# Showing pictures of POW's: the US hypocrisy **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 14, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-pictures-of-pows-the-us-hypocrisy/218970 "2003-12-14T18:19:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-pictures-of-pows-the-us-hypocrisy/218970/161 "2003-12-23T19:45:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aldebaran \* > \*\*Y Rex, > Sorry to disappoint you, but I didn’t, and my late father didn’t and I have no intention let be any need to do so in the future. > My late mother did though. She left Belgium to marry my father in his country, where I was born an where my main residence is and where my women and children were born and live, as their and my family (from father’s side) does. > > Now that your curiosity is satisfied, I think we can stay on topic, no? \*\* Then I will assume that you are living in the Middle East, but not in Iraq…(unless you tell me otherwise)…and my responses will be made with that in mind. \*\* > [@](#): > > Your comment that a large part of the Iraqi population “saw Sadam as a criminal being caught, not a leader being humilated” -which is true, yet even their joy does not wipe out the points I mentioned that are working against this show- has nothing to do with my comment you previously quoted.\*\* Then agreeing that Saddam is a criminal (and a secular criminal to boot), then your argument about his indignant treatment becomes a little more hollow. And yes, their joy does minimize or even preclude your points because I see them as real, living human beings who are happier instead of being one anonymous poster (who is being nebulous at best) that is upset over how a criminal was treated. \*\* > [@](#): > > It has also nothing to do with the issue of this topic. That goes about commenting on the double-standard-hypocrisy of the USA. > And about the double goal they tried to reach by showing these pictures, which had less to do with “reassurance” of th Iraqis who suffered under Hussein, then with > > 1. Propaganda on the home front and among those who can’t see through it and can’t see the hypocrisy of it > 2. (To summarize it) “Teaching those stupid Arabs who run after oppressive dictators, or accept being ruled by them, a lesson”. Which was only showing their absolute ignorance of the mentality and culture of those “Arabs”.\*\* I had already affirmed the hyprocisy, but the double-standard arrow has gone back and forth between the US govt. and Saddam’s Iraqi govt. To me, both sides were “one-upping” each other. 1. Propaganda, like I said before, is in every human conflict since the beginning of human conflict. The hypocrisy is on BOTH sides. 2. Are you calling the Arabs “stupid”? Because I certainly didn’t! Are you putting words in somebody’s mouth or are you trying to incite a form a bigotry into this thread? Careful on your response. Mods maybe watching… \*\* > [@](#): > > By this needs to be mentioned that one of the most exploiting oppressing regimes in that region is “The Friend” of the USA and can do whatever it wants as long as the oil keeps flowing. > > So once again they show their double standards and in addition they show once again their lack of insight in what really their own interests are. Because if you would have a revolution against the regimes spreading across the MENA region, the first who will profit from that right now are the fundamentalists and separatisctic groups. It would have as result civil war and chaos spreading rapidly everywhere. > It is a bit pitty to say, but most countries there need at this moment still a strong (and sometimes indisputable) leadership merely to be able to avoid such evolution. (That something is going to happen is however even clear for the blind.) > > I think - and many with me - that the USA is in urgent need for a government with a background of reality-education and realistic working brains instead of the unrealistic blindly speculating Might shall give us Victory and Right, that we see in action now. > > Salaam. A \*\* Every form of government (dictatorship) needs a reality check more often. Ours is made every four years, I doubt the Iraqis had that amount of time or less to do their “reality check”. We are far from perfect, but better to vote as a collective than to be led on a wild ride for 30+ years by a murderous criminal. If that’s your view of a “strong (and sometimes indisputable) leadership”, then I do feel sorry for the people of the Middle East that live under those regimes, and they can be much happier than that. At least that is what is told to me by my ME friends/acquaintances. ---
**Author:** ![Aldebaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Aldebaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aldebaran)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-pictures-of-pows-the-us-hypocrisy/218970/162 "2003-12-23T19:57:19Z")
Y Rex, Why do you want to “keep in mind” wherever I might live when writing responses to my posts? Why is telling you that of course Hussein is a criminal makes the points raised in my OP and the explanations I wrote in other posts here “a little more hollow”? Why do you think my comment has anything to do with the person of Hussein himself? I think you need to re-read the OP. And when I say that when you remove strong leaderships from the countries in the region you open the door to complete chaos, I say that because it is true. By the way: you only need to look to the current situation in Iraq to have some understanding about what I mean by this. And sorry to say this, but to use the words of GW Bush: “You ain’t seen nothing yet”, since it is far from resolved overthere. Salaam. A [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-pictures-of-pows-the-us-hypocrisy/218970.md?page=8)