Human shield "shocked back to reality"

Father Ted · Mar 21, 2003

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030321-023627-5923r

About half way down :
A group of American anti-war demonstrators who came to Iraq with Japanese human shield volunteers made it across the border today with 14 hours of uncensored video, all shot without Iraqi government minders present. Kenneth Joseph, a young American pastor with the Assyrian Church of the East, told UPI the trip "had shocked me back to reality." Some of the Iraqis he interviewed on camera "told me they would commit suicide if American bombing didn't start. They were willing to see their homes demolished to gain their freedom from Saddam's bloody tyranny. They convinced me that Saddam was a monster the likes of which the world had not seen since Stalin and Hitler. He and his sons are sick sadists. Their tales of slow torture and killing made me ill, such as people put in a huge shredder for plastic products, feet first so they could hear their screams as bodies got chewed up from foot to head."

Hmmm. Reality sets in. Instead of supporting Saddam, he changes his mind.

Richie · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by Father Ted
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030321-023627-5923r

About half way down :
A group of American anti-war demonstrators who came to Iraq with Japanese human shield volunteers made it across the border today with 14 hours of uncensored video, all shot without Iraqi government minders present. Kenneth Joseph, a young American pastor with the Assyrian Church of the East, told UPI the trip "had shocked me back to reality." Some of the Iraqis he interviewed on camera "told me they would commit suicide if American bombing didn't start. They were willing to see their homes demolished to gain their freedom from Saddam's bloody tyranny. They convinced me that Saddam was a monster the likes of which the world had not seen since Stalin and Hitler. He and his sons are sick sadists. Their tales of slow torture and killing made me ill, such as people put in a huge shredder for plastic products, feet first so they could hear their screams as bodies got chewed up from foot to head."

Hmmm. Reality sets in. Instead of supporting Saddam, he changes his mind.
Click to expand...

Some posters on this board can use the same kind of intervention.

Elder Statesman · Mar 21, 2003

Surely Saddam isn't any worse than Bush according to some people.

SoFla Metro · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by Elder Statesman
Surely Saddam isn't any worse than Bush according to some people.
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Yes, that's exactly what we're saying

superdave · Mar 21, 2003

Reading the initial post, I decided to activate my bulls*** detector and read the link.

Did you notice who wrote it? And did you notice the hodgepodge nature of the article? Maybe I'm wrong, but it didn't ring true to me. At all.

PS...is UPI Moonie-owned now?

monop_poly · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by superdave
Reading the initial post, I decided to activate my bulls*** detector and read the link.

Did you notice who wrote it? And did you notice the hodgepodge nature of the article? Maybe I'm wrong, but it didn't ring true to me. At all.

PS...is UPI Moonie-owned now?
Click to expand...

what part rang false?

Elder Statesman · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by superdave
Reading the initial post, I decided to activate my bulls*** detector and read the link.

Did you notice who wrote it? And did you notice the hodgepodge nature of the article? Maybe I'm wrong, but it didn't ring true to me. At all.

PS...is UPI Moonie-owned now?
Click to expand...

I bet that if these people in Iraq knew that Saddam had no link to 9/11 they would oppose the war.

angus_hooligan · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by SoFla Metro
Yes, that's exactly what we're saying
Click to expand...

So your saying that Bush has done worse than putting people in huge shredder

Foosinho · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by superdave
is UPI Moonie-owned now?
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Yes, since May of 2000. And de Borchgrave was CEO at the time (now editor-at-large).

Father Ted · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by superdave
Reading the initial post, I decided to activate my bulls*** detector and read the link.

Did you notice who wrote it? And did you notice the hodgepodge nature of the article? Maybe I'm wrong, but it didn't ring true to me. At all.

PS...is UPI Moonie-owned now?
Click to expand...

Are you saying the story is false?

joseph pakovits · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by angus_hooligan
So your saying that Bush has done worse than putting people in huge shredder
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Of course he does. He feeds them to his rhinos.

angus_hooligan · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by joseph pakovits
Of course he does. He feeds them to his rhinos.
Click to expand...

Well, that must be why I have not found the Rhino yet as I've been using the wrong bait in the trap.

SoFla Metro · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by angus_hooligan
So your saying that Bush has done worse than putting people in huge shredder
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You do understand what the signifies, don't you?

joseph pakovits · Mar 21, 2003

Say, was Saddam doing bad stuff before or after the USA stopped supporting him and selling him biochemincal weapons? Just curious.

Foosinho · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by Father Ted
Are you saying the story is false?
Click to expand...

I won't speak for Dave, but de Borchgrave has been accused by former workers of allowing Moon to dictate editorial content. And Helen Thomas quit UPI the day after the Moonies bought it, after working there for 50 years.

I think it'd be prudent to take anything run by UPI with a grain of salt. I don't know what Moon's motivation would be in this case, but the article did seem rather disjointed.

Mind, I'm not claiming Saddam isn't a VeryBadMan. Just that UPI may not be the most trustworthy (editorial) source anymore.

SoFla Metro · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by Foosinho
Yes, since May of 2000. And de Borchgrave was CEO at the time (now editor-at-large).
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I didn't realize UPI was still around.

Remember, you can't spell "cheap" without AP and you can't spell "stupid" without UPI.

superdave · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by Father Ted
Are you saying the story is false?
Click to expand...

The vision I have is of an "editor-at-large" sitting in an office in New York or Washington, reading dispatches, and plopping them into an article, without checking.

Doesn't the story strike everyone as awfully convenient?

Kenneth Joseph, a young American pastor with the Assyrian Church of the East,
Click to expand...

Some of the Iraqis he interviewed on camera "told me they would commit suicide if American bombing didn't start
Click to expand...

They convinced me that Saddam was a monster the likes of which the world had not seen since Stalin and Hitler
Click to expand...

Let's get this straight...this person is committed enough to go to Iraq and become a human shield, but he's not committed enough to be aware that Saddam is an evil son of a bitch? And that same statement applies to the whole group?

SoFla Metro · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by Foosinho

Mind, I'm not claiming Saddam isn't a VeryBadMan. Just that UPI may not be the most trustworthy source anymore.
Click to expand...

Didn't you get the memo? If you oppose the war, you support Saddam. There's absolutely no middle ground. You can't both oppose the war and realize that Saddam is a VeryBadMan.

monop_poly · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by superdave
The vision I have is of an "editor-at-large" sitting in an office in New York or Washington, reading dispatches, and plopping them into an article, without checking.

Doesn't the story strike everyone as awfully convenient?

Let's get this straight...this person is committed enough to go to Iraq and become a human shield, but he's not committed enough to be aware that Saddam is an evil son of a bitch? And that same statement applies to the whole group?
Click to expand...

Dave - my bad - I was not aware of the UPI/Washington Times/Moonie connection.

Foosinho · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by monop_poly
Dave - my bad - I was not aware of the UPI/Washington Times/Moonie connection.
Click to expand...

To be honest, neither was I. Dave sparked my curiosity, so off I went on another glorious GoogleQuest.

VFish · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by monop_poly
what part rang false?
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Regarding the horrific plastic shredder atrocity, I believe it:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3284-614607,00.html

Yankee_Blue · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by joseph pakovits
Say, was Saddam doing bad stuff before or after the USA stopped supporting him and selling him biochemincal weapons? Just curious.
Click to expand...

Probably before. What's your point?

MikeLastort2 · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by superdave
PS...is UPI Moonie-owned now?
Click to expand...

Yep.

Stogey23 · Mar 21, 2003

Originally posted by superdave
Reading the initial post, I decided to activate my bulls*** detector and read the link.

Click to expand...

It's really painful for you to admit Saddam is a horrible person who is bad for his country isn't it?

Saddam would put superdave in the shredder feet first and superdave would be blaming Bush the entire way in.

Ugluk · Mar 21, 2003

I've noticed that some have suddenly developed an appetite for grains of salt. If the news doesn't agree with you, add salt.