Fined For Helping Iraq Children WTF? Bert Sacks' Story

My friend Bert Sacks writes:

"Help! I'm being “Fined-For-Helping-Iraqi-Kids”.

I'm not asking for money – and I won't accept any.

Fined for delivering medicine

But I am asking instead for your help to get this story out.

If you'll look at IraqiKids.org you'll see a website which tells the story.

The U.S. is suing me for a $10,000 fine I've refused to pay from a 1997 trip I took to Iraq.

If you sign up for a once-a-month mailing, from Jan 11th through Sept 11th, you may learn a lot.

And finally, if you help spread the word -- Facebook, Twitter, emails, tell friends-- that will help a lot.

Your email address will only be used for this purpose; you'll always be able to unsubscribe on every email.

Thanks for your help,

 Bert Sacks

http://iraqikids.org/
contact@iraqikids.org
http://twitter.com/bertsacks
http://facebook.com/bert.sacks
P.S. “Fined-For-Helping-Iraqi-Kids” is a Facebook page you can search for."

Now, I'm spoken with Bert many times. He's pretty old-school, in a peaceful, non-violent direct-action way. Strange as this may seem, it's a simple fact that back in 1997, our great nation was engaged in an illegal and immoral effort to keep medicine out of Iraq as a way of pressuring the Iraqi dictator. The dictator was a pretty awful guy, but killing children was as evil as it was ineffective: our tax dollars at work!
Whether or not you think Bert was right to defy the embargo by taking medicine, you have to admit it was a pretty ballsy move and, of course, now the Iraqi people are our friends. You'd think we wouldn't be persuing efforts to punish people who tried to keep them alive but guess what: nothing pisses off a government more than defying its sovereign will. Thus the "liberal" Obama Administration continues to try to collect a fine from Bert. (That sorta tells you all you need to know about its being "liberal" eh?)
Anyway, Bert's blog can tell you more than I can, so don't take my word for it: Check it out!
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Learn More:

Child Survival Rate in Iraq
The sudden drop is associated with
sanctions blocking medicine etc.

• UNICEF Report: Iraqi Surveys show 'Humanitarian Emergency'
• The Compassionate Outlaw
• Iraq Sanctions (offered not for the article itself - it's only wikipedia - but for its many many references for you to examine and decide for yourself)