However, there was one in-depth report of the Iraqi resistance. Although it was written more than a year ago, it hit the nail right on the head. On May 15, 2005, the Boston Globe ran a piece titled "Iraq’s Ba’athists Rebound on 2 Fronts," that gave a much more accurate look at the resistance from that of other major media. I am puzzled because no other mainstream U.S. media, and much of the progressive media, have failed to address the feature story.

The article assessed that the Ba’athists are powerful and they are running, for the most part, the entire resistance in the areas of organizing, financing and the distribution of weapons. In addition, it described the political wing of the Ba’ath Party that is openly putting candidates up for appointment by the stooge government. So far, no one has been appointed, but they are now visible.

According to the report, written by Thanassis Cambanis:

Saleh Mutlak is a leader of a new union of Sunni Arab nationalist party. He said:

Since this report, the resistance has steadily grown and has become even more organized. Currently, it controls a large portion of Iraq.

For a while, the U.S. was successful in halting any reference to the Ba’ath Party in public. When Saddam Hussein was kidnapped in December 2003, pro-Saddam demonstrations broke out that included thousands of participants. The U.S. put them down with weapons and eventually issued an edict that promised two years in prison for anyone publicly displaying a picture of Saddam Hussein. This was heralded as a crowning point for democracy by the U.S.

Today, the Ba’athists are open in their actions and recruiting. Until Saddam was captured, he was running the show. Now, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri is in charge. He is the vice-president of Iraq and is wanted by the U.S., being the number three person on the occupier’s list of wanted individuals. The openness of al-Douri’s actions was brought up in the Boston Globe article:

The death sentence levied on Saddam Hussein by the illegal and incompetent court in Baghdad created an opposite reaction. The stooges thought it would end the resistance. But, since the verdict, thousands upon thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets, holding Saddam Hussein posters and chanting pro-Saddam statements.

The reality is that, even today, the Ba’ath Socialist Party, although outlawed, is the largest political party in Iraq. Forget the hundreds of parties using various numbers of initials for their names that sprung up. They are minuscule in comparison not only in numbers of members, but in organization and followers.

The Iraqi "elections" are a case in point. Thousands of ballot boxes were thrown out because they included many write-in ballots with Saddam Hussein’s name affixed. And the U.S. thought Iraqis were too stupid to know how to practice "democracy." They evidently knew how to create a write-in ballot.

Despite what most of the U.S. left is saying about the elections being the beginning of a democratic Iraq, they meant absolutely nothing, except for the U.S. administration shoving the results down the throats of a gullible U.S. media. Even the so-called "progressive" media have bought into this farce.

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of websites called "patriotic Iraqi sites" that highlight current resistance activities. They have a worldwide following. Not only captive Iraqis support the resistance, but fair-minded, politically astute individuals from far and wide do as well. I have received letters from Brits, Australians, Belgians, Japanese, Italians, Venezuelans, Pakistanis, Argentinians, Indians, Canadians, French, Germans and other nationalities supporting my writing and the resistance. In addition, I have received messages from people of my own country (U.S.) who have not been conned by the propaganda.

I have also received hundreds of responses from the Arab world, many from Iraqis, that corroborate the idea that the Ba’ath Party is far from being on life-support — from professors, authors, business people, retired Iraqi military people, cab drivers, scientists, male and female; website coordinators and individuals. Here are a few responses:

• It is certainly a pleasure to correspond with you. You are one of the very few in the west who knows of things from Iraq’s side and recognizes an identity for Iraq as separate from a mere object of U.S. policy.
• Let me seize the opportunity to tell you how grateful we Iraqis are for your efforts to clarify the spin of the U.S. administration. I am sure I am not the first to comment on your excellent article "Saddam Hussein and Reality." Iraqis and Arabs had known since the beginning that the story of the Pentagon concerning Saddam Hussein’s capture was fiction. Everyone, even his opponents, know that he has been a man of courage since his childhood.
• On behalf of Iraqi patriotic journalists in this website and others, we would like to express out great appreciation of your fair attitude to the just cause of the Iraqi people by your numerous articles. We were particularly moved by your honest attitude to our legitimate President Saddam Hussein as show by your recent article about his capture.
• I have just read with great pleasure your new article about the real story of President Hussein’s capture. I saw your earlier article on the man. I feel proud of you to have such a clear vision of what really happened in Iraq despite all this unprecedented anti-Iraq demonization and propaganda campaign. Great! Well done!
• We are in such a great democracy that the day of the elections was one in which we had electricity. Suddenly … with the election day! Why is that? Just letup to elect the new candidates. But so many boxes were electing SADDAM Hussein. They disappeared. The criminal Americans invaded IRAQ just to make him vanish … People of Iraq wouldn't forget that. That man usually brought good things to them. Not like those invaders!

These are only a few responses of reality. There are many more and I have written back to most and have received even more-detailed information concerning Iraq.

I am puzzled by one aspect of this entire Iraq debacle. Billions of words have been put in print, yet few people who write about Iraq (pro-invasion or anti-invasion) have ever spoke to a real Iraqi. Even most of the "progressive" element who opposed the invasion and today have mellowed their messages to say, "Well, we can’t leave now. What about the Iraqis?" have never spoken to an Iraqi. This is a point I have yet to see put in writing by anyone.

I have spoken or written to possibly thousands of Iraqis. I have been called a paid agent of Saddam Hussein by representatives of the Iraqi National Congress who live in my area, and, at the same time, some pro-Saddam people called me a CIA agent because I knew too much about Iraq for a U.S. citizen. Unlike most writers, at least I have been in their homes, clubs, offices and restaurants.

In all my correspondence with Iraqis, one aspect is blatantly evident: their ability to communicate in English. Most Americans consider Iraqis to be ignorant and barbaric. It’s a shame that my own countrypeople can not speak and write in their first language (English) as well as many Iraqis can, with English being their second or third language.

George Orwell, the great author and predictor of the future, has been dead for some time. However, one of his statements applies today like no other: "In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."