Posted on 01/06/2003 4:39:46 PM PST by Publius Maximus
Edited on 04/29/2004 2:01:53 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.N. agency searching for evidence of a nuclear weapons program in Iraq said Monday that so far it has not found evidence of one.
Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said inspectors have found no proof that Iraq lied about nuclear weapons in its declaration on weapons of mass destruction presented to the United Nations.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
LOL.
LOL, it's getting hard to tell if this question is facetious or sincere anymore.
What did Saddam have to gain by gassing 41 villages of Kurds? What did North Korea have to gain by threatening the US with nuclear attack last week? What did Jeffrey Dahmer have to gain by eating his victims? What did the Janet Reno have to gain by barbecuing 88 people in Waco? What did Lon Horiuchi have to gain by murdering Ms. Weaver while she was holding her infant? What did Hitler have to gain by the Holocaust?
Evil is as evil does. If you need to justify it or understand the evil in your own mind, try this: if Saddam is the man who single-handedly succeeds where numerous invasions (featuring surprise and superior numbers), thousands of attacks, hundreds of bombings, and dozens of terrorist organizations failed, he will become a heroic figure, almost even mythic, as honored as Muhammad himself... this certainly falls in line with Saddam's incredible ego (ever see photos from Baghdad where his image isn't visible?), as well as the Middle East's thirst for large-scale death of innocents where "the Israel issue" is involved... just check out their reactions to the 9-11 announcements. Is that good enough for you?
The U.N.'s goal is to NOT find anything in an attempt to avoid a war. If they were to find anything and report it, the other nations, the anti-U.S. ones, would accuse them of being U.S. puppets. It would ruin their world "credibility." (Barf! Ack!)
Try Syria!
Bush has done a good job of hoisting the UN on it's own petard. The base understands this. From time-to-time in history, the effective use of force is required. The powerful understand this, and will do what is necessary. Will the rest accept this leadership? I think so. The hand-wringing whiners will always be around. But they never get anything done. Leave them and their fantasies to the dust.
***ALBAWABA.com - The Middle East Gateway: "SADDAM SAYS IRAQ READY TO FIGHT" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Saddam Hussein said Tuesday that Iraqis were ready to fight a holy war against the United States...") (122502)
ESPN.go.com: "THE HORRORS OF SADDAM'S 'SADISTIC' SON" by Tom Farrey (ARTICLE NOTE: The son is identified as Uday Hussein.) (122302)
GOOGLE Search Term: "UDAY HUSSEIN"
***U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE: "ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES OF OMISSIONS FROM THE IRAQI DECLARATION TO THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL" (121902)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE - Fact Sheet: "CHEMICAL - BIOLOGICAL AGENTS UPDATE" (December 2002)
HAARETZ DAILY.com: "REPORT: SADDAM PLANNED TO USE BIOLOGICAL WEAPON AGAINST ISRAEL" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The document says that Iraq sent three MiG-21 planes to bomb Israeli targets with regular bombs to check whether they were able to penetrate the Israeli air defense system. At the second stage, three more MiGs armed with conventional weaponry were to be sent to Israel as a diversion, together with a Sukhoi airplane armed with biological weapons. But the operation failed during the first stage, when the three MiGs were downed over the Persian Gulf a short time after takeoff.") (122302)
SEATTLE TIMES.com: "JUDGE SETS BAIL FOR MAN ACCUSED OF AIDING IRAQ" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "A federal judge has set bond at $100,000 for an Iraqi American accused of illegally funneling millions in cash and goods into Iraq in violation of U.S. trade sanctions. U.S. Magistrate Judge John Weinberg yesterday said prosecutors had failed to show that Hussein Alshafei was a flight risk, or that his money-wiring business had helped finance "weaponry or war preparations in Iraq." The judge added that rumblings of war and "popular sentiment against Iraq" must not undermine the law.") (122502)
SEATTLE PI.com - SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER: "12 LINKED TO IRAQ MONEY-LAUNDERING PLAN" (121902)
WHITE HOUSE.gov: "SADDAM HUSSEIN'S IRAQ: A DECADE OF DEFIANCE AND DECEPTION"
IRAQ WATCH.org
GLOBAL SECURITY.org (includes Public Eye)
FREEREPUBLIC.com - Discussion Threads - Search Term: "IRAN AND IRAQ"
NY POST.com: "IRAQ ADMITS IT'S ON THE BRINK OF CREATING NUKES" by Vincent Morris (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "A top adviser to Saddam Hussein admitted yesterday that Iraq is on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. "We have the complete documentation, from design to all the other things," Lt. Gen. Amir al-Saadi told reporters in Baghdad. "We haven't reached the final assembly of a bomb nor tested it."") (120902)
WorldNetDaily.com: "NEW EVIDENCE LINKS SADDAM, BIN LADEN" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Unit 999 of Iraqi intelligence has helped train both Arafat's shock troops and bin Laden's Islamists for suicide operations utilizing weapons of mass destruction. According to Bodansky's book, some of these terrorists have already "succeeded in infiltrating several Arab countries. They are provided with instructions, secret codes and advanced weapons." According to Israeli sources, the Iraqis permitted the terrorist trainees to test chemical weapons in southern Kurdistan.") (120902)
YAHOO! News (AP): "CELEBRITIES ENDORSE LETTER ASKING U.S. PRESIDENT TO STOP WAR RHETORIC TOWARD IRAQ" (120902)
ALBAWABA.com - THE Middle East Gateway: "LIGHTS, CAMERA ACTION? HOLLYWOOD STARS TAKE A STAND ON IRAQ" (102702)
DAILY STAR.com.lb - Lebanese News: "IRAQI DISSIDENT FOUND MURDERED IN SOUTH" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "An Iraqi refugee was found dead Wednesday in an apartment belonging to an Iraqi opposition group in Tyre. Walid Ibrahim al-Mayahi, 33, was discovered with a rope around his neck. He appeared to have been strangled. Mayahi was staying in a two-room apartment that doubled as an office for supporters of Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq Sadr, a leading Iraqi Shiite cleric who was murdered along with his two sons in the southern Iraqi city of Najjaf in 1999. Unconfirmed reports said that Mayahi had recently gained a visa to travel to the United States to take part in training with Iraqi opposition forces. But a US Embassy spokesperson said that there was "no record of granting a visa" to Mayahi.") (120502)
YAHOO! News Coverage: "IRAQ"
WHITE HOUSE.gov: "SADDAM HUSSEIN'S REPRESSION OF THE IRAQI PEOPLE"
"BLOODY FRIDAY - CHEMICAL MASSACRE OF THE PEOPLE OF HALABJA BY THE IRAQI REGIME MARCH 1988" (ALERT: This BLOODY FRIDAY site should not be viewed by children.)
FREEREPUBLIC.com - Search Term for News Discussion Threads: "SADDAM"
FREE CONGRESS.org - THE FREE CONGRESS FOUNDATION - Notable News: "ONE WHO DARES CALL IT 'TREASON'" -Commentary by Paul M. Weyrich (COMMENTARY SNIPPET: "So how does Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) justify holding a reception for the Mujahedin-e Kalq? The U.S. State Department, since 1994, has listed this group as one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world. The State Department says that this Marxist-Muslim group has killed many Americans and had blown up a number of U.S. facilities in Iran. This group participated in the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979. This group had a falling out with the Ayatollah Khomeni, according to The Washington Times, so the group fled to Iraq and now is funded by Saddam Hussein. The group helped Hussein fight the Kurds in the North of Iraq when chemical weapons were used.") (112502)
GOOGLE Search Term: "MUJAHEDIN-E KHALQ"
GOOGLE Search Term: "MUJAHEDIN-E KHALIQ"
GOOGLE Search Term: "MUJAHEDIN-E KALQ"
An Interesting Discussion on FREEREPUBLIC.com regarding an opinion-commentary by GEORGE GALLOWAY in THE GUARDIAN (UK): "IN THE HANDS OF THE THREE WITCHES There Will Be Only One Winner of an Iraqi War - Osama Bin Laden" (112702)
TOWNHALL.com: "THE IRAQI INFILTRATION" -Column by Michelle Malkin (112002)
WASHINGTON TIMES.com: "U.S. SET TO CITE IRAQ FOR BREACH" (120502)
NY POST.com: "MUSTARD GAS FOUND IN IRAQ" (120502)
MEMRI.org - MIDDLE EAST MEDIA RESEARCH INSTITUTE: "IRAQ NEWSWIRE No. 12" (120302)
ABC NEWS.go.com: "SMALLPOX IN IRAQ? CIA Investigates Allegations that Soviet Scientist Transferred Virus to Iraq" (120302)
SEATTLE PI.com - SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER: "'DR. GERM' BUILT IRAQ'S STOCKPILES OF DEADLY BIOWEAPONS" by Lisa Hoffman, Scripps Howard News Service (120302)
NEWS.com.au: "UN WARNED IRAQIS OF VISIT" by Ezzedine Said in Baghdad (December 2, 2002)
CHRISTIANITY TODAY.com: "KEEPING THEIR HEADS DOWN" by Stan Guthrie (111802)
MEMRI.org - THE MIDDLE EAST MEDIA RESEARCH INSTITUTE Special Alert No.4: "UNIDENTIFIED SENIOR IRAQI OFFICIAL: WE DID NOT HESITATE TO USE WMD IN THE PAST AND WILL NOT STAND IDLY BY THIS TIME EITHER" (112602)
NY POST.com: "CONSTRUCTION SITES MAY BE MOSQUE-ING ARMS DEVELOPMENT" by Niles Lathem (112802)
MEMRI.org - MIDDLE EAST MEDIA RESEARCH INSTITUTE Special Dispatch Series No.423: "Syria's Foreign Minister to Egyptian Weekly: The "No-Fly Zones" are Illegitimate; Syria Voted for UN Resolution 1441 to Strengthen the Washington Peace Camp; American Policy is Tyrannical") (112502)
Dubai GULF NEWS.com: "SMUGGLING THRIVES IN THE SHADOW OF SANCTIONS" by Bob Drogin - London (ARTICLE SNIPPETS: "Hidden inside the trucks was a bonanza of banned military materiel - including night vision devices, global positioning systems, communications gear and other highly specialised electronic equipment from South Korea"..."In all, the engineer said, he helped sneak at least 25 loads of contraband cargo into Iraq for hefty commissions. Among them: 2,500 tyres for armoured personnel carriers from Ukraine, two trucks of high-tech laboratory equipment from Germany and mainframe South Korean computers inside empty refrigerator boxes. Saddam, anything he wants, he can get," said the Iraqi, who recently moved to Britain.") (112502)
BBC NEWS: "IRAQ OPENS BORDER WITH SAUDI" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Saudi goods imported by Iraq under the UN's oil for food programme have had to be transported via Jordan. The reopening of the Ar'ra crossing will mean they can be trucked straight across the border.") (103102)
WASHINGTON TIMES.com: "INS LACKS PROPER CHECKS ON ALIENS" (120502)
An Interesting Discussion on FREEREPUBLIC.com regarding this article by Philip Sherwell ad David Wastell posted on www.OPINION.TELEGRAPH.co.uk: "SADDAM 'HIDING THE WEAPONS IN MOSQUES'" (111702)
WASHINGTON TIMES.com (AP): "IRAQ TAKES DELIVERY OF POWDER USED IN CHEMICAL ARMS" (ARTICLES SNIPPETS: "Iraqi scientists know how to make chemical weapons that can penetrate military protective clothing, and Iraq imported up to 25 metric tons last month of a powder that is a crucial ingredient to such "dusty" weapons. Iraq told the United Nations the powder was destined for a pharmaceutical company."..."The powder, sold under the brand name Aerosil...") (111802)
BBC NEWS: "IRAQIS 'INFILTRATED UK GERM LABS'" (111602)
TIMES ONLINE.co.uk: "SADDAM PAYS GADDAFI $3 BILLION TO GIVE HIS FAMILY SAFE HAVEN IN LIBYA" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Word of Saddam's deal with the Libyan leader has emerged from diplomatic sources in Tripoli following a visit to the Libyan capital on September 8 by General Ali Hasan al-Majid, a cousin and trusted member of Saddam's clan. General al-Majid is known by the Kurds of northern Iraq as "Chemical Ali" because he was in charge of the Iraqi forces which launched a chemical weapons attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja in 1988. He was also initially the "Governor" of Kuwait after Iraq's invasion of the Gulf state in August 1990, and is now one of the Baath Party regional command leaders. He is believed to have travelled to Tripoli to deliver a personal missive from Saddam to the Libyan leader, confirming the arrangements for his family.") (111602)
WASHINGTON TIMES.com: "BAGHDAD INCREASES RANGE OF SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES" by Bill Gertz (111502)
FOX NEWS.com: "RAW DATA: IRAQ'S LETTER TO U.N." (111302)
FOX NEWS.com: "IRAQ STOCKPILING GAS ANTIDOTE" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The fate of 31,600 chemical munitions, 550 mustard gas bombs and 4,000 tons of chemical precursors remain unknown, according to Congressional Research Services. In fact, the primary remaining chemical weapons questions center on the VX nerve agent, which atropine can be used to counter. By 1995, UNSCOM uncovered enough evidence to force Iraq to admit to producing about 4 tons of VX, but UNSCOM thought the country had imported enough material to actually produce 200 tons of VX, according to CRS.") (111202)
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE: "IRAQ PREPARES MISSILE, AIRCRAFT NEAR SAUDI BORDER" (October, 2002)
WorldNetDaily.com: "NO LONGER AN ACCIDENT" -Commentary by Jack Cashill (COMMENTARY SNIPPET: "A fourth point of interest is the behavior of President Bill Clinton. Although she served as an adviser to Clinton during his 1992 campaign, Mylroie finds his reaction to Iraqi-backed terrorism "inexplicable." In fact, throughout the book, Mylroie quietly condemns the seeming "policy disarray" that leads time and again to inaction. The administration, she notes, suffered from the inability to tell the truth about Iraq even to itself.") (111902)
AFTENPOSTEN.no - Norwegian News: "STATE PAYS TERROR SUSPECT'S LEGAL BILLS" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Mulla Krekar was initially a refugee from Iraq who arrived in Norway in 1991, was granted residence permission and allowed to bring his family to Norway as well. He later traveled back to northern Iraq, however, where he allegedly has led guerrilla warfare in the area. Krekar also is suspected of having ties to the terrorist network al-Qaeda, and he was arrested at the airport in Amsterdam in September.") (102902)
GOOGLE Search Term: "ANSAR-AL-ISLAM"
ALBAWABA.com - THE Middle East Gateway: "LIGHTS, CAMERA ACTION? HOLLYWOOD STARS TAKE A STAND ON IRAQ" (102702)
I would imagine that other clown in Zimbabwe would be a popular choice for the position. What's his name Mugbu or something like that?
Well, you may want to crack open a history book or newspaper someday. Saddam's first job was as an assassin. He has gassed 40 villages of his own people out of existence. He has invaded two neighboring countries. He lobbed Scud missles at Israel during the Gulf War, even though Israel was explicitly forbidden from joining the coalition and was a non-combatant. Iraqi refugees detail how he and his family delight in being privately entertained by the torture of Iraqi citizens. He is eager to develop weapons more powerful than CS-gas so that he can kill even more people. He IS evil, by any definiton of the word.
Of course, simply SAYING he's evil is meaningless, as you point out. However, his own actions are what we are really responding to. In case you've been too busy apologizing for him to notice, let me tell you that his troops shoot at allied planes daily (as his own press releases state), that he sends money to the families of suicide-bombers, that he organizes large-scale "death to America" marches, that he has been violating 16 UN resolutions for a decade, he has been violating the terms of the 1991 cease-fire for over a decade, that he would be happy to use WMD's if/when he develops them (since he uses the most powerful general destruction weapons he has already against his peope and his neighbors), and that Iraq is close to developing those weapons (his administration has already announced they haev the technology and the plans to build a nuke, now they just have to construct and test it... that's one year, tops). Anyone else in the world who behaves in a similar manner should be removed from office, as well.
If the above facts aren't enough for you to see that the people of Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Israel, America, and the world all need him removed, then you're probably too busy buying Husseini kneepads to bother with.
Sure let's remove him, but let's not pretend it's about his potential to use a WMDtm. North Korea seems to be a far bigger threat as they actually have WMDtms, but we're choosing to go the diplomatic route there. Yeah, the U.S. is not likely to pick a fight with someone who actually has nukes which is how we can be sure Iraq does not have them.
Given the fact we have been aleady lied to about alledged Iraqi aggression (the baby/incubator thing), I have trouble believing the remainder, eg. gassing Kurds, etc.
Hussein may be a whole bunch of things, but let's get a reality check on the real U.S. motives for wanting him out - oil and/or geo-strategical interests.
Okay, now it's my turn to say it... simply SAYING that those are our "true" interests in Iraq doesn't make it so. Your turn to back it up with facts. Prove to us that it is monetary and military reasons, and not humanitarian reasons, that we might do this.
True, but his actions directly threaten US citizens, and our favorite protectorate, Israel. Also, Mugabe and the majority of other thugs don't have any realistic chance at nuclear weapon production. Therein lies the need to address him, first.
As for his troops shooting at allied planes, well if you had foreign planes bombing your country (without U.N. approval) you might fire back too. Why the surprise there? The indignation regarding the violation of U.N. resolutions seems to be a tad selective as Israel have violated a ton of them too, but no mention of that. So when is it OK for a country to violate a U.N. resolution? If it happens to be called Israel? Now I'll get accused of bashing Israel regardless of the truth of what I write.
Israel-basher. ;^) Okay, fine, leave the 'shooting at our planes' lines out of my list... there's still more than enough to justify our action.
Sure let's remove him, but let's not pretend it's about his potential to use a WMDtm. North Korea seems to be a far bigger threat as they actually have WMDtms, but we're choosing to go the diplomatic route there. Yeah, the U.S. is not likely to pick a fight with someone who actually has nukes which is how we can be sure Iraq does not have them.
It is BECAUSE they are more likely to use nukes (because they have them, and are actively telling us that they will use them), and BECAUSE they have the backing of China (one of only two nations that the US needs to fear and treat differently than the rest, because they are almost our military equal... the same reason we fought and won a COLD War against the Soviet Union, not a combat War). See the parallel? Nation with strong backing and/or nukes, NorthKorea, use diplomacy. Nation without strong backing, with nukes "merely" imminent, Iraq, use force quickly and decisively. It's not that difficult, unless you use the "well what about the other guy" arguments that every over-simplifying 13 year old uses. Yes, there are many criminally-violent leaders in the world, It isn't our job to get them all. It IS our job to get the ones who target US citizens (and our favorite protectorate, Israel), and to stop the ones who support those who target us.
Given the fact we have been aleady lied to about alledged Iraqi aggression (the baby/incubator thing), I have trouble believing the remainder, eg. gassing Kurds, etc.
Gee, so if one false rumor gets out, then every report is to be discounted, despite the fact that there are dozens of witnesses, thousands of photos, and physical evidence supporting it? You have the gall to refer to others as 'intellectually stunted' when you're so willfully ignorant as to ignore mass murder because someone falsely claimed, without evidence, that the mass murderer also broke a crib? Interesting.
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