# What do they do With the Weapons? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2003, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-weapons/213967 "2003-11-18T20:40:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-weapons/213967/21 "2003-11-19T23:47:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coffeeguy \* > \*\* Mr. Powel is a formal U.S.American General – he does not lie. \*\* So was Benedict Arnold. ---
**Author:** ![Danimal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Danimal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danimal)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-weapons/213967/22 "2003-11-20T00:50:01Z")
OK, I’m confused. Can we actually detect WMDs buried in sand in a matter of hours, by using satellites, or can we not? And can we detect them precisely enough to dig them up and verify that they are in fact WMDs? I’m perfectly willing to believe an expert like **Bughunter** , but what he has said so far does not seem to dispose of all **Jurph** ’s objections. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Cooper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@Agent\_Cooper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Cooper)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-weapons/213967/23 "2003-11-20T01:02:58Z")
Ravenman said: “weapons that might have been in the country between 1998 (when UN weapons inspectors were kicked out)” Inspectors were _withdrawn_, not kicked out. It’s sad how well all that propoganda has worked… ---
**Author:** ![Danimal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Danimal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danimal)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-weapons/213967/24 "2003-11-20T01:31:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Agent Cooper \* > \*\*Ravenman said: “weapons that might have been in the country between 1998 (when UN weapons inspectors were kicked out)” > > Inspectors were _withdrawn_, not kicked out. It’s sad how well all that propoganda has worked… \*\* Depends on what you’re referring to by “kicked out.” They weren’t kicked out of Iraq, but they were kicked out of the sites they were supposed to be inspecting, on the (true) pretext that one of the inspectors was working for U.S. intelligence. Having been kicked out of the sites they were supposed to be inspecting, the inspectors were then voluntarily withdrawn from Iraq, as you say. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-weapons/213967/25 "2003-11-20T04:46:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Agent Cooper \* > \*\*Ravenman said: “weapons that might have been in the country between 1998 (when UN weapons inspectors were kicked out)” > > Inspectors were _withdrawn_, not kicked out. It’s sad how well all that propoganda has worked… \*\* Fine, nit successfully picked. :rolleyes: In that post you quoted I was trying to keep things as simple as possible because I was trying to clear up what appears to be a very fundamental misunderstanding that may be the genesis of this whole thread. You’ve gotta pick your battles… ---
**Author:** ![Coffeeguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@Coffeeguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coffeeguy)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-weapons/213967/26 "2003-11-21T21:07:26Z")
Note to all posters: Clear all questions, comments and answers with **Bromley** before submitting them to this board. ---
**Author:** ![Bromley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@Bromley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bromley)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-weapons/213967/27 "2003-11-22T01:29:23Z")
I’m terribly sorry. I checked your other posts to see if this was likely to be a tongue-in-cheek series of posts or if your beliefs were that strong and naive. I asked for clarification in my first post. From your other posts and the lack of clarification, I think it was fair to assume that you are not as naive as this thread makes you out to be. Therefore, this is not a request for information etc… If I was wrong, I apologise and will gladly answer your questions. ---
**Author:** ![hyjyljyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/0ea827/32.png) [@hyjyljyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hyjyljyj)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-weapons/213967/28 "2003-11-23T09:12:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DrFidelius \* > \*\*Or, are you assuming that Iraq had chemical weapons in the first place? > > Even the President seems to have retracted his claims that the weapons existed and now says that our boys were killed to stop a program which might have developed chemical weapons… \*\* No. The possession by Iraq of chemical weapons is not at issue. The UN inspectors reported that Iraq definitely had them; this was widely published in newspapers worldwide. Were you not aware they were used by Hussein on his own people in N. Iraq? About half a million people and their families know first-hand he had the weapons. After booting the inspectors out of Iraq in the mid-90s, are we expected to believe Hussein then decided to change his mind and comply with UN Security Council resolutions requiring his complete disarmament of illegal weapons, without telling them and without saving any proof whatsoever of the elaborate and time-consuming destruction process? Is there a reason for supposing that the representatives of the civilized world crafted and then passed, among many others, Res. 1441 (the vote was 15-0), a resolution which specifically required Iraq to disarm and show evidence (proof) of disposal of the WMD, if there were no WMD to dispose of? That would be rather absurd. Bottom line: The United Nations weapons inspectors and National Security Council, representing experts on international security from 15 countries, put their heads together. They find Hussein to be in possession of WMD and a serious danger to the safety of the free world. Some other people, who lack the same kind of extensive knowledge and access to the intelligence the UN has and who would honestly admit to not being experts in international security issues, disagree and do not see any danger in Hussein’s regime. Let’s just call it even. I still know of many people, myself included, who feel the threat to peace really does come from those who flout the will of the civilized world, not from those who enforce it. We still trust the President of the United States over the tyrannical head of a homicidal crime family. And we like knowing that we have courageous men and women who are not afraid to defend things like democracy and religious tolerance, along with leadership to empower them, against people who think you and I are Satan. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-weapons/213967/29 "2003-11-23T18:02:29Z")
The factual question of what would be done with such weapons if they should be found has been answered about as well as it is likely to be. Those wishing to debate whether there are any such weapons to be found should proceed to the Great Debates forum. Deliberately misrepresenting your opinions in order to get a rise out of others is trolling and is grounds for banning. I can’t prove any trolling in this thread, but you can be sure I will be keeping my eyes on **Coffeeguy** in the future. bibliophage moderator GQ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-weapons/213967.md?page=1)