Fri - March 12, 2004

A little freelance work?

Former Seattle journalist accused of helping Iraq



from the Seattle Times

By Cameron W. Barr and Dan Eggen
The Washington Post

A former congressional press aide was arrested yesterday for allegedly maintaining an "intelligence relationship" for several years with U.S.-based spies for Saddam Hussein before the Iraqi leader was ousted.

Among other activities, authorities said, Susan Lindauer, 41, cooperated with Iraqi intelligence agents in January 2003 by delivering a letter to the home of a distant relative, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, urging the Bush administration to hold off its invasion of Iraq so weapons inspectors could continue their work.

Lindauer, a former journalist, worked in the late 1980s for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and The Herald in Everett.,,

Posted at 12:02 PM    

Mon - December 22, 2003

Thu - December 18, 2003

President of Fantasyland: Saddam the novelist

As the war began and Saddam went into hiding 40,000 copies of Be Gone Demons! were rolling off the presses.

Most were destroyed by bombing and looting but the Telegraph has obtained one of the few remaining copies of the novel - an historical epic which reveals both Saddam's increasing detachment from the world and his inflated sense of self.

The narrative meanders through the history of Iraq from Biblical times to the present and is filled with paranoid invectives against the Jews, who delight in inciting troubles between Muslim nations and encouraging the Romans - a synonym for the Americans - to attack Iraq.

 

The cover of Be Gone Demons!

The arch-villain of the piece is Ezekiel, an immortal Jew whose presence runs throughout time. He is a fat, evil old man. Saddam probably had Ariel Sharon in mind.

According to the author, the Iran-Iraq war began when Ezekiel convinced the head of the Iraqi tribe to invade his neighbour. The Iraqis, led by a doddering old Sheikh, are quickly defeated and Ezekiel seizes power in the country.

Enter Saddam as the resistance fighter Salim - "a pure, virtuous Arab. Salim is tall and handsome with a straight nose", he enthuses.

The 1991 Gulf war is portrayed as an ambush by Ezekiel, which Salim shrugs off, driving him out of the country with the words, "Be gone demon." But Ezekiel returns instead with Roman allies.

In the ensuing battle Salim "fights the Romans like a hawk". The onslaught proves irresistible and Ezekiel and the Roman king flee, only to discover the twin towers of the Roman capital in flames.

As Saddam faces captivity, trial and a possible death sentence he may seek solace in his imaginary world.

"He lost touch with reality," said Saad Hadi, a journalist who was involved in the production of Saddam's novels. "He thought he was a god who could do anything, including writing novels."

Saddam published three equally bad volumes between 2000 and his downfall.

According to Mr Hadi, Saddam's favourite novelist was Ernest Hemingway, in particular The Old Man and the Sea, whose style he tried to emulate. "He'd sit in his state room and recount simple tales, while his aides recorded his words," he said.

To begin with, distinguished writers were asked to improve Saddam's yarns. Mujiba al-Anizi, whose husband, Sami, contributed to his first novel, Zabibah and the King, recalled how he was summoned from his job one morning and told he had three days to produce a book from the president's notes.

"Sami normally came home and kissed his children goodnight," recalled Mrs al-Azizi. "But that evening he just stood in the hallway sweating. He said 'our uncle' had given him a special task."

Two months later, just as 250,000 copies of Zabibah and the King were being anonymously distributed, Mr al-Anizi came home, walked into the kitchen, drank a jug of water and fell down dead. His widow believes he was killed on the president's orders to hush up his role in the book.

The novel was badly received, although once word of who had inspired it spread, sales took off.

Abdul al-Jabouri, a shopkeeper in al-Mutanabbi book souk in Baghdad, said: "Everyone bought it just to see what was on the president's mind. Most people concluded he was mad."

The Fortified Castle and Men and the City - a romanticised account of the rise of the Ba'ath Party in Tikrit - followed, with Saddam increasingly penning the works himself, before Be Gone Demons!

Saddam Hussein spent the final weeks before the war writing a novel predicting that he would lead an underground resistance movement to victory over the Americans, rather than planning the defense of his regime...

Posted at 12:19 AM    

Wed - December 17, 2003

Sun - December 14, 2003

Sat - December 6, 2003

Origins: 12 Days of Christmas song

2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments 8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

Ever wondered about the meaning of the nonsensical lyrics in this traditional holiday song? Well, I have. Mainly because I'm exploring the possibility of using the song as a framework for a cartoon assignment I'm working on. Meaning, I"m planning to steal this song and change the lyrics to suit my own use, in order to meet a deadline, and not have to think too hard. But what the hell do the original lyrics mean? Here's a possible explanation .




An Underground Catechism

Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, when Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England, were prohibited from any practice of their faith by law - private or public. It was a crime to be a Catholic...."

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith - a memory aid."

The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her nestlings. Read more to see the full list. Turns out, the whole thing is like secret code. Those clever Catholics.

Posted at 12:47 PM