Dan Wiener of the LPC posted this message in response to my posting about
the IndyMedia photos we've been discussing, listing a couple websites with
information claiming to debunk the IndyMedia claims. I checked out the
sites, and the main thrust of this material is that the IndyMedia photo of
the square seems to have been taken later, after the statue was toppled and
many people may have left the area. This allegation seem valid, however I
saw nothing about the presence of the Chalabi supporter or the allegation
that the U.S. military was keeping people out of the square.
Yours in liberty,
<<< Starchild >>>
Dan Wiener shared:
Starchild,
Apparently there are several far-left web sites which are claiming that the
toppling of Saddam's statue was simply a staged scene and a U.S. public
relations conspiracy which was uncritically swallowed by the gullible
mainstream American media, etc., etc.
Here are a couple of links (via Instapundit.com) which debunk those claims:
http://oxblog.blogspot.com/2003_04_06_oxblog_archive.html#92482221
http://www.right-thinking.com/comments.php?id=P1118_0_1_0
I personally watched the television coverage for quite awhile, and there's
no way any of that was faked. It was fascinating to observe the expressions
and demeanor of the Iraqi people as they wandered around, strolling casually
past the U.S. tanks and soldiers. I saw a group of burkha-clad women
standing off to one side, and again their expressions said it all. You
could almost sense them wanting to pinch themselves, to convince themselves
that they were awake and the nightmare was over. Pulling down Saddam's
statue, and dragging its head through the street, was a gigantic "pinch".
And of course similar celebrations have been repeated over and over
throughout Iraq, as the people destroy the hated symbols of their
oppression.
Freedom is a beautiful thing.
Dan Wiener