1990-91 Gulf War Chronology -- at a Glance

July, ‘90: Saddam Hussein met with April Glaspie, America’s Ambassador to Iraq, and told her that he wanted to invade Kuwait. She contacted her bosses in the US; they said it was cool, so Saddam invaded Kuwait.

Aug. ‘90: By the time Ms. Glaspie got back to the US, her bosses had changed their minds, so she changed hers; they all swore that Saddam never had America’s tacit approval to invade Kuwait. n Unbeknown to Ms. Glaspie, Slick Saddam had secretly taped their conversation; he sent a copy of the tape to The New York Times. It must have been a remarkable tape because it seems to have induced amnesia in every government official and media person who read it.

Sept. ‘90: Our government reported that Iraqui soldiers were ripping babies out of incubators and smashing their heads against the wall. That really got us riled. Prez Bush sent 125,000 soldiers to Saudi Arabia.

NOTE: A couple months after the “war”The New York Times—and the TV Guide—revealed the fact that the story about bashing babies’ heads against the wall was a lie made up by a PR firm. (If you'd like to see the TV GUIDE article [aptly titled "Fake News") click here.)

n Bush sends another 400,000 soldiers to the Gulf but he forgets to mention it until after the election because he’s doing so poorly in the polls.

Nov. ‘90: Poll: 75% of the American people are against going to war even if the sanctions fail

Dec. ‘90: Israeli Foreign Minister Levy says Israel may attack Iraq. n Prez Bush argues that the proof of how dangerous the world considers Saddam Hussein is the number of countries that have joined our “coalition.” He neglected to mention the fact that the coalition wasn’t exactly spontaneous—It was BOUGHT:

< Immediately after the UN vote authorizing force, the US ‘unblocked’ a $140 million loan to China

< The Soviet Union was promised $7 billion in aid & shipments of food

< A $7 billion loan to Egypt was “forgiven”

< Syria was promised that there would be no interference from the US for its actions in Lebanon

< Saudi Arabia was promised $12 billion in arms sales ... and so on.

Congressional Record, Jan. 16, 1991:H520

[PS: YOU paid for ALL of that—in addition to the $50 billion for the war.]

Jan. ‘91: The American people & Congress are opposed to the war; Rep. Stephen Solarz, an AIPAC [Israeli lobby] point man, puts forth the ridiculous argument that the best way to avoid war is to vote for war. Nobody but our Congressmen could be dumb enough to fall for that...those nitwits voted for war to prevent it! n America drops more bombs on Iraq than were dropped in all of World War 2. A few facts...

< Iraq is about the size of California; its population is about 50% larger than New York City’s

< America’s Defense Budget [$286 billion] is 7 times larger than Iraq’s entire GNP [$40 billion]

< You stood a greater chance of getting killed if you lived in New York than if you were a US soldier

‘at war’ with Iraq; you were more likely to be shot by an American Soldier than an Iraqi

< 26,000 necessary civilian and industrial facilities were destroyed in the bombing

< 25,000 young Iraqi draftees, never a threat to US forces, were killed as they tried to run away

< Another 8,000 were buried alive by US Army earth movers as they frantically tried to surrender

< The US killed between 125,000 and 300,00 Iraqis in the bombing

UN Representative Martti Ahtisaari: “It should be said at once that nothing we had seen or read had quite prepared us for the particular form of devastation which has now befallen the country. The recent conflict has wrought near-apocalyptic results upon the infrastructure of what had been until January 1991, a highly urbanized and mechanized society. Now most means of modern life have been destroyed or rendered tenuous.”

Why do Arabs accuse U.S. of applying a Double Standard?

Before the ‘91 slaughter, Iraq offered to destroy “all weapons of mass destruction” [including chemical & biological weapons] if other countries in the region also destroyed their weapons of mass destruction. Mr. Bush & Israel (it’s hard to tell which is the tail & which is the dog), both infinitely more dangerous than Saddam Hussein, didn’t see why Israel should have to abide by the same rules as everyone else—

“Israel not only may have chemical and biological weapons—it’s the only country in the Mideast with nuclear weapons.... But ‘Israeli nuclear weapons’ is a phrase that can’t be written or uttered by any official US government source. That phrase would raise the question of why all aid to Israel is not illegal, since foreign aid legislation...bars funds to any country that secretly develops nuclear weapons.”— Noam Chomsky : “On U.S. Gulf Policy”

< Total number of people Saddam Hussein killed in Kuwait: about 3000

< Total number of people Israel killed in the 1967 War: over 20,000

< Total number of people Israel killed in the 1973 War: over 13,000

< Total number of people Israel killed in the 1978 invasion of Lebanon: only 2,000

< Total number of people Israel killed in the 1982 invasion of Lebanon: over 20,000

< Number of years Israel has ignored UN resolutions to leave Occupied Territories: 35 years

< Number of UN resolutions Israel has not complied with: over 20

< Number of times US has threatened to bomb Israel for its non-compliance: ZERO

< Number of times US has imposed sanctions on Israel for terrorizing its neighbors: ZERO

< How does the US punish Israel for its transgressions? By increasing Foreign Aid.

< How much does Israel cost American taxpayers? About $10 billion dollars every year.

...Double Standards? WHAT Double Standards?