In yesterday's Commentarium, John points out the Media bias about the temporary swaddling of Saddam's big bronze head with a big Old Glory. See! They drooled. Looook at the impeeeerrialism! Loook! Don't mention the cheers, though...or the flag's subsequent removal and replacement by a pre-Sadaam Iraqi flag. Jarvis says,
Cpl. Edward Chin, the man who brought down Saddam yesterday, is on the Today show right now. The flag he put up there was in the Pentagon when it was attacked on 9.11.
Which is only proper, I think. Susan Sarandon (who was recently bitch-slapped along with her roommate by the Baseball Hall of Fame president, which amuses me greatly) wants to know what Iraq has "done to us." This is because she's a simpleton whose humanitarianism is apparently flexible enough to support the continued rule of murderous despots.
I, on the other hand, want to know about how Hussein helped maintain a regional culture in which a stateless terrorist group garnered enough material assistance and training to kill 3,000 Americans on our own soil. And I want to know why the maintenance of that regional culture is acceptable to people like the pacifistic Sarandon and Tim "I will fucking find you and I will fucking hurt you" Robbins.
I find the image of Saddam's bronze mustache draped with red white and blue almost as satisfying as the image of the bronze head to which it was attached being dragged through the streets, followed by a small boy enthusiastically whacking it with both of his shoes. And I feel a certain frisson of delight when I see photos of Marines drinking tea with Selwa Meseen, and I am amused by the teenager behind the cartloads of liberated government computer equipment, victoriously lofting a dozen looted eggs.
To get to some of the images I've mentioned, you must click past other images: explosions, bodies, tears. Linger there, too. Yesterday wasn't a cost-free day, and that shouldn't be forgotten or glossed over.
But what was purchased with that pain and suffering shouldn't be ignored, either.
What someone should ask Sarandon, and the other mindless mouths of Hollywood, is "What have the Iraqi people done to us that you would have them continue to live under a cruel dictatorship?" But they still wouldn't get it. Who cares? Screw em. We (and the Iraqi people) won.
Posted by: Lynn S | April 11, 2003 12:41 PM
BTW, I hope Saddam is alive somewhere and watching television.
Posted by: Lynn S | April 11, 2003 12:43 PM
I hope Saddam is alive, watching television, and peeing his pants... often.
Posted by: Terry | April 12, 2003 03:09 PM
I have the exact same question in my Head as Lynn, and have asked it of those that use the 'What have they done to us?' tactic.
Have yet to get a coherent answer.
Posted by: John | April 14, 2003 12:58 AM