I was a naive fool to be a human shield for Saddam (MUST, MUST READ!)

The Sunday Telegraph ^ | March 23, 2003 | Daniel Pepper

[MadIvan]

I wanted to join the human shields in Baghdad because it was direct action which had a chance of bringing the anti-war movement to the forefront of world attention. It was inspiring: the human shield volunteers were making a sacrifice for their political views - much more of a personal investment than going to a demonstration in Washington or London. It was simple - you get on the bus and you represent yourself.

So that is exactly what I did on the morning of Saturday, January 25. I am a 23-year-old Jewish-American photographer living in Islington, north London. I had travelled in the Middle East before: as a student, I went to the Palestinian West Bank during the intifada. I also went to Afghanistan as a photographer for Newsweek.

The human shields appealed to my anti-war stance, but by the time I had left Baghdad five weeks later my views had changed drastically. I wouldn't say that I was exactly pro-war - no, I am ambivalent - but I have a strong desire to see Saddam removed.

We on the bus felt that we were sympathetic to the views of the Iraqi civilians, even though we didn't actually know any. The group was less interested in standing up for their rights than protesting against the US and UK governments.

I was shocked when I first met a pro-war Iraqi in Baghdad - a taxi driver taking me back to my hotel late at night. I explained that I was American and said, as we shields always did, "Bush bad, war bad, Iraq good". He looked at me with an expression of incredulity.

As he realised I was serious, he slowed down and started to speak in broken English about the evils of Saddam's regime. Until then I had only heard the President spoken of with respect, but now this guy was telling me how all of Iraq's oil money went into Saddam's pocket and that if you opposed him politically he would kill your whole family.

It scared the hell out of me. First I was thinking that maybe it was the secret police trying to trick me but later I got the impression that he wanted me to help him escape. I felt so bad. I told him: "Listen, I am just a schmuck from the United States, I am not with the UN, I'm not with the CIA - I just can't help you."

Of course I had read reports that Iraqis hated Saddam Hussein, but this was the real thing. Someone had explained it to me face to face. I told a few journalists who I knew. They said that this sort of thing often happened - spontaneous, emotional, and secretive outbursts imploring visitors to free them from Saddam's tyrannical Iraq.

I became increasingly concerned about the way the Iraqi regime was restricting the movement of the shields, so a few days later I left Baghdad for Jordan by taxi with five others. Once over the border we felt comfortable enough to ask our driver what he felt about the regime and the threat of an aerial bombardment.

"Don't you listen to Powell on Voice of America radio?" he said. "Of course the Americans don't want to bomb civilians. They want to bomb government and Saddam's palaces. We want America to bomb Saddam."

We just sat, listening, our mouths open wide. Jake, one of the others, just kept saying, "Oh my God" as the driver described the horrors of the regime. Jake was so shocked at how naive he had been. We all were. It hadn't occurred to anyone that the Iraqis might actually be pro-war.

The driver's most emphatic statement was: "All Iraqi people want this war." He seemed convinced that civilian casualties would be small; he had such enormous faith in the American war machine to follow through on its promises. Certainly more faith than any of us had.

Perhaps the most crushing thing we learned was that most ordinary Iraqis thought Saddam Hussein had paid us to come to protest in Iraq. Although we explained that this was categorically not the case, I don't think he believed us. Later he asked me: "Really, how much did Saddam pay you to come?"

It hit me on visceral and emotional levels: this was a real portrayal of Iraq life. After the first conversation, I completely rethought my view of the Iraqi situation. My understanding changed on intellectual, emotional, psychological levels. I remembered the experience of seeing Saddam's egomaniacal portraits everywhere for the past two weeks and tried to place myself in the shoes of someone who had been subjected to seeing them every day for the last 20 or so years.

Last Thursday night I went to photograph the anti-war rally in Parliament Square. Thousands of people were shouting "No war" but without thinking about the implications for Iraqis. Some of them were drinking, dancing to Samba music and sparring with the police. It was as if the protesters were talking about a different country where the ruling government is perfectly acceptable. It really upset me.

Anyone with half a brain must see that Saddam has to be taken out. It is extraordinarily ironic that the anti-war protesters are marching to defend a government which stops its people exercising that freedom.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

Bumpski.

[VOA]

...our daughter...talked to several students that were for the action in Iraq and
several against. Her opinion is those against it do not really know why.....
Now they see the way the coalition forces are being met with celebration and are puzzled.
Naive sums it up best.

Just my personal angle...but "pathetic, warped, myopic education in history"
is surely part of the picture.

The sanitized view of history FORCED onto kids in public schools (and too many
private schools) has warped much of the current generation.
But it's just history repeating itself.
IIRC, the classes at Oxford voted for a referendum that they'd NEVER serve in the military
no matter who was the U.K.'s leader or who the enemy was.
Suppossedly this happened in the mid-late 1930s...and within five years virtually
all of these same guys were in uniform.

What has suprised me about the "peace protestors" this time around is how they're headed
down the same path to violence trod by "The Weathermen" a generation ago.
It's starting slow, but little acts like slashing the tired on a TV van (yesterday in
Los Angeles) and cursing some of the correspondents that were COVERING
THE EVENT while spitting insults about how "the media is ignoring the peace movement"...
all I can hope is that there is violence...these nutburgers will IM-plode.

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Thanks so very, very, much!

Yours was the biggest and best (sharp image)..
and so we DID use it today!

We printed it out as handouts..all were taken!

I am sorry we did not get back to you before now, it was a busy day..and a huge success, really, I can't thank you all enough!

We met with NO naysayers, (unwashed peaceniks)

We live in a small city, but we were 150 strong, and had lights flashing and horns honking in support from our Police, local traffic, and 18 wheelers..our wonderful "Knights of The Road."

Thanks again for all your help, we are so grateful..

This "Newbie" has an old dinosaur of a computer, and so cannot do many of the things that you guys can and know how to do..you really came through for us...

Thanks from the bottom of my heart...

Ms.B

[MS.BEHAVIN]

First time I've heard the term "Nutburgers."

LOL

Been laughing ever since..

Ms.B

[VOA]

First time I've heard the term "Nutburgers."

"Nutburgers"
A term that radio host Michael Medved often uses...especially after
an interview with some of the leading "minds" of the left.

If Medved's radio show (syndicated by The Salem Radio Network) in your area,
I think you can get it over the internet at www.smarttalk870.com, the website
for KRLA 870AM in Los Angeles that carries him from noon-3PM, Pacific Time.

[MS.BEHAVIN]

I'm up here in Maine...a nest of Liberals..

Geography is the only thing that keeps me here..

Wish I could catch that show..;-(


Ms.B

[JoJo Gunn]

Be aware when linking to the Bay Sodom IMC that if they find out you've linked to their images they'll either block it or replace the image with something else that further promotes their massive mental illness.

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Wow!

Can you please explain further?

Thanks..

Ms.B

[TheAngryClam]

And I'm on THIS website, too.

Glad to see that Freepers find each other through methods other than just Free Republic.

[MeekOneGOP]

It makes my day to find out that you were able to accomplish your mission using that. I was afraid that maybe I found and posted it too late for you to use. Thanks, FRiend! :O)

Re #207, JoJo Gunn: Thanks for the heads up ! . . .

[MeekOneGOP]

Ah! Well, I'll be darned. Thanks !

I hope the site I 'borrowed' your picture from doesn't alter the image to something awful . . .

[GOPJ]

bump

[Cuttnhorse]

From what University is the flag photo? It causes my blood pressure to rise to rage levels.

[GOPJ]

Here's a really good idea:

I wished I had read this article before I went to the support your troops rally today. I would have copied it and handed it out to everyone.

[GOPJ]

Here's a really good idea:

I wished I had read this article before I went to the support your troops rally today. I would have copied it and handed it out to everyone.

[EdReform]

BTTT

[MeekOneGOP]

From what University is the flag photo? It causes my blood pressure to rise to rage levels.

I went back to my GOOGLE Search link there on #175 and found the correct site again where the picture is linked. I found this text posted just above the pic. It looks like it can be credited to Nancy Pelosi's cradle of UNcivilization/unAmerican, San Francisco:

THE "MAINSTREAM" PEACE MOVEMENT

SF Indymedia, home to the craziest conspiracy theories this side of the Zundelsite (although not so distinguishable anymore, since we know it's those awful JEWS behind all our problems, right, Rep. Moran (D-VA)?) has posted photos from today's anti-war march in San Francisco.

Now, the anti-war movement represents a broad coalition of mainstream America. They told me so. They just happen to be lead by crackpot war criminal defenders and march through the streets carrying banners that read the tired old "No war but the class war" and my new personal favorite "We support our troops... when they shoot their officers."

Now, Indymedia likes to switch photos when they notice they've been linked to, so I'm including that one at the bottom, but it might change, probably to one of the mangled Iraqi propaganda photos that the lefties like to pass around to show how evil American intervention is, just so you know. Also, I wonder what my fellow UCLA Law students and military veterans Phil Carter and Chris Baker think of that one? I suspect they're not going to be very charitable.

[Cuttnhorse]

Thanks so much Meek...this photo will go out to all my non-Freep friends...everyone needs to see who these ***holes are.

[JoJo Gunn]

Images you see at Free Republic aren't stored on the FR computers (which are called “servers”). Many, if not most, of the images at the Sodomite site usually are. (As in the case of this particular image, if you right click on it and see the "Properties", you'll see it's stored at the IMC).

http://sf.indymedia.org/uploads/1_shoot_officers.jpg


Actually, on that thread there's a few wailing about it, how it makes them look bad. As if they can “fix” their image??? Applying Estee Lauder on lepers makes as much sense.

Here's the actual thread. Catch it until nessie decides to trash it.

http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2003/03/1583064_comment.php#1589402

[MeekOneGOP]

You bet. Thanks for spreading the word . . .