Post-War Iraq Quiz

[John M Cox <coxj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Post-War Iraq Quiz
by Stephen R. Shalom
Return to ZNet

The Bush administration claimed that it waged war on Iraq because of its
concern about terrorism. How else has the administration shown its concern
about terrorism?

a. Though there are more than 100 chemical plants where a single terrorist
attack could potentially expose more than a million people to toxic gas,
there are no mandatory security regulations applying to chemical plants.
Tough legislation in this regard was blocked by industry lobbying and lack
of support from the Bush administration.
b. It was not until 18 months after 9/11 that the Nuclear Regulatory
Agency
revised its policy stating that nuclear power plants needed to be secure
only from an attack by three or fewer individuals armed with no more than
rifles; the revisions were worked out in closed-door meetings with the
nuclear industry and excluded public interest organizations. The new
policy is secret, but NRC officials are on record as saying it is not
necessary to be able to protect against a 9/11-scale attack.
c. The Bush administration has ordered the elimination of 11% of airport
baggage screener jobs.
d. All of the above.


Presidential Press Secretary Ari Fleischer declared on April 10 "we have
high confidence that they have weapons of mass destruction. That is what
this war was about and it is about. And we have high confidence it will be
found." Which of the following has been a result of the hunt for weapons
of mass destruction in Iraq?


a. Before the war, the Bush administration warned that Iraq might have
25,000
liters of anthrax, 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin, 500 tons of sarin,
mustard and VX nerve agent, and upwards of 30,000 munitions capable of
delivering chemical agents. So far, these estimates have fallen short by
exactly 25,000 liters of anthrax, 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin, 500
tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent, and 30,000 munitions capable of
delivering chemical agents.
b. Despite the claim that the war was fought to prevent WMD getting into
the
hands of terrorists, U.S. officials allowed the looting of seven sites in
Iraq where nuclear material was present.
c. U.S. troops found a "top secret" Iraqi intelligence memo at a secret
police headquarters that described an offer by a "holy warrior" in Africa
to sell uranium and other nuclear material to Iraq. Iraq rejected the
offer, the memo states, because of the United Nations "sanctions
situation."
d. All of the above.


U.S. officials warned that Saddam Hussein's forces were prepared to use
chemical weapons during the war. Which of the following describes the
actual conduct of the war?


a. The United States and Britain used cluster bombs, condemned by
international human rights groups.
b. The only time "coalition" forces had to wear their protective chemical
suits during the war was when recovering a body from a friendly fire
incident to protect themselves from the effects of U.S. depleted uranium
ordnance.
c. The United States and Britain used depleted uranium munitions, which
Amnesty International urges be banned until their long-term health effects
can be properly investigated and which the European Parliament urges be
banned pending a comprehensive study of their legality.
d. All of the above....


full: http://www.zmag.org/shalomquizi.htm


----------------------------------------------
John Cox
Chapel Hill, NC

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