What Fires You Up?

10/24/2002

 

* * * * * * * * *Thank you morganwood* * * * * * * * * * * * *Your essay was very beautiful! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * And now for something completely different... * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * This story has come to me from my subscription to the Blueear Forum and concerns the lack of news coverage in the US media about a recent amnesty in Iraq: "Message ID: 16576 Date: 10/23/2002 Subject: Re: News management (Deepa Kandaswamy) Ormond Otvos wrote: A friend of mine just called. He has a degree from MIT in International Relations. He has a print copy of the NY Times with a front page picture of people running from the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Irag, because Saddam Hussein gave a blanket amnesty to ALL prisoners in Iraq! If you scan, right now, Monday nite at 7 pm PST, this story appears not on the SF Chronicle lead page, the NY Times lead page, Reuters or AP.org. What the hell is going on? There are stories about all kinds of junk happenings, but this is "left out"!? I invite comment. I watched it on Indian TV channels. Not all prisoners -- blanket amnesty has been provided to most, including the anti-Saddam forces and Kuwaitis EXCEPT for some Iraqi prisoners who have charges of spying against Iraq for the US. It was funny for the people who got out were dancing and raising their hands and shouting slogans for Iraq and against Hussein. Many family members were there to greet them. The reason is supposedly a direct outcome of the Oct. 19 meeting between Kuwaiti and Iraqi officials meeting in the demilitarized border zone. The Iraqis turned up with five truckloads of documents, museum pieces, military hardware and papers - the Kuwaiti archives that were seized during 1990. It includes documents from the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry, National Security Dept., letters from the Emir, etc. seized after Iraq declared Kuwait its 19th province. Kuwaiti officials said they will take delivery after verification and also demanded the repatriation of Kuwaiti prisoners and the 600 people who went missing during the invasion. Iraq agreed to release the prisoners but said it had no knowledge of the 600 missing people. My guess is that this blanket amnesty to all prisoners is supposed to prove to Kuwait that it has no missing Kuwaitis in its prisons. I suppose most of you know the return of archives, repatriation of Kuwaiti prisoners along with verifiable elimination of its weapons of mass destruction are the major conditions for lifting of sanctions. I am surprised it was not covered in US media. Are you sure? Was this covered? The US is reportedly training 5000 people who belong to Iraqi opposition groups. Some of these groups have declared that they are willing to mend fences with Israel as soon as Saddam is toppled. Regards, Deepa Kandaswamy New Delhi " Link BJ has found: Cox News Service, "America At War" website: This link is to an article in the Straits Times (a Pacific media online source): Saddam Surprise Amnesty: Iraqi Convicts Set Free http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/topstories/story/0,4386,150368,00.html So, my question is, with over 100,000 prisoners freed this week, just why ISN'T this all over the US news media???? As Deepa says in her blueears post: "I suppose most of you know the return of archives, repatriation of Kuwaiti prisoners along with verifiable elimination of its weapons of mass destruction are the major conditions for lifting of sanctions. Okay, what am I missing here? * * * * * * * cobalt * * * * * * *

BJ 10/24/2002 09:44:00 AM