I WAS A NAIVE FOOL TO BE A HUMAN SHIELD FOR SADDAM!

The Iconoclast ^ | March 23, 2004 | Murray Soupcoff (The Iconoclast)

[Apolitical]

DAILY NOTEBOOK....

I WAS A NAIVE FOOL TO BE A HUMAN SHIELD FOR SADDAM! .......



March 23, 2003: Today's recommended reading, especially for anti-war activists and Hollywood's fifth column, is a first-person essay by former American human shield Daniel Pepper in The Telegraph (U.K.). In a rambling, revelatory self-confession, a mortified Mr. Pepper lets it all hang out, telling just how deceived and deluded he was about Saddam and Iraq.

The opinion piece is entitled, I WAS A NAIVE FOOL TO BE A HUMAN SHIELD FOR SADDAM, and is well worth reading.

Here's some of what ex-human shield Daniel Pepper has to say:

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.............

[SirAllen]

Bump. One down, a couple billion more to go. Too bad most of them will never see this article.

[laz17]

Excuse me for bringing Oprah up; but I just don't believe she is all she pretends to be.

Oprah is a wolf in sheep's clothing. She is a bonafide enemy of our nation. There's no difference between her and Hitlery, except that she disguises herself well and has fooled many people whom Hitlery could never be able to fool.

[Victoria Delsoul]

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?"

An eye opener for poor Daniel, though we everyday, war-loving, Bush-worshipping right-wingers aren't exactly surprised. To say that Daniel Pepper now realizes he was one of Saddam's useful idiots would be an understatement.

Welcome to the real world, Daniel. Too bad, more of your colleagues in the peace (sic Hate America) contingent haven't had their eyes opened yet. However, that's what the peace movement is all about these days, isn't it? Delusion, self-deception, self-righteousness and hate of the U.S. Peace has little to do with the whole morally-deluded enterprise.

LOL! Amen.

[Valin]

The problem with these "anti-war" (as if anyone sane would be pro-war) people(and here I'm talking about the rank and file) is their ideas on moral philosophy, or international politics stopped at the 3rd grade level, war bad..peace good, and can't we all just get along. Yes war is bad, but it's not the worst thing, tyranny comes to mind. What they don't seem to understand is there are things worth dieing for and yes worth killing for, freedom comes to mind.
And I for one intend to rub their noses in the truth of the regime.
The leaders of the "anti-war" movement and certain European countries are the ones I hold in utter contempt.

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

Thanks for pinging me on this. I wish everyone could read this, especially those who are apprehensively supportive of the war.

[nastypumps]

Thank you! I missed this as was at a rally for Collation of the Willing troops near my home town in Northern California (there are a few of us in la la land who aren't dazed confused or leftist!) Every one of the useful fools & commie tools who march (call them ap-peace-niks) for Iraq should read this & I'll make sure a few do.
Patriots drink California wine!

[EBUCK]

Very good read. I wonder if any of the others, perhaps "Jake", will be writing his changed views down for all to see. This guy has some nuts for sure.

[Barnacle]

Most excellent article Mr. Tooth. I forwarded it widely amoung friends and family.

[PsyOp]

Reality's a bitch!

[Snowy]

CNN and other lefty organizations should probably be held responsible for putting these shields in harm's way. They didn't know the truth until they were already in danger. If CNN would tell the truth, along with NPR and the rest of them, the shields would never have gone over there. < /dream >

[MindyW]

Great find. Thanks for the ping, Howlin.

[Howlin]

You're more than welcome. We have to FIND and POST the good news; it's getting harder and harder to find on the national shows, what with all the Bush bashing.

[MindyW]

Isn't that the truth. Very frustrating, to say the least.