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Boshna
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Username: Boshna

Post Number: 128
Registered: 01-2005
Posted From: 141.213.217.188
Posted on Friday, March 31, 2006 - 3:38 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I searched for this in the archives and found nothing, so here it is:

http://detroit1701.org/Chaldea n.html

"In the late 1970s, the United States government strongly supported Saddam Hussein and Iraq in their war against Iran. The State Department sought to impress Saddam Hussein. State Department administrators looked for ways to symbolize this nation’s close ties to Saddam Hussein and the war he fought with our then enemy—Iran. The Detroit area had the largest Chaldean population in the United States and, at that time, the Chaldeans in Iraq were in favor with Saddam Hussein. State department staff encouraged Mayor Coleman Young to give Saddam Hussein with keys to the city of Detroit. Detroit officials asked the pastor of Sacred Heart, Father Jacob Yasso, to visit Iraq and present the keys to Saddam Hussein making him an honorary citizen of the Motor City. Saddam Hussein graciously accepted these honors from Father Yasso, observed that there was a mortgage on Sacred Heart Church and asked the amount. Father Yasso cited the $170,000 debt and Saddam Hussein immediately said he would pay it. I have read that the Iraqi leader presented Father Yasso with a check for $200,000 allowing Sacred Heart parish to pay off much of their mortgage and build a recreation hall. So far as I know, this church is the only one in the city of Detroit that was paid for by a head of state."
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Detroitnerd
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Username: Detroitnerd

Post Number: 571
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 209.69.221.253
Posted on Friday, March 31, 2006 - 3:44 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Saddam was a U.S. ally for a long, long time. Hell, there's even an old photo of Don Rumsfeld shaking Saddam's hand.
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Chitaku
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Username: Chitaku

Post Number: 36
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 68.43.107.72
Posted on Friday, March 31, 2006 - 3:45 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Kinda makes the whole war thing seem a little shady huh?
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Hockey_player
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Username: Hockey_player

Post Number: 200
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 207.148.213.218
Posted on Friday, March 31, 2006 - 4:05 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yes, friends never become enemies. Totally shady.
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Gildas
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Username: Gildas

Post Number: 509
Registered: 12-2004
Posted From: 147.240.236.9
Posted on Friday, March 31, 2006 - 5:12 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
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Ron
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Username: Ron

Post Number: 7
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 66.174.79.232
Posted on Friday, March 31, 2006 - 6:14 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

It goes to show you that US foreign policy is too often predicated upon the premise that "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." See also, Osama bin laden and the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. We provide money and technology to those who end up using it against us.

I don't know if this is a good thing, as it is waaaaaayy above my pay grade:-)
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Metrodetguy
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Username: Metrodetguy

Post Number: 2458
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 71.144.84.243
Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 7:53 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Detroitnerd, Saddam was also an ally of France and Germany, among others, for a long, long time. There are also photos of him shaking hands with their leaders.

Ron, could the expression "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" also hold true for the likes of Hussein and Bin Laden, among others?
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Ron
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Username: Ron

Post Number: 13
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 66.174.79.226
Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 10:32 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Metrodetguy,

Yeah, those were the specific examples I was referring to. But maybe I'm not that clear on your statement; if you mean that they also undertook a similar policy with us, only to have us as their enemy, I am sure there is some legitimacy in that. I think the distinction is that we provided them our technology and weaponry that was then used against us. They had nothing to lose and everything to gain from cooperating with us at that time. (And I'm not saying that we did not gain from our cooperation with them; the mujahadeen's fight against the Soviets was the final nail in the coffin of the USSR as they kept throwing money that they could not afford into Afghanistan)

My step-father is a native Iraqi/Shiite Muslim, and the stories he has to tell of the barbaric acts of Saddam makes my skin crawl. It blows my mind that we could support someone like that, but again, I suppose we were of the impression that it was better to have him fighting our enemies (Iran) than us.

I don't know, foreign policy is a sticky subject, and I do not even pretend to understand the maneuverings of our State Dept., but it seems like a bad idea for us to provide techonology and weapons to nations that end up using them against us.

I just pray that they know something that I don't.
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Metrodetguy
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Username: Metrodetguy

Post Number: 2461
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 68.248.3.110
Posted on Thursday, April 06, 2006 - 1:34 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Ron, my points were that Germany, France, and Russia also provided Hussein with weapons and technology. Furthermore, in relation to the quote, although Hussein and Bin Laden were enemies in the past, they also view the US as a (greater) enemy.

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