They Executed Saddam

Parent Cafe
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<p>

This is oft repeated, but never explained. Glad someone else is wonderin’…</p>

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<p>Gee, you should have asked, the facts are public record:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.globalissues.org/Geopolitics/MiddleEast/Iraq/Sanctions.asp[/url]”>http://www.globalissues.org/Geopolitics/MiddleEast/Iraq/Sanctions.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Clinton’s own people don’t question the number.</p>

<p>I didn’t need Mini to tell me this; my church protested this issue back in the 90s. But he is perfectly right to keep it in the public eye.</p>

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<a href=“http://img.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/albums/v235/dzlnitro/saddam1.jpg[/img]”>http://img.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/albums/v235/dzlnitro/saddam1.jpg

</a> safe image</p>

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<p>Clinton bombed the wastewater treatment plants, and then refused to allow shipment of simple antibiotics and anti-diarrheals to deal with the predictable results. A million people died, half of them children under age 5. The European nations charged him with genocide; Denis Halliday, the United Nations undersecretary, resigned, charging him with genocide. </p>

<p>None of these actions were aimed at military bases, military personnel, or Saddam Hussein - they were explicitly aimed at civilian populations and, specifically, children. More than three times as many people died as a result of Clinton/Albright’s actions as ALL of those killed by Saddam Hussein in 30 years. There isn’t a family in Iraq today that didn’t suffer the death of a family member, usually a child, either in their immediate or extended family. More children died than in Rwanda-Burundi. More children died than Jewish children who died in death camps in Germany in any one year between 1941-1945.</p>

<p>Albright went on U.S. national tv and said of the genocide, “we think the price was worth it.” Of course, she didn’t lose any children. I spent a good part of the 90s raising funds to do what little could be done to repair the treatment plants.</p>

<p>Life imprisonment without possibility of parole, I think, would be a suitable sentence. (Maybe a little time off for good behavior?)</p>

<p>This is the fourth time I have provided this explanation. If you would like all the documentation from Denis Halliday and UNICEF, all you have to do is good web search.</p>

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<p>It is good that the Iraqi court system convicted and sentenced Saddam to death. His death ends his inflamatory speeches about how he is still the president of Iraq and how his followers should kick out the Americans. Hopefuly, his followers will realize he got what was coming to him and they will turn their attention to playing a positive role in a new democracy.</p>

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<p>And even in 2007, some people still live in LaLa Land.</p>

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Then I guess it’s just not registering with me because IMHO, the responsibility for the Iraqi deaths lies with the unyielding leader of the country who defied all requests to allow weapons inspectors back into the country. Unfortunately, countries must live with the repercussions of the vile actions of their leaders, right mini? ;)</p>

<p>I’m no Clinton fan and never have been, but mini, your statements are not reasonable. Good thing you’re not judge and jury! ;)</p>

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<p>He was a dictator, a dictator. Can I repeat that again? A dictator. How can you hold responsible the people he terrorized, and say it’s their fault their children died–half a million of them?!</p>

<p>How can you possibly equate that with our responsibility for the actions of our elected leaders???</p>

<p>With all due respect, Berurah, it’s your statements which are not reasonable. I’m glad you’re not judge and jury! I guess the Iraqi people are still living with the repercussions of their leader, so nothing we do there is our responsibility, right? We can just keep blaming Saddam, even though he’s dead!</p>

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<p>Not to mention, what civilized country kills children to get the attention of another country’s leader???</p>

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<p>“Clinton bombed the wastewater treatment plants, and then refused to allow shipment of simple antibiotics and anti-diarrheals to deal with the predictable results. A million people died, half of them children under age 5. The European nations charged him with genocide; Denis Halliday, the United Nations undersecretary, resigned, charging him with genocide.”</p>

<p>Mini, as a writer, you know this paragraph is terribly misleading. The bombing of the wastewater treatment plants did not lead to the death of 500,000 Iraqi kids.</p>

<p>The sanctions over an 8 year period may have led to the deaths of up to 500,000 Iraqi kids.</p>

<p>These were UN sanctions so there is plenty of blame to go around.</p>

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<p>They also did not bomb the wastewater treatment plants. They bombed the electricity plants, which led to not having enough electricity to run all the other stuff. The intent was to “accelerate” the effect of the sanctions, which were UN sanctions that were, I believe, started under George H. W. Bush (admittedly continued under Clinton). If any children died, it happened more as a result of the sanctions themselves than because of any bombings. Clinton ordered bombings of military targets in 1998 in the Desert Fox operation. This was after Saddam’s repeatedly evicting US weapons inspectors alleged to be spies and/or obstructing the work of the others. Various UN inspectors left on their own in frustration. Of course, the 98 bombings did not help matters, and while militarily successful, strategically they were a failure and helped lay the groundwork for the March 2003 invasion by eliminating sources on intel as no weapons inspectors/spies went back into Iraq after that, leaving our knowledge of what was actually going on murky at best.</p>

<p>This is no way to spend New Years Day, but I have learned a lot. And to think all I was interested in during the '90s was toilet training and preschools. Thanks to all for spurring some interesting, if depressing, googling. What we need to elect is not one party or the other, but people who can actually make good decisions. Where do you suppose we might find them? Once found, can they even get themselves on the ballot?</p>

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<p>I have been meaning to switch to being registered Independent. What we really need is a third Party that is viable, like a true centrist Party where all the moderates could congregate and maybe the good decision making might emerge there.</p>

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Yes, there have been about a hundred postings explaining why your argument it meritless yet you continue to state it. I suppose your view would have been to let Saddam do whatever he wanted and take no action. I don’t think your view would be popular in Kuwait. U.N. Sanctions were an appropriate response to a dictator’s actions.</p>

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<p>“What we really need is a third Party that is viable, like a true centrist Party where all the moderates could congregate and maybe the good decision making might emerge there.”</p>

<p>I couldn’t agree more!</p>