Iraqi who tried to defect...

Wow, I saw that before it happened, and they were suggesting that he was protesting the UN's presence. This, I assume, has since been translated and confirmed that was not the case?

 

KEEP OUT

 

"About 40 minutes later, another Iraqi man stopped a U.N. vehicle outside the headquarters pleading "Save me! Save me!" in Arabic, according to the U.N. The man, apparently unarmed, forced his way into the driver's seat of the stopped vehicle, as an Iraqi guard struggled to pull him out, while an unfazed U.N. inspector watched from the passenger seat.
Appearing agitated and frightened, the young man, with a closely trimmed beard and mustache, sat inside the white U.N.-marked utility vehicle for 10 minutes, AP reported. At first, an inspection team leader sought help from nearby Iraqi soldiers, but the man refused to leave the vehicle as the uniformed men pulled on his sleeve and collar.
"I am unjustly treated!" he shouted.
Then U.N. security men arrived, and they and Iraqi police carried the man by his feet and arms into the fenced compound, journalists said. The man was turned over to Iraqi authorities at a government office adjacent to the compound, U.N. officials said."

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/01/25/sprj.irq.inspections/index.html

 

I agree the UN should look into the matter, and investigate the man with notebook.

I did hear that the reason they didn't immediately intervene on the man's behalf was because of the previous knife attack, and they thought this guy might be another attacker.

Either way the UN, Amnesty International etc. should all look into the guys current condition, and status.

 

Thats all they do. They just look into things and protest things and pass resolutions. They don't DO anything. The UN is just a bunch of p*****s.

 

The UN sounds like a bureaucratic mess. The fat guy ignoring the defector about to be tortured and beaten to his death (along with his family) reminds me of the guys in Office Space who are in their own safe comfortable worlds (whcih they actually hate).

Does the UN even care about the inspection process? What incentive do they have anyways?

 

Well Robbie, it may interest you to know that the UN arms inspectors destroyed more Iraqi chemical weapons and weapons of mass destruction than did all the bombs and military force of the Gulf War.

Also there are several war criminals and former dictators no longer in power, because of UN efforts. South Africa no longer has Apartheid in part because of UN efforts.

Just some things those bunch of p*****s from the UN managed to accomplish.

 

To make the world and their own individual countries safer, to make sure that if things look bad for them the UN will be around and respected enough to do something about it.

I know it may be naive, and isn't always true, but sometimes just doing the right thing is incentive enough.

 

What if they believe doing the right thing is stopping the US from going to war? I don't really trust the UN too much, they could sabotage the inspections if they wanted to.

 

I am not sure though now if I belive this to be true. Didn't Sean Penn say that every one over there is happy?

That is a perfect example of what a crock of **** it is when you have these f-ing American actors or people in the public eye going over there as though they know more than the gov't, or that they will really make a difference. Its all a bunch of self promting BS.

 

How much credence do you think the UN or the Whitehouse is giving to what Sean Penn says? Having Penn go over there didn't change anyone's plans.

And for the record Penn said he would love to see Saddam gone, and that there are obvious abuses by Hussein's regime. He said the civilians were all very nice to his group, and happy to see them etc. Penn just doesn't believe a war is needed, or that the Iraqis WMD programs exist to any level that rises to a threat of the U.S.

 

I understand the UN and WH could care less about what he says, and to be perfectly frank, neither do 90% of Americans, so what is the point? What was accomplished in doing that? It’s all a bunch of self-promoting BS.

If the UN and the US have documentation, and intelligence in the region that suggest that these weapons that were there in the early 90's as well as ones that were being built after are unaccounted for. The UN has stated there are major concerns over those weapons and is trying to figure out what the risk is to the US & the world.

The UN was there for months in the mid 90's and a couple of months currently and they still have concerns. Sean goes there for a few days and can declare "that the Iraqis WMD programs exist to any level that rises to a threat of the US." Who in the f**k is Sean Penn to say "that the Iraqis WMD programs exist to any level that" that poses any type of threat?

He needs to worry about finding a role in a movie that is worth seeing at a dollar theater and keep his mouth shut. Better yet, go find a role in an Off Baghdad (opposed to Broadway) show and be greeted by the bombs should they start falling.

I know this was weeks ago, but it irks the hell out of me when these people attempt to make political statements that have little if any credence b/c there are a large number of people who don't know any better and they believe the things they say just based on the fact they went to Iraq.

Who did he meet with that gave him better information than that which has been provided to the UN?

 

Why would anyone want to leave Iraq? Didn't 100% of th epolulation vote for Saddam.

Dear Iraqi citizens: Fear not your country will be blown to bits in about 10 days. Don't try to run, don't try to hide either way it's about over. You should have taken care of your own business (you knowing throwing Saddam Out) but you didn't. Now deal with the fact that your idiot leader just sealed your fates.

 

and what was the UN accomplishing in serbia when people were being dumped into mass graves?

 

I lean much more to your side than Robbie's in this discussion but I'd just like to point out that the only reason the U.N. inspectors were so successful in the 90's, and the only reason there are U.N. inspectors in Iraq today, is the use of military force and the threat of using it again.

 

That was a tragedy no doubt, but the U.N. did go in and get their man in that case. That's a good thing.

 

I am liking the way you think! That should be a part of the evidence used for the oppression.

 

sorry i'm not really explaining my points too well. but basically i'm tired of the UN's sitting around and voting and waiting and more waiting like what went on with saddam for the past 12 years when he was stringing us along. the same goes with north korea and how they have acquired nukes. the same goes for the balkans where it took forever to get something done and thousands of people were slaughtered. it seems like the US has to take action before anything ever gets done in the UN.