SUPER SCAM If you were among those critical folks who felt that the Scot Peterson trial took far too long, or that the extended troubles plaguing Michael Jackson are with end may I point out that it was in April of 2003 that we first had word from Kurds along the Iraqi-Turkey border which suggested that the money involved in the "Oil For Food" program was going in the wrong pockets.
The first accounts of gross mis-management in the relief program were by Claudia Rossett in the "Op Ed" column so the New York "Times". One year later columnist William Saffire called to our attention that she had said the program of "Oil For Food" had , from the start, been "an invitation to kickbacks, political back-scratching and smuggling done under cover of relief operations."
Other journalists took up the cry and it was soon being said,
very cautiously, that the program was compromised by Saddam “conspiring with bureaucrats in the U.N. Plaza.” It did not take too long for us to find that the scandal was a far more involved than we had thought it might be. It is not purpose to recite the evidence once again but, rather to say that it is time we admonish the U.N. To take some action on the charges. As it now stands the scandal involves the U. N. leadership and threatens the structure at its roots.
The fact that knowledge of this scandal surfaced during our election time was unfortunate because that was not a good time to consider such subjects, nor were the Afghan and Iraqi war times Our President spoke with respect of he U.N. leadership and I went along with his view along with his view at that time... peace during our election. No man is better qualified than President George W. Bush to speak out now that times have changed somewhat with clarity and confidence urging the U.N.,leaders to clean house and to do so promptly. They must set things right with then new Iraq in particular. They are the one who suffered most from this scandal and all of the U.N.'s varied membership should share the guilt of such unseemly conduct..
Let's not put it off forever. If and when Saddam is ever brought to trial the Oil-for-Food relief scandal is just one of the charges to be be brought against him.
A.L.M. March 19, 2005 [c415wds]
