On Tue, 1 Oct 2002, Curtis Sakima wrote:
> I dunno, I've been hearing a lot about this "Saddam
> Hussein/Iraq thing" ... and it annoys me that here we
> are ... threatening to bomb Iraq. And I can't figure
> out what Iraq's ever done "to us" first. I mean, have
> Iraqi planes ever flown over the U.S.?? Dropping
> BOMBS?? Have any missiles with Iraqi serial numbers
> on it ever hit any US targets??
1. Since 1991, we have been flying missions over the "no-fly zone" to keep
Saddam from using his military to slaughter Kurds and Shiite muslims as he
has done numerous times in the past. These are intended to just be
monitoring flights to make sure he isn't moving his military into towns to
just kill people because he doesn't like them (which he has done numerous
times in the past). Iraq has been constantly firing missles and
anti-aircraft guns at our planes over that entire time. In return, we
destroy the guns and radar systems used for firing at the planes. Our
flight missions have truly been "peacekeeping" missions (in the sense that
their purpose is entirely to protect the villages that Saddam enjoys
dropping chemical weapons on, etc.). He has been firing on our planes for
11 years.
Note that us patrolling this no-fly zone was part of the UN cease
fire agreement. We would have preferred to just kill Saddam directly, and
establish a new government. But, the UN, and in particular the neighboring
Arab nations were opposed to that (because a "regime change" has such a
nasty feeling apparently. They'd prefer to just kill the pawns controlled
by the evil dictator, than kill the evil dictator himself. And the Arab
countries probably don't want any democracies taking a foothold in the
region, as it would start making their own tyranical regimes look even
worse than they already do).
2. Saddam financed a plot to assassinate former President Bush.
3. He finances and supports groups that have committed terrorist acts
against US embassies, killing US personnel. No, he probably had nothing to
do with 9/11 - but he has financed groups that have killed US citizens at
embassies around the world. Whether a US citizen is killed within the US
or at an embassy overseas makes no difference - they are just as dead.
4. The majority of Iraqis want him dead, for running a regime of terror
and murder.
etc.
> All I keep on hearing ... is that "Saddam" is such a
> "threat". That we must "bomb Saddam" because he is
> "such a threat". No act yet .. but "he is such a
> threat".
No act yet? He has not invaded US soil yet. Neither did Hitler - ever. So,
if invading US soil is the only valid reason for the US to attack another
country, I should be safe in assuming that you feel the US should not have
entered the european theater in WWII? Would the world be a better place
had we not gotten involved, and sacrificed thousands upon thousands of
american lives?
Saddam has used chemical weapons to kill people within his own
country. He has invaded neighboring countries on a couple occasions.
Former Iraqi top scientists who fled the country report that he is close
to having nuclear weapons (but why should we believe them - it's so much
more entertaining to just believe that the US is self-centered and evil,
and that no other country in the world would ever do anything bad,
right?). Sanctions have severely decreased the amount of money Iraq can
generate - and Saddam does an excellent job of hoarding that all for
himself to build nice palaces and fund weapons research, while hundreds of
thousands of Iraqis starve to death. Of course, the US gets blaimed for
that by the international community, even though it was the UN and the
Arab nations that wanted sanctions instead of just letting us kill Saddam
in 1991 as we wanted.
Saddam has pledged rewards to anyone who kills an American. Should
we just bury our heads under our pillows and pretend he's bluffing?
Mike
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