Jessica Lynch Captures Saddam - Ex-dicatator Demands Back Pay From Baker : Melbourne Indymedia

Former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein was taken into custody yesterday at 8:30p.m. Baghdad time. Various television executives, White House spin doctors and propaganda experts at the Pentagon are at this time wrestling with the question of whether to claim PFC Jessica Lynch seized the ex-potentate or that Saddam surrendered after close hand-to-hand combat with current Iraqi strongman Paul Bremer III.

Ex-President Hussein himself told US military interrogators that he had surfaced after hearing of the appointment of his long-time associate James Baker III to settle Iraq's debts. "Hey, my homeboy Jim owes me big time," Mr. Hussein stated. He asserted that Baker and the prior Bush regime, "owe me my back pay. After all I did for these guys you'd think they'd have the decency to pay up."

The Iraqi dictator then went on to list the "hits" he conducted on behalf of the Baker-Bush administrations, ending with the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, authorized by the former US secretary of state Baker.

Mr. Hussein cited the transcript of his meeting on July 25, 1990 in Baghdad with US Ambassador April Glaspie. When Saddam asked Glaspie if the US would object to an attack on Kuwait over the small emirate's theft of Iraqi oil, America's Ambassador told him, "We have no opinion.... Secretary [of State James] Baker has directed me to emphasize the instruction ... that Kuwait is not associated with America."

Glaspie, in Congressional testimony in 1991, did not deny the authenticity of the recording of her meeting with Saddam which world diplomats took as US acquiescence to an Iraqi invasion.

While having his hair styled by US military makeover artists, Saddam listed jobs completed at the request of his allies in the Carter, Reagan and Bush administrations for which he claims back wages:

1979: Seizes power with US approval; moves allegiance from Soviets to USA in Cold War.

1980: Invades Iran, then the "Unicycle of Evil," with US encouragement and arms.

1982: Reagan regime removes Saddam's regime from official US list of state sponsors of terrorism.

1983: Saddam hosts Donald Rumsfeld in Baghdad. Agrees to "go steady" with US corporate suppliers.

1984: US Commerce Department issues license for export of aflatoxin to Iraq useable in biological weapons.

1988: Kurds in Halabja, Iraq, gassed.

1987-88: US warships destroy Iranian oil platforms in Gulf and break Iranian blockade of Iraq shipping lanes, tipping war advantage back to Saddam.

In Baghdad today, the US-installed replacement for Saddam, Paul Bremer, appeared to acknowledge his predecessor Saddam's prior work for the US State Department when he told Iraqis, "For decades, you suffered at the hands of this cruel man. For decades, Saddam Hussein divided you and threatened an attack on your neighbors."

In reaction to the Bremer speech, Mr. Hussein said, "Do you think those decades of causing suffering, division and fear come cheap?" Noting that for half of that period, the suffering, division and threats were supported by Washington, Saddam added, "So where's the thanks? You'd think I'd at least get a gold watch or something for all those years on US payroll."

In a televised address from the Oval Office, George W. Bush raised Saddam's hopes of compensation when he cited Iraq's "dark and painful history" under the US-sponsored Hussein dictatorship.

Saddam was also heartened by Mr. Bush's promise that, "The capture of Saddam Hussein does not mean the end of violence in Iraq." With new attacks by and on US and other foreign occupation forces, the former strongman stated, "It's reassuring to know my legacy of darkness and pain for Iraqis will continue under the leadership of President Bush."

While lauding the capture of Mr. Hussein, experts caution that the War on Terror is far from over, noting that Osama bin Laden, James Baker and George W. Bush remain at large.

Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestseller, "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy." Subscribe to his columns for the Guardian newspapers and view his reports for BBC Television at http://www.GregPalast.com.

This week, Alternative Tentacles issued the spoken word CD, "Weapon of Mass Instruction - Palast LIVE," available at http://www.GregPalast.com

Funny Global Indymedia should be down whilst this is going on.

Did anyone else's ISP also go down yesterday (Sunday)?

The global indymedia site, http://www.indymedia.org, had scheduled a migration to a new server and new software platform - MIR - on December 15. Global Features should be available soon on the new platform.

If your a conspiracy theorist you may want to conjecture that the US forces made their move when they new the global Indymedia site would be frozen for migration. But I wouldn't credit them with that much intelligence.

The author Greg wrote:

"Mr. Hussein cited the transcript of his meeting on July 25, 1990 in Baghdad with US Ambassador April Glaspie. When Saddam asked Glaspie if the US would object to an attack on Kuwait over the small emirate's theft of Iraqi oil, America's Ambassador told him, "We have no opinion.... Secretary [of State James] Baker has directed me to emphasize the instruction ... that Kuwait is not associated with America." "

Thank You Greg,

Thank you for including the reference to the U.S. State Department's nod to the Iraqi invasion of Iraq. For most of 1990s i clearly and distinctly remembered reading this in newspaper prior to the invasion of Iraq. But as time worn on, and i couldn't find another soul on earth that had any recollection of this most salient of facts... ...i began to doubt my own memory.

The memory hole. The memory well.

I searched online for historical articles on the matter, but to no avail. Now I will begin my search anew, armed with more precise reference points -who, when, etc....

Let America collectively remember that President Bush Senior, and then Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney set a trap for Saddam. Saddam specifically asked for permission to invade Kuwait. And America clearly gave him the Green Light. Imagine his surprise when the U.S. turned on him and called for his annihilation the moment his tanks rolled across the border.

Saddam was set up by Bush and Cheney.

Saddam never threatened a single country without U.S. consent - except for a few SCUD's launched into Israel during Gulf War I. And those SCUD's didn't fly until after the U.S. had launched it's devestating attack on Iraqi forces.

Iraqi forces were sitting ducks on the Highway of Death.
(I hope that horrendous scene has not been forgotten.)
http://www.deoxy.org/wc/warcrime.htm

-Joshua

If you go to Yahoo or Google and enter the following key words into the search box: [April Glaspie Iraq Kuwait State Department] a wealth of detail about the alleged Green Light to Iraq will spring before your eyes.

Some swings one way, some the other. In any case, much "to do" should be made about this pivotal point in U.S. / Iraq history.

More amateur researchers are needed. Spread the word.

"If your a conspiracy theorist you may want to conjecture that the US forces made their move when they new the global Indymedia site would be frozen for migration. But I wouldn't credit them with that much intelligence."

Not even in a million years. Get over it.

"If your a conspiracy theorist", bleated an indykid...

con·spir·a·cy 1)An agreement to perform together an illegal, wrongful, or subversive act. 2) A group of conspirators. 3) Law. An agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime or accomplish a legal purpose through illegal action.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=conspiracy

"Attacks Held to Be a Conspiracy"
LA Times, September 11, 2001
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-091101terror.story

'When *I* use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone,' it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.'
'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you *can* make words mean so many different things.'
http://sundials.org/about/humpty.htm

Our Indykid's comments are typical the admin's contributions to this wire.

You can tell where his heart lays when we get International exposure from the global indy front page and all he can do is ridicule conspiracy theorists.

For the record, I don't waste my time with conspiracy theories, I research actual conspiracies.

it's quite comical watching all the lefts and dems scrambling in a panic considering recent events and developments. the butcher of baghdad is caught cowering in a hole like a beaten dog, the inheritied failing economy is now growing at a rate not seen in over 20yrs, and liberated not 1, but 2 countries ...... and all this while lowering taxes ..... and they can't handle it!! it's killing them green with envy, etc!! pathetically they make excuse after excuse making even bigger fools of themselves. the current chaos, that is the democratic party, is typical of their nature. you get in a jam, you simply bail and imediately point fingers. very little, if any loyalty.

quite amuzing

Yeah, quite amuzing how GWB has managed to go from a $127 billion surplus to a $300+ billion deficit. And still manages to cut taxes. He is a miracle worker.

He'd better hope he'd a one term President, cause he's making a helluva mess for the next guy.

The US in general had better hope these wars pay off, and reduced oil prices kick start the US economy. Otherwise, they are in (more) serious trouble.

God Bless Halliburton!!!

In response to 'grasping at straws' by 'amuzed', I can't argue that Democrats are scrambling right now, don't assume that all liberals love Democrats (or Bill Clinton)
especially since we know they are paid by the same corporations. But your praise of this administration is uninformed at best. First off, how you can't see that the "growing economy” is a sham is sad...When things like job growth include counting striking workers returning to work, when unemployment is soaring..If you mean that rich people are getting richer, I can say yes, it is growing..
The butcher of baghdad is caught, but let us not forget who created him: The US, and specifically GW's pop, when he did business with him, when we funded his development of chemical weapons while he killed his own people and was the most powerful (all well documented, so don't yell 'conspiracy theory').
Lowering taxes? Yes, again, for the rich, while increasing it for middle class Americans..You are probably one of those people who really thought you were getting 300 dollars back. You really need to learn basic math. They just took it back later.
Speaking of math...how do you think the insane deficit we have came about? Tax cuts..War...Corporate scams (leading to the white house) This seems to be the 'to do list' for all Republican administrations. Be deluded all you wish, but if you are going to post to a website like this, be more informed, please.
We are not amuzed.

Rhino

In my hometown this week, as the economy soars so high, 1100 people were laid off at a Rubbermaid factory. This company was born in Wooster 60 years ago, and now it is moving to Mexico. It is business, and it is the "smart" move as far as capitalism goes. Dems, Repubs they all do the same thing, and thinking that the solution resides in calling it partisan is ignorant to the truths around you.