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Do you miss Saddam Hussein?

Started by SisterAgatha, October 05, 2017, 03:31:58 PM

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SisterAgatha

Do you miss Saddam Hussein the former dictator of Iraq?

I never thought I would say this, but there are times when I do.

Sure he was a nasty piece of work. But at least he kept Iraq stable and out of the hands of those barabaric savages, ISIS!.

He was kind to Christians. He never oppressed them in any way, and they did not have to fear expulsion or terrorism like now.

Idk. I just think war is hardly ever justified and Iraq's fate now that the big S is good seems worse than it was before.

Any ideas?


Dave

Never got the chance to shoot at him.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

No one

War is only justified when god wants new real estate.

Biggus Dickus

#3





I forgot to add, but I actually supported our attack on Iraq because Saddam Hussein was in control of a Stargate and the US had to wrestle control of it over from him before he used it to gain global power.

Quote...in the 1980s Saddam started doing restoration to the temple (Containing the Stargate) worrying the world (read: the Illuminati). Oddly the theories don't really mention the first Iraq War but, after years of work, Hussein either was able to get the stargate working or learned something important from it and big-daddy America got concerned.

"The Bush administration recognized that Hussein had some very, very valuable relevant information concerning the ancient history of the planet," said Salla. "Either technology or texts basically confirming this and he was going to release this to the general public."

"I think that was a big part of the reason why the Bush Administration went into Iraq, to stop Hussein from revealing this information and to also get control control themselves."

True story about this is located here.
"Some people just need a high-five. In the face. With a chair."

Magdalena


"I've had several "spiritual" or numinous experiences over the years, but never felt that they were the product of anything but the workings of my own mind in reaction to the universe." ~Recusant

jumbojak

On a chilly, dry night when the wind is blowing softly, yes I do. It reminds me of the good times we had dining together in one of his palaces. Sometimes we enjoyed the breeze for what it was. Other nights we would have the table moved onto a balcony so we could watch the moonlight shimmering on the desert sands.... I can't help it. I'm tearing up...

Bruno, could you pass me a tissue? The memories coming back are just too much for me.

"Amazing what chimney sweeping can teach us, no? Keep your fire hot and
your flue clean."  - Ecurb Noselrub

"I'd be incensed by your impudence were I not so impressed by your memory." - Siz

xSilverPhinx

Of course I miss Saddam Hussein! He was my very favourite dictator.  :love:

Sure he persecuted the Kurds, but hey, no one's perfect are they?
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Recusant

#7
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 05, 2017, 11:39:28 PM
Of course I miss Saddam Hussein! He was my very favourite dictator.  :love:

Sure he persecuted the Kurds, but hey, no one's perfect are they?

And the Marsh Arabs, and plenty of other citizens of Iraq. Still, the US government was happy to sell him WMDs until they weren't.



The invasion of Iraq was a stupid, imperialistic, ultimately counterproductive, and just plain wrong in my opinion, but the question in the OP puts me in mind of goat munching.

[Edited to correct "Swamp Arabs" to "Marsh Arabs." Hat tip to Dave.]
"Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration — courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and above all, love of the truth."
— H. L. Mencken


Icarus

Sure he persecuted the Kurds and some of the the others too.  He was a murderous despot who countenanced no bullshit from dissenters.  Funny thing though.....There were no ISIS, Taliban, or other kooks who dared oppose him.  Iraq was a functional place...maybe not a Utopian place but it was livable for its citizens.

We made a colossal mistake when we figured to liberate and democritize a bunch of Arabs who had not the least desire to become a copy of American culture and politics.  20/20 hindsight............   Afghanistan? That is whole 'nother ball game and it has a set of cultural mindsets that do not even remotely comport with our own.

SisterAgatha

One question I have is what would it be like if he were still around?

He likely would be a perennial threat/nuisance a la North Korea.

I know he did not do 9/11, but I sort of remember him firing his gun in celebration the day after.

And while there is no link to Al-Qaeda I think he may have turned to them eventually. He had pretty much no friends as I recall and hated the same people as Al Qaeda did (Saudi arabia, USA and Israel.)

Given that whoever is left of his government is now with and leading ISIS, the more deranged Al-Qaeda variant, I think my hypothesis is likely

Recusant

Quote from: SisterAgatha on October 06, 2017, 03:32:11 PM
One question I have is what would it be like if he were still around?

He likely would be a perennial threat/nuisance a la North Korea.

I know he did not do 9/11, but I sort of remember him firing his gun in celebration the day after.

And while there is no link to Al-Qaeda I think he may have turned to them eventually. He had pretty much no friends as I recall and hated the same people as Al Qaeda did (Saudi arabia, USA and Israel.)

Given that whoever is left of his government is now with and leading ISIS, the more deranged Al-Qaeda variant, I think my hypothesis is likely

It's unsurprising that you haven't bothered to educate yourself on this topic; the OP is evidence of that.

It goes far beyond the Hussein regime not having links to al-Qa'ida. They were enemies and Saddam Hussein had outlawed Wahabism in Iraq. This has been known for over a decade, and the public was informed of it in the Phase II report of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the U.S. intelligence community's prewar intelligence assessments on Iraq, yet here you are putting out counterfactual what-ifs.

"Report: Saddam and Al Qaeda Enemies, Not Collaborators" | ThinkProgress

Quote
  • [Bin] Ladin generally opposed collaboration [with Baghdad]. (p. 65) According to debriefs of multiple detainees — including Saddam Hussein and former Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz — and capture documents, Saddam did not trust al-Qa'ida or any other radical Islamist group and did not want to cooperate with them. (p. 67)
  • Aziz underscored Saddam's distrust of Islamic extremists like bin Ladin, stating that when the Iraqi regime started to see evidence that Wahabists had come to Iraq, "the Iraqi regime issued a decree aggressively outlawing Wahabism in Iraq and threatening offenders with execution." (p. 67)
  • Another senior Iraqi official stated that Saddam did not like bin Ladin because he called Saddam an "unbeliever." (p.73)
  • Conclusion 1: ... Postwar findings indicate that Saddam Hussein was distrustful of al-Qa'ida and viewed Islamic extremists as a threat to his regime, refusing all requests from al Qa'ida to provide material or operational support. Debriefings of key leaders of the former Iraqi regime indicate that Saddam distrusted Islamic radicals in general, and al Qa'ida in particular... Debriefings also indicate that Saddam issued a general order that Iraq should not deal with al Qa'ida. No postwar information suggests that the Iraqi regime attempted to facilitate a relationship with bin Ladin. (p. 105)
  • Conclusion 5:... Postwar information indicates that Saddam Hussein attempted, unsuccessfully, to locate and capture al-Zarqawi and that the regime did not have a relationship with, harbor, or turn a blind eye toward Zarqawi. (p. 109)

[Emphases in original.]
"Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration — courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and above all, love of the truth."
— H. L. Mencken


Magdalena

As always, your posts are very informative, Recusant.
SisterAgatha, where do you get your information?  :eyebrow:

Why do I bother asking...she/he is not gonna answer...is she/he?  :fingertap:

"I've had several "spiritual" or numinous experiences over the years, but never felt that they were the product of anything but the workings of my own mind in reaction to the universe." ~Recusant

SisterAgatha

I get my info from wikipedia.

I just wonder though I honestly do.

Saddam did not have a great track record for world peace. He was definitly in the league of Pol Pot in terms of Human rights abuses.

What would he have done if he was left to continue? Just be a big meanie as always?

Biggus Dickus

Quote from: jumbojak on October 05, 2017, 10:16:06 PM
On a chilly, dry night when the wind is blowing softly, yes I do. It reminds me of the good times we had dining together in one of his palaces. Sometimes we enjoyed the breeze for what it was. Other nights we would have the table moved onto a balcony so we could watch the moonlight shimmering on the desert sands.... I can't help it. I'm tearing up...

Bruno, could you pass me a tissue? The memories coming back are just too much for me.

You got it buddy...

"Some people just need a high-five. In the face. With a chair."

Dave

Quote from: Icarus on October 06, 2017, 01:01:19 AM
Sure he persecuted the Kurds and some of the the others too.  He was a murderous despot who countenanced no bullshit from dissenters.  Funny thing though.....There were no ISIS, Taliban, or other kooks who dared oppose him.  Iraq was a functional place...maybe not a Utopian place but it was livable for its citizens.

We made a colossal mistake when we figured to liberate and democritize a bunch of Arabs who had not the least desire to become a copy of American culture and politics.  20/20 hindsight............   Afghanistan? That is whole 'nother ball game and it has a set of cultural mindsets that do not even remotely comport with our own.

I think life was not so good for non-Sunni/baathist groups - ask the "Marsh Arabs". But he did have a modern liberal attitude towards women (ofvthe right denomination or bank account size).

Sykes and Picot had a thankless job of trying to forge one country out of a mess of tribal warlords, the West tried the same thing in Afghanistan and most Asian and African countries with, historically, somewhat less than 100% success. Saudi Arabia had a natuve sttong and cgarismatuc over-lord who united the country. Having achieved a DIY job there it worked better.

Much of today's violence in thought and action against us from the Near/Middle East and Africa is due to the (European) West's imperial policies. Then the US added in their pennyworth and made all kinds of enemies for themselves. None of them seemed to be able to recognise and really utilise the local mindset and tried to force centuries of deeply instilled tradition and thought into a modern democratic mindset. They are still making the same mistakes IMHO.

Sorry, just realise I ranted on and reiterated much of what you said, Icarus!  :redface:
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74