The following comment is an interesting example of “do it yourself propaganda.” Skillfully done, and hence worth a look. It is perhaps part of conservatives’ attempt to maintain cohesion after the economic and geopolitical disasters of the Bush Administration. The Internet is flooded with material like this.
As usual with propaganda, it reads well but additional information ruins the story. Of special interest is the author’s belligerent attitude. Perhaps he believes it adds credibility.
This comment is by SFCMAC, posted here on the thread for “Some people just want to see the world burn” (17 January 2009). He gives 7 pieces of evidence for Saddam’s WMD’s.
- Two are gross overstatements, according to US government reports (#1 and 2).
- One is of post-invasion activity (#3).
- Three are duplicates (# 4, 5, 6).
- One that is clearly false (#7).
As for his state of mind, see the postscript:
“PS: When it comes to the Middle East; BURN, BABY, BURN. Cheers, SFC MAC”
Details (title, source, date) were added to the links he provided, plus an excerpt. My notes are inserted in italic. His reply is here (it is 1400 words long; an excerpt is here.) There is not much to it.
@ ほんと
Don’t make you laugh? What have you done beside regurgitate anti-US bullshit on a website? I spent 30 years serving this country and protecting ingrates like you. When you’ve humped a ruck instead of Obama’s leg, then you can talk.
@ ramses — comment #31
The justification for Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and the Islamic terrorist nation-states in the Middle East are justified by all the AMERICAN LIVES they took. 9/11 didn’t hit close enough to your own back yard, did it? That’s okay, you just sit tight, enjoy your freedom to spew crap while others–people far better than you–do the heavy lifting.
@ theoworkshop (comment #29): “If the WMD’s were indeed discovered then we all wud have known them.”
YOU ALL WOULD KNOW IF YOU HAD THE COGNITIVE SKILLS REQUIRED FOR READING. Since you didn’t bother to actually go to the link I provided, I’ll spell it out:
1) Declassified NGIC report: A one page summary (8 sentences) of a National Ground Intelligence Center report about “recovery of chemical munitions in iraq” — Released 21 June 2006; the date of the report is not provided. Excerpt:
“Since 2003 Coalition forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent.”
FM : 500 old shells of degraded chemicals! Not much to justify the great pre-war hype. The definitive report on Saddam’s WMD’s was by the Iraq Survey Group released 30 September 2004 — (Wikipedia, DoD press conference transcript, full report) — who said: “While a small number of old, abandoned chemical munitions have been discovered, ISG judges that Iraq unilaterally destroyed its undeclared chemical weapons stockpile in 1991. There are no credible indications that Baghdad resumed production of chemical munitions thereafter, a policy ISG attributes to Baghdad’s desire to see sanctions lifted, or rendered ineffectual, or its fear of force against it should WMD be discovered.”
2) 1.77 metric tons of enriched uranium: DOE Press Release, 7 July 2004; BBC story.
FM: The ISG report report states that this was purchased from Italy in May 1982 (Volume II, “Nuclear” chapter, table #1 on page 14). It sat in Iraq for the next 20 years, and there was no functioning program to use it at the time of our invasion.
3) 1,500 gallons of chemical weapons agents: “Iraqi Chemical Stash Uncovered; Post-Invasion Cache Could Have Been For Use in Weapons“, Washington Post, 14 August 2005
FM: This was a post-invasion “suspected chemical weapons factory” manufacturing “precursor agents”. Either SFCMAC did not read carefully or is misleading us by implying this was a Saddam-era site.
4) Chemical warheads containing cyclosarin: “Chemical munitions found by Polish soldiers were being pursued by terrorists“, AP, 2 July 2004 — Excerpt (bold emphasis added):
Dukaczewski refused to give any further details about the terrorists or the sellers of the munitions, saying only that his troops thwarted terrorists by purchasing the 17 rockets for a Soviet-era launcher and 2 mortar rounds containing the nerve agent for an undisclosed sum June 23.
FM: a duplicate of the evidence described in #1 above.
5) Over 1,000 radioactive materials in powdered form meant for dispersal over populated areas: BBC story.
FM: Another duplicate. This is the BBC story in #2 above. It is false to claim this was “meant for dispersal over populated areas.” Not only is there no evidence of this, but the ISG report proves this material was purchased as part of Saddam’s early attempt to build nukes.
6) Roadside bombs loaded with mustard and “conventional” saringas, assembled in binary chemical projectiles for maximum potency: “Sarin, Mustard Gas Discovered Separately in Iraq“, Fox News, 17 May 2004 — Excerpt (bold emphasis added):
The Iraqi Survey Group confirmed today that a 155-millimeter artillery round containing sarin nerve agent had been found,” Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt (search), the chief military spokesman in Iraq, told reporters in Baghdad. “The round had been rigged as an IED(improvised explosive device) which was discovered by a U.S. force convoy.”
… However, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said the results were from a field test, which can be imperfect, and said more analysis was needed. If confirmed, it would be the first finding of a banned weapon upon which the United States based its case for war.
… Two weeks ago, U.S. military units discovered mustard gas that was used as part of an IED. Tests conducted by the Iraqi Survey Group (search) — a U.S. organization searching for weapons of mass destruction — and others concluded the mustard gas was “stored improperly,” which made the gas “ineffective.”
FM: this is an repetition of the material in item #1 above.
7) Last major stockpile from Saddam’s nuclear efforts arrives in Canada, (the one’s Joe Wilson claimed he didn’t have). Those weapons were previously unknown to U.N. inspectors. “Secret U.S. mission hauls uranium from Iraq – Last major stockpile from Saddam’s nuclear efforts arrives in Canada“, AP, 5 July 2008.
“U.N. inspectors documented and safeguarded the yellowcake, which had been stored in aging drums and containers since before the 1991 Gulf War. There was no evidence of any yellowcake dating from after 1991, the official said.”
FM: Both aspects of this are false. First, Iraq declared the Febuary 1981 purchase of yellowcake to the IAEA (same reference as above: Volume II, “Nuclear” chapter, table #1 on page 14). Their other 3 purchases were not declared (from Niger in March 1981; Brazil in September 1981 and January 1982). Second, his comment about Joe Wilson is incorrect. Wilson was investigating efforts to buy yellowcake circa 2002, not pre-1991 purchases of yellowcake.
Oh yeah, and his terrorist connections: He gave thousands of dollars to families of suicide bombers and in addition, Iraqi intelligence met with al Qadea operatives and provided with training camps in Northern Iraq: “The Mother of All Connections: A special report on the new evidence of collaboration between Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and al Qaeda“, Stephen F. Hayes and Thomas Joscelyn, Weekly Standard, 18 July 2005.
FM: this article discusses a “Summary of Evidence” memo prepared in 2004 for the Combatant Status Review Tribunals of the 558 captives who remained in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. The Wikipedia entry gives a summary and links to the two releases of excerpts. This is unrelated to the issue of Saddam’s WMD. Also, government reports have consistently said that there was no relationship between Saddam’s Iran and 9-11.
Saddam Hussein, as evidenced by the WMD found, his previous use, continued willingness to use them, and the documents discovered which connected him to terrorists, was a threat. The fact remains that the inspectors got absolutely nowhere with regard to full disclosure of Hussein’s WMD program.
Those are all from open source reporting.
For anyone who thinks we should agressively persue an end to the Islamofascist quest for a world Caliphate, take a moment to scan the New York City skyline. See anything missing?
PS: When it comes to the Middle East; BURN, BABY, BURN.
Cheers, SFC MAC
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