Usually it’s the woman who likes to shop. Talk to my son who says, &uot;Want my mother’s utmost attention? Use signs saying ‘Half-price,’ ‘Discount,’ ‘Going out of business’ and you’ve got her.&uot; Today I’m going to tell you about Saddam’s shopping spree. Watch the items!

Enter Bernard Schenpeter who will be the shopping guru. Unlike what you and I buy he will supply aircraft supplies, rocket launchers, machine guns. German authorities filed charges against him for trading in these articles. His go-between was an Iraqi-born American named ali Haddad who also sold goods to Jordan. Police have jailed Schenpeter and issued a warrant for Haddad. Into the &uot;gang&uot; comes Arthur Anderson, a Canadian who is selling East European arms – trading in 6.6 million dollars in anti-tank guided missiles to hand grenades shipped to Jordan and from there to Iraq. Quite a group, wouldn’t you say? Parts needed by Saddam are delivered to him – everyone helping. Next, Anderson was arrested and his attorney says his transaction was quite legal. But further proof shows all this is to arm Baghdad, thus Saddam has the world’s deadliest weapons. I’d say our name was on them for early delivery.

Officials say Iraq is working to make these shipments more difficult to track. Iraq has, according to investigators, connections with Tunisia, the Check Republic and India to name a few. Top dollar is paid and Iraq can afford it. Black market and oil netted six billion in the last few years to Iraq.

Iraq has obtained rocket fuel chemicals from India, magnetic and high precision switches from Germany and high optic cables for air defense from China. How can you turn away or refuse such a good customer? None did. These are our friends?

When Saddam shops the sky’s the limit. Using all purchases he hopes to catch us there – in the sky – defeated!

Florence Arena is a resident of Hillcrest Retirement Center and a regular columnist for the News-Herald.