I was a naive fool to be a human shield for Saddam..

RonOnGuitar · Joined: 08 Jan 2003 Posts: 1916

Well, at least the guy wised up! ---

I was a naive fool to be a human shield for Saddam

By Daniel Pepper

(Filed: 23/03/2003)

I wanted to join the human shields in Baghdad because it was direct action which had a chance of bringing the anti-war movement to the forefront of world attention. It was inspiring: the human shield volunteers were making a sacrifice for their political views - much more of a personal investment than going to a demonstration in Washington or London. It was simple - you get on the bus and you represent yourself.

So that is exactly what I did on the morning of Saturday, January 25. I am a 23-year-old Jewish-American photographer living in Islington, north London. I had travelled in the Middle East before: as a student, I went to the Palestinian West Bank during the intifada. I also went to Afghanistan as a photographer for Newsweek.

The human shields appealed to my anti-war stance, but by the time I had left Baghdad five weeks later my views had changed drastically. I wouldn't say that I was exactly pro-war - no, I am ambivalent - but I have a strong desire to see Saddam removed.

We on the bus felt that we were sympathetic to the views of the Iraqi civilians, even though we didn't actually know any. The group was less interested in standing up for their rights than protesting against the US and UK governments.

I was shocked when I first met a pro-war Iraqi in Baghdad - a taxi driver taking me back to my hotel late at night. I explained that I was American and said, as we shields always did, "Bush bad, war bad, Iraq good". He looked at me with an expression of incredulity.

As he realised I was serious, he slowed down and started to speak in broken English about the evils of Saddam's regime. Until then I had only heard the President spoken of with respect, but now this guy was telling me how all of Iraq's oil money went into Saddam's pocket and that if you opposed him politically he would kill your whole family.

It scared the hell out of me. First I was thinking that maybe it was the secret police trying to trick me but later I got the impression that he wanted me to help him escape. I felt so bad. I told him: "Listen, I am just a schmuck from the United States, I am not with the UN, I'm not with the CIA - I just can't help you."

Of course I had read reports that Iraqis hated Saddam Hussein, but this was the real thing. Someone had explained it to me face to face. I told a few journalists who I knew. They said that this sort of thing often happened - spontaneous, emotional, and secretive outbursts imploring visitors to free them from Saddam's tyrannical Iraq.

I became increasingly concerned about the way the Iraqi regime was restricting the movement of the shields, so a few days later I left Baghdad for Jordan by taxi with five others. Once over the border we felt comfortable enough to ask our driver what he felt about the regime and the threat of an aerial bombardment.

"Don't you listen to Powell on Voice of America radio?" he said. "Of course the Americans don't want to bomb civilians. They want to bomb government and Saddam's palaces. We want America to bomb Saddam."

We just sat, listening, our mouths open wide. Jake, one of the others, just kept saying, "Oh my God" as the driver described the horrors of the regime. Jake was so shocked at how naive he had been. We all were. It hadn't occurred to anyone that the Iraqis might actually be pro-war.

The driver's most emphatic statement was: "All Iraqi people want this war." He seemed convinced that civilian casualties would be small; he had such enormous faith in the American war machine to follow through on its promises. Certainly more faith than any of us had.

Perhaps the most crushing thing we learned was that most ordinary Iraqis thought Saddam Hussein had paid us to come to protest in Iraq. Although we explained that this was categorically not the case, I don't think he believed us. Later he asked me: "Really, how much did Saddam pay you to come?"

It hit me on visceral and emotional levels: this was a real portrayal of Iraq life. After the first conversation, I completely rethought my view of the Iraqi situation. My understanding changed on intellectual, emotional, psychological levels. I remembered the experience of seeing Saddam's egomaniacal portraits everywhere for the past two weeks and tried to place myself in the shoes of someone who had been subjected to seeing them every day for the last 20 or so years.

Last Thursday night I went to photograph the anti-war rally in Parliament Square. Thousands of people were shouting "No war" but without thinking about the implications for Iraqis. Some of them were drinking, dancing to Samba music and sparring with the police. It was as if the protesters were talking about a different country where the ruling government is perfectly acceptable. It really upset me.

Anyone with half a brain must see that Saddam has to be taken out. It is extraordinarily ironic that the anti-war protesters are marching to defend a government which stops its people exercising that freedom.

www.telegraph.co.uk/opini...do2305.xml

bbchris

Oh my. Ron. Thanks for posting that. Real food for thought.

Seismic Anamoly · Joined: 22 Aug 2002 Posts: 3039

RON!!!! As Usual.....YOU ARE DA MAN!!!!

When do we start your Presidential Campaign? :laugh

Thank You for sharing the TRUTH...I'd die, and so would my family, before I'd live or allow them to be abused as Slaves to a Butcher....Bottom Line....

Long Live and God Bless The Freedom Fighters....thank God SOMEBODY in this World IS willing to fight for it...for EVERYONE....

:yo

bbchris · Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:12 am Post subject: Re: What would you rather

Interesting post Debbie. I of course have no idea whatsoever what it is like to live under a dictator. I could imagine it but I don't think it would be real. I have a friend who is Vietnamese who's father took the family from Vietnam for their safety.

I believe that human nature dictates people would want to leave somewhere that isn't safe. Have Iraqis been allowed to leave Iraq? Now that there is war, are the refugees welcomed in other countries? I was reading arabtimes and they are worried about the influx of Iraqi refugees - they don't want them!!

Also it would appear that people get used to the prospect of death when they grow up in that environment. Read the email diary of the American girl who was run over by an Israeli tank. She's marvelling at how life goes on in spite of the dangers and fear around them.

I have another friend who watched his wife & child murdered right in front of his eyes (in Cambodia) whilst he was left for dead. He survived and is a lovely guy. Not bitter. He's moved on and started a new life. That is the beauty of the human spirit. His family is gone but he doesn't waste the beautiful gift of his precious life.

Seismic Anamoly · Joined: 22 Aug 2002 Posts: 3039

Quote:
I of course have no idea whatsoever what it is like to live under a dictator.

And neither one of you two WILL if Me and My Kind have anything to do with it... :yo

"This world loves me, this world loves me not

I'm torn between the best of both cuz I'm hot

In this game so bitterly, literally

I got niggaz wanna riddle me, get rid of me

R-U-L-E, need I say more?

World, hope y'all prepared for the chaos

Cuz y'all want the beast in me, so I'ma give it

Paint pictures vivid, live high as a spirit

Y'all can all jump in it

That's what you might as well do

If you gonna live life timid

And I ain't never been intiminated

Believe me, and I don't wanna fuckin breath easy

I wanna make it hard for these niggaz

So when they can't stand me

I'ma make it so these niggaz can't feed they family

Now do you love me, or do you hate me?

C'mon and get me, I keep it off safety"

- Ja Rule

Seismic Anamoly · Joined: 22 Aug 2002 Posts: 3039

Then I guess maybe my father should have let the Japanese have your native country in the 1940's...you would probably be elated to be working in a whorehouse servicing those nice Japanese servicemen right now, eh? :aw

And looking at the "regimes" that took the place of Hirohito and the Little Corporal, I would have to say along with probably 99.9% of the rest of the world - it was a "slight" improvement.... :aua

"Some people's wealth of ignorance never ceases to amaze me."

- Ren

Seismic Anamoly · Joined: 22 Aug 2002 Posts: 3039

Quote:
From my own dealings with corporate fatcats and businessmen, I do not believe they do anything for altruistic reasons.......

Karl, Friedrick, Vladimir and Leon would be PROUD.... :yo

Edited by: Seismic Anamoly at: 3/27/03 2:36:31 pm

Seismic Anamoly · Joined: 22 Aug 2002 Posts: 3039

Quote:
resort to personal attacks....

Not meant as an attack at all...I just made an observation based on my opinion...you are certainly entitled to yours.

And, the HARD truth is that you snapped me back into reality....I appreciate that...I don't know what got into me there for a while; maybe a shimmer of compassion....go figure....no matter, it's taken care of....I just needed a jolt to remind me of how the other side of the world felt about Me and Mine...as I've stated before, no matter WHAT the issue or occurance, there is no way on God's Green Earth that I or any of MY Family will EVER come to the aid of that side of the planet....never again...

And, I do agree with you on the one point...we should NEVER have set foot in Iraq...@#%$ It...let it's people and your Hemisphere have Saddam and all his exploits....enjoy yourselves!!

THANX for the Wake-Up Call.... :yo

Yo "Buddy" Seismo

:ily

RonOnGuitar · Joined: 08 Jan 2003 Posts: 1916

"If the tables were turned and you were under a dictator, and the only way to end the dictatorship was a bombardment of your home and the prospect of your parents, husband, wife, or child dying, would YOU welcome it?"

That is a good question, Debbie. And it would seem much easier to answer while I'm in relatively comfy environs! I think the best a person could do is answer what they would like to do in such a case. Like many Americans and others before me I would hope to be willing to sacrifice the present for a better future that neither I nor those immediately around would take part of - realizing that life is precious, but there are things worth giving up one's life for.

But as regards your question - isn't it the history of all free nations to have paid a price for their freedom? Why would that suddenly change now?

If you go a bit deeper, I think you'll find that everyone has benefited from some war or another. Very few people live on land where lives were not lost in either/or/both taking over the land or defending it. Most of us just take how we got to where we are for granted, as if things popped down from heaven as they are now. Bur some had to fight and some had to die for our lives to be as we now enjoy.

However, I think both you and Chris have raised a good point in that most people just want to live their lives without any more trouble than to which they've become acquainted. My oldest brother who served in Vietnam said that after being there for a few months he had no idea "what we're here for". His take was that the people pretty much just wanted to have their family farms and didn't care who was in charge. The bro was a career Army, so he wasn't a wimpy protestor type at all. He was with the MPs - the Military Police - they aren't combat - they break up pub brawls between the Navy and Army, things like that, mostly. Had another bro who was in the thick of combat there, though. But I digress in noting the fact you and Chris make an excellent point that folks certainly think differently about life's needful things. It is wise to remember that the "Iraqi Dream" is not always interchangable with the "American Dream".

"And in any event, what if the next ruler is even worse than this one? Where’s the guarantee that everyone will go riding off into the golden sunset?"

There's obviously few guarantees for much of anything in life! But I believe the answer here might be - given the freedom to choose their own leadership the Iraqi people would be forming their own destiny, for better or worse.

==Ron==