[Culturechat] Saddam's Soldiers: "Tell the Americans to hurry"
WesTexas@aol.com
WesTexas@aol.com
Thu, 27 Feb 2003 07:59:26 EST
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Following is an excerpt from a column by J.R. Nyquist. The full column is=20
at: http://www.financialsense.com/stormwatch/geo/analysis.htm. =20
J. Brown
"Friendly Fire"
by J. R. Nyquist
After writing last week about the anti-American agenda of the organizers of=20
the anti-war movement I received a letter from an intelligent Frenchman who=20
says that he loves America. To his way of thinking George W. Bush is the=20
problem. I also received an email from the chief pro-American voice in the=20
Brazilian media, Olavo de Carvalho. He is exasperated with American=20
conservatives for failing to see that Latin America is being taken over by=20
communists who dream of destroying the United States. The two missives are=20
interrelated and deserve to be considered together.
My French correspondent took me to task for lumping all anti-war protestors=20
together, as if they were uniformly opposed to the United States. According=20
to him, =E2=80=9CLast week=E2=80=99s protests in Europe gathered a wide vari=
ety of=20
viewpoints spanning from crypto-communists bent on weakening America to=20
concerned citizens who rightfully or not consider that war is the last of=20
solutions.=E2=80=9D
The readers of this column probably do not realize that I was initially=20
(though privately) opposed to attacking Iraq. But the rhetoric and the=20
affiliations of those opposed to the war changed my thinking. If an American=
=20
is to take sides in a debate, he cannot in conscience side with those who=20
talk hatefully and maliciously of American power. He cannot, in conscience,=20
argue on the side of communists and anti-Semites against America=E2=80=99s=20
commander-in-chief. As soon as the old Nazi and communist slanders began to=20
appear, as soon as the vicious personal attacks on President Bush were=20
pronounced, the anti-war argument began to stink. And this was no ordinary=20
stench. To adopt the rhetoric of America=E2=80=99s enemies, or to stand alon=
gside=20
those who hate the United States, is inexcusable.
My French correspondent, not remembering his history, asks the following=20
rhetorical question: =E2=80=9CDo Bush, Rice and Rumsfeld think that the Iraq=
i=20
population will become pro-American once the dust has blown over and =E2=80=
=A6 they=20
can =E2=80=A6 eat at McDonalds?=E2=80=9D
Turkish truckers making trips into Iraq recently reported that Saddam=E2=80=
=99s=20
soldiers are desperately hoping for an American victory. In public Iraqi=20
soldiers talk as if they are loyal to Saddam Hussein=E2=80=99s regime. But t=
o the=20
Turkish drivers they show their true feelings. They want to know if the=20
American forces are already staged on the Turkish side of the border. =E2=
=80=9CWhat=20
is taking so long? Saddam is starving us. Tell the Americans to hurry.=E2=
=80=9D Even=20
the Iraqi army wants the Americans to come. It only makes sense. In public=20
all Iraqis must denounce the United States while pledging loyalty to Saddam=20
on pain of death. Everyone in Iraq knows this is the case. Are we to think=20
that people so terrorized are happy with their government and resentful =E2=
=80=93 as=20
they are in France =E2=80=93 against the golden arches of a fast-food empire=
?
My French correspondent is deeply worried about the future. =E2=80=9CWhat ab=
out the=20
consequences of the new regional power structure that will appear? What woul=
d=20
the Iranians think, for example?=E2=80=9DIn 1944 the French were not anxious=
about=20
the consequences of =E2=80=9Cthe new regional power structure=E2=80=9D that=20=
would be=20
established in central Europe after Hitler=E2=80=99s fall. They simply wante=
d to be=20
free from Nazi oppression. Did the United States make a mess of Europe after=
=20
our victory in World War II? Not at all! American policy enabled German,=20
Japanese and Italian democracy to flourish. So why would the establishment o=
f=20
an Iraqi democracy be any different? As for the Iranians, they also want=20
freedom. They are tired of religious tyranny. Yet my French correspondent=20
doesn=E2=80=99t seem to know these most basic facts. Instead, he berates the=
American=20
president for having a mediocre knowledge of the world.
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<HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><BODY BGCOLOR=3D"#ffffff"><FONT style=
=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D3 FAMILY=3D"SERIF" FACE=3D"Times New R=
oman" LANG=3D"0"><B>Following is an excerpt from a column by J.R. Nyquist.&n=
bsp; The full column is at: http://www.financialsense.com/stormwatch/g=
eo/analysis.htm. <BR>
J. Brown<BR>
<P ALIGN=3DCENTER><BR>
"Friendly Fire"<BR>
</B>by J. R. Nyquist<BR>
<BR>
<P ALIGN=3DLEFT><BR>
After writing last week about the anti-American agenda of the organizers of=20=
the anti-war movement I received a letter from an intelligent Frenchman who=20=
says that he loves America. To his way of thinking George W. Bush is the pro=
blem. I also received an email from the chief pro-American voice in the Braz=
ilian media, Olavo de Carvalho. He is exasperated with American conservative=
s for failing to see that Latin America is being taken over by communists wh=
o dream of destroying the United States. The two missives are interrelated a=
nd deserve to be considered together.<BR>
<BR>
My French correspondent took me to task for lumping all anti-war protestors=20=
together, as if they were uniformly opposed to the United States. According=20=
to him, =E2=80=9CLast week=E2=80=99s protests in Europe gathered a wide vari=
ety of viewpoints spanning from crypto-communists bent on weakening America=20=
to concerned citizens who rightfully or not consider that war is the last of=
solutions.=E2=80=9D<BR>
<BR>
The readers of this column probably do not realize that I was initially (tho=
ugh privately) opposed to attacking Iraq. But the rhetoric and the affiliati=
ons of those opposed to the war changed my thinking. If an American is to ta=
ke sides in a debate, he cannot in conscience side with those who talk hatef=
ully and maliciously of American power. He cannot, in conscience, argue on t=
he side of communists and anti-Semites against America=E2=80=99s commander-i=
n-chief. As soon as the old Nazi and communist slanders began to appear, as=20=
soon as the vicious personal attacks on President Bush were pronounced, the=20=
anti-war argument began to stink. And this was no ordinary stench. To adopt=20=
the rhetoric of America=E2=80=99s enemies, or to stand alongside those who h=
ate the United States, is inexcusable.<BR>
<BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D2=
FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0">My French correspondent, not=
remembering his history, asks the following rhetorical question: =E2=80=9CD=
o Bush, Rice and Rumsfeld think that the Iraqi population will become pro-Am=
erican once the dust has blown over and =E2=80=A6 they can =E2=80=A6 eat at=20=
McDonalds?=E2=80=9D<BR>
<BR>
Turkish truckers making trips into Iraq recently reported that Saddam=E2=80=
=99s soldiers are desperately hoping for an American victory. In public Iraq=
i soldiers talk as if they are loyal to Saddam Hussein=E2=80=99s regime. But=
to the Turkish drivers they show their true feelings. They want to know if=20=
the American forces are already staged on the Turkish side of the border.=20=
=E2=80=9CWhat is taking so long? Saddam is starving us. Tell the Americans t=
o hurry.=E2=80=9D Even the Iraqi army wants the Americans to come. It only m=
akes sense. In public all Iraqis must denounce the United States while pledg=
ing loyalty to Saddam on pain of death. Everyone in Iraq knows this is the c=
ase. Are we to think that people so terrorized are happy with their governme=
nt and resentful =E2=80=93 as they are in France =E2=80=93 against the golde=
n arches of a fast-food empire?<BR>
<BR>
My French correspondent is deeply worried about the future. =E2=80=9CWhat ab=
out the consequences of the new regional power structure that will appear? W=
hat would the Iranians think, for example?=E2=80=9DIn 1944 the French were n=
ot anxious about the consequences of =E2=80=9Cthe new regional power structu=
re=E2=80=9D that would be established in central Europe after Hitler=E2=80=
=99s fall. They simply wanted to be free from Nazi oppression. Did the Unite=
d States make a mess of Europe after our victory in World War II? Not at all=
! American policy enabled German, Japanese and Italian democracy to flourish=
. So why would the establishment of an Iraqi democracy be any different? As=20=
for the Iranians, they also want freedom. They are tired of religious tyrann=
y. Yet my French correspondent doesn=E2=80=99t seem to know these most basic=
facts. Instead, he berates the American president for having a mediocre kno=
wledge of the world.<BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D3=
FAMILY=3D"SERIF" FACE=3D"Times New Roman" LANG=3D"0"><BR>
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