I was listening to the radio this morning, a local regular dj morning show. They interviewed a guy who has lived here for 9 years, previously grew up for 40 years in Iraq. He told how life in Iraq really is.
For those who say that under no circumstances should we go in and liberate Iraq, I think this might make you re-think.
In no particular order:
There is a draft into the armed forces there. You sign up for 2 years, but you stay until they let you go. You typically will spend at least 10-12 years, if not a lifetime.
Saddam is NOT loved and adored by the people as a whole. They have no choice but to vote for him, to show their support. Otherwise they disappear.
He told of a story how Saddam went to visit a school and talked to a class of children, about 6 to 7 years old. He would typically go in and ask them if they see him on tv, hear him on the radio. He came to one young boy, and when Saddam asked this question, the boy said no, "I don't see you on tv." He was then asked why? The boy replied that every time Saddam was on, his father would turn off the tv. The boys dad was brought in, and killed.
The fear, is unreal, he says. You do not question Saddam or his people. You will flat out die.
This man escaped with his wife and mother. His father asked him to go, knowing the consequences. "You see", he explained, "if you are in the armed services, and you defect, they will hunt down your family. It used to be, that they would find one loved person, hold them hostage until you came back. At which point they would torture and kill you. But now, they take the whole family, wife, parents, children, torture them, and kill them if you don't come back." This mans father was taken, tortured, and later died. He was 81 years old.
When asked about what he has heard about comparing Saddam to others such as Hitler, this man said, that Saddam is worse than Hitler, and others like him, combined.
The fact is, the country of Iraq as a whole is not behind Saddam. He lived there for 40 years, and clearly told of how life really is. He says he is grateful that he has the opportunity to live here in the United States.
He says kids know from a very early age, you don't cross Saddam. People live in constant fear. He says it is far worse than you can possibly imagine.
I listened to the radio hosts afterwards, and they described how this man looked and behaved when in the studio. They saw the sadness in his eyes, the sincerity.
I don't believe those people deserve to live like that. Not only is he a threat to us, but a horrible man to his own people. He needs to be taken out. This man says they will celebrate when they know that he is not a threat to them anymore.
I think if you are paying attention to the news, it is clear that the majority of the army in Iraq does not want to fight. This very well could end a lot sooner than we thought, with much less damage and bloodshed.
My hat is off to those in the United States in the White House that made the decision to not only watch our back, but the backs of the Iraqi people as a whole, and do what may not be the popular thing to do, which many times, is the right thing to do.