> Let me just say that I'm sick to death of
> the lies that we're being told about this by the Prime Minister of
> Australia. I heard him again this morning on a national television
> interview, and it was shocking, it was astonishing to hear him
> duck and weave, including by the way, say that in answer to a
> question about the possible deaths of Iraqi women and children, that
> something broadly like, 'Well, you know, that was unfortunate but it
> was their fault that Saddam Hussein was their president, and that's
> how it goes.'
I've heard the same ratoinale for blaming the victims of the economic sanctions. "If the Iraqis would just get rid of Saddam, the embargo would be lifted. They haven't, so the embargo continues, and it's their fault." I finally found the appropriate analogy for this a couple of days ago, as quoted by Charles Duff in _A Handbook On Hanging_:
"In a book with the engaging title, _Loafing Round the Globe_, written by the German Richard Katz, and translated by Gerald Griffin, the author interviewed an American sheriff and, when it came to the hanging, he asked this question: 'Do you carry out the execution yourself, Sheriff?' The Sheriff replied: 'Of course we do it ourselves, myself and my men. We have no hangmen to help us. If the murderer is tractable and relaxes his muscles, he is killed instantaneously. Otherwise he does a bit of jazzing in the air. He takes somewhere about five minutes to finish his capering. However, _that is his own fault_. Don't blame _us_. _We_ are not cruel. In fact, if he wants to make a little speech or sing a song before the white cap is adjusted, we give him time to do so.'"
-- Shane
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