Protests ignore Iraq's fascism

New York Daily News ^ | 2/21/03 | A.M. Rosenthal

[kattracks]

The anti-war parades and rallies were stunning in size and number and rich in political meaning - but not nearly as rich as the more passionate participants like to think.

Staged in most of the great cities on almost every continent, they were large and numerous enough to present millions of banners of protest. The United States and its allies got a lot of attention. But as far as I could see, the years of brutality inflicted by the ruler of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, were ignored.

The official U.S. reports on Iraqi human rights are rich in detail on such horrors as Iraq's torture of prisoners, which is just a part of Saddam's system of rule.

The banners and flags that I could see in the TV coverage of the protests did not mention the fact that Iraq's involvement in two Persian Gulf wars - one with Iran, the other Saddam's invasion of Kuwait - was not a matter of pure innocence.

Saddam has treated his own army officers like slaves, casually shooting some of them in the head when they annoyed him.

Americans and Europeans may ask themselves why some of those officers have not put their country out of its agony by placing a bullet in Saddam's head before he puts one in theirs - or at least make a sporting try. Surely they're not waiting for Americans to do the job for them. Or maybe they are.

In New York, there is much talk about how helpful it would be to Middle East Arabs if the Israelis shot Saddam for them. But that was never proposed on any of the placards or banners during the parades, nor was it material for coffeehouse conversation along the road.

Of course, most of the slogans were devoted to stopping the war. "Right away" was heavily implied. I would love the war to be stopped short, too. But that would mean getting the Iraqi Army to feel secure enough to lay down its arms - after having thoroughly slaughtered Saddam's enemies.

In 1948, Costa Rica was the first nation to go army-less. Maybe that lovely country could show us how it's done. Meantime, we should concentrate on some realities about Iraq.

According to U.S. reports, Iraqi security services "routinely and systematically" use torture techniques that include branding, applying electric shocks to the genitals, dripping acid on the skin, breaking limbs and pulling out fingernails and tongues of people who criticize Saddam too loudly.

Getting rid of Saddam & Co. definitely would save some victims.

I suggest that although the sponsors of the parades obviously put plenty of money into the protests, they must have had holes in their pockets when it came to certain issues. They didn't get up enough money to paint banners or print placards that got to the heart of the issue - Iraqi fascism. For that is what the organized system of torture with which Saddam has governed for decades amounts to - fascism. Surely there was some loose change that could have gone into placards saying that.

And think how many good people would have rejoiced if a few of President Bush's words had been reprinted on banners and placards - particularly the ones about the evil folk of the world. His speech about friends remaining friends and enemies remaining enemies would have been wonderfully educating for Europeans.

Even now, such signs could be carried down London's streets on a nice sunny day ... for pleasure's sake.

[JohnHuang2]

The "protesters" are a bunch of fascists who would demonstrate for Hitler just as enthusiastically. Birds of a feather...

[ClearCase_guy]

I wish we had never called it The War on Terrorism. Given that construction, the world could have Peace if only the US would stop making war on the terrorists. Of course that's ludicrous, but some mush-brains fall into that thinking.

I wish we called it The Terrorism War. That captures the dominant tactic of our opponents. It also captures what the US is seeking to end. Clearly the US has been defending itself in The Terrorism War since at least 1993 (first WTC bombing).

And how shall we have Peace? Remember Patrick Henry: "Gentlemen cry Peace! Peace! But there is no Peace." The only two Peace plans are:

Do not defend ourselves and allow the Terrorism War claim more US victims until they get tired of killing us.
OR
Fight back, end the Terrorism War and usher in a period of Peace.

The anti-war protesters choose #1.