(Ramble alert) Saturday, in Stockholm, 80 or so Iraqi exiles demonstrated in front of the Iraqi Embassy that they wanted Saddam removed from power. They did not care how. This was a small article somewhere inside the Sunday paper. Not too big or noticeable. The cover, however, was the anti-war folk, complete with big photos and text. Does the media have a bias of some sort here? Why wasn't the other demonstration given equal coverage?
I think it is a matter of the squeaky wheel here. Why aren't there anti-Saddam rallies? There were anti-apartheid rallies. Am I to assume that all these people who rallied are pro Saddam? If they really want to stop a war, shouting at the US and UK to play nice with Saddam is not going to work. Why aren't they out shouting for the removal of Saddam by his own 'government'? The Swedish papers had headlines like: "Sweden wants peace." How selfish can you get? The course of action they want taken does not result in peace for the Iraqi people, only a few odd Swedish soldiers. But, hey, that's the Iraqi people's problem, I guess. John Simpson (of Simpson's World and other BBC World programs) says, in his latest book, that in his recent trips to Baghdad, the man on the street wonders when the US will arrive. They cannot wait. They want it. These are people he talks to in unofficial conversations while getting a shave or a haircut. And, obviously, I wonder how many demonstrators drove to the demonstrations in their cars, on asphalt roads, after leaving their nicely heated home? As to the Arabs not liking the US, consider this: Some Saudi Arabs do not like the US because they think the US keeps the royal family in power so that the US has a secure source of oil. There is, of course, some truth there. But, isn't it possible that the US is afraid that the Saudi family may fall and want to have another source of oil in that likelihood? Also, opening up Iraqi oil will return some competition to the Saudi royal family (who, officially get all the oil income, and then grant money to the people to run the country) and. perhaps, force them increase the rate of reforms. They cannot topple the royal family, as that is far too risky. But, they can apply economic pressure. Whether the Saudi people themselves think so, action in Iraq can be good for them as well. Of course, the royal^h^h^h^h^hgovernment papers would never say this. Why aren't the Western papers? -- +����������������������������+�������������������������������+ � Roger Oberholtzer � E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] � � OPQ Systems AB � WWW: http://www.opq.se/ � � Erik Dahlbergsgatan 41-43 � Phone: Int + 46 8 314223 � � 115 34 Stockholm � Mobile: Int + 46 733 621657 � � Sweden � Fax: Int + 46 8 302602 � +����������������������������+�������������������������������+ _______________________________________________ General mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.linux-sxs.org/mailman/listinfo/general
