IT’S ALL A BIG HAZE
...To many people, the subject of Iraq from the time of August 2, 1990 until today has been a big haze. So many things have occurred that it appears like the world experienced many versions of the ongoing U.S.-Iraq war. However, it is still one ongoing war that has included many battles. No cease-fire has been in place since August 2, 1990. One part of the big haze that probably has escaped the memory of most people is the last week of the George Bush I presidency. Incidents of that week were used as a warmup for future belligerence against Iraq...
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IT’S ALL A BIG HAZE
Malcom Lagauche
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George Bush I being polished for another day's being stepped
on
Monday/Tuesday, April 18-19, 2005
A U.S. professional wrestler of all people gave me the title to today’s piece. In 1999, I had a book called Theater in a Squared Circle published. It was a sociological look at the popular U.S. form of entertainment we call professional wrestling.
One of the main people in my book is Wayne Farris. He was a huge name in the field as The Honky Tonk Man. Farris wore a seedy-looking sequined outfit and had greasy hair, making him look like a cheap version of an Elvis Presley lookalike. He was huge.
During his career, there was a 15-month period in which The Honky Tonk Man was the Intercontinental Champion of the World Wrestling Federation. He wrestled daily all over the world and he was constantly going from airport to stadiums and back to airports. When his run as champ was over, Farris returned to the life of a "normal" wrestler, not a megastar.
During my first interview with Farris, he gave details about his career, beginning with his Sunday-night training in an old barn in Tennessee. Then, when we arrived at the 15-month period in which he was a superstar, he was vague. I asked him to give more information, and he told me, "It was all a big haze."
By the way, Farris has a Masters Degree in Education from Tennessee State University and was a schoolteacher before he entered the ring of professional wrestling.
To many people, the subject of Iraq from the time of August 2, 1990 until today has been a big haze. So many things have occurred that it appears like the world experienced many versions of the ongoing U.S.-Iraq war. However, it is still one ongoing war that has included many battles. No cease-fire has been in place since August 2, 1990.
One part of the big haze that probably has escaped the memory of most people is the last week of the George Bush I presidency. Incidents of that week were used as a warmup for future belligerence against Iraq.
With the invasion of Grenada in 1983, came a new experiment for the U.S. in how aggressive its foreign policy could be. A outrageous attack against a small country occurred. The media were shut out and the government of Grenada was imprisoned. To this day, some have not even been able to talk to any outsiders.
The U.S. waited to see how much rage its citizenry would present. Absolutely nothing.
Next came Panama. The same overwhelming force against a small country and the same kidnapping and imprisonment of the nation’s leader. Again, no outrage.
Desert Storm was a much larger version of the prior two invasions. Again, the deceit worked and, with the exception of a few U.S. activists or groups, the U.S. got away with it.
The next step was to be able to attack Iraq at any time, even though the U.S. signed a cease-fire agreement with Iraq, for no reason other than bravado.
From March 1991 to January 1993, the embargo took hold. Iraqis began to suffer and die. But, there were no U.S. military attacks against Iraq.
During Bush I’s last week, he decided to change that and set the stage for ongoing military action against Iraq, under the guise of many names, such as the "no-fly zone," etc.
On January 13, 1993, news broadcasts were interrupted to proclaim that the U.S. was bombing Iraqi anti-aircraft sites. No one expected this, so the talk was intense about the new operation.
The Pentagon again showed the world videotape of pinprick air strikes in which only military targets were hit. However, it did not show the house in southern Iraq that was blown to bits. When this information came out, Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams admitted the error.
But, the next day, the same Dick Cheney the U.S. now has as its vice-president, and in 1993 was the Secretary of Defense, appeared on a CBS news show. He denied the strike and stated:
This is the same kind of gibberish we heard from Saddam Hussein during the course of the war itself. We went after military targets. We struck only military targets.
Again, the dirty liar Saddam was to blame for U.S. pilots dropping bombs and somehow a house happened to get in the way.
After the news bulletin of January 13, many TV stations went to their national stations and pre-empted local programming. In San Diego, Channel 10, an ABC affiliate, was broadcasting an entertainment program called "San Diego Today." The female presenter, upon hearing of the bombing, said, "It seems he does something like this every two years. I hear their economy is bad. Maybe that’s why he did it."
Not to be outdone, the male presenter added, "Actually, some countries do this when their economy’s bad. They start a war."
This is the kind of illogic U.S. citizens had shoved down their throats. Iraq was bombed and media personnel accuse it of "starting a war." Sadly, the U.S. public bought into this theory.
In San Diego, the TV cameras went to a sixth grade elementary class (11-year-olds) and asked the students what they thought of Saddam Hussein and if he should be assassinated. This was considered hard news in San Diego: asking 11-year-olds about killing someone.
In the aftermath, the U.S. national press began the anti-Iraq frenzy. One journalist called the Iraqi Ambassador to the U.N., Nizar Hamdoon, "a fast-talking snake oil salesman." However, in September 1990, the Wall Street Journal called him, "the best foreign ambassador ever posted to the United States." Hamdoon’s star had fallen quickly.
Then, on January 17, 1993, the U.S. launched a missile attack against Iraq, supposedly targeting an alleged nuclear research facility. As with the previous attack, one missile went astray. It hit the Al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad. This hotel was well-known to the world as it housed the few reporters who remained in Iraq during the hostilities of Desert Storm. The clerk, a woman who was an admired person by people form all over the world was killed. The following day, about a half-million people attended her funeral.
Let’s get back to the missile attack. The U.S. could not deny that the hotel was hit, so it said the missile was Iraqi, not American. The same allegations of Saddam being a liar were thrown about.
A few minutes after the public denial, an Iraqi soldier emerged from a crater with a missile part in his hand. On it was written, "Williams International, Jacksonville, Fla. Series 9039. NOOO19-89-c-0204."
Since there is no city called "Jacksonville, Fla." in Iraq, the U.S. changed its story and said it was hit by an Iraqi missile. However, the same U.S. government had previously bragged that its missiles could not be hit.
One aspect that emerged from this travesty was the creation of a mosaic depiction of George Bush that was put in front of the Al-Rashid Hotel. Every person who entered until April 2003, had to step on Bush’s face. The inscription read: "Bush Is Criminal."
Up to January 19, 1993, just one day prior to the inauguration of a new U.S. president, the media were highlighting Iraq as an issue. One thing was made absolutely clear: the U.S. public was ready for immediate resumption of anti-Iraq propaganda.
Clinton came on board with a free hand to drop bombs on and send missiles to Iraq when he felt the pressure of other political subjects. During his presidency, when the heat was being turned up about the economy, or his affinity for oral sex in the White House, one did not have to be Nostradamus to know that within a few days, Iraq would be the recipient of some U.S. military hardware. It worked every time.
This one-week period of January 1993 may not have represented a massive military engagement against Iraq. However, its legacy was very damaging as the stage had been set for any U.S. president to bomb Iraq at any time with no reason, creating a big haze that still permeates peoples’ minds today.
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:: Article nr. 11170 sent on 18-apr-2005 15:27 ECT
www.uruknet.info?p=11170
Link: www.malcomlagauche.com/id1.html
:: The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website.
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