CPTnet
December 16, 2003
IRAQ: Saddam Hussein, December 14

by Allan Slater

The guns started going off in the streets of Baghdad just before 2 PM. We
CPTers knew that something was being celebrated. The last
time it had been Iraq's football victory over North Korea. Today it was the
arrest of Saddam Hussein.

Just as we got the news I was whisked off by car for an afternoon with the
Abu Raji family. We sat together and watched the events on their TV.
It was a bittersweet time for this Iraqi family. They were elated at the
arrest of Saddam Hussein but embittered by the smug grins of
US generals and politicians. Abu Raji, the father, summed up the present
situation saying, "Iraq is like a bird that is too tired to fly but has no
place to land."

Out on the streets of our local community of Karradah I heard the following
comments.

"George Bush and Saddam Hussein are brothers. Now they are together."

" Saddam Hussein bought his support with money so his supporters are gone.
The resistance now consists of people who want Iraq to be free of the
American imperialists."

One man, upon learning that I was not American, but Canadian, asked, "What
would you do if the Americans were occupying your country like this?"

"Some Iraqis who have no money and no jobs will take money to kill
Americans," said another man.

One woman said, " The problems of Iraq and the Middle East will never be
resolved until Palestinians are freed from Israeli oppression."

Omar, our neighbour, said, "The people of Iraq
will find Saddam Hussein guilty when they see a brighter future than the one
they see now."