or Powell's or me• • •
"Mike and Jon, Jon and Mike—I've known them both for years, and, clearly, one of them is very funny. As for the other: truly one of the great hangers-on of our time."—Steve Bodow, head writer, The Daily Show
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"Who can really judge what's funny? If humor is a subjective medium, then can there be something that is really and truly hilarious? Me. This book."—Daniel Handler, author, Adverbs, and personal representative of Lemony Snicket
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"The good news: I thought Our Kampf was consistently hilarious. The bad news: I’m the guy who wrote Monkeybone."—Sam Hamm, screenwriter, Batman, Batman Returns, and Homecoming
September 24, 2004
America Is Certainly No Crazier Than Saddam Hussein
I recently mentioned a book by a Washington Times reporter called Treachery: How America's Friends and Foes are Secretly Arming Our Enemies, and pointed out that calling it "treachery" when our foes arm our enemies verges on being insane -- since you can only be betrayed by your friends, not your adversaries.
Now, you might say this is unfair to America, since many people in other countries see the world in the same way. And you'd be right! For instance, there's Saddam Hussein. I was just reading an old speech by Saddam Hussein from 1993 on the fifth anniversary of the end of the Iran-Iraq War. (It's not online, sadly.) Saddam angrily denounced Iran for various misdeeds, and then stated that Iran "played a treacherous, destructive role in the chapter of treason and treachery." Yes: those damn Iranians, always committing treason against the governments of other countries.
I believe shortly afterward this speech Saddam wrote a book titled Treason and the Treacherous Traitors Who Commit It. Which of course was shamelessly ripped off by Al Franken.
Anyway, the point is: we must rejoice, for America is no more nuts than Saddam Hussein.
Posted at September 24, 2004 04:29 PM | TrackBack
