As I woke up this morning to welcome the sun of the happy day of Eid Al-Adha, I saw the breaking news that Saddam had been just executed. The first moment I heard the news, I was shocked. I felt deep sadness and great loss. It reminded me of the similar feeling I had when I saw the statue of Saddam falling at Al-Firdaws circle. with those two events, I felt that the dignity of Iraqis, my dignity, was targeted. Just like how I felt that the soldier who put his shoe on the head of Saddam's statue was putting his shoe over the soveriegnty of Iraq, in the same perspective the execution seemed to be the first step of the mission of wiping Iraq off the map as a united state. Saddam died the moment he was caught in that rat hole, but this execution was targeting Iraq's sovereignty and unity.
It filled me with rage and frustration to see Saddam killed by a bunch of leaders who deserve to be killed ten times more than he did. I never liked Saddam, in fact I always hated him as much as I could. I did admit that he did several good things to Iraq and Iraqis and that he was above all a national leader but the fact that he wronged many people and killed many civilians made it impossible for me to think of forgiving him. But now, I feel that Saddam was the last thing left from the unity of Iraq. And I fear that his death might bring doom on Iraqis, and the end to Iraq as a united state.
It is very shameful to see how ridiculous the court is. When it was first established by Paul Bremer, they were talking about preserving international law and human rights. But now as both the American and Iraqi government are about to collapse, the court suddenly decides to override all international laws and apply the sentence of death on Saddam regardless of the international doubts and denials about its legitimacy, professionality and credibility.But, this is all good.
Saddam's death is obviously the last card that the Bush Adminstration of losers had, and it was also the last card that Iran could draw. I had predicted that Saddam's execution will be delayed until the last days of Bush's presidency in 2008. But having this execution taking place now will blow the entire Iraqi situation up. In addition, the increasing resistance will prove to the world that the situation is not terrible because of those 'Saddamists'. The death of Saddam will strip down all the excuses from the Bush Adminstration and will prove that resistance is a national choice and the American Army must withdraw from Iraq.
I am already looking forward to the political earthquakes that shall happen in 2007 inshaAllah!
But most importantly, happy Eid to everyone :)
7 ramblings:
Hi Majed,
Were you being sarcastic in your statement to looking forward to 2007? I honestly don't think 2007 will so good to look forward to...alot of the Shi'ites seem really hell bent on revenge against what they see as Saddam's supporters (Sunnites) and only believe in this more so since the Kufa suicide bombing a few hours after Saddam's execution. Last week, we even saw a car bombing in Adhamiyah which, if it was the Shi'ite militias, will be the first of its kind. A numerically superior adversary now employing the same extraordinary tactics that the Sunnites were using (car bombings, suicide bombings, etc) can only spell out more death. It sort of seems like there will be alot more fighting, and nothing to look forward to. :(
Saddam could have stopped all of this.
Anonymous,
I am looking forward to 2007 in terms of how much failure it shall bring to the American Adminstration and the collapsing puppet Maliki Administration.
Of course 2007 is expected to be more deadly than the years before, but Saddam taught Iraqis patience.
It's a matter of who keeps biting on the other's hand longer.
For purposes of intellectual honesty, I am a conservative (support Bush) American. I feel a little weird about the execution of Sadaam. I have been sickened by the media bloodsuckers!
That said, nobody can change the past. The future, however, we can change. I would love nothing better than for ALL US military to come home, AND for All Iraqis to live in peace and prosperity. For my wish to come true, a few things must meet reality.
Before suggesting what benchmarks, IMHO, are necessary, I want to offer my view, brutally honest as it may be, to some underestimations that have and will be made about the American Government.
The power of the US government is derived from the American people. The American people as a whole have a hospitable, charitable, and tolerant heart. The US government serves at the will of a good people. Sometimes governments have misused the American people's trust, but when this has been done there will be an accounting made.
Other peoples of the world make their opinions of the US and its citizens based on news accounts delivered by a, IMHO, corrupt media. America has been likened to a huge bear, as long as it is happy and at rest, it looks like a toy bear. Poke a stick at it and you'll see all manner of ugliness and violence.
You and all you know will never have a better friend than the American people. As mentioned before, sometimes the US government doesn't speak with the will of the people. There is a price to pay though; the first President Bush found this out in 1992; Pres. Carter in 1980.
If the people of Iraq were to quiet the violence and with civility make the point that we (US) have destroyed the infrastructure of Iraq and should rebuild it: the US would trip over itself trying to help, and not just rebuild, but amaze Iraq with its genuine will to see Iraq enjoy the best of everything. History is full of examples of this, but you must look past the jealousness and hate with which many people point out the opposite. Please honestly look at Japan and Germany.
Not that the Americans make them what they are... Japanese and German peoples are responsible for their own country's wealth, but if the US were as terrible as many say, do you think these countries would have the ability now to stand in the UN and rebut the US?
Benchmark 1. Relative peace and civility. When this happens and the people request America leave, it will!
We are responsible to Iraq's people to leave stability in the wake of war.
Benchmark 2. Assurance that none exist in Iraq that would poke a stick at us. Weapons of mass destruction was just an excuse to
remove a government with the will and ability to poke a big stick at us. The people of Iraq could have stopped this
war before it started. Note to the people of Iran: hate us if you will, but do not let your government threaten our
way of life.
Benchmark 3. Oil is Iraq's resource to do with as it pleases, so long as it doesn't finance or cause to finance a threat to the US.
In another post I suggested that as a plan the people of Iraq should remove the temptation of power by mandating
profits from oil be given 10% to Gov; 10% to each: education infrastucture and Medical; 70% to all citizens who live
and have lived (physically) in Iraq for the last 10 years.
I also included that this idea might be sophomoric, but something along these lines: to vest power in the people rather than Government of Iraq. I fervently hope that America gets not one drop of oil from Iraq for less than the market price. Further I believe that as the supply of oil dwindles, Americans will be better off because we will develop an alternative source of energy.
I hope that any who read these words take them in the spirit in which I wrote them. I truly wish peace and prosperity to all.
Dave in the US
Dave I'm confused by your post. You say the portrayl of America as a bear is a corrupt one, but then use the analogy yourself. Japan and Germany didn't have the ability to rebut the US...Japan's SDF serves as a proxy force of the United States and Germany sacrificed itself politically for the US.
"Note to the people of Iran: hate us if you will, but do not let your government threaten our
way of life."
I have met several Iranians and I don't think any of them hated the people of the United States...United States Foreign Policy sure, but on an individual level no. There are far larger threats to the American "way of life" then Iran.
"Oil is Iraq's resource to do with as it pleases"-- You don't say?!
I think I said:
>>Other peoples of the world make their opinions of the US and its citizens based on news accounts delivered by a, IMHO, corrupt media. America has been likened to a huge bear, as long as it is happy and at rest, it looks like a toy bear. Poke a stick at it and you'll see all manner of ugliness and violence.<<
Now if you'll permit, I said the media is corrupt, but the point is: opinions of the American people are based on a media biased for purely US-political reasons. Those opinions are dangerous in that they give people false hopes or fears about what the US will or will not do. The second mention of the "stick" is used purely as a grammatical device. Sorry if you misunderstood the use.
Mention of Germany and Japan was meant to offer you the chance to honestly look at how those countries have progressed economically and politically after having been at war with the US.
The war in Iraq may have been averted altogether if Germany, France, Russia, and China had not been accepting Iraqi oil money from Sadaam. If, for instance, a unified voice at the UN would have convinced Sadaam to allow open WMD inspections, inspectors may have found nothing and Bush would have had egg on his face BEFORE the war! WMD as I have said was probably an excuse, but after having made the case so strongly for WMD Bush would not have had the support of the American people for war if open inspections were allowed.
My inclusion of a note to the people of Iran is based on my hope that the people of Iran will take control of their government. If the government in Iran is representative of the people, then they are responsible for whatever happens in the future.
Finally, your jibe "You don't say?!" is IMHO not honest. You took a part of a sentence and found fault with it.
Dave in the US
It is a true shame when a despicable dictator is turned martyr and killed on a holiday. No matter how many people have spoken with me about this, so few have understood the magnanimity of this choice.
I just don't get it...over 300 days a year and that THE one to do it.
Peace and Prosperity in the new year to you, your family and your beloved homeland.
Eid Mubarek *days late*
Peace~Sallam,
aisha
Good riddance to bad garbage.
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