Letters to the Editor, December 15, 2003

What an amazing coincidence that “the human gopher” Saddam Hussein was captured just after the US had decided how Iraqi courts would try human rights violators! It’s almost as coincidental as the fake turkey and platter that happened to be lying around on Thanksgiving.

It’s clear that Saddam, the aberrant client who positioned himself between Bush and his oil, will never enjoy the type of trial where he might spill the beans on the many American corporations who provided him with proscribed materials. It is also certain that he will not be given a forum to articulate his cozy relationship with Bush “the elder” and his entourage.

No, it’s more likely that he will be given a “show trial” mimicking the Soviet Model where the charges are reiterated with great enthusiasm and the tar and feathers are kept nearby. How will Washington describe an ongoing insurgency now that Kingpin Saddam is gone? It’s difficult to dismiss popular resistance as Bathist “dead enders” when their fearless leader is gone.

By the way, they found Saddam’s WMD. He had an AK-47 and a handgun. That’s good enough for me.

May we all congratulate our United States and supporting Armed Forces upon their great achievement in capturing Sadam Hussein. It is always cause for celebration when a vile dictatorship is overthrown and its tyrant is bound into the rightful chains of justice.

No doubt Mr. Bush will bask in the glory of our Armed Forces, and I am sure he will use their achievement to justify his own modus.

However, world be not fooled, and make no doubt, that righteous achievement will be used in an attempt vindicate unjust behavior although ends never do really justify means. Sadam’s capture should serve as no excuse for; Mr. Bush’s conduct of the Iraqi war as one of opportunity to protract new corporate markets, his deception of the American public in order to proceed with such a war, his flagrant violations of international law, the rejection of treaties and long standing protocols to pursue his policies of unilateral pre-emptive aggression, and his blind support of a rogue government that seeks the genocide of a people.

As if not having learned from the world’s wars of the past millenium, Mr. Bush with his policies are taking our societies down a regressive road into a time governed by hate and sheer power. As a United States President he stands before our children as an example of how to act. Thus our world is being scarred for at least another generation. Unfortunately, the capture of Sadam Hussein will not erase these scars, as they can only be healed by rejecting the unjust policies themselves, and as the overthrow and capture of Sadam would have been achieved sooner or later anyway.

America's Christmas present to the worlds "freedom loving people".

It would appear that America's chosen scapegoat for all of the worlds ills has been apprehended. This "monster of Baghdad" whose crimes the Americans happily condonned and supported for the better part of thirty years between 1970 to 1990, during which time he comitted his worst 'crimes against humanity" has been conveniently used to 'hide and distract' from the world the identity of the Number 1. human rights abuser and terrorist State as all in the West unwittingly dance along to ...

William Hardiker

Regarding the capture of Saddam Hussein: Bush and them lie to us so often that we never believe them on anything any more. The paper mache turkey? WMD? No child left behind? Niger yellowcake? Now Bush claims to have captured Saddam -- and I am supposed to believe a multi-billionaire was hiding in a hole in the ground in Trikrit instead of playing roulette in Monoco under an assumed name? Or out having lunch with his friend Donald Rumsfeld? Right.

Saddam, if that IS you, I have two questions. "How did you get your hair to grow six inches in just nine months?" and "Will you PLEASE tell us what brand of shampoo you use?" You're the envy of all those ladies who want long hair!

Now that we got Saddam, let's pack up our troops and bring them home! Or is it the oil after all?

Best regards, Jane Stillwater, Berkeley, CA

MUSLIMS IN BRITAIN WANT BUSH AND BLAIR TO STAND TRIAL ALONGSIDE SADDAM HUSSEIN

London, UK, December 14 – While the leaders of Western militant democracies such as the US and UK celebrate the capture of Saddam Hussein, Muslims in Britain will not be rejoicing until Bush, Blair and the band of Western inspired dictators and tyrants in the Muslim world stand alongside him in the dock to answer for their crimes.

The capture of Saddam Hussein serves merely as a smokescreen to divert the world’s attention away from the real situation in Iraq including the indiscriminate killing of civilians, the installation of a puppet Iraqi regime, the theft of Iraq’s mineral resources, the privatisation of Iraq’s infrastructure, the lack of security and basic utilities and the increasing resistance to the occupation.

The secular Saddam Hussein was supported and armed by successive Western governments and corporations. It beggars belief that these accomplices, instead of now being punished for their complicity in Saddam’s tyranny, parade themselves as ‘liberators’ while it is abundantly clear that the West’s colonial war in Iraq was for Western corporate interests and the imposition of Western secular liberal values over the barrel of a gun.

Imran Waheed, a UK based doctor and Representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, said, “One form of tyranny and oppression in Iraq has been replaced with another. Western values and governments must be put in the dock. The true celebration for Muslims and non-Muslims will only occur on the day when militant secularism and its colonialist worldview is discarded in history’s dustbin. That day is fast approaching.”

“Only the Islamic Khilafah is a practical alternative to the continued US and UK occupation of Iraq.”

Notes:

(1) Hizb ut-Tahrir is an independent political party whose ideology is Islam. The party works throughout the Islamic world, including Iraq, to resume the Islamic way of life by re-establishing the Islamic Khilafah [Caliphate]. The party adheres to the Islamic Shari’ah in all aspects of its work. It considers violence or armed struggle against the regime, as a method to re-establish the Islamic State, a violation of the Islamic Shari’ah. In the Western world, the party seeks to explain the Islamic ideology to Muslims, to create a dialogue with Western thinkers about Capitalism and its ills and to present Islam as an ideological alternative.

CONTACT:

Dr Imran Waheed

Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain Suite 301 28 Old Brompton Road London, SW7 3SS, United Kingdom

Tel: +44-(0)7074-192400 Email: press@1924.org

Web: www.1924.org

When Howard Dean made his statement of strong of support for an even handed approach to the Israeli Palestine conflict I was wary but overjoyed. He flat out condemned the building of more settlements and the continuation of the apartheid wall. Now if you go to his web sight and check his mid-east policy, it's an entirely different story!

Mr. Dean has done a complete flip fllop! The Jews have done their job well by intimidating all Democratic candidates, I don't believe Arab Americans can count on any the candidates, at least Dean should be made to pay for his change of policy, like running ads publicizing his change of position on his mid-east policy.

Editor: I agree. Arab and Muslim Americans have been betrayed by George Bush. In 2000, most of them gave him their votes thinking that he would be less supportive of Israeli aggression. He turned to be the most supportive of Israeli aggression in America's history. Now after three years of horrors, most of them are not going to vote for him again. The dilemma is that Democratic candidates, with the exception of Kucinich, are not less supportive of the Israeli aggression. Can anybody else seriously challenge these two on their blind support of Israel?

What a great piece......lets keep exposing the BIG LIE whenever and wherever, and work together to stop this monstrosity.......more power to Michael Moore and so many others like him . "Hey Dude, Where is my Country?" was super....an incredible document and call to action, which I hope will bear much fruit....otherwise not only the present, but the future will be very bleak indeed...........all of us working together in solidarity can stop this monstrosity!

I was interested by Sonya Elders letter, asking "What is the real meaning of Christmas". She makes some points of fact, indicating that the day of Christmas, as celebrated, is not the same as the day Jesus was born. Christmas as celebrated this time of year, was not originally a Christian celebration.

It stems from variations of the European Celtic and pagan winter solstice celebrations. When Christianity spread throughout Europe, it assimilated, and claimed as its own, various pre-existing traditions. Celebrating the birth of Jesus on this day allowed the Christian church of the time to more easily convert the populace to Christianity.

Christmas as celebrated today in the US and beyond, is a more recent phenomenon. Many of today's traditions stem from the time of Charles Dickens. It is indeed an invention of recent times, and continues to change today, particularly with the increasing commercialism over the last few decades.

You are right to question the meaning of Christmas. More should. You state that Satan is the father of the lie, and I would add that the sin of ignorance perpetuates lies. Ignorantly following everything we are told, and believing everything we hear, without properly educating ourselves leads to a perversion of the truth.

There is still no question that while we should show kindness and charity every day. With the understanding that Christmas historically has been a constantly changing annual celebration, it is what we make it to be. There is good in Christmas as a celebration of kindness and charity.