Human shields in Iraq "shocked back to reality"

[Dis]

BTW this is from the human shields according to independant Media Center

Rosemarie Gillespie is part of a group of 14 international Human Shields at the 7th of April Water Treatment Plant, on the Tigris River, in the suburbs of Baghdad. She reports: "We had a big raid last night. Very intense. Some hit close to us. I think they are aiming at the bridges. It seems that I slept through some of the bombing last night. (Thursday) After a while you get used to it. It only wakes you up if it is close or right on top of you. I did an interview with Derryn Hinch this morning and got an idea of the type of bull**** that is being pushed out through the commercial media."

Also reporting in from Electronic Iraq, a Voices in the Wilderness and Electronic Intifada project, is Wade Hudson: "It's a little before 2 AM. There hasn't been any bombing for the last 2-3 hours. I'm not even sure of the date I don't have my watch on me. I think it's the 22nd. We've been through the heaviest bombardment of the war so far."

[Dis]

and this "

Fine. We had a big raid last nite. Very intense. Some hit close to us. I think they are aiming at the bridges. (Rosemarie Gillespie is part of a group of now 14 internationals, including two Australians, Human Shields, at the 7th of April Water Treatment Plant, on the Tigris River, in the suburbs of Baghdad. See also RRs DU, and previous. The Water Treatment Plant is a few hundred meters from the river.)

R: I can't tell if they've hit bridges, but they lit a very large fire, there was lots of smoke and could see the red glow of the flames, but after some hours it was extinguished. There's no more fire, no smoke, but before the smoke filled the sky. (Pause.. looking ?) The fire is out.

Q: Casualties ?

R: Some. Some houses, Civilians, Children, dead. But (at 7 am) have no figures, no confirmed figures.

Q The Internationals ? The Human Shields ?

R: As far as I know, all OK. At the Palestine Hotel (HQ of the Human Shields) -- there's broken glass..

Q: Your plans ?

R: We'll stay.

M: The media here, and American, report the war is almost "won", Hussein is dead, wounded, or not, the Americans are advancing almost at will.

R: (Laughs) That's a big lie. There's stiff resistance.(see earlier email, below).

R: I'm hearing Anti-Aircraft fire now. have to listen. yes. (An hour later, around 8 am Baghdad time, as ABC reporter TM spoke with Rosemarie, there were "explosions" near by).

============

MW: I received your first email from Friday evening, did you send the second ?

R: Not yet. I have to go to town to email. What with the bombing, nothing's certain.

M I'll send out your first one now. Won't wait for the second.


21 MARCH UPDATE


To:

Sent: Friday, March 21, 2003 8:44 PM

Dear Max:

The email connection is open again - hooray! Today's email will be in two parts, what I will send now which you should receive before 10pm your time, the rest will come later and should be there when you wake up tomorrow morning.

It seems that I slept through some of the bombing last night. (Thursday) After a while you get used to it. It only wakes you up if it is close or right on top of you. I did an interview with Derryn Hinch this morning and got an idea of the type of bull**** that is being pushed out through the commercial media. Please, when you have time, could you send an email outlining the claims Bush and Howard are making to try to justify their actions, eg that they are coming to liberate the Iraqis, that the human shields are traitors, etc, etc. This will make it easier at our end to prepare our rebuttals. Please send all emails to me at the Human Shields email address: a and include my name in the title of the document you send to that address.

Bush believes his own bull****. So does Howard. Eventually their bull**** will be washed away with the rivers of time. In the meantime:

edited to remove e-mails

[ravagon]

Originally posted by Dissident
why would they be biased? Based on the statements in the opening post. It's not something you would expect anti-war people to say. That is why I have my doubts.

Everything is biased, one way or another.
The pro-war lobby will probably use it as some form of justification and the anti-war lot will claim that those who brought it out faked it or were never anti-war to begin with. Don't expect too much to come from it.

[chequita guevara]

It wouldn't surprise me if it were true. There's a lot of naivety on both sides of the fence.

[Spiffor]

Some anti-war people are so because they are genuinely concerned with their fellow humans. The interviewed guy is a priest, and he may have thought the war would bring more horrors than Saddam regime. He may have changed his mind listening to these people. He also may remain anti-war, but with the knowledge of how horrible Saddam is.

[Static Universe]

Originally posted by Gatekeeper
MtG:

Hmm ... off the top of my head, I do believe it *was* UPI that had financial issues. For some reason, I keep thinking than the Rev. Sun Moon (sp) of the "Moonies" purchased it outright or at least a percentage of it.
Gatekeeper

You are correct. UPI is owned by the Rev. Moon.

http://www.mediachannel.org/originals/upi-moon.shtml

Edit: He also created and owns the Washington Times.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Static Universe


You are correct. UPI is owned by the Rev. Moon.

http://www.mediachannel.org/originals/upi-moon.shtml

Edit: He also created and owns the Washington Times.

Wow, that's actually a little frightening. Thanks for the link. So much for the credibility of that story!

[Static Universe]

Originally posted by Willem


Wow, that's actually a little frightening. Thanks for the link. So much for the credibility of that story!

It's very frightening, as Moon is a major player in the American media, and his name is so seldom heard in this regard.

Interestingly, Ronald Reagan once called the Washington Times his "favorite newspaper" and George Bush I has been paid to deliver speeches for the Moonies. Yet when does Moon's name come up? Almost never.

[Caligastia]

Whether the story is completely factual or not, is it so hard to believe that there are Iraqi citizens who loathe Saddam's regime so much that they are praying for the Americans to move in quickly? I don't find that hard to believe at all.

[Spiffor]

It is very believeable, and I doubt anybody here will say the Iraqis support Saddam. I doubt anybody here will say the pictures of overjoyed Iraqis kicking Saddam's portraits were a fake.
However, all Iraqis aren't similar. Some will actively help the USUKian liberators, some will fight the USUKian invaders to the bitter end, and most will simply try to save their hides both from Saddam and from the USUKian troops.

If the war is swift and successful, you can expect many more peolple waving the American flag. If the war goes bad, you can expect USUKians will recieve a very cold welcome in many villages.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Caligastia
Whether the story is completely factual or not, is it so hard to believe that there are Iraqi citizens who loathe Saddam's regime so much that they are praying for the Americans to move in quickly? I don't find that hard to believe at all.

No, but that isn't really relevant. I'm sure there are some Americans who loathe Bush enough they'd be willing to see a foreign power come in and oust him to facilitate "regime change." That doesn't justify another nation's bombing DC.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov


No, but that isn't really relevant. I'm sure there are some Americans who loathe Bush enough they'd be willing to see a foreign power come in and oust him to facilitate "regime change." That doesn't justify another nation's bombing DC.

Are you trying to equate Bush to Saddam? There's no comparison as far as I'm concerned.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Caligastia


Are you trying to equate Bush to Saddam? There's no comparison as far as I'm concerned.

No. Refrain from straw men, please. I just pointed out that finding individuals willing to see their leader ousted by force doesn't really mean much in and of itself.

[Asher]

I think the idea was many people must have had similar messages (indeed, probably the majority) for a person who went to Iraq as a human shield to be "shocked back to reality" and change their position on the war.

I think a lot of the anti-War people underestimate how much Saddam is hated in his country. Yes, some people like him/don't mind him, but from everything I've seen the vast majority of people hate him and would welcome liberation. Which would probably be why this human shield changed their mind, they didn't understand the scope of the hatred of Saddam.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov


No. Refrain from straw men, please. I just pointed out that finding individuals willing to see their leader ousted by force doesn't really mean much in and of itself.

I think it says something if a significant portion of the population of Iraq would prefer US leadership to Saddam, and I think most of them would. Lets face it, whatever the US does once it takes control of Iraq is going to be 1000 times better than Saddam.