(Baghdad) Apparently, Saddam Hussein believes that he's not getting enough sympathy and media exposure.

From Reuters.com:

Saddam Hussein and the seven co-defendants in his trial are to start a hunger strike on Monday, the former Iraqi president's defense team said on Sunday, citing sources inside the detention center where they are being held.

"Saddam and his followers will start a hunger strike from tomorrow, protesting the illegitimate procedures and bad treatment by the court," Khamis al-Aubeidi, a leading member of Saddam's defense team, told Reuters.

Nevertheless, the hunger strike is nicely timed to coincide with continuation of the trial which was interrupted two weeks ago when the defense team walked out of the courtroom and protested the new judge. Since then, Saddam has whined about being abused by prison guards. It appears that Saddam and his co-defendents are trying to do everything possible to disrupt the trial "to fuel concerns about the legitimacy of the tribunal and its eventual verdict."

From Interested-Participant.

Posted by: Mike Pechar at 12:52 PM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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Saddam and his cronies, not to mention the laplickers of the media, are all doing their level best to distract the rest of us from the real meaning of this trial.

If you find yourself getting lost in Saddam's antics, or Ramsey Clark's bullshit, or the media fawning, come back to this post and click below the fold for a dose of reality.

(gratuitous graphic image warning) more...

Posted by: Vinnie at 10:27 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Looking at pictures from carnivale (a.k.a. The Saddam Show in Baghdad), I noticed a few things. First, the odd similarities between "President" Hussein and Don Flamenco from Mike Tyson's Punch Out. Compare Don with the picture in this post and judge for yourself:

See? Anyway, that was an unimportant point, as I have NES flashbacks constantly. Beyond that, I came to a startling conclusion. We MUST save Saddam Hussein. We cannot let him die. His DNA is too important to piss away, especially since his sons met a far nobler end (well, as noble as perishing in a shootout with a teenage boy in your company can be).

But why must Saddam live?
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Posted by: wineaholic at 05:31 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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A judge and lawyer responsible for the prosecution of the crimes committed by the Saddam Hussein regime have been assassinated in Iraq. Judge Barwez Mohammed Mahmoud al-Merwani--a leading Kurdish politician--and his son, lawyer Aryan Barwez al-Merwani, were murdered as they tried to get into a car outside their home. Earlier reports that the Chief Judge, a man who's identity was secret until anti-war activist and reporter Robert Fisk outed him last summer, had been killed proved false.

Over 100 judges are working on various cases against former Hussein regime members. At least five former Saddam Hussein regime members have already been charged with 'crimes against humanity'.

This is further evidence that a key component of the insurgency is in Saddam Hussein loyalists. As reported here earlier yesterday, the Baathist party has been revised and is now working with jihadis to overthrow democratic rule in Iraq. more...

Posted by: Rusty at 07:04 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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UPDATE: Initial reports proved wrong. Scroll down for critical corrections and information. The Judge was named Parwiz Muhammad Mahmoud al-Merani and he was killed along with his son, a prosecutor in for the tribunals, Aryan Mahmoud al-Merani. It has also been revealed that he was a leading member of the PKU, one of the two major Kurdish parties that fought against the Hussein regime.
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Posted by: Rusty at 09:49 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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