"The Iraqi soldiers threw Newborn babies on the cement floor of the nursery."
Nayirah al-Ṣabaḥ
How many remember this false testimony? It crossed my mind when I started reading this chapter. There are still some elements of the 1990-1991 invasion of Iraq we are learning. Thirty years later. Yeah!
In this chapter, John shares something I didn't know about. There was an EHM sent to Iraq before the invasion which was followed by the above nurse who openly lied to Congress and Americans. I remember being angered at the idea of newborn babies being thrown on the floor. 'What kind of sick bastard does this?' It turned out that not only did it not happen, I'm not putting it past Hussein, the girl wasn't a nurse. Her father was Kuwait's Ambassador to America. Iraq sets at a point where two major rivers meet and it is on the gulf. Plus, oil. Back to the EHM, this person didn't sell Saddam on the utopia vision for Iraq. Saddam was shrewd and very willing to kill to keep power. So, it shouldn't have been a surprise that he didn't buy the utopia in the desert. Come February 1991, Bush Sr proved once more that he wasn't a wimp. After the invasion, Saddam stayed in power and for the next ten years, he jumped when DC hyenas barked.
John eventually started a non-profit called Dream Change. It started as John's way to make amends to the earth for the damage he was a part of creating. Once he retired from his consulting job, he put a great deal of focus on this organization. He decided to talk with friends about this book. To his surprise, they understood why he was doing the work he was doing; however, this information could threaten the work he was now doing. Two supporters threatened to cancel their support if he did his book. So, The Conscience of An Economic Hit Man went back on the shelf, until 9/11.
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