The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
Views expressed in this archived message are those of the author, not of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
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Dear Peter, Tinyurl is essential (and remarkably simple!) if one does much emailing. Go here- http://tinyurl.com/ It takes 3 minutes to read and drag the 'tinyurl' application onto your toolbar. Once you have it on your toolbar, it takes 5 seconds to click your URL into a 'tinyurl'. Hope this helps. I look forward to seeing it on your future emails. ppg ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Brooke" <pbrooke@ukonline.co.uk> To: "ppg" <ppg@nyc.rr.com>; <casi-discuss@lists.casi.org.uk> Sent: Monday, December 22, 2003 4:05 AM Subject: Re: [casi] By the beard of the Manical Dictator - querying the Saddam captured images. > Dear 'ppg' > > I did say 'and I value' people's newspaper cuttings. And I do. Since I > stopped trawling the papers to put together my own news mailings I've found > the material forwarded by you and by Andreas and others very useful and > often very well spotted (choosing an article that's worth forwarding is an > art in itself). And I'm keeping a little private archive of this together > with the weekly RFE mailing and Juan Cole's blog (and Jo Wilding. And > Riverbend. There is quite a lot of interesting stuff out there). > > I'm also intrigued by your 'tinyurls'. I don't know what that system is but > it seems to work very well. > > My remark about throwing things into the void was a bit of bad temper on my > part and I apoogise for it. Though I do think we should all work harder at > getting an exchange of opinions going as opposed to just putting out our own > thoughts and observations. If that is a criticism it applies to me as much > as to anyone. > > Best wishes > > Peter > > > > From: "ppg" <ppg@nyc.rr.com> > > Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 17:35:03 -0500 > > To: "Peter Brooke" <pbrooke@ukonline.co.uk>, <casi-discuss@lists.casi.org.uk> > > Subject: Re: [casi] By the beard of the Manical Dictator - querying the > Saddam > > captured images. > > > > "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