Pacifica Commentary for December 18, 2003

Hello, this is Blase Bonpane with a comment.

Iraq has been personified as Saddam Hussein for the past 14 years. Media pundits often

spoke as if he were the only person living in Iraq.

Over a million people have been killed in the name of seeking this one-time friend of the

United States. Organized crime would never accept such a sloppy performance.

The first Iraq Massacre of 1991 was entirely unnecessary and was condemned by

international tribunals under the skilled direction of our former Attorney General Ramsey

Clark.

The apple does not fall far from the tree. Bush the lesser now presides over an

ongoing massacre in the wake of Bill Clinton's support for the continued bombing of Iraq

together with death dealing sanctions which killed thousands of children each month.

And what about the trial of Saddam Hussein? International law is a reality. All but a few

rogue states respect international law. If the United States adhered to international law

there would have been no bloodshed in Israel and Palestine.

If we adhere to international law today, father and son Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Bill

Clinton and even Jimmy Carter could be called before the proper court at the Hague.

Saddam as defendant could correctly state that he seized power in Iraq with

U.S. approval in 1979 and how he was rewarded for moving his allegiance from the

Soviet Union to the United States. Saddam Hussein could further explain how the United

States encouraged and financed his invasion of Iran in 1980 creating one of the longest

and bloodiest wars of the 20th century. Members of the Reagan regime would be

correctly questioned on why Saddam's name was removed from the list of state

sponsored terrorists in 1982.

The court could ask: Donald Rumsfeld about his chummy relationship with Saddam

back in 1983 as the dictator sought further military assistance; or why in 1984 the U.S.

Department of Commerce licensed the export of biological toxins to Iraq; or why there

was no outrage when U.S. authorities knew that the Kurds were gassed in

Halabja by our ally Saddam.

Saddam became the enemy because he would not privatize Iraq's oil. That industry was

nationalized in 1972 and was used to pay for free health care and education in Iraq.

Let the group of criminals who planned this war go before the court together with

Saddam. They helped him to sustain his rotten dictatorship as long as it conformed to our

policy. We must not let this crime be judged by a group of confirmed liars.

Let's go to the Hague bringing in eminent international jurists and let's get all of the

criminals on the stand. If Milosevic can be sent to the Hague, why can't Saddam?

Many people in Iraq are happy to be rid of Saddam...now they want to get rid of us.

For a free copy of this commentary call 323/852-9808....323/852-9808.

This is Blase Bonpane.