marcosolo, 19. Dezember 2003 um 23:10:32 MEZ

The capture of Saddam Hussein is being treated as a celebratory occasion, but it is one that the Bush administration might come to regret.

The onus is on the United States to accord this former ally and head of state all the rights due a high-level prisoner of war, as established at Nuremberg and The Hague.His testimony in open court could prove fascinating if he is allowed to detail his past relationships with top U.S. officials -- including the president's father and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who worked out terms of cooperation with Saddam in 1983.

And now that the "fear factor" of Saddam's ghostly presence has been removed, there is no longer any valid explanation for why former members of Saddam's regime and key scientists cannot show us where all those infamous weapons of mass destruction went. After all, this invasion -- based on a new doctrine of preemptive war that bypassed United Nations inspectors -- was not pitched to the American people as a mercy mission.

We were told that Saddam posed an imminent threat to the world and was close to building nuclear weapons that he might give to al-Qaida. Occupying Iraq, it was stated over and over again by the White House, was a legitimate response to the horror of Sept. 11 and a way to prevent, as Condoleezza Rice once put it, "a mushroom cloud" from appearing over an American city.

Of course, President Bush was finally forced to concede that there was no evidence that linked Saddam to 9/11. Yet, in his brief statement after the capture of Saddam, he again connected the secular dictator to the threat of fundamentalist terrorism. He did this while continuing silence on the Bush family's old business buddies in Saudi Arabia, backers of al-Qaida and other religious fanatics, who numbered Saddam among their enemies.

We have lost valuable time and resources in the struggle to quell al-Qaida and similar groups while creating a morass in Iraq. Saddam's removal was a politically motivated exploitation of our nation's anger and fear over the 9/11 attacks. With the historical footnote of his arrest now in the books, the White House needs to stop its daily lies of commission and omission regarding the war on terror. For example, the administration must stop its stonewalling of the panel Bush reluctantly formed to examine the origins of 9/11.

This official obstruction would seem to be a clear indication that Bush is worried about embarrassing details emerging that could threaten his re-election. Yet Congress and the public must know the truth about 9/11 so that we may make our judgments about what happened and about how similar tragedies can be prevented.

The capture of Saddam, while providing the president with fantastic propaganda footage, does nothing to make us safer from international terrorism. It could, however, shine a harsh light on Washington's decadelong military and economic support of the barbaric Saddam in his war against Iran's religious fanatics, who were making inroads with their brethren in Iraq.

For example, Bush has made frequent reference to Saddam's gassing of his own people, yet those incidents occurred when Bush's father and President Reagan were using the Sunni Baathists as a foil against Shiite Iran in a war that Saddam launched. Reagan removed the designation of Iraq as a terrorist nation and established diplomatic relations with Saddam's regime. The first President Bush extended $1.2 billion in credits to Saddam after the dictator used poison gas against Kurdish civilians.

This is a dirty history that calls into question our current motives in Iraq.

The threat of Saddam's return to power has been a key reason given by the United States for its hesitation to turn over any significant authority to Iraqis. Surely internationally supervised fair elections are now in order, and decisions about the rebuilding of Iraq and the disposition of its oil resources should be made by an Iraqi -- not an American -- government.

To linger in power over Iraq now is to suggest that our motives are imperial, rather than an affirmation of self-determination for the Iraqi people.

? Robert Scheer writes a weekly column for the Los Angeles Times.

 

... Link

marcosolo, 9. Dezember 2003 um 19:16:49 MEZ

Truthähne auf dem Mond... - Turkeys on the Moon... from Michael Moore

8. Dezember

Sehr geehrter Herr Bush

So, jetzt dauert es also bereits zwei Wochen seit Ihrem Ueberraschungsbesuch zu einem der beiden Länder, die Sie jetzt führen, und ich muss sagen, ich werde immer noch durch diese Geste aufgewärmt.

Mann, nehmen Sie mich doch beim nächsten Mal mit! Ich verstehe, dass nur 13 Mitglieder der Medien mit Ihnen gingen - und es stellt sich heraus, dass NUR EINER von ihnen ein wirklicher Reporter für eine Zeitung war. Aber dafuer nahmen Sie gleich FÜNF Fotografen mit (he, ich schnalle es, schraube einfach an den Wörtern, es dreht sich letztendlich eh alles nur um die Bilder!), Ein Paar Nachrichtenagentur Kerle, und eine Mannschaft vom Kanal der Fox Nachrichten (fair und ausgewogen!).

Dann las ich an diesem Wochenende in der Zeitung, dass dieser große Truthahn, den Sie in Bagdad hielten (Sie wissen, das Bild, das eigentlich das unterdessen peinliche Banner von Ihnen auf diesem Flugzeugträger mit dem Zeichen "Mission Vollendet" ersetzen sollte.)

So, und zusaetzlich stellt sich jetzt also heraus, dass der Ihr großer, schöner Truthahn von den Truppen gar nie verspiesen wurde! Er wurde von ueberhaupt niemandem gegessen! Weil er gar nicht echt war! Es war ein Stunt-Truthahn, hereingeschmuggelt, um wie ein echter, essbarer Trutthahn für alle jene großen Kamera Objektive auszusehen.

Jetzt weiß ich, dass einige Menschen sagen werden, dass Sie an Stützen gehen,(wie diejenigen in den niedrigeren äußersten Enden Ihres Flyboy-Anzuges), aber he ich schnalle es erneut, das ist also das Theater! So, und wenn es sich nun nicht nur um einen gefälschten Truthahn handelte? Wenn nun diese ganze Reise von A bis Z nur inszeniert und gefälscht war, "um wie news" auszusehen?

Die unechte Honigpolitur auf diesem Vogel war von der unechten Honigpolitur nicht zu unterscheiden, die diesen Krieg bedeckt. Und die Fälschung, die sich im unechten Vogel ausdruckt, war genau das richtige Symbol für unser Land während dieser Zeiten. Amerika liebt unechte Honigpolitur, es liebt es verdammt noch mal, gemaestet zu werden, SIE wussten es, dass es so ist, was Sie so buergernah mit dem Volk, das sie fuehren, macht.

Es war auch eine gute Idee, dass Sie die "Presse" selbst auf dieser Reise, die sie nach Bagdad unternahmen, die Schatten ueber das Flugzeug herunterziehen liessen. Keiner in der Medienumgebung beklagte sich. Sie mögen die heruntergezogenen Schatten , und sie mögen es, im Dunkeln gehalten zu werden. Dieser Weg macht mehr Spass. Und, als Sie sie die Batterien aus ihren Mobiltelefonen nehmen ließen, damit sie nicht in der Lage waren, jemanden anzurufen, und sie willig folgten, - Ein wahrer Geniestreich!

Ich denke, wenn Sie ihnen gesagt hatten, ihre Hände auf ihre Köpfe zu stellen und ihre Nasen mit ihren Zungen zu berühren, hätten sie das auch getan! Soviel, wie sehr sie sie moegen. Sie haetten "Simon sagt" den ganzen Tripp dorthin spielen koennen. Das wäre beinahe nicht vom Spiel "Karl sagt," zu unterscheiden gewesen, das sie LIEBEN, naemlich jeden Tag mit Herrn Rove zu spielen.

So, wenn Sie sonst noch irgendwelche berraschungen für Weihnachten planen, vergessen Sie nicht, mich mitzunehmen. Als ich letzte Woche hörte, dass Sie einen Mann zurück auf den Mond senden wollen, dachte ich, lass uns die unechte Gans bereit machen - Dort ist es naemlich, wohin Ol' George ueber die Feiertagen hingeht! Ich mache Ihnen keine Vorwuerfe, bei beinahe 3 Millionen verschwundenen Jobs, mit einem Defizitueberschuss von 281 Milliarden $, und einer vom Krieg durchstochenen USA, der nie enden wird - wer würde da nicht gerne zum Mond
gehen wollen! Dieses Mal nehmen Sie aber bitte ALLE Medien mit! Betten Sie sie auf dem Mond ein! Sie werden es dort lieben! Es schaut gerade so aus wie Crawford! Sie können sogar Golf spielen.

Nehmen Sie besser gleich Cheney auch mit. Geben Sie vor, dass es sich um ein medizinisches Experiment oder etwas in diese Richtung handelt. "Dies ist ein kleiner Schritt für die Menschheit, aber ein riesiger Sprung für jeden Amerikaner, der krank und von dieser ganzen Scheiße müde ist.

Ihr Michael Moore

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December 8, 2003

Dear Mr. Bush,

Well, it's going on two weeks now since your surprise visit to one of the two countries you now run and, I have to say, I'm still warmed by the gesture. Man, take me along next time! I understand only 13 members of the media went with you -- and it turns out only ONE of them was an actual reporter for a newspaper. But you did take along FIVE photographers (hey, I get it, screw the words, it's all about the pictures!), a couple wire service guys, and a crew from the Fox News Channel (fair and balanced!).

Then, I read in the paper this weekend that that big turkey you were holding in Baghdad (you know, the picture that's supposed to replace the now-embarrassing footage of you on that aircraft carrier with the sign "Mission Accomplished") -- well, it turns out that big, beautiful turkey of yours was never eaten by the troops! It wasn't eaten by anyone! That's because it wasn't real! It was a STUNT turkey, brought in to look like a real edible turkey for all those great camera angles.

Now I know some people will say you are into props (like the one in the lower extremities of your flyboy suit), but hey, I get it, this is theater! So what if it was a bogus turkey? The whole trip was bogus, all staged to look like "news." The fake honey glaze on that bird wasn't much different from the fake honey glaze that covers this war. And the fake stuffing in the fake bird was just the right symbol for our country during these times. America loves fake honey glaze, it loves to be stuffed, and, dammit, YOU knew that -- that's what makes you so in touch with the people you lead!

It was also a good idea that you made the "press" on that trip to Baghdad pull the shades down on the plane. No one in the media entourage complained. They like the shades pulled and they like to be kept in the dark. It's more fun that way. And, when you made them take the batteries out of their cell phones so they wouldn't be able to call anyone, and they dutifully complied -- that was genius! I think if you had told them to put their hands on their heads and touch their noses with their tongues, they would have done that, too! That's how much they like you. You could have played "Simon Says" the whole way over there. It wouldn't have been that much different from "Karl Says," a game they LOVE to play every day with Mr. Rove.

Well, if you're planning any surprises for Christmas, don't forget to include me. When I heard last week that you wanted to send a man back to the moon, I thought, get the fake goose ready -- that's where ol' George is going for the holidays! I don't blame you, what with nearly 3 million jobs disappeared, and a $281 billion surplus disappeared, and the USA stuck in a war that will never end -- who wouldn't want to go to the moon! This time, take ALL the media with you! Embed them on the moon! They'll love it there! It looks just like Crawford! You can golf on the moon, too. You'll have so much fun up there, you might not want to come back. Better take Cheney with you, too. Pretend it's a medical experiment or something. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for every American who's sick and tired of all this crap."

Yours,

Michael Moore

mmflint@aol.com

www.michaelmoore.com

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ms:volia, ging also nicht lange, bis der zusammenhang vom gefakten turkey zur mondlandung hergestellt wurde. Bin gespannt, was als naechstes folgt.....

 

... Link

marcosolo, 7. Dezember 2003 um 11:32:25 MEZ

George W. Bush - Google No. 1 for miserable failure