iraqi people that we will not leave early, no matter how many times the troops back up that promise by risking their lives successfully completing difficult raids and patrols - the press - the 'objective', press - carries on for Saddam's Iraqi Info Ministry, further terrorizing the Iraqi people with lies.

The Ba'athist Socialists have no future in this country - by provisional law, and by will of the majority.

Repeatedly airing Saddam's lies, threats and torture tapes - when there is no chance he will ever be allowed back in power, is heartless and deceitful - and symbolic of today's press/political left, imho.