Saddam Capture 'Yellow Dates' Controversy Flares again

[JCMach1]

I have to say I was a little skeptical about some of my fellow DUers suspicions about the official Saddam capture photograph. Having taken another official look out my window at the palm trees, I realized that they had basically been fully stripped by the birds.

Saddam was captured in July folks!!!!!!!

The story is now making the rounds in several newspapers.

Good catch DUers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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YELLOW DATES IN DECEMBER? US soldiers lift the cover of the spider hole where Saddam Hussein was hiding, when the troops captured him on December 13. The photograph shows a date palm laden with yellow fruit in the background. One of our readers, Mr. Sabeel Ahmed insists that, normally, yellow dates are seen only during the months of July-August and not in December. Do you have an answer to this?...



http://www.khaleejtimes.com/index00.asp

[RBHam]

1. Saddam's been on ice - waiting for the right time...

Psy Ops backfire! Red Alert! Go to DeciptiCon 4!

Notice that the guy on the right can't keep a straight face?

[minkyboodle]

2. interesting

Don't really know enough about dates to offer an opinion. Be pretty funny if this were true and something like a date tree fucked up the BUsh plan. I'm still skeptical til I hear more about this though. Thanks for posting.
Scott

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. I went searching for websites

and the ones I found on yellow dates, the season is July-August, sneaky

[Ekova]

4. Military picture is interesting...

The one released by Bremer with the labelling on it - there is a good deal of natural yellow in the scene so it stands to reason that the yellow dates would be prominant. I can't see any fruit in it though. The angle is close but that fruit seems to be hanging right in the foreground with the two troops...nice catch if it's spot on. Can't say this surprises me in the least, which is in and of itself very disappointing.

Theatre, it's all for our viewing pleasure.

[radfringe]

5. Arab Conspiracy Theories on Saddam's Capture

scroll to middle of article - what do you think? Spin??
http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=11415

The Mother of All Conspiracy Theories
The mother of all conspiracy theories is woven by Abd Al-Bari Atwan, the Editor-in-Chief of the London-based Arabic daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi - the one daily, aside from Saddam's regime dailies, which no longer exist, that has remained loyal to "President Saddam Hussein." <10>

For Atwan, "The U.S. and its mighty propaganda machine are involved in a disinformation campaign that reaches the level of terrorism" to mislead public opinion. Here is his evidence in four parts:

First, the pictures distributed by the Americans about Saddam's hideout show a palm tree behind the soldier who uncovered the hole where Saddam was hiding. The palm tree carried a cluster of pre-ripened yellow dates, which might suggest that Saddam was arrested at least three months earlier, because dates ripen in the summer months when they turn into their natural black or brown color. Atwan concludes that the arrest was "a staged show and the place of arrest completely elsewhere. <11>

---at the end of the article:

<11> An agricultural expert told the London-based Arabic daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat that there are some types of dates which mature in the winter months after rainfalls (December 17, 2003). Also, as anyone with any experience with palm trees would know that some trees do not pollinate properly and the date remains yellow and inedible and is usually used as animal feed.

[KoKo]

6. Can someone post the link to the Photo of the yellow dates? I've searched

through all the links on this thread, including the article about the "yellow dates" but can't find a photo. Thanks!

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[KoKo]

8. While waiting for someone to post photo, I found this from BBC Website.

There were 12 pictures and one was yellow with some plant on the ground, but none that showed fruit or dates. Anyway this photo might help someone familiar with the foliage colors in Iraq. This is a supposed description of where he was found showing lots of trees. Any thoughts on colors? Is this Summer or December in Iraq? Link to 12 photos on website:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/photo_gallery/3318041.stm

[paulthompson]

9. Where's the picture?

THis issue is flaring up again, due to this paragraph in a new Sunday Herald article:

"But perhaps the mother of all conspiracy theories, is the one about the pictures distributed by the Americans showing the hideout with a palm tree behind the soldier who uncovered the hole where Saddam was hiding. The palm carried a cluster of pre-ripened yellow dates, which might suggest that Saddam was arrested at least three months earlier, because dates ripen in the summer when they turn into their black or brown colour."

http://www.sundayherald.com/38816

... could someone please repost the picture in question? I saw it in the first post of this thread, but it's been replaced by another one, probably as the website it linked to changes their main page.

And it would be great if someone could put the pic on this thread too:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=279094#279325

[Cooley Hurd]

13. Is this the pic in question?

The yellow bunch on the left (above the soldier's head) - are those the "dates" in question?

[RBHam]

10. Saddam was held by Kurds, drugged and released to the Americans...

Behold! Yon cur doth wag his tail with utter abandon! Methinks this activity to be not of the norm!


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=947123

[KoKo]

11. How long was he held by the Kurds? That's the question.

[izzie]

12. Yellow times has a little on this.

n/t