Jabou,
I should have elaborated on my last statement. Of course, opponents of
Jammeh are not adocating a US military intervention. But that is because it
is not needed. Elections may not be perfect in The Gambia but the opposition
in the country had the chance to compete and a chance to win. Jammeh may
have had a huge advantage during the campaign because of all the resource at
his disposal but so do any incumbent in any country. So that's a non-issue.
On the other hand, only someone hallucinating would agree that what happened
in Iraq a few weeks ago was an election. The suffering of Iraqis is a direct
function of Saddam's rule and his war adventures. The sanction was just a
result and there were put in place by the UN. Of course, the sanctions are
adding to the suffering of everyone in that country, especially children
(who are completely innocent) but the ultimate cause of their plight is
Saddam. Remove Saddam today and the suffering of those innocent people would
be gone. I have heard about Ritter but from what I read, he is an exception.
Look, I'm not a fan of the neo-conservative ideology (or the desire to get
cheap oil) that is behind the Bush administration's designs on Iraq. Neither
do I believe that other countries should always be able to decide the
destiny of another country. But there are exceptions. How many people now
are against the removal of Pol Pot by Vietnam? How about the removal of Idi
Amin by Tanzania? Those were perfect instances were invasion of a sovereign
country by another was legitimate because sitting around and waiting for the
citizens of those countries to remove their leaders would mean more tragedy.
If Saddam were just a mere dictator (like many in Africa and Asia) whose
hobbies do not include the invasion of neighboring countries or gasing his
own people, I doubt anyone would be clamoring to remove him - except his own
people.

Ousman


>Ousman,
>
>We decry the rule of Yaya Jammeh but we are not asking the U.S to come in,
>level the place with bombs and change our leadership for us. There si a big
>difference. Only the people of a country can change their leadeship, unless
>we want to support the notion that if anyone disagrees with any government
>on
>any issues, they can go in and change the leadership for those people. The
>United States bills itself as the example o democracy in the World, so when
>they advocate going in to change a government in another country, people
>better decry it.
>No doubt the Iraqis are suffering, but part of that suffering is a direct
>result of sanctions levied on them, and which sanctions continue even as
>children are dying like flies in Iraq.
>Yes, Saddam Hussein may be as bad a leader as the ysay, but all the
>evidence
>is coming from the American side and these days, people take that with a
>grain of salt.
>Ritter, one of the former inspectors in Iraq sais there were no weapons od
>mass distruction and granted, there needs to be another inspection to
>confirm
>this, but the Bush administration was not going to grant the Iraqis the
>benefit of the doubt by conducting this inspection, they were simply going
>to
>bomb both Saddam and the already suffering Iraqi people you are referring
>to
>to smithereens, period.
>It is with the insistance of the United Nations and the refusal of French
>and
>Russian
>members of the Security council to go along with the Bush administration
>that
>has at least given the Iraqis a chance to see if their leader will comply
>with teh inspections before they are rained upon with fire and brimstone.
>There is a big difference between criricizing one;s government and trying
>ot
>find ways for the citizens of that country to bring about change themselves
>as it should be, and giving sanctions to another country to come in and
>effect that change for them especially when it was unsolicited. I believe
>Saddam won his elections just like Yaya said he did.
>
>Jabou Joh
>
>
>In a message dated 11/8/2002 5:39:36 PM Greenwich Standard Time,
>[log in to unmask] writes:
>
>
> >
> > US maybe planning to wage war on Iraq to have access to cheap oil but I
> > can't help thinking that the US would be doing Iraqis a huge favor by
> > getting rid of Saddam. In all this outrage about the supposed
>war-mongering
> > by the US, it unbelievable why people fail to connect the plight of
> > ordinary
> > Iraqis with the terrible reign of Saddam.
> > How can people decry the rule of Yahya Jammeh and an in the same breath
>act
> > as if Saddam is an angel?
> >
> > Ousman
> >
>
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