History+Detective+-+Toppling+the+statue+of+Saddam+Hussein

= Toppling the Statue of Saddam Hussein =

The famous statue of Saddam Hussein, located in Firdos Square (Baghdad, Iraq) was toppled in April of 2003. Firdos Square was sealed off by the US military, and the team used loudspeakers to encourage Iraqi civilians to assist and packed the scene with Iraqi children. Before it was destroyed, Marine Corporal Ed Chin placed an American flag over Saddam's face, which made him a celebrity. This gesture muted the crowd, and truly shocked everyone, until the Marines took the American flag down and replaced it with a pre-1991 Gulf War Iraq flag, and indefinitely satisfied the Iraqis. This statue was a symbol of Saddam's rule over Iraq, and when it was down they began doing extreme actions that would normally truly insulting in the Arab world. They tore down portraits of Saddam, threw shoes, and began chipping away at the base of the statue with sledgehammers. Should Saddam have stayed? This is becoming a popular question from none other than our own President Obama. At a "dumb war" speech he gave eight years ago as a state senator in Illinois, he had a more complex view of the stakes in Iraq than he does now. May his statue rest in Hell. Marine Corporal Ed Chin's Brooklyn family cheered as they watched their son and brother play a lead role in toppling the statue of Saddam Hussein and then place an American flag over the face of the statue. The image of Ed Chin, 23, was broadcast on televisions around the world, as US troops joined a group that was attacking the statue. Chin climbed the outstretched arm of an M88 Tank Recovery Vehicle so he could fasten a cable around the statue's neck, as well as covering its face with the American flag. The Marine called the event "a pretty crazy experience." "At the moment, I was just doing what I was told to do by my commanding officer," Corporal Chin said. "I had to get the job done just like we've been doing out here in Iraq." Why Bush Sr.'s 1991 Gulf War? To protect Iranian Islamism. The war began when Iraq invaded Iran, launching a simultaneous invasion by air and land and land into Iranian territory. The war was a great cost in lives and economic damage, half a million Iraqi and Iranian soldiers as well as civilians are believed to have died in war. This tragedy, sadly, brought no change in borders. At this time, the UN Security Council issued statements that "chemical weapons have been used in war." It is believed that the "United States prevented the UN from condemning Iraq." Today, the war has been reduced to a long and bloody gunfight between the US troops and homicidal Iraqis, a war sustained by George Bush, Dick Cheney, and some neocon advisors. Obama himself raised the central question about Iraq in a 2002 speech: Did Saddam Hussein pose a danger beyond his borders, or not? The Economic editors this week said Obama was largely right that Iraq was a dumb war. What the war did, they said, was "rid the Middle East of a bloodstained dictator." Saddam was obsessed with Iran. Obama and others believe Saddam could have been contained. I do not. My absolute favorite part about the fact that Hussein's statue was toppled is that his face was briefly covered with an American flag before it was literally destroyed. I think this is one of the most influential acts of American pride, and this picture is one of the most inspirational photos I've ever seen. This picture represents America at its best, doing what we believe is right, even though it's definitely not always the best decision. We are a society of open armed, interracial yet racist people; but, we are also the most accepting and contributing nation, and probably forever will be.