Iraq: That Joke Was a Killer

Saddam Hussein, Taha Yassin Ramadan and Tariq Aziz are lounging on the balcony of one of Saddam’s palaces when a flock of geese flies over. “Ramadan, shoot the geese,” Saddam says. The vice president lifts his AK-47 and empties a clip into the sky, but doesn’t hit a single goose. “You try, Tariq,” Saddam says. The deputy prime minister fires and misses as well. “Damn, I have to do everything around here,” Saddam says. He fires five rounds in the air. None of the birds fall. There’s an awkward silence. Then Tariq Aziz points at the receding flock and says, “My God, would you look at that! Dead birds flying!”

TELLING A JOKE like that could get you maimed, tortured and even killed in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. The most common penalty was tongue amputation.

Iraqis know the story of Lt. Gen. Omar al-Hazzaa, one of Saddam’s top officers. During a backgammon game with friends in 1984, the subject of Saddam’s mother came up. Al-Hazzaa joked, “Who is she, anyway?” Saddam and his four brothers all had different mothers. Everyone laughed, but one of them informed on him. According to accounts from family survivors who later fled Iraq, first al-Hazzaa’s tongue was cut out, then his sons had their tongues cut out while their wives were forced to watch. Then his male family members were killed in front of him, and his wife and daughters turned out of their home. Finally he was executed.

Newsweek does a fine balancing act, one week an article to get liberals all excited and next week something for the conservatives. This week seems aimed at conservatives but I like it.. Liberals always said Saddam was disgusting, just not worth lying, sullying the US reputation and poking a stick in a hornet's nest just to take over his country. Now that Iraq is our problem, it looks like the GOP is thinking about banning weapons in Iraq while permitting us to own Uzis and AK-47s.