Once Upon a Time, When Saddam was Our Friend
Published in
The Universe
(January 26, 2003)
George W. Bush ought to know that it is a sin to covet a
neighbors goods even if they are controlled by a despot such as Saddam
Hussein. Iraq has an estimated three trillion US dollars worth of oil
reserves, the second biggest reserve on the planet. The US has practically
none of its own oil resources left having pumped and gulped everything
discovered in the past one hundred years. It is the greediest oil guzzler on
earth it has to get oil to remain the supreme leader on planet earth. That
is no reason for the US to wage bloody war on the Iraqi people a former
friend and ally. Thousands of innocent people, women and children, will be
killed.
The Butcher of Baghdad is what Saddam Hussein is now called by Donald
Rumsfield his former friend and partner in oil and chemical deals. Donald is
now the US Secretary Of Defense of President George William Bush Jr. and
they are pushing hard to launch a war against Saddam Hussein.
In 1983 it was a very different relationship. Donald Rumsfield was the envoy
of US President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George Bush Senior, to
Hussein and they were the best of friends. Their common enemy was Iran who
was calling the United States the 'Great Satan' for meddling in their
internal affairs and overthrowing their leader and putting the despotic the
Shah of Iran on the throne. He, in turn was overthrown by religious fanatics
led by Ayatollah Khomeini.
According to Renato Constantino the brilliant Filipino researcher and writer
who inspired this article, in 1983 Donald Rumsfield was visiting Saddam and
was gaily kissing and hugging the butcher in the hope of getting Saddam to
attack Iran more aggressively and build an oil and gas pipeline to the
Jordanian port of Aquaba for US Bechtel Corporation. Despite the blood on
Hussein's hands certain compromises had to be made in the name of the
American people to get the Iraqi oil and gas for US industry.
It was ok too because US President Ronald Reagan in 1982 had removed Saddam's
notorious name from the list of dictators sponsoring terrorism. To cement
the deals Donald Rumsfield gave his friend Saddam 60 Hughes helicopters and
more Bell helicopters equipped for 'crop spraying' that is for flying around
spraying poison nerve gas on his and America's enemies leaving thousands
wreathing and dying in agony in the desert.
Then you can just image Saddam on the phone to the White House; SADDAM:
"Hello, is that you Donald ?, give my thanks to Ronnie. Those helicopters came
just in time with the loads of poison gas you gave us to test, very
effective, killed at least 5000 Kurds, most of them women and children, the
troublesome nits. I need more of your best 'quick kill' brand of poison gas
to wipe out the Iranians, they are attacking in human waves. can you help?
It's not the kind of gas you want in the pipe line though, ha ha ha".
George Bush Senior, now US president was very understanding and helpful. You
can imagine the return call.
GEORGE : " Saddam, old buddy, well done. You need more poison gas,
chemical weapons? Ok but you better start making the stuff yourself. You
know how close I am to the oil barons, best friends in fact, I'm gonna send
Bechtel to build you a petrochemical plant. You hear me now boy? Make those
beautiful weapons of mass destruction yourself. don't tell anyone I told ya,
Ha Ha! What's' that?, money? raw chemicals, precursor agents? well OK,
whatever, I'll see what I can do, anything for you old buddy, OK"?
And as good as his word George Bush Senior sent Saddam the best quality raw
chemicals from the USA, as much as $500 million in credits and another $500
million to hurry up the pipeline construction.
Saddam not content with all this called again.
SADDAM : "George can you throw in a package of Anthrax germ seed? I
heard it is a very quick killer "
GEORGE : " Anthrax? That stuff can kill quick as a snake, you can have
it, sure, no problem, anything for you Saddam, but whatever happens, don't
send it back to us in the mail OK"?
(to be continued...)
