A Show Trial

Why does the Bush government have to be the one in charge of this trial? Is it so hard to imagine the Iraqis want their pound of flesh too?<p> <p>---<br>"History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme" Mark Twain <br />
"The greatest price of not participating in politics is being governed by your inferiors." Plato

Yeah, the fledgling Iraqi government is indeed happy to "off" Mr Hussein
on their very own, and the little struggles over US / Iraqi custody show
they are trying to stretch their wings. But even if they get really far from
US influence, they were appointed by the US after all and so whether
they are independent or not is kind of moot.

They've gone from being a 51st State, to U.S. Puppet, and they may
graduate to U.S. Satellite and then on to Banana Republic if things go
smoothly. Assuming they don't take a detour to "large radioactive
parking lot."

---
“Sex, Drugs, Love, Marx...”
Flick Harrison’s new digital feature
MP3, trailer, scenes and stills at:
http://www.armedrabble.org/sdlm.htm

A little truth here - Saddam will be tried by the Iraqis and their justice system, not the Americans or the bogus 'International Court' in the Hague. This is as it should be, the Iraqis should be the ones to expose and judge him - hopefully a cathartic experience for their country.
The arrogance of some people like this 'respected Member of Parliament' is astounding - do they honestly believe that Iraqis will be simply 'stooges' of the Americans? That's not only arrogant but ignorant.
Take a step back from the ambulance-chasing journalists and see what Iraqis are themselves doing. Like any other group of people they are voting with their feet. During Saddam's rule approximately five million Iraqis became refugees, many settled right here in Canada, and now approximately one million have moved back to Iraq - none moved back while Saddam was in power, but they're moving back now because they finally have hope for the future.
Some people will use any excuse they can find to attack Bush and Blair but it should still be pointed out to them when they are insulting and maligning an entire country by doing it in this manner.

Flick,

That's I guess what we call *black humour*? I'm laughing with a furrowed brow.

No 4C, that what we call "Glowing" humour <p> I slay me.<p> <p>---<br>"History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme" Mark Twain <br />
"The greatest price of not participating in politics is being governed by your inferiors." Plato

Anon,

How insulting is it for Bush and Blair to tell the Iraqis that they invaded them to liberate them from Hussein after all the other lies were exposed? You've just insulted all of us that know better. Of course things must get better in that someday maybe there will be no more cluster bombs, helicopters overhead, and suicide bombings. But the day that Iraq is given charge of itself is the day that its resources have been sucked dry. Do you think there will be a Bush and a Blair to make sure the Iraqis are liberated from death and poverty then? Read Raed in the Middle Blog or Riverbend Blog and see what they think of the new Iraqi government. I understand their feelings.

Were you one of the people lobbying for the government to go in? Is this why you have to defend Bush and Blairs disgusting mistake? I do think many people had their own ulterior motives for wanting the USUK coalition to invade Iraq and none of you had any idea how badly it would all turn out. Now that it's been proven to be a huge pandoras box do you need to defend yourselves because it would be too hard to live with otherwise? Bush and Blair went in with an agenda born on ill intent. When we approach anything from that point of view the results will mirror that intent.

I fully understand the "voting with their feet" thing... although I think a war followed by a decade of sanctions must have something to do with it also. On the other hand, what do you suppose is the message the Iraqis are trying to send with their IEDs?

All of the stated cases for invasion have proven to be ficticous so don't blame anybody if they seem a little upset. (But if you must blame them for something, blame them of not having the foresight to realise the consequences)

I doubt judgement on the fate of Hussein made by this kangaroo court is going to be of any consequence to he average person trying to make a living amongst the chaos and ruins of their occupied nation.

Dr. Caleb,

You're killing me too.

And beware some people will use anything at their
means to defend Bush and his Terror.

good job!

Mike

IED's it only takes one person to make and set. I think it's short sighted, and pessimistic to judge the out come due to a FEW islamic extremist. Furthermore it took almost a decade before we handed Germany and Japan back. Guess what was going on in Germany until the very end of occupation? The exact same thing that is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have been doing a little research on "all of the countries we have been sticking our noses in" and in my hummble opinion these ountries are now fledgling democracies. I have to say this again, we are not the enemy. Nothing is perfect. Nothing humans do is perfect, it never will be.

Mike

Perhaps you don't realise there IS a popular nationalist movement in Iraq.

The reports of the violence being due to extremists or insurgents limited in numbers of about 5000 have been proven to be totally false (much like the pre-war "intelligence"). Not only is the number much higher, the overwhelming majority of the resistance fighters are ordinary Iraqis (NOT foreign jihadists: the types responsible for the beheading of Nick Berg and Paul Johnson).

I wonder why the media does not differentiate between the acts of the minority of extremists (the army of ansar al-sunnah or the followers of al-sadr for example) to the resistance of Iraqi nationalists when there IS evidence that the latter group is an active and sizable entity...


"Furthermore it took almost a decade before we handed Germany and Japan back."

That would be true EXCEPT for the portions of Germany that are occupied by American military bases. So, to say that the US left Germany is not true.

"The exact same thing that is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan."

I find myself completely dumbfounded that people are still trying to compare the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan to WWII. You would realize these situations are NOTHING alike if you'd attempt to read into the claims bush has been making then and since as they are nothing but a paper-thin facade (I am not making an exaggeration here). The results of the "war on terra" include:

-a WILD-GOOSE CHASE for Osama/al-qaeda
-a complete route for a pipeline to move oil from the Caspian Basin.
-a booming opium industry
-invading a secular and fairly affluent country on FALSE claims citing NON-EXISTENT "threats"
-bush attempting to now use the UN to backup his assertions that Saddam might have had an intent to manufacture weapons with the capacity for possible mass distruction (comical, isn't it?)
-bush discrediting his own intelligence agency in order to protect himself (yes, the intelligence was fabricated but that doesn't change the fact that bush planned on invading Iraq since his first week in office, according to Paul O'neill)
-discrediting his own terrorist expert (Richard Clark) after bush intentionally failed to even attempt to avert the massacre
-attaining the power to detain any person indefinately without charges or a trial
-ramrodding Ballistic Missile Defense in to existence (more like a missile magnet. Defense? ha! )

...and it just goes on like that.


"I have been doing a little research on "all of the countries we have been sticking our noses in" and in my hummble opinion these ountries are now fledgling democracies. "

So you must be aware of the ventures taken in Chile, Argentina, Columbia, Haiti, El Salvador, Panama, IRAQ, AGHANISTAN, Viet Nam, ....

It has been widely accepted that American intervention has SET-BACK the progress of many, if not all of these nations because the US has traditionally supported the rule of fascist tyrants that served their own ends.

"I have to say this again, we are not the enemy. Nothing is perfect. Nothing humans do is perfect, it never will be."

So now the new defense is "nothing is perfect"? I don't recall anybody asking the US to perfectly invade Iraq then perfectly install an imperfect puppet government in the first place.

-Canuck

I'm going to bump this up to seek ANY response to the above...

The very fact that the pervasive and parroted talking-points about "the war on terror" can so easily be shot out of the sky troubles me... so many people seem to confuse the sloppiest of talking-points as solid fact.

If you can't back-up your own arguments for war, its no better than wanting war for the sake of war. "They" STILL refuse to even use oil for an excuse for declaring war on Iraq.

The acquisition and security of resources has been a fairly common pretense for invasions and bloodshed all over the world. But, apparently, this reason is WORSE than no reason at all!

So, TO ALL THE NEOCONS, is this a war for resources or is it war for its own sake?!?!

-canuck