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I was a naive fool to be a human shield for Saddam (MUST, MUST READ!)
The Sunday Telegraph ^ | March 23, 2003 | Daniel Pepper

Posted on 03/22/2003 7:02:58 PM PST by MadIvan

I wanted to join the human shields in Baghdad because it was direct action which had a chance of bringing the anti-war movement to the forefront of world attention. It was inspiring: the human shield volunteers were making a sacrifice for their political views - much more of a personal investment than going to a demonstration in Washington or London. It was simple - you get on the bus and you represent yourself.

So that is exactly what I did on the morning of Saturday, January 25. I am a 23-year-old Jewish-American photographer living in Islington, north London. I had travelled in the Middle East before: as a student, I went to the Palestinian West Bank during the intifada. I also went to Afghanistan as a photographer for Newsweek.

The human shields appealed to my anti-war stance, but by the time I had left Baghdad five weeks later my views had changed drastically. I wouldn't say that I was exactly pro-war - no, I am ambivalent - but I have a strong desire to see Saddam removed.

We on the bus felt that we were sympathetic to the views of the Iraqi civilians, even though we didn't actually know any. The group was less interested in standing up for their rights than protesting against the US and UK governments.

I was shocked when I first met a pro-war Iraqi in Baghdad - a taxi driver taking me back to my hotel late at night. I explained that I was American and said, as we shields always did, "Bush bad, war bad, Iraq good". He looked at me with an expression of incredulity.

As he realised I was serious, he slowed down and started to speak in broken English about the evils of Saddam's regime. Until then I had only heard the President spoken of with respect, but now this guy was telling me how all of Iraq's oil money went into Saddam's pocket and that if you opposed him politically he would kill your whole family.

It scared the hell out of me. First I was thinking that maybe it was the secret police trying to trick me but later I got the impression that he wanted me to help him escape. I felt so bad. I told him: "Listen, I am just a schmuck from the United States, I am not with the UN, I'm not with the CIA - I just can't help you."

Of course I had read reports that Iraqis hated Saddam Hussein, but this was the real thing. Someone had explained it to me face to face. I told a few journalists who I knew. They said that this sort of thing often happened - spontaneous, emotional, and secretive outbursts imploring visitors to free them from Saddam's tyrannical Iraq.

I became increasingly concerned about the way the Iraqi regime was restricting the movement of the shields, so a few days later I left Baghdad for Jordan by taxi with five others. Once over the border we felt comfortable enough to ask our driver what he felt about the regime and the threat of an aerial bombardment.

"Don't you listen to Powell on Voice of America radio?" he said. "Of course the Americans don't want to bomb civilians. They want to bomb government and Saddam's palaces. We want America to bomb Saddam."

We just sat, listening, our mouths open wide. Jake, one of the others, just kept saying, "Oh my God" as the driver described the horrors of the regime. Jake was so shocked at how naive he had been. We all were. It hadn't occurred to anyone that the Iraqis might actually be pro-war.

The driver's most emphatic statement was: "All Iraqi people want this war." He seemed convinced that civilian casualties would be small; he had such enormous faith in the American war machine to follow through on its promises. Certainly more faith than any of us had.

Perhaps the most crushing thing we learned was that most ordinary Iraqis thought Saddam Hussein had paid us to come to protest in Iraq. Although we explained that this was categorically not the case, I don't think he believed us. Later he asked me: "Really, how much did Saddam pay you to come?"

It hit me on visceral and emotional levels: this was a real portrayal of Iraq life. After the first conversation, I completely rethought my view of the Iraqi situation. My understanding changed on intellectual, emotional, psychological levels. I remembered the experience of seeing Saddam's egomaniacal portraits everywhere for the past two weeks and tried to place myself in the shoes of someone who had been subjected to seeing them every day for the last 20 or so years.

Last Thursday night I went to photograph the anti-war rally in Parliament Square. Thousands of people were shouting "No war" but without thinking about the implications for Iraqis. Some of them were drinking, dancing to Samba music and sparring with the police. It was as if the protesters were talking about a different country where the ruling government is perfectly acceptable. It really upset me.

Anyone with half a brain must see that Saddam has to be taken out. It is extraordinarily ironic that the anti-war protesters are marching to defend a government which stops its people exercising that freedom.


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: blair; bush; epiphany; humanshields; iraq; iraqidissidents; saddam; uk; us; war; warlist
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Welcome to reality, lad.

Regards, Ivan


1 posted on 03/22/2003 7:02:58 PM PST by MadIvan
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To: maui_hawaii; JenB; SJackson; TigerLikesRooster; AZLadyhawke; Southflanknorthpawsis; meema; ...
Bump!
2 posted on 03/22/2003 7:03:13 PM PST by MadIvan
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To: MadIvan
Why can't we get this kind of reporting in the papers here in the states!!!!!!

Thanks for the great read.
3 posted on 03/22/2003 7:05:16 PM PST by saigon
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To: MadIvan
See embedded in another story (from UPI) another disillusioned human shield who hears about Saddam from grateful Iraqis.

Exit human shield

4 posted on 03/22/2003 7:06:04 PM PST by jwalburg (Just so you know, we're ashamed the Senate minority leader of the United States is from South Dakota)
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To: MadIvan

"We want America to bomb Saddam."


5 posted on 03/22/2003 7:07:16 PM PST by Paleo Conservative (Gulf War II: The Mother of All Surrenders)
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To: MadIvan
Why the "MUST, MUST READ" tag on this story? I think the headline sums it up nicely!
6 posted on 03/22/2003 7:08:20 PM PST by RANGERAIRBORNE
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To: MadIvan
Well, I guess it's better late than never. Geezus though, how can you be so naive?
7 posted on 03/22/2003 7:08:36 PM PST by ItisaReligionofPeace ((the original))
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To: dd5339; cavtrooper21
ping
8 posted on 03/22/2003 7:08:48 PM PST by Vic3O3 (Texan-to-be...at least there's CCW!)
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To: MadIvan
I wished I had read this article before I went to the support your troops rally today. I would have copied it and handed it out to everyone.
9 posted on 03/22/2003 7:08:50 PM PST by I still care
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To: MadIvan
Good post - thanks.
10 posted on 03/22/2003 7:08:59 PM PST by ThePythonicCow (Mooo !!!!)
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To: MadIvan
Great find, Ivan. Nothing like a good dose of reality to smack these little leftists in the teeth, is there?
11 posted on 03/22/2003 7:09:21 PM PST by Morgan's Raider
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To: MadIvan; *war_list; W.O.T.; 11th_VA; Libertarianize the GOP; Free the USA; knak; PhiKapMom; ...
OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST
12 posted on 03/22/2003 7:09:29 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Where is Saddam?)
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To: MadIvan
And yet another peacenik gets bashed over his mushy skull by the Clue-by-Four of Real Life. Not so neat as your posters and chants would have it, eh?

}:-)4
13 posted on 03/22/2003 7:09:32 PM PST by Moose4 (mystical. I'm MYSTICAL! WOOT!)
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To: MadIvan
Ivan, I just wanted to thank you for consistently posting such great articles...
14 posted on 03/22/2003 7:09:37 PM PST by halley
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To: MadIvan
printing now!
15 posted on 03/22/2003 7:09:44 PM PST by chasio649
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To: ItisaReligionofPeace
Geezus though, how can you be so naive?

PC indoctrination in schools rather than real education.

16 posted on 03/22/2003 7:10:07 PM PST by Paleo Conservative (Gulf War II: The Mother of All Surrenders)
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To: MadIvan
Outstanding article. Looks like this guy is on the same path David Horowitz took.
17 posted on 03/22/2003 7:10:29 PM PST by ThinkDifferent
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To: MadIvan
Better late than never. Im glad this person came back to reality.
18 posted on 03/22/2003 7:10:54 PM PST by Kimlee
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To: MadIvan
Until then I had only heard the President spoken of with respect, but now this guy was telling me how all of Iraq's oil money went into Saddam's pocket and that if you opposed him politically he would kill your whole family.
Where has clueless BEEN? Good grief these people are ignorant.
19 posted on 03/22/2003 7:11:12 PM PST by Libertina (God Bless our Commander In Chief and our Troops!)
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To: MadIvan
What a touching story. Further evidence that these anti-war prostestors are ignorant to the truth. Maybe they all need to go to Iraq for a day.
20 posted on 03/22/2003 7:11:28 PM PST by Alylonee
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