timwheatley.org

Now that Christmas is done with, let’s stir things up a little.

Muslim’s believe Jesus was born in the Summer, as mentioned in the Qur’an.
Christian’s believe Jesus was born on December 25th, however, this is not mentioned in the bible…
Jehova’s Witnesses believe Jesus was born in October - and they are probably correct.

Isn’t it funny how Religion is so blindly followed by so many, many people? Jesus told his disciples to celebrate his “death”, not his birth - yet (and I include myself in this, as although not religious, I do do “the gift thing” at Christmas), we celebrate his birth. Why?

Well, let me tell you the story of someone:
He was born in a manger to a Virgin mother.
His followers drank wine and ate bread in a ceremony of baptism.
He ate a last supper, with his twelve disciples.
He died, came back seven days later, then rose to heaven.
He was often depicted with a halo over his head.
He is, of course, “Mithras” - an early pagan god, worshipped by the Romans long before the year zero.

This is a poem I wrote when I was 12 years old. It is about my dog, Shep, who had died shortly before writing.

Shep.

Shep,
Your fur like a golden beach,
the sand kicked up by the waves.
Your eyes like a young, warm, loving child…

Shep,
Your nose like a black shadow moving through a dark, damp street.
You moved like a swift dove in the warm summer breeze.
When your tail hit my legs like a whip on a block of wood…

Shep,
Now…
The picture lays on my desk, a symbol of your life.
The sound of your sharp, whining back past-midnight echoes in my head.
We shouted at you to shut up…

But now…
We want it back.
We miss it.
You’re dead.

I can see something that is going to happen. I can see that, as when Saddam was captured and simply looked like a weary old man, people will see him being lead to his death and they will have sympathy. Let me remind you that this man did many wrong things in his lifetime. While I do not believe in the death penalty, I do believe he did deserve it… I think death, in his case, was an easy way out. I believe the mental torture of being locked up for the rest of your life is far worse - unless you are treated too well, or “entertained”, while locked up.

Anyway… Within this post is a screen image of a Scottish Boy who was paraded on Iraqi television while Iraq was under attack during the Gulf War. This boy, being held against his or his families will, was a “human shield” who was alongside many others.

Taken from here.

:: April 28, 1937: Saddam is born in the village of Uja near Tikrit.

:: 1957: Saddam joins the Baath Socialist Party.

:: 1958: Arrested for killing his brother-in-law, a Communist, and jailed.

:: 1959: Flees the country after taking part in an ambush in Baghdad.

:: 1963: Saddam returns from Egypt.

:: 1968: Baathists and army officers overthrow the regime. Saddam takes charge of internal security and authority passes to Revolutionary Command Council under Ahmed Hassan al Bakr, his cousin.

:: July 16, 1979: Saddam takes over as president from al Bakr, and launches a purge of the Baath Party.

:: September 22, 1980: Sends forces into Iran, sparking an eight-year war.

:: March 28, 1988: Uses chemical weapons against Kurdish town of Halabja.

:: August 2, 1990: Saddam invades Kuwait.

:: January 17, 1991: Attacked by a US-led coalition and Kuwait is liberated in a month.

:: March, 1991: He crushes a Shi’ite revolt in south and a Kurd revolt in north.

:: April 17, 1991: Complying with a UN Resolution, he starts providing information on weapons of mass destruction, but is accused of cheating.

:: February 20, 1996: He orders the killing of two sons-in-law who returned to Baghdad after receiving guarantees of safety.

:: December 16, 1998: Weapons inspectors are withdrawn from Iraq. Four days of US-British air and missile strikes begin.

:: November 8, 2002: Saddam is threatened with “serious consequences” if he does not disarm in a UN Security Council resolution.

:: March 17, 2003: US, Britain and Spain declare the time for diplomacy as over and President Bush gives Saddam 48 hours to leave Iraq.

:: March 20, 2003: American forces launch war with military strike on Dora Farms, a target south of Baghdad.

:: April 7, 2003: A section of the Mansour district in Baghdad where Saddam and his sons were said to be meeting is bombed.

:: April 9, 2003: Crowds greet US troops in Baghdad, go on looting rampages and topple 40ft statue of Saddam.

:: July 22, 2003: Saddam’s sons, Qusai and Odai are killed. American forces then raid the northern city of Mosul and miss Saddam “by a matter of hours”.

:: December 13, 2003: Saddam is captured in the town of Adwar, near Tikrit.

:: June 30, 2004: He is transferred to Iraqi legal custody.

:: July 1, 2004: Saddam and regime figures appear in court. Charges of war crimes and genocide are rejected.

:: June 13, 2005: Saddam is shown in a video being questioned about the 1982 massacre in Dujail, where nearly 150 Shiite Muslims were killed after an assassination bid against the president.

:: October 19, 2005: A trial begins, with Saddam challenging the court’s legitimacy.

:: October 20, 2005: Masked gunmen kidnap defence attorney Saadoun al Janabi after he leaves his Baghdad office. His body is found the next day.

:: November 8, 2005: Defence lawyer Adel al Zubeidi is killed in a Baghdad ambush and a colleague, Thamir al Khuzaie, is wounded.

:: November 28, 2005: The trial reconvenes and Saddam calls Americans “occupiers and invaders”.

:: December 21, 2005: Saddam claims Americans beat and tortured him and other defendants, and prays openly in court despite judge’s order for trial to proceed.

:: January 15, 2006: Chief judge Rizgar Amin, a Kurd, resigns after complaints by Shiite politicians that he had failed to keep control of court proceedings.

:: January 23, 2006: Court officials name Raouf Abdul-Rahman, another Kurd, to replace Amin.

:: June 21, 2006: Defence lawyer Khamis al Obeidi is abducted and killed.

:: July 7, 2006: Saddam and three others refuse food to protest lack of security for lawyers and conduct of the trial.

:: July 23, 2006: Saddam is taken to hospital on the 17th day of his hunger strike and fed through a tube.

:: July 27, 2006: The Dujail trial adjourns.

:: November 5, 2006: Saddam is convicted of crimes against humanity by the court in Baghdad. He is sentenced to death by hanging. Baghdad’s international airport is closed until further notice, part of an open-ended curfew in the capital and two neighbouring provinces designed to head-off a feared outbreak of violence.

:: November 7, 2006: A sombre and subdued Saddam calls on Iraqis to “forgive, reconcile and shake hands” as he returns to court for his Kurdish genocide trial.

:: November 28, 2006: Lawyer Giovanni di Stefano, on Saddam’s defence team, submits papers with the US District Court of Columbia asking it to overturn the death sentence.

:: November 29, 2006: One of Saddam’s defence lawyers is ejected from court during his trial for genocide. Badie Arif Ezzat is detained for 24 hours for “insulting the court”.

:: December 26, 2006: Iraq’s highest appeals court upholds the death sentence and orders that it be carried out within 30 days. US President George Bush’s spokesman welcomes the ruling.

:: December 28, 2006: Saddam’s half brothers visit him in his Baghdad jail cell and he hands over his will and other personal belongings.

:: December 29, 2006: Saddam remains in American custody as an adviser to Iraqi prime minister Nouri Maliki says he will be executed before 6am (3am GMT) on Saturday, December 30.

:: December 30, 2006: Saddam is hanged just before 6am local time. His half-brother Barzan Ibrahim al Tikriti and former judge Awad al Bander will hang after the weekend Islamic holiday, the Iraqi government says.

So… He came to power in the late 1970’s, he - a non-religious man - went to war with Iran, dropping chemical weapons on Iranian troops during the process. The rest of the world backed him, fearing Iran.

In 1990, he invaded Kuwait, the world didn’t like it. We took Kuwait back. We didn’t finish the job though, and we left Saddam alone. Saddam killed the Iraqi’s who had helped us.

In 1991, he added the words “God is Great” to the Iraqi flag.

In 2003 he was captured after the Invasion of Iraq.

In 2006 he went to trial, carrying a copy of the Qur’an.

At 6am (Baghdad time), 30th December 2006, Saddam was executed by hanging. He had carried a copy of the Qur’an with him as he was lead to his death.

So, now he is dead. What will this bring? Well, the thing that concerns me is his decision to use Islam for political gain. I have absolutely no doubt that this man had no faith whatsoever, but his showmanship, his carrying of the Qur’an and his mentions of “sacrifice” may well cause the religious war we seem to be heading into to reach a new level. Only time will tell whether Iraq will die with him…

So, here I am getting excited about the new NASCAR season already. The Cup kicks of in February with the Daytona 500, so here are some clips from the 2006 event…

Here is a video of Suki opening her presents this year. We got her a box of chews and a Pink Flamingo…

I’d like to say Merry Christmas to Mum, Dad, Matthew, Peter, Stuart, Annette, Brian, Simon, Mary, Richard, Sammy, Grandma, Ken and John in the UK.

Those I miss while in the UK, who I’d also like to say Happy Holidays to are: Sheila, Billy, Roxy, Sheila’s mom and dad, Happy, Amy, Kevin, Krissy, Chris, Megan, Becky, Rick, Jessica, R.O.B. - Rob, Nikki and all the rest of the gang. Happy Holidays!

I’d also like to say Happy Holidays to Scott, Brett, John (both of them), Greg, Dave (both of them), Jay, Randy, Kevin (both of them), Divina, Peter, Steve, Shawn, Grant, Rick and Brian from work.

Lastly, anyone I forgot to type in, including those who I know visit here from RSC or other places I have been involved with.

I wish you all the very best for 2007, and beyond.

I have to admit when I have been in the US, I have missed this show. The questions they ask, the presenters… Brilliant.

Tomorrow the Chicago Bears take on the Detroit Lions. I was only able to listen to the last game over the internet feed available at ChicagoBears.com… So I missed the close end to the game, this time I am hoping to get coverage, but like last week I really won’t know if I have coverage until the game starts - which totally sucks!

I can’t really voice an opinion on the last game, because you kind of need to see them to know what happened… I just hope that they learnt from the last game and don’t ease up too early. That was a close-call last time.

Go Bears!