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[ Presenting plain-text part of multi-format email ] Re: [casi] Forum on Iraq and my Deep Apolgy ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hi all, In response to Alun. On my wall I have a political cartoon from a 1933 newspaper. A crocodile, flanked by a couple of hyenas and three tigers is addressing a 'Disarmament Conference.' The packed audience is row upon row of sheep. The crocodile ic concluding his speech: 'My friends, we have failed. We just couldn't control you war-like passions.' Alun's thoughts treat all like sheep. People are too stupid to understand the implications of failed and filthy water. Water has been amongst the largest debates and political potatoes on earth for decades. Indeed many predicted the next world war would be about water. When Tom Nagy's find re the deliberate bombing of Iraq's water surfaced in his articles (and more humbly, mine) it was a story that went instantly round the world. When I or Tom speak anywhere, in any country on the subject and on Iraq and Iraq's people, (along with many others) it is not only standing room only, it's people unable even to get in, but waiting outside the doors to hear. Not a point made in tribute to the speakers, but to the interest and compassion relating to Iraq throughout the world now. Iraqis are sort of non people of whom few care, says Alun. So why did virtually every city on earth erupt with demonstrations on an ongoing basis prior to this war? Because Iraqi;s were non people, because the world's public can't find it on a maP? Don't think so. Two and a half million people in Hyde Park, five million in Rome - Malaysia, Washington, Sydney, Islamabad, thorughout Jordan, Cairo, Inonesia, all Europe, Africa, South and Central America all responded in vast numbers. Alun is worried about any protest re water being read as 'unpatriotic'. What? So Iraqi's are poisoned and ignored (in absolute contravention of the Geneva Convention) in order that Brits and Americans can be seen as patriotic? Patriots standing on the graves of more Iraqi kids? Patriotism? Thanks, but no thanks. 'All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing.' Best, felicity a. * From: Alun Harford <alunharford@DELETETHISyahoo.com> * Subject: Re: [casi] Forum on Iraq and my Deep Apolgy * Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 02:15:07 -0700 (PDT) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --- " Tom Nagy, Ph.D." <nagy@gwu.edu> wrote: > It's the > general refusal to examine and > publicized sufficiently the underlying vs. proximae > causes of horrors that > bother me because the results here in D.C. such > taboo lets the U.S. Gov. off > the hook even if wehn enables continuing, > industrial strength, assesmbly line > efficient torture and death via bombs bombing of > individulals [see > iraqbodycount.org ] and the hugly greater and more > pain-death induction > efficient mode of bombing the infrastructure or > preventing its rebuiliding or > resupply. While this is all true - think of the endgame! Lets say AI releases a report with all this information in it. It would cause a minor scandal in the media but everybody would forget about it within a week, and it would make no difference. People are generally too ignorant to realise the effect of destroying water treatment facilities. The media reports as follows: They are Iraqi people - at worst they are simply ignored - occasionally they are portrayed as statistics - if they are lucky they are 'a story' but NEVER are they portrayed as real people, so very few people care. Meanwhile, the US military could over-react and prevent humanitarian agencies from getting access to people in Iraq. I'd rarther not take that risk for the sake of information that will largely be ignored (or be dismissed as "unpatriotic" - depending on where it is being reported) For now, I would rarther they kept quiet. _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk