Two Indictments against Two World Nations: How Testimony from Katrina Victims suspiciously resembles Testimony from Saddam's torture victims.
01.03.06 Two groups of survivors gave testament to what is essentially human rights abuses from two separate holocausts from two different countries during the 2nd week of December. Prominent in the news is of course the continuation the much anticipated trial in Baghdad of the man allegedly caught in that rat-hole, Saddam Hussein, the former Iraq dictator. Running concurrently over the past several weeks also across the ocean in Washington DC is a lesser-known trial, actually it's not a trial really, but a hearing before a Special House Panel investigating the government's preparedness, and response to Hurricane Katrina. The commonalties between the two is disturbing to me to say the least, the timely testimony from victims on both sides point the weight of responsibility on the leaders of the two respective states, Iraq, and the US.
Saddam is on trial for what he no-doubt sees as payback, the 1982 massacre of 148 after a failed assassination attempt while visiting a small town in Iraq. In DC the Associated Press summed up the equally emotional circumstances behind the Katrina hearing: "Black survivors of Hurricane Katrina said Tuesday that racism contributed to the slow disaster response. At times likening themselves in emotional congressional testimony to victims of genocide and the Holocaust." But it's not just the victim's outcry that sounds similar between the Baghdad and DC testimonies, but the objections and denials blurted out by the principle or official representatives of the government concurrently accused. Whereas New York's Daily News describes Saddam as "bitter, defiant, paternal," no less can be said of some of the republicans at the congressional hearing.
To best illustrate the parallels of these stunning charges, I will run some of the victims' quotes and news paper quotes without disclosing whether they were made by Saddam's victims, or Katrina's victims. You may be able to tell who's who at the start, but things will get fuzzy as you read on. You be the judge.
1-"I walked by a room and saw a meat grinder with blood coming out of it and human hair underneath" "They died from abject neglect, we left body bags behind."
2-"Massive numbers of troops arrived and began rounding up residents-including women and children." "Another woman said military troops focused machine gun laser targets on her granddaughter's forehead. Others said their families were called racial epithets by police."
3-"One resident said she was 'one sunrise away from being consumed by maggots and flies.'" "A second witness... told the court troops used helicopters to attack the city."
Out of the previous three examples containing two respective statements each, can you tell which was made by one of Saddam's victims, and which was by a victim of slow response after Katrina? Are you sure? The next two lines will have a heated response by Saddam during witness testimony, and a response by republican congressmen at the Katrina victims testimony on the same line, you decide who speaks first.
1-"He should act in the movies, it's a lie"/"I don't know if that's theater or the truth"
2-"He said... should be examined by shrinks."/"Not a single person was marched into a gas chamber and killed."
Need I say more, two nations two dictator regimes, but I thank Cynthia McKinney for holding it down and being that lonely voice in the storm, while on the losing end of hearings the past few weeks.