The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
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"We get (and I value) a large number of forwarded newspaper cuttings but hardly any actual original thinking." --Peter Mea culpa. However you write, "But right at this moment I have the feeling that sending anything to this list is sending it into the void"--Peter With this I disagree. Very many of the observations, and most of the 'information' I read here are passed on to a wide US audience. Do not fear you are posting into a 'void'. pg ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Brooke" <pbrooke@ukonline.co.uk> To: <casi-discuss@lists.casi.org.uk> Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2003 5:06 PM Subject: Re: [casi] By the beard of the Manical Dictator - querying the Saddam captured images. > Dear Per and list > > > This situation is like something out of bad satire: the people of Iraq > > is in urgent need of our attention, wholly at the mercy of the policies > > of our politicians, who are not accountable to them in any way. This > > list exists for the discussion of how we can address this situation, but > > instead it's a place for the discussion of the size of Saddam's > > moustache. Monty Python couldn't have come up with anything more absurd. > > > Those who object to the poor quality of the list at present would be on > stronger ground if they themselves would send mailings that identify > important issues and reflect on them in an intelligent manner. We get (and I > value) a large number of forwarded newspaper cuttings but hardly any actual > original thinking. > > Per is certainly capable of this, as witness his letter to the BBC > complaining about the way they represented the end of the Oil for Food > programme. But even this was not sent to the list by him (it was sent by > Daniel on Nov 25). Mike Lewis is also capable of it and so is Colin Rowat. > Yet if I'm not mistaken the only substantial mailings any of them have sent > since the invasion have been complaints about Tom. Which is a curious thing > in itself when all of them are of the opinion that Tom's thoughts are not > worth bothering with. > > I have recently mailed an argument in favour of supporting Grand Ayatollah > Sistani's call for a rapid move to elections; and one pointing to our Prime > Minister's claim that 400,000 bodies have already been discovered in mass > graves (that IS what he said) as a travesty of what is known on this subject > - a statement which shows much the same mentality as the irresponsible > statements about weapons of mass destruction made prior to the war. I am > also trying to enter into some sort of discussion with Muhammad and Yasser > on whether or not a tribunal established by the IGC can have any credibility > (Hassan Zeini has also mailed on this subject). And I have tried to get some > sort of focus on the reality of Iraqi culture by drawing attention to the > fact that there is among the Shi'ites a system of law with a respectable > intellectual pedigree that is up and running and is probably the most > important factor at the present time preventing an even greater slide into > anarchy. None of these have so far attracted any interest though they seem > to me to be important issues. The only thing I have mailed that has > stimulated a reaction has been my remark in support of Tom on the subject of > Saddam Hussein's moustache. > > The CASI analysis list has been established to try to get more high quality > discussion through tighter monitoring, and there is a project for an > improved website on similar lines. I have been trying to get some idea of > the focus for these projects and of the topics that will be considered > appropriate for them. So far I have failed but this might emerge over time > once the people who have been refraining from posting to the rambling and > anarchic discussion list start posting to the tighter analysis list. > > At any rate I suppose that the size of Saddam Hussein's moustache will not > be considered an appropriate subject, but since we are still on the > rambling, anarchic list, I might remark that the point under consideration > is bushiness. The degree of bushiness is not revealed in the full frontal > photos given by the BBC; it is revealed in the three quarter views given by > Tom. This does not constitute evidence as to whether or not the photos are > of Saddam himself or of a lookalike. My own speculation, if there's anything > in it (and it may well be a trick of the light. But it doesn't look like > one) is that whether it was Saddam or a lookalike they wanted it to look > like Saddam and so probably touched up the photograph when they saw that the > moustache did not look right. > > However interpreted the whole disgusting spectacle is a gross violation of > the terms of the Geneva convention (the one our leaders evoked when they > complained about Al Jazeera photos of dead US and British soldiers) and a > monstrous way of treating a captive head of state (I seem to remember in one > of my news mailings commenting on the regret George Bush must feel that he > is no longer living in an age where he could use the captive emperor as a > footstool for mounting his horse. I have also been put in mind of William > Blake's great painting of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar). For myself I > think that getting some sort of coherent understanding of what Saddam > Hussein is/was is a matter of the first importance and I would like to set > about it (and would welcome help from those who detest him. The best > polemicist against Saddam Hussein I have seen over the past few weeks has > been Jo Wilding). > > But right at this moment I have the feeling that sending anything to this > list is sending it into the void. > > Yours > > Peter > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 _______________________________________________ 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