U.S. captures Iraqi chemical-weapons plant 100-acre, camouflaged facility overtaken 90 miles south of Baghdad © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com U.S. forces have uncovered an illegal chemical-weapons plant in An Najaf, some 90 miles south of Baghdad, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post. At least 30 Iraqi troops, including a general, surrendered today to troops with the 3rd Infantry Division within minutes of U.S. forces entering the area to capture the huge sheet metal-lined chemical weapons production facility. One U.S. soldier was wounded when a booby-trapped explosive went off at the 100-acre complex, which is surrounded by a electrical fence. The Post states the surrounding barracks resemble an abandoned slum and the facility was camouflaged in sand-cast walls to make it look like the surrounding desert, in an apparent attempt to keep it from being photographed aerially. U.S. Lt. Gen. John Abizaid told reporters: ''I'm not going to confirm that report, but we have one or two generals officers who are providing us with information.''
Do you have reliabele information about this fact. Not of American propaganda media. I even think that if America don't find WMD - so no justification for the war after all - they just put them there and then say that they have found some.
Id wait for verification, still nothing substantial from Pentagon on what after all would give them total justification for war and its aims. Story broke over 12 hours ago and still nothing. I suppose an early recognition of what is contained there could be provided by NBC units. Think they will have to get some independant verification before any one Im afraid in these days when so much crap has been thrown at us..before it is accepted...Weapons inspectors perhaps, still in Cyprus, big thing if they were to arrive and say yes... Otherwise Why no rush to expand on this..
Yes, they captured a chemical plant, but, there is very little evidence that it is a "weapons" plant. The US has known about the factory for 12 years, so, it's not a surprise. It is probably a fertilizer factory. . Here you go: http://www.spacewar.com/2003/030324015210.vbav5l7z.html It only took about 2 minutes of web-surfing to find that this story of a WMD factory was bogus. [ 24. March 2003, 01:19 PM: Message edited by: Knight Templar ]
V-slave: the Jerusalem Post story does NOT say this was an "illegal chemical weapons factory." And they were the ones who broke the story. It is still unclear just what chemicals were produced at this plant. I suggest you do some research on this stuff, rather than just posting whatever you might find lying around the Internet.
03/24/2003 Dow Jones News Services (Copyright © 2003 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.) NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--U.S. officials said Monday that no chemical weapons were found at a suspected site at Najaf in central Iraq, U.S. television networks reported. NBC News reported from the Pentagon that no chemicals at all were found at the site. CNN, also reporting from the Pentagon, said officials now believe the plant there was abandoned long ago by the Iraqis.
http://www.spacewar.com/2003/030324015210.vbav5l7z.html It only took about 2 minutes of web-surfing to find that this story of a WMD factory was bogus. </font>[/QUOTE]Sorry Knight, it took even less than 2 minutes. The story was being followed in the early hours of the morning in the UK and being pushed very much by Fox and its sister station over here in the UK Sky News. Sky was pushing out crap that Fox had contacts in the Pentagon who were intimating the story was factualy accurate. Sky then had Scott Ritter on phone from States at the same time story was breaking rubbishing the story, and telling us his own teams had inspected the area on the first inspections and telling us he would eat his hat if anything came of the story. Sky then had information given them by their own so called experts...whos an expert...telling them the story was a none starter as the area had recently been screened by inspectors as recently as January the 8th. This did not stop Sky pushing onwards and upwards... There was no viable story, even though the media were pushing it, it was obvious to anyone watching unfolding events that the Pentagon were not going to further embarrass themselves on that one, but stating they would release a statement shorly....that was over 18 hours ago. This left some areas of the media to play the game. Unfortunately it would have been unwise for any of us lesser mortals to do much more than treat it with cynicism, which it undoubtedly deserved. But even so, it looked as if the Pentagon was happy to let the story push on for a while, no smoke without fire, and hope something sticks. It was never going to.
The story will "stick" in the minds of many Americans, I'm sure; and months from now, people will be talking about "that weapons factory we discovered in Iraq." 1. Print the rumor. 2. Kill the story once rumor becomes discredited 3. After several months pass, refer to rumor as fact in order to substantiate another rumor. We saw this strategy used over and over again after 911. The media/government have it down to a science now. They know just how far to stretch the believable.
If you keep on telling those lies over and over again, people start to believe them. That's just how its work, sadly enough.
[teacher voice]: "So, kids what did we learn just here?" [lamb voice #1]: "That we shouldn't believe everything the big red Fox is telling us, just because we like it to hear?" [lamp voice #2]: "That the Fox says he the the good one, but in fact he is the bad one?" [lamp voice #3] "That some people give a rat's ass what's true or not, as long as it's a good B/S news to post or get on air with?" [teacher voice]: "Very right. And tomorrow we will learn that being the stronger doesn't necessarily mean that you're right." [Hooter music. Fade out] Cheers,
I don't mean Knight, but if the American government always keeps on telling lies to the Americans, then they will eventualy start to believe them.
I reckon that its, as we say here, BOLLOCKS. Persuasive propaganda. Sow the seed that something has been found dont deny it just allow rumour to breed and develop...
The American public is hindered by several things. 1: A strange sense of "righteous destiny," which really took hold after WW2. We can go anywhere and do anything because we're right. Period. The latent argument is that we're so powerful militarily, that we're really "in charge" when it comes to world affairs. This is sometimes referred to as "American Exceptionism," as in "The rules apply to everyone else except the United States.) 2: Americans have a strong Us Against Them understanding of the world. And the Europeans we treat like misbehaving children. This prejudice makes it easier for the government to "go it alone" and get away with it. 3: This ties into the whole America-as-Victim understanding, which sort of compliments the above point. Despite all our "goodness," people still don't like us. Countries hostile to the US are simply "jealous" because we're such Good Guys. 4: There's a strong anti-intellectual trend in the country. Political "analysis" means making the argument as simple as possible. Americans don't do a lot of investigating on their own and are wary of being "confused" when an opponent tries to make things more "complicated." One look at our newspapers and you cen see why this is so. In Europe, for example, you can find many many different daily publications with a variety of viewpoints. 5: That's all for now... have to get back to work.
