Diary and Commentary
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What is with the French? A poll taken before the collapse of the Iraqi regime showed that fully one-third of them want Saddam to defeat the US, while another 40 percent 'have no opinion'---in other words, they do not care. Certainly they know what sort of man Saddam is and what sort of government he ran. Just to remind them:
When British forces entered Basra they were led to a chamber of horrors. It had served as a police station but had been abandoned by the Baathists as the Brits seized control of the city. It contained cattle prods, branding irons, meat hooks, manacles, a crude electric chair (powered by a hand-cranked generator), a long steel rod---let your imagination run wild for this one---and photo after photo of mangled and burned bodies. Locals told the soldiers that rape was a principal form of torture there---some prisoners were forced to listen to tape recordings of their wives and daughters being assaulted. Finger nails were torn out, the living were lowered into baths of acid, eyes were gouged out.
As the allies seize more and more Iraqi territory, all sorts of interesting things are showing up. For one thing it appears that the fleeing Baathists have dumped barrel after barrel of chemical weapon's compounds---including cyanide---into the Tigris, from where millions of Iraqis get their drinking water.
The French prefer that the Iraqi people continue with all this. Perhaps the Americans and Brits should have left these Gallic creatures at the mercy of their Nazi conquerors.
It is all about oil. Yes, you read clearly. The anti-war types are right. Oh, they only had the country wrong: It is all about oil---for France.
Have you ever wondered why Chirac went through all that song and dance before the UN? Some cynical types said that he was desperate to prevent the US from overthrowing Saddam and forcing into renegotiation all contracts signed between the Baathist regime and foreign countries. Well, he was.
Chirac and Hussein have been business partners for almost 30 years. It was Chirac who managed to get approval for the sale to Iraq of a nuclear reactor (happily---and competently---destroyed by the Israelis in 1981). Since then Chirac and Hussein have engaged in all sorts of shady deals involving oil and weapons contracts, most of which were in violation of UN resolutions since 1991. (And take note of Chirac's home in a rather pricey section of Paris. It is---how does one say it?---quite beyond the income of a French president. As Mark Twain said, "France has always been governed by prostitutes." It still is.)
The French oil company involved is TotalFinaElf. It has outstanding contracts for the delivery of Iraqi oil worth billions---and in dollars, not francs. Now with Hussein already (or soon to be) at room temperature, all those deals are at risk. Imagine the effect on the French economy if Chirac cannot get the US to allow those contracts to continue. Thus, the desperation of Chirac. He is still at it, bleating away that the US must now allow the UN (read France) to take control in Iraq. Never mind that for 13 years France and the UN have been an accessory to murder and tyranny there: Since the end of the Gulf War more than 500,000 Iraqis have been killed by their government as Hussein blithely ignored the impotent pontificating of the UN.
Bush must be smiling. He has made it plain that UN control will not be allowed. For one thing, US and English blood has been spilled in the sand of Iraq to purchase the freedom of its people; for another it would be an outrage to allow those who had supported the Baathist tyranny to profit at its demise.
The Iraqi people are certainly not fooled by the French gyrations. As I write these words I read that the French cultural center in Baghdad has just been sacked by the Iraqis. They also sacked the German Embassy for good measure. (They see clearly enough who their oppressors were.) A few days ago a Russian convoy was blown apart as it was hurrying to Syria. No word yet who is to blame---or who gets the credit. So it seems that three of the four pro-Saddam Security Council members have been given a rather strong message about their support of Hussein. This leaves China: If I were in its embassy right now, I would high-tail it out of there.
(And this just in: US soldiers found near the Baghdad airport a bunch of Roland-2 air defense portable missiles. They are among the best of their type. One brought down an USAF A-10 warplane a few days ago. The dates on some of these missiles is '2002.' Guess which country manufactures them?)
In Thomas Sowell's words, France was once a great power but is now just a great nuisance. The French backed the wrong horse in this contest, and it will cost them dearly---not that I care much about these moral imbeciles.
Chirac and Saddam in happier days.
The US has banned the display of the American flag by US troops on Iraqi territory.
Somebody forgot to tell the Iraqis.
War is not always Hell.
Pity the poor anti-war types!
On the wrong side of the war, on the wrong side of freedom, on the wrong side history---again.
(From John Cole at the Herald Sun: crj@herald-sun.com)
The true cost of this war
And the only one worth mentioning.
What their blood bought
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It seems that whatever shape the new Iraqi government assumes, it will normalize relations with Israel. If this happens it will absolutely revolutionize the Middle East and change the political and moral landscape of the world. The latest Zogby poll show that as of April 9 75 percent of the American people support the war. This is up from 68 percent on March 28. (Does anyone wonder about that 25 percent? My guess: most voted for Al Gore; most live in and around San Francisco, Seattle and various enclaves on the East Coast; most hate the Second Amendment; few have served their nation.) Here is the Iraqi National Congress' Nabeel Musawi on the UN: They [the UN] did not play a very honorable role when it came to dealing with Saddam... We believe the UN needs to put its own house in order before it can play a credible role here.
Here is Chirac on the UN:
With the victory of our common values we can hope for and invent a world in which, in line with the principles of collective responsibility and solidarity, states freely accept that the use of force should be subject to law.
Mr. Chirac, exactly what "common values" did you display during your long dog-and-pony show at the UN? Had it been left to you the Iraqi people would still be in bondage. You played nothing more than a Lewinsky to Hussein's Clinton, and with less dignity. You prattle about "the use of force being subject to international law." But since when has France ever consulted 'international law' before sending its military (such as it is) to enforce French dicta in Africa? You speak of solidarity, but the only solidarity France showed was toward Saddam---just as it showed solidarity toward the Nazis in 1940. Mr. Chirac: All who know of you and your nation laugh when you speak of 'principles'. As Dr. Johnson would say, your principles are those of a dancing master.
And here is more about French 'solidarity' and 'principles':
On March 31, Mr. Villepin spoke with Libyan Foreign Minister Abd-al-Rahman Muhammad Shalqam about "the need to launch an international initiative to put an end to the aggression, return to international legality and prevent America and Britain from persisting in this aggression."
So France is aligning with a terrorist regime---again---in another attempt to "prevent US and British aggression." Truly, the war has clarified much: nations with honor and nations without it. Speaking of which...
Two days ago at a 'Congress of Losers' in Saint Petersburg Chirac, Schroeder and Putin met to discuss how to 'get back in the game,' that is, how to get some lucrative rebuilding contracts in Iraq. They want all such things left to the UN so that they will control who gets what in post-war Iraq---and no doubt to conceal their pre-war deals with Saddam and to recoup their losses. We can expect France to continue its silly game of anti-Americanism. It is surprising that Putin, an old KGB hand, would hitch the Russian bear to the French poodle.
Just for fun, do a google search on French military victories. Google returns 'Your search - French military victories - did not match any documents.' Would somebody please tell Putin? It seems some Iraqi biological weapons specialists---by the way, how does one get such a title? Is there a class offered somewhere?---have fled to Syria. Rumor has it that they are applying for visas to---please do not faint---France. There is a tremendous battle going on right now 200 miles northwest of Baghdad, at Qaim, on the road to Syria. The Iraqis and their foreign mercenaries are fighting ferociously, much more so than they fought elsewhere. Might they have something to hide there? Any weapons of mass destruction spirited away by Saddam before the US invasion would have to pass through Qaim. Anyway, this just strengthens the case against Syria, a regime much like that of Hussein's---all arguments favoring war with Hussein could be used as well against the regime of Assad---and one that begs destruction. (Syria is arguably worse, as it has turned Lebanon, formerly known as 'the Paris of the Middle East,' into a nightmare of monstrous gangsterism and terror.) Just for fun, do a google search on the topic of Syrian support for terrorism. You will find 145,000 documents. We have just witnessed the most dazzling display of military lethality and excellence the world has seen. Recall the epitaph of Sulla: "No one has ever had a better friend or a worse foe." Enemies of the US, please take note---and I know you are. I love it! The US military has just been issued card decks with pictures and biographies of 55 of the 'most wanted' of the fallen Baathist regime. These could replace Pokeman. ("Tell you what, I'll give you two Udays for one Saddam.") It is just like a Texan to issue a bunch of 'Wanted Dead or Alive' posters. It rather reminds one of the proscription lists of Sulla and Marius. So CNN has finally 'come clean' and admitted that much of what it has reported from Iraq for the last 13 years has been full of omissions. These were done so that CNN could retain its office in Baghdad. Astounding. More important than the truth was access to the Baathist regime. Anything remotely unfavorable to Saddam would have meant CNN being tossed from Iraq. Rather than confronting a tyrant, they snuggled up to him and obeyed. They censored themselves so as to benefit Hussein and their beloved 'access' to him and his motley and murderous throng. So what should we now make of CNN's reporting from Cuba? From Syria? What are they obscuring today so that they can continue to receive dinner invitations from their hosts? Finally, why does the 'Congress of Losers' claim expertise on rebuilding a nation, instituting laws and a constitution, and creating stability? Some history: Russia and France have seen three different governments in the 20th century, Germany four---and the US one. Since the French Revolution (1789) France has had 18 constitutions, the Russians seven--- and the US one. (Germany as we know it did not exist until 1871.) Since 1789 the Russian regime has been violently overthrown once, the German three times, the French five times---and the US never. Since 1789 here are the number of lawless regimes created in: Germany---one; Russia---3; France---4; the US---none. And how many foreign nations since 1945 have been rebuilt by: Russia---none; France---none; Germany---none; the US---eight. So tell me: which nation is more suited and competent to 'nation build' in Iraq? Call me Nostradamus The Chinese Embassy was just sacked. I hope that no Iraqi read my web site and decided to take action. Oh, I really do indeed hope not! The dim outlines of a French pro-Syrian policy are emerging. The Gauls are yet again aligning themselves with a regime that specializes in murder and terror. This is astoundingly cynical, as the Syrian regime was behind the 1983 truck-bomb killing of 60 French soldiers in Lebanon. France does not care even about its own people---to say nothing of Iraqis---and beds down with states that murder them. The weird-haired midget-monster currently squatting in North Korea has seen the writing on the wall. Syria is a target---and about time. No honor among thieves: It turns out that Chirac's and Schroeder's buddy Putin has been spying on Tony Blair in the months leading up to the war. This espionage included tapping into private conversations between Mr. Blair and other Western leaders and turning the information over to Saddam. But wait, there is more---so much more: Putin also gave Hussein intelligence about available assassins for duty in the West, offered to arrange visas for members of the Baathist regime, and gave Baghdad information about a variety of arms deals the Russians were making. (Trust me, this story will become MUCH bigger.) Putin has slept with the French poodle, and now has awoken with fleas. (Or more vulgarly, flies are not attracted to gold, they are attracted to something else.) Syria delenda est. Coming soon to a theater near Damascus.
Brought to you by these guys.
You ask why? One reason:
The US Embassy in Lebanon April 18, 1983 as a result of a Syrian-sponsored truck bomb. Sixty-three died. August 27, 1980 Syrian agents attempt to assassinate John Gunther Dean, the American Ambassador to Lebanon.
September 3, 1981 Syrian agents assassinate French Ambassador Louis DeLamare.
October 23, 1983 The First Battalion, 8th Marines Headquarters building is bombed. Two hundred forty one soldiers, sailors and Marines are killed---more than double the number than in the current war in Iraq.
Oh, Those Peace-Loving Palestinians! The Palestinians live in a different universe than we do A Palestinian Authority (PA) deputy minister of planning and international cooperation, one Adly Sadeq, still praises Saddam, calling him "a thorn in the eyes of the imperialists." Memo to Mr. Sadeq: Saddam was a thorn that has been removed. He is dead. Get over it. Get on with your life, such as it is. Sadeq believes that Palestinians "will never change our mind [about Saddam], no matter what [the attempts at] humiliation and deception...[Saddam] made mistakes, which are an inevitable part of the experience of great leaders who rule complex societies in dangerous geographical regions during difficult times." Never change your minds about Saddam? No matter that he was the greatest killer of Moslems and Arabs in history? He is indeed a "great ruler" the same way that Alexander and Caesar and Mao and Stalin and Hitler have been "great rulers"---their greatness rests upon sacks of human bones. Iraq is a "complex society?" No, murderous thugs like Hussein---and his pals in Syria---have no idea what a "complex society" would look like. Such a society exists only where there are long traditions of local rule, civil law and limited central authority. Iraq was ruled by Hussein like Cicero, Illinois was ruled by Capone. Sadeq is right that Iraq resided in a "dangerous geographical region." It was made dangerous by Saddam himself. Headlines in the Sunday Morning Herald: Muslims save Baghdad's Jewish community center from looters Iraqi Muslims came to the aid of Baghdad's tiny Jewish community yesterday, chasing out looters trying to sack its cultural center in the heart of the capital. 'Shock and awe' has penetrated even Iran's leadership (AP April 12): Iran's former president expressed support Saturday for holding a referendum on restoring ties with the United States, marking a significant shift as his fellow hard-liners nervously watch U.S.-led forces take control of neighboring Iraq.
Nothing succeeds like success. Iran is now facing the most powerful military in the world---right next door. It gets the message. Will Syria?
The families of Palestinian suicide bombers used to receive $25,000 from Saddam. Now that paymaster sleeps with the fishes. The war has already served to reduce terror in Israel. Iran has been the major source of funding of Hezbullah in Lebanon, but now it might be having second thoughts. Which leaves Syria, the main supporter of Hamas terror in Lebanon. Once it is---how does one say it?---out of the way, the Palestinians will have no support in the regime except purely the vocal sort from the squalid Arab states near by and from the impotent European Union. Perhaps then the Palestinians will come to their senses and stop immolating their children through hatred and murder. Perhaps one day they will love their children more than they hate Israel. His best buddy now gone, Chirac has found another.
Syria delenda est. The father of Bashir al-Assad, Hafiz, decided on February 2, 1982, to make an example of one of Syria's own rebellious cities. The lucky place was Hama. To find out what nightmare Assad unleashed upon his own people, read this. It is not for the squeamish. Accounts differ on the number of dead. Choose a number between 20,000 and 40,000 and you will be close enough. Many were gassed.
CNN Collaboration News Network. Cowardly News Network. Conniving News Network. Contrived News Network. Craven News Network. Cover-up News Network. Co-opted News Network. Conspiracy News Network. Corrupt News Network. Compromised News Network. Castrated News Network.
And already 'reporting' from Havana: Cuba News Network. Castro News Network. Communist News Network.
CNN: It reports. Saddam decides. The Israeli army has taken stock of the US victory in Iraq. This is, of course, more bad news for her enemies.
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