Iraq shuts down Net access to block U.S. e-mail campaign

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | Jan. 12, 2003 | Robert Collier

[FairOpinion]

Baghdad -- Apparently in response to a blanket e-mail campaign by the U.S. military urging dissent and defections, the Iraqi government shut down -- at least temporarily -- all Internet access and the country's two e-mail servers.

Although no official explanation was given, e-mail service stopped midafternoon on Friday. Some service was resumed Saturday morning.

CNN reported Friday that the Pentagon and other U.S. government agencies were sending e-mails from disguised sources encouraging dissent and military defections. Messages also reportedly warned against carrying out any order from President Saddam Hussein to use chemical or germ weapons against U.S. or allied forces if a U.S.-led attack is launched.

A U.S. official told the Associated Press that this was the first time such a technique had been used.

"It is consistent with all of the messages we have been trying to send to Saddam Hussein," the official said. "It's just another means."

In Iraq, Internet use is expanding fast despite strict government controls.

[FairOpinion]

Apparently Saddam can't be sure about the loyalty of his people, or he wouldn't be so worried to go this far, and shut down all e-mail traffic to the entire country.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[Cacophonous]

Apparently Saddam can't be sure about the loyalty of his people, or he wouldn't be so worried to go this far, and shut down all e-mail traffic to the entire country.

Although he is letting them arm themselves...

[ZOOKER]

Uncle Spam?

[FairOpinion]

Although he is letting them arm themselves...

---

He may live to regret that. Think Ceausescu. I doubt that Saddam is better liked by his people.

[NMFXSTC]

What our Feds oughta be doin' is flooding them with free porn sites!!!!!!!!! Let 'em see what the free world has to offer instaed of those silly Muslim outfitted babes!

[Drippy]

My guess is that there are very few Iraqi citizens who actually utilize the web.I do not think of them as the most technologically savvy nation out there.Isn't modern plumbing pretty rare there amoung the average households? A little US propaghanda can't hurt though.The message might filter down through the citizens.

[Anti-Bubba182]

DONATE TODAY!!!. SUPPORT FREE REPUBLIC

Donate Here By Secure Server

Or mail checks to
FreeRepublic , LLC
PO BOX 9771
FRESNO, CA 93794

or you can use

PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com
STOP BY AND BUMP THE FUNDRAISER THREAD

[hoosierham]

But, but, but....the INTERNEt IS GOIMG TO MAKE DICTATORSHIPS AND EVIL IMPOSSIBLE !!!!!!

Don't bring a computer to a gunfight.

[AM2000]

the country's two e-mail servers.

LOL

[tet68]

or he wouldn't be so worried to go this far, and shut down all e-mail traffic to the entire country.

You don't suppose someone would send him a virus do you?
I mean, what's an innocent arab to do? Heck just one ping on a XXX Camel site and bang your harddrive is toast.
Shameful.

[LiteKeeper]

You don't suppose that blasting the existence of this operation all over the news mught have contributed to his action, do you? The press should be shut down - whatever happened to "loose lips sink ships?"

[nwrep]

the country's two e-mail servers.

... and all three of its computers.

[hunter112]

I think that we wanted the Iraqis to have no access to the Internet, what better way to shut them out? Let Saddam do our dirty work! The more the average Iraqi is in the dark, the easier it is to mount our attacks. If the Internet works in Iraq like it does everywhere else, routers would keep communications open when parts of the network are blown apart. They didn't have the Internet back in '91.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Shoot, why don't we all freep Sodamn when he gets back online.

[FairOpinion]

You don't suppose that blasting the existence of this operation all over the news mught have contributed to his action, do you? The press should be shut down - whatever happened to "loose lips sink ships?"
----

Well, I think in this case the press was actually helpful. Now all the generals, even those who didn't get e-mails, know what was in them and they are on notice that they should not obey Saddam, expecially if he orders them to release WMD.

I think this is a case of us using the known inability of the press to keep things to themselves, for our own purposes.

With just the e-mails, the generals who were receiving them, may have thought it could be a joke, but with the Pentagon announcing to the newspapers that they sent out the spam, now all the generals know where it came from.

Politics is harder than 5-dimentional chess, trying to get all the moves right.

[mhking]

"Hold muh beer 'n watch this!" PING....

If you want on or off this list, please let me know!

[Norman Arbuthnot]

I guess this means Uday Hussein will have to do without his Yahoo e-mail account and DemocraticUnderground.

[RansomOttawa]

TEEN LOLITAS Lifting Their Burqas and Showing their Gorgeous Underage ANKLES!

HOT HOT HOT!

Join ABSOLUTELY FREE for a limited time!