Political prisoner, activist, journalist, hymn-writer, emerging thinktanker, aspiring novelist, "tribal elder", 2019 parliamentary candidate for North West Durham, Shadow Leader of the Opposition, "Speedboat", "The Cockroach", eagerly awaiting the second (or possibly third) attempt to murder me.
Thursday, 28 October 2010
When Tariq Aziz
Sent to the gallows: a Christian, for waging war on the Islamists who now control Iraq.
Sent to the gallows: the only man left who could ever have told the whole story of America's dirty war in Iraq.
He has been convicted of nothing except holding the line against the Shi'ite Islamists whom the invasion has installed in power, as any removal of Saddam Hussein was bound to. I hope that you are very proud.
And by what means did he hold the line? Letter writing campaigns? Street theatre?
Christian or no (as if that's relevant) he was one of the inner circle of a regime that practised brutal repression of its populace as a matter of course. Pretending that he's an innocent victim is as wilfully ignorant as it is morallly corrupt. At least admit that he's not oh my god what's the point.
I hope that you are very proud of what you have installed in Iraq, and of what it has done and is doing to the women, to the age-old Christian communities, and to that very Arab phenomenon, the Anglophile middle class (you don't get any of that Somewhere Else That I Could Mention).
"As if that's relevant"? "As if that's relevant"! My God, you know NOTHING about the Middle East. Are you George Bush? Or a recently arrived immigrant in Israel? Or a long-established immigrant in Israel?
His Late Beatitude says it all at 15:20. And, again, I hope that you are very proud of quite what the ignorance of you and yours has, er, "achieved" in Iraq.
I was going to write "Why do we let you people vote?", but the question is really how we came to the situation in which you are the only people with anyone to vote for, and what we are going to do about it.
Mr Lindsay is one of extremely few British commentators to have the slightest understanding of Christianity in the Middle East, and his understanding is very far from slight. He is an ally as vital to us as he is to council tenants.
If only he hadn't ordered all those murders, eh? It gave the neocons the excuse they needed. He was just playing into their hands, really.
ReplyDeleteHe has been convicted of nothing except holding the line against the Shi'ite Islamists whom the invasion has installed in power, as any removal of Saddam Hussein was bound to. I hope that you are very proud.
ReplyDeleteAnd by what means did he hold the line? Letter writing campaigns? Street theatre?
ReplyDeleteChristian or no (as if that's relevant) he was one of the inner circle of a regime that practised brutal repression of its populace as a matter of course. Pretending that he's an innocent victim is as wilfully ignorant as it is morallly corrupt. At least admit that he's not oh my god what's the point.
What, indeed?
ReplyDeleteI hope that you are very proud of what you have installed in Iraq, and of what it has done and is doing to the women, to the age-old Christian communities, and to that very Arab phenomenon, the Anglophile middle class (you don't get any of that Somewhere Else That I Could Mention).
But, as you say, what's the point?
Green, is that we did in Iraq and are doing in Afghanistan, letter-writing campaigns and street theatre?
ReplyDeleteWhat I've installed in Iraq? Would it be worth asking exactly what you think I've done to install anybody anywhere?
ReplyDeleteNo, no it wouldn't.
"As if that's relevant"? "As if that's relevant"! My God, you know NOTHING about the Middle East. Are you George Bush? Or a recently arrived immigrant in Israel? Or a long-established immigrant in Israel?
ReplyDeleteSent to the gallows: a Christian, for waging war on the Islamists who now control Iraq.
ReplyDeleteSent to the gallows: a Muslim, for waging war on the Islamists who now control Iraq.
Sent to the gallows: an atheist, for waging war on the Islamists who now control Iraq.
Sent to the gallows: a vegetarian, for waging war on the Islamists who now control Iraq.
If it's wrong, it's wrong. It doesn't become more wrong because he's a Christian. Right?
His Late Beatitude says it all at 15:20. And, again, I hope that you are very proud of quite what the ignorance of you and yours has, er, "achieved" in Iraq.
ReplyDeleteI was going to write "Why do we let you people vote?", but the question is really how we came to the situation in which you are the only people with anyone to vote for, and what we are going to do about it.
Mr Lindsay is one of extremely few British commentators to have the slightest understanding of Christianity in the Middle East, and his understanding is very far from slight. He is an ally as vital to us as he is to council tenants.
ReplyDeleteDavid, where have I said anything in support of the Iraq or Afghanistan wars?
ReplyDeleteIt's not a trick question.
Mar Nicholas I Zaya (what an erudite lot we attract on here), you are very kind.
ReplyDeleteWhite, your question answers itself.