As this is currently discussed in other forums where ppl seem to think Obama did not change anything, let me post a msg from myself to a MBX team that day when the war actually started, it still holds true from my POV, and the article cited at the bottom hits it on the head still, 6 yrs later:
... snip- ... Following and based on my Open Channel Msg I regret to announce that I am going to suspend my eventfoto.com server services for the MBX after 48 hours from now. I have to ask you to relocate the lists within this time frame, after this time you will not have any more access to eventfoto.com server. -snip-
Also I hope you belive me this decision did not come at all easily to me, in fact, while writing this, I am close to tears out of sadness, fury and anger to see such a decision forced upon me.
I did not want to go into detail on the lists, but as you are the most affeted by my (at least this one) decision I will try and explain in more depth to you what I think and hope you will understand me:
- We here in Europe (and belive me, I have not met *one* person with a different view in Spain, England, Germany and Portugal) have the sincere feeling this war was decided 6 month ago by the US administration, all the UN consultation and connected maneuvers were only to try and provide international backup for Blair and Aznar who have a lot of problems at home in this respect. This goes with a feeling of arrogance of the part of the US in the sense "You may decide what you want, we do what we want, basta."
- I could not believe my eyes when I saw the three (actually rather 1+2) government leaders standing on the Azores in front of 15 flags and handing out an ultimatum to Saddam, the UN and NATO (!) *IN THE NAME* of the International Community where IN REALITY 157 out of 192 nations and 12 out of 15 Security Council members were explicitly opposed to their COA, this is simply outrageous in its chuzpa.
- I could not believe my ears when I awoke this morning and realized they really had pulled this stunt off. This has nothing to do with the aims of such a war, here simply *one* nations dictates to the world what it has to accept and what not.
What has happened to this great nation that tought me as son of the nation with the worst dictator the world has ever seen the values of freedom, democracy and liberty? The nation that defended our whole hemisphere from communist dictators for four decades? That sometimes I was not in accordance with (when they toppled Chile, or when they voted any UN resolution against Israel - they ignore the 212 since 30 years which obliges them to withdraw from the occupied territories) but in its democratic mechanisms I always could trust to work?
Where is democracy when 94% of your population are against your COA (as is the case in Spain), or 76% (Britain), but a Mr. Bush assures Mr. Aznar openly that "sometimes a leader must do what he knows is best for his people"? I have learned that our governments are to represent the will of the people, not doing so is called dictatorship in my book (luckily we at least still can elect them away, if they let us...)
Are US really thinking they will get away unharmed with destruction of the basis of the convivencia of the nations as regulated in the UN charta (which actually they themselves were one of the basic powers to install it after WWII) without giving a dam? I dont really think so, China now has all rights to claim Taiwan, Pakistan can legally claim Kashmir and the Arab nations might as well decide to make Israel comply with the UN resolution 212 by force w/o any argument except sheer military intimidation the US could bring forward against, they just did it themselves.
As it is we in Europe are probably more afraid of Bush at the moment than of any other ruler in the world Saddam included.
As a little tidbit (as these journalists simply can explain themselves better than I can) I will give you the (probably not too fluent) translation of yesterdays lead commentarys of "El Mundo", one of the three big newspapers here in Spain besides "El Pais" and "Ultima Hora", i.e. something like NY Times or Washington Post as far as weight is concerned, state conform and rather right winged, (and the Pais and Ultima Hora are on the same wavelength, I assure you):
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"The Great Dictator" (El Mundo, 19.3.2003, pg. 20)
For the last decade we have repeatedly been reminded of the barbarous precedents of Munich and the cowardice of the western states towards Hitler as an example for what we could not accept by Saddam Hussein.
It is certain, though, that any similarity between Germany of 1938 and Iraq of 2003 are pure coincidence.
The Hitler regime counted with a more than powerful army. It was backed by the top industry that made good profits in various fields, not the least of which was the production of weapons. The "Führer", who had gotten to power through regular elections was convinced of the superiority of his state and his social model and did not hide his intention to control and direct the ways of the world. His power was so obvious, and the arrogance and the fervor of his citizens so manifest that he effectively intimidated the leaders of the majority of the Western Nations: They allowed him to bend and leave the International Law where and when he liked (Chamberlain), partially because they were backing his views towards Communism which he accused of terroistic acts (remember the case of the "Reichstag" incinary?).
What has this in common with the reality of Saddam Hussein? The Iraqui dictator, whose forces were not even able to win against the Iranis - and this despite logistical backup by the US - cannot even think about attacking anyone at the momenbt. He has a people close to dying from hunger and totally demoralized and half of his territory is controled by strangers from the air. As it is, for month now he saw himself forced to accept biggest humiliations, having to allow inspections even under the carpets of his own homes.
To compare this guy with Hitler and what he stood for is simply ridiculous.
But lets not yet finish the act of comparing so rapidly:
Is there someone in the world of today who can count on a more than powerful army, who is backed by top industry, especially by industry in the field of weapons production, who has gotten to power through reguilar elections, who believes in the superiority of his state and his social model, who does not doubt in manifestating his intention to control and direct the ways of the world, whos arrogance does not seem to know limits and who bends and leaves the International Law as he likes, without Western Nations really opposing him?
Dictator comes from dictate. Is there someone at the moment who dictates at the world what it has to do, who does not feel he is under the obligations of any law, being free to do what he likes?
If there is no name coming up to you straight away, well, start taking a serious look around....
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As a German, having descended from the Hitler regime and having learned to understand the way and mechanisms freedom gets lost under a certain style of propaganda, having adopted the values of true democraciy from a Constituion the US gave us and having stood to defend it with my life if necessary, I really have no other way than to excert what little pressure I have to signal to all US citizens I know that we have eyes to see, that we are not content with what we see, and that this time someone *is* going to stand up and speak "tacheles", and leave the rest to you citiziens.
-snip-
In this sense, my aplogoies -snip- for the inconvinience caused,
Rattler
Rattler