Revealing Baath Party Secrets - Basra residents, files outline harsh nature

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-wobaat163222587apr16,0,7553967.story?coll=ny-worldnews-headlines ^ | 16 Apr 2003 | Edward A. Gargan

[AFPhys]

Basra, Iraq - Its tentacles were everywhere, its spies ubiquitous, its threats thinly veiled and its celebration of one man, Saddam Hussein, adulatory. It controlled schools, hospitals, the police, the army, the oil industry, hotels, the courts - indeed, almost every facet of Iraqi life. For it, children spied on parents, wives on husbands, sisters on brothers.

For three decades, the Baath Party permeated Iraqi society to a degree similar to the Nazis in Germany and communists in China during the Cultural Revolution. It tortured and murdered its opponents, real and imagined, sought to exterminate whole ethnic groups, and eviscerated any glimmer of civil society from a country that had once been among the wealthiest and best educated in the entire Arab world.

snip...
Indeed, while the depths of hatred toward the party are profound - victims of torture, abuse and imprisonment are abundant - the early days of the post-war administrative effort, at least here in southern Iraq, have made no obvious attempts to confront the Baath Party. Instead, the British forces who captured Basra have appointed a former senior Baathist general as transitional mayor of this city of 1.3 million people, as well as former Baathists as police and traffic chiefs. Many of the members of the transitional city council, the majlis, are Baath Party adherents.

snip...
From a brick-walled compound of two-story buildings ceremoniously christened "The Mother of All Battles Headquarters," the Baath Party ran Basra. It kept files on the city's citizens. It awarded medals - "The Mother of All Battles" medal - to its enforcers. It compelled its members to recruit soldiers. It took land it needed. It doled out money to hold parades for Saddam Hussein - and kept records on who participated. It circulated plans for street fighting. It warned of spies in its midst.

The Baath Party operated at myriad levels in Iraqi society, from the humdrum to the fearsome. For many Iraqis, it was a constant feature of their lives, for others it was a nuisance that was easily shucked aside.

Party documents, a collection of which were assembled and translated during several days here, reveal a party consumed with money, security, traitors, finding jobs for its members, and most of all pleasing Saddam Hussein, mostly by making sure an endless series of parades was organized in his honor. It was a party whose bureaucrats couldn't spell, and a party whose grip was at times so tenuous that it had to award bonuses to soldiers at checkpoints whenever they managed to capture an army deserter. It also was a party utterly devoid of any ideology, save that of revering its "comrade leader."

From the trivial to the consequential, there was nothing and no one the Baath Party did not keep records on.

For a parade in honor of Hussein that was to be held Nov. 11, 2000, the party headquarters insisted that military units marching in the parade contain women.

snip...
"All the people in Basra love Saddam Hussein," said Sheik Adnan al-Ghanim, who was the third-ranking member of Basra's Baath Party, speaking, almost alone, inside the huge meeting hall in his sprawling estate. "When people say they don't like him, they are lying."

Al-Ghanim's brother, Ali Ahmed Majeed al-Ghanim, nodded in agreement. "Where is Saddam hiding?" he said. "In my heart."

[AFPhys]

The article is much, much longer...

This is a fascinating account of life in Iraq. It also gives a taste of how difficult it will be to recover after a generation of this type of totalitarianism.

[xJones]

But there are, even a week after the British occupied this city, true believers, Baathists who claim to be shocked by what has happened, Baathists longing for their power and privileges, longing for their leader, Saddam Hussein.

Good article, and this is going to be worse than occupying Germany and Japan, 1945.

[the lone wolf]

Once again, the key word is left out.

The correct name is the Baath SOCIALIST party.

Small wonder they acted like Nazis (National Socialists) or Commies (International Socialists).

Just another branch of the same diseased tree.

[RS]

.... and CNN kept it covered up ...

[AFPhys]

I do not agree with you about this being a worse problem for us. We are going to cut them loose in short order, and depend on those who have had a taste of freedom and democracy to handle the situation. It is far, far different culture than either Germany or Japan, and their initial prospects are much better, since with the exception of the 10% of the population who actually got some benefit from the torturous regime of Saadumb, the people are chafing to get their freedom from him and move their country back to the prosperity (relative) it had before Saadumb.

[xJones]

I most sincerely hope you are right.

[SAJ]

Oooooh, Ba'ath secrets!

Like, for example, Oil of Uday? A drop or two will smooth the skin PERMANENTLY...what an advertising slogan, eh!

[Publicus]

"a party consumed with money, security, traitors, finding jobs for its members,"

-OH MY GOD! THIS DESCRIPTION OF THE BAATH PARTY OF IRAQ SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE...THE DEMOCRATS!

Yes, please President Bush, PLEASE bring back our troops here...QUICKLY!

[quietolong]

We need to take a look at this. This is the same thing the liberals are tying to do here. With some degree of success. Take the school system.

[Revelation 911]

Im not quite clear what the stars mean........Mother-******* ....would you be so kind as to check with the poster?

[drstevej]

"Mother- *******" ~ Illbay

Let's see, maybe we can figure it out...

Mother-lovers? (NO, not enough letters)
Mother-huggers (POSSIBLE)
Mother-Hubbards (NO, too many letters)

=-=-=-

Being FRmascot means never having to say you're sorry.

[FreedomPoster]

Puh-lease. If you're offended, fine, tag the moderators, but no need to ping JimRob and a cast of 1000's and be a drama queen about it.

[FreedomPoster]

ping

[Revelation 911]

this from his palestinian sycophant - get bent

[Revelation 911]

Being FRmascot means never having to say you're sorry.

maybe "mother trucker" ? - hmmm - it fits the stars but not the context

Being FRmascot means the rules are not applicable as long as you reside in the "bashed" column

[FreedomPoster]

You know little about me and have no basis for making that statement. AFAIAC, the "Palestinans" should be relocated east of the Jordan River as was intended in the original partition.

All you have managed to do is confirm my earlier assessment.

[Free Vulcan]

I think it's mother flubber.

[CCWoody]

Being FRmascot means never having to say you're sorry. ~ drstevej

Illbay is kind enough to censor it because it is a secret temple password. This way, he can use it without us ever figuring out what it means.

Woody.

[restornu]

Grow-up and stop acting like school yard watch dog bullies!

You keep stalking and policing the LDS to point fingers.

Someone has a thread that on another site they can't talk about Christianity (which on this site you can) and you want to equate that with you can't bash other religions, and that is making it impossible to talk about your own faith.

Why don't you celibrate your faith.

Don't tell us because unless you tear down another persons faith, your faith suffers?

I know that for a fact that is NOT true for the Lord answers ALL of OUR prayers!

You have become like a bunch of inane children!