response 45 of 140:

Dec 16 09:04 UTC 2003

There was Saddam-got-captured celebrations. There were saddam-got-
captured protests (though, definitely smaller is number). Half of the 
Arab world celebrated the capture of a tyrant and the other half was 
humiliated by the capture of an Arab hero who stood against the Jews 
and Americans. 

There were communistst waving flags in the streets of Baghdad. There 
were religious political parties waving. 

Al-Jazeera shows a cartoon of Uncle Sam hoisting Saddam first, then 
pulling him down and then arresting him. Fox reports nothing about the 
blasts in Baghdad or US Army blowing kids to bits in Afghanistan.

Saddam's sister accused that he had been drugged before capture. An 
american soldier said Saddam wanted to *negotiate* the capture. 
Rumsfeld sneered that Saddam didn't even fire his pistol and 
surrendered meekly. 

Saddam himself cooperated after the arrest and for the medical 
examination. But thereafter is reported to be spouting anger and 
abuse. He is reported to be defiant and showing no remorse.

Blair could be seen on a definite high in the British parliament - 
attacking the opposition and shouting loudly.

The Sanchez guy in Baghdad was grinning ear-to-ear all the time. There 
were more blasts in Baghdad meanwhile killing more people.

So and so forth.

response 47 of 140:

Dec 16 14:48 UTC 2003

Re resp:44: Actually, I heard about the anti-Saddam celebrations.  On
liberal NPR, no less!

(Do you actually ever watch/listen to/read any of the "liberal media",
or do you just make assumptions based on what you think their bias is? 
Also, by what stretch of the imagination is Fox News "independent"?)


Incidentally, have you noticed that the reaction of Iraqis to pretty
much anything seems to be to fire guns into the air?  During the same
newscast yesterday I heard about one incident of them firing into the
air in celebration, and another of them firing into the air in mourning.
 That country is like the NRA's wet dream. ;>

response 49 of 140:

Dec 16 16:41 UTC 2003

And BBC News is liberal?? How about CNN? 

Hehehe ... I don't know if this is true ... but still thought it was 
worth posting.
From http://www.moderateindependent.com/v1i3mediawatch.htm

MAY 15, 2003   MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA   Taking on those Democrats and 
others who are  unpatriotic , Australian-owned Fox News, USA Today, NY 
Post, Chicago Sun Times, and numerous other Aussie-controlled news 
operations promise to clear things up by presenting the  true, American 
view of things. 

Rupert Murdoch, owner of all the above listed news sources   and many, 
many more   helped explain his  Americanizing  mission from his 
original home town of Melbourne, Australia.

 As someone who was born in Australia,  said Rupert Murdoch, speaking 
beside a  barbie  on which he was throwing another shrimp,  and who is 
married to a woman who is from China, I feel that I and my Australian-
owned news sources are the most qualified to present the true American 
perspective on things.  Those other, American-owned news sources, like 
the New York Times and NPR, simply don t know anything about being a 
good American.  They betray American values on a daily basis, as far as 
I can tell from down here on the other side of the world, where I was 
born and all my family live. 

The American flag a permanent fixture on the screen of his Fox News 
Network, Murdoch sits stroking his pet koala, eating some Vegamite, 
pointing out a kangaroo in the distance.   Of course my news sources 
are the real American ones.  How could some paper owned by New Yorkers 
be more patriotic than the ones owned by me?  Or a radio network funded 
by donations from American listeners?  No, no, no.  I know the true 
voice of America, like no American possibly could if I didn t spell it 
out for them on a daily basis. 

Throughout the interview, his love and respect for his wife Wendy Deng 
Murdoch was very much apparent.   Any time I have some doubts about 
whether I   since I am not from America   am striking the right 
American note, I ask Wendy, who is also from the other side of the 
world.  Between my Down-Under upbringing and her Red China view of 
things, we come up with the real American perspective like no actual 
American possibly could. 

response 51 of 140:

Dec 16 17:39 UTC 2003

The BBC is independent.

response 53 of 140:

Dec 16 19:58 UTC 2003

If there's a lesson to be learned from Saddam's request to negotiate, it's
that in any negotiations it helps to have something to negotiate with. 
Assuming he was really stuck at the bottom of a hole with a bunch of big guns
pointed at him, he was a little late.

Then again, it may have been more a case of, "I want to talk, not shoot, so
please don't shoot me," which sounds quite reasonable.

I'm rather disgusted by all the calls for killing him now.  He's certainly
not somebody I feel strongly about keeping alive, but what would we gain by
killing him, other than a morbid spectacle.

response 55 of 140:

Dec 16 20:38 UTC 2003

I don't think he'll be executed.  There's too much information wanted 
by the government that he has.

I did read an article in the AA News, broadly hinting that pain, 
discomfort, refusing trips to the bathroom, etc. could be used on Iraqi 
military leaders, possibly including Saddam Hussein.  The headline 
stated something about heads of state being immune to such treatment, 
but the body of the article only suggested it was possible he'd be 
treated more respectfully.

response 59 of 140:

Dec 17 03:28 UTC 2003

(Yeah, right.  They were happier with the good old days of being 
kidnapped, tortured, & killed.  Who wouldn't be?)

response 61 of 140:

Dec 17 07:32 UTC 2003

Hooray for the capture  of Saddam.

His detainment will make the world as safe from terrorism as
the arrest of Noriega stopped the drug problem.

You're safe, Momma.  You're safe, baby.

response 63 of 140:

Dec 17 11:37 UTC 2003

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3326311.stm

Bush wants him executed.

response 65 of 140:

Dec 17 14:51 UTC 2003

Re resp:53: Killing him will make him a martyr.  The worst punishment
for someone like him would be to lock him up in a cell for the rest of
his life, with no control over anyone.  Maybe give him some pictures of
his old palaces to look at.

response 67 of 140:

Dec 17 14:52 UTC 2003

I am sure a number of families of our dead soldiers would like him dead as
well.

response 69 of 140:

Dec 17 16:50 UTC 2003

Re: 65. To be a martyr, you have to go out on a blaze of glory. Saddam will
more likely be seen as an embarassment for not fighting to the death.