Posted on 07/30/2006 5:43:53 PM PDT by tgslTakoma
SADDAM HUSSEIN ended his 19-day hunger strike last Wednesday with a meal of beef, rice and Coca-Cola, but he had little to show for his starvation. Iraqis in particular, living day-to-day with brutal sectarian violence, viewed Mr. Hussein’s self-sacrifice as an insult.
“Saddam’s hunger strike didn’t work because it came from someone who is finished in Iraq and has no political or personal value for the Iraqi people,” said Fauwzya al-Attiya, a sociologist at Baghdad University. “Most of us wish he was executed just to end this problem so we can face our other problems.”
But if Mr. Hussein tarnished the hunger strike’s idealistic image, his effort also reflected its declining strength as a political weapon. Fasting for a cause is less novel, what constitutes a fast is more loosely defined, and the technology of force-feeding has grown less barbarous, say historians and human rights activists. Consequently, the hunger strike has started to lose its power to command attention.
(SNIP)
Other denials of sustenance have amounted to short-term diets. Several hunger strikes announced with great fanfare by the Rev. Jesse Jackson turned out to be team efforts requiring little sacrifice. On July 10, six days into Cindy Sheehan’s liquid-only fast to protest the Iraq war, she wrote in her blog that “the closest thing I could find to a smoothie to get a little protein was a coffee with vanilla ice cream in it.” Conservative pundits were moved to ask whether she was trying to gain weight.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
People who depend on the NY Times for all the news worth reading only heard about it today.
Better late than never.
Yes, but then the Liberals knew it was a dirty lie because only the Freepers and such notorious types as MM were reporting it.
On July 10, six days into Cindy Sheehan’s liquid-only fast to protest the Iraq war, she wrote in her blog that “the closest thing I could find to a smoothie to get a little protein was a coffee with vanilla ice cream in it.” Conservative pundits were moved to ask whether she was trying to gain weight.
Somebody over at the Slimes has been reading Michelle Malkin's blog.
I'm a bit surprised that the NYSlimes has heard about it now--let alone print something about it--LOL!
NYT who?
The reason the "hunger strike", as practiced by Mr. Hussein and Ms. Sheehan, has not been effective is that it was widely known that neither had any intention of starving themselves to death. When Ghandi fasted, he was putting his life on the line. He was committed to his cause. Bobby Sands, of the IRA, starved himself to death for his cause. So, what Ms. Sheehan, her celebrity buddies and Mr. Hussein are doing is not just phony but an insult to the intelligence of any reasonable person.
That does it. I'm going on a no-shark fast to protest Democrat idiocy and liberal media bias.
Maybe I can get someone to write me up a press release.
I'm really serious about this. No tiger, no hammerhead, no great white -- NADA! For as long as... well, as long as I feel like it.
Please remember they are looking for dem votes!
That's fine for you. I'm more interested in hearing the tigers, hammerheads, great whites and black and white tipped reef sharks are on a no-human fast to protest anything they want.
Perhaps it is because no one would really care very much if Hussein and Sheehan were to suddenly leave us.
I think a little contest might be in order. Sheehan and Hussein can race each other to the finish line. The one who starves to death first - WINS!
Gee,,who to root for?
LOL!
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