IRAN: Analysts of different persuasions have been asking whether or not the death by hanging sentence against the former Iraqi ruler will be put into effect. They believe the death verdict against Saddam Hussein on Sunday was designed to help promote Bush’s flagging popularity and was a propaganda stunt for him and the Republicans on the eve of the midterm elections for the US Congress. They build their argument on the premise that the embattled George Bush and his ruling party were in dire need of a publicity process to garner more votes for their candidates in the important election. The ruling against the deposed ruler of Iraq provided the best process to benefit the Bush-Republican agenda. Observers opine it is likely that after this American election season, some higher Iraqi court will overturn Saddam’s death verdict and save him from the noose now over his head. If this pessimistic view turns out to be true, without doubt and forever the Republicans will be eliminated from the American political landscape. Why? Because they will then have proved that they can and will deceive public opinion at home and in the world. Politicians in that country have often written and spoken about such deceptive ways by the present neocon rulers, especially with regard to the disastrous invasion and occupation of Iraq.

KAYHAN: Francis Sanders, the British researcher and journalist who published a documentary about the Central Intelligence Agency and cultural war titled ’Cultural Cold War: CIA and World Literature and Art’ reveals how the US spy agency by recruiting intellectual and academic figures in the US over the past 50-60 years set up Cultural NATO. These intellectuals included Sir Karl Popper (a Jewish scholar), Jackson Pollack, George Orwell, Irving Crystal, Sydney Hook, Thomas Cohen and Arthur Schlesinger. Sanders identifies these scholars as the CIA’s cultural cavaliers whose books sell at least 10,000 copies. Cooperation of these scholars with the CIA has been in place even though the CIA and its agents are responsible for the murder of more than 150,000 intellectuals, professors, labor leaders and religious preachers across the world. Some observers even put the number of intellectuals eliminated by the CIA at double that figure. What is noteworthy is that the majority of these cavaliers like Popper were Jews who enjoyed strong support from Zionist lobbies. Although Popper is known as a liberal-democrat theoretician in Iran, his writings are laced with conspiracy hallucinations.

JAAM-E JAM: Today our society wants higher ups to tolerate criticisms and be accountable for their actions or the lack of it. The people for obvious reasons seek closer interaction between political parties and the mass media along with meaningful communication with intelligentsia. Statesmen, lawmakers and judges are certainly exposed to such public demands that are apparent in every law-abiding and democratic society. Officialdom should increase their tolerance levels and welcome criticism by different social groups. They should not be oblivious of the fact that the educated class is a major pillar of our strength
and belief in the making constructive criticism of the state of affairs. It is for this and other valid reasons that those at the top of the ladder are recommended to meet regularly with the elite, scholars in particular.

KHORASAN: On the eve of the third village and city council elections, people are being encouraged by both the media and officials to turn out in big numbers and vote. The mid-December poll for local councils is without doubt one of the most significant exercises in the country during which representatives are elected with their duties and responsibilities enshrined in the Islamic Republic Constitution. As per Article 100 of the constitution, the executive branch must execute decisions taken by the councils in all social, economic, developmental, cultural, health, recreational... areas in the villages and cities. Voters should be careful in casting ballots. They need to pick and choose their reps based primarily on meritocracy and meritocracy alone. The elected councils known as local governments in many countries should be up to the mark and address problems of their constituencies apolitically.

ETEMAD-E MELLI: Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), Ebrahim Sheibani, has said that the 2007-08 budget projects international crude prices at $45 a barrel and national income and expenditures have been worked out on the basis of this oil tag. The top banker made the statement in an interview with ’Euro Money’ economic magazine. In other words, his announcement means that the Iranian government is confident that global oil prices will not decline below $45. It is quite risky to draw up national budgets in this way because if oil prices decline to less than $45 who will take responsibility for the miscalculations.

A once-convenient ally of America against Iran was just sentenced to death for killing about 150 Iraqis during his 35-year reign.
I cannot forget that famous picture of Donald Rumsfeld back in 1980, shaking hands with Hussein after we armed him to the teeth to battle the Iranians. Like Noriega and bin Laden, Saddam played the role asked of him by the CIA. And also like Noriega and bin Laden, Saddam also arrived at a point in his life where he refused to keep dancing to the tunes of those in Washington--a fatal mistake for all three men. Does Hussein deserve to be punished? Absolutely. But those that want him dead may have some dark ulterior motives.
Is it coincidence that not one single reporter from the free world (or anywhere else) had any access to Hussein since his capture, and most assuredly won’t while he’s still breathing? Wouldn’t we all like to hear his version of events?
After all, as things turned out he was the one actually telling the truth about those infamous “weapons of mass destruction“, and it was another tyrant, right here in our own backyard, who was deliberately misleading us.
For those with short memories, President Bush and his crew did his best to convince us all that not only did Saddam have those WMDs, but was also trying to build a nuclear weapon, and was somehow responsible for 9/11. We now know all three of these assertions were lies. But the truth I really want to know about is the former alleged business ties between George Bush Sr. and the Hussein family mentioned by US Army Colonel Russell Bowen in his book “Immaculate Deception“.
Was there really a link between the two families and Black Sea oil deals worth billions? Was Texaco somehow involved and why were the Texaco bankruptcy records ordered sealed by our Supreme Court in such an unprecedented move? If Saddam knows the answers to these questions, shouldn’t we be interviewing him since it’s not likely President Bush would ever admit such collusion.
Rushing into Iraq was a big mistake but hanging Hussein before he tells all would be an even bigger one.
Lastly, if Saddam is going to swing from the gallows for ordering the deaths of 150 Iraqis in the last 35 years, I’d like to know who is going to swing for the 600,000 mostly civilian Iraqi citizens killed by our military forces in Iraq in the last decade.
If we profess to be the “great democracy“ and still keep a straight face about it, then the concept of “equal justice“ and “justice for all“ needs to be addressed.
Why isn’t the world court going after the war criminals who killed all those Iraqi civilians? Perhaps it is no accident that President Bush refused to let the US join the International Criminal Court.
I am an American citizen and veteran who values ALL life and it’s grossly immoral and shameful to even suggest that somehow the life of an American or British citizen taken wrongly is somehow more valuable than any Iraqi civilian killed by bombs, missiles or bullets made in America.
All war criminals must be prosecuted swiftly and equally. And given the horrific 600,000 civilian casualty recently reported by Lancet/John Hopkins University, President Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and anyone else who rushed our nation into war based on lies and false pretenses should be the next ones to stand trial for crimes against humanity.

Bruce A. Gorcyca,
Ontario, Canada