Baghdad

I was quite surprised to read about some of the topics in the Baghdad chapter of the book. The amount of security in Baghdad especially in the airports was rediculous. Cologne bottles assumed as deadly gases, cameras with guns in the lenses, and batteries acting as bomb detenators. These are some of the every day items not allowed in Iraqi airports or on the planes. There were spies throughout Baghdad that would make sure no one said anything against Saddam, phone lines were tapped, and houses were bugged. "My phone is tapped, my office is bugged, and for all I know my grandmother may be wired for sound. But sometimes a man must speak his mind. Saddam Hussein, he is the worst dictator ever in the history of man." This is an Iraqi man talking to Tony about his feelings towards Saddam Everyone was on constant watch. Saddam had a law that stated anyone who speaks against Saddam in any way will be executed. Also the amount of pictures of Saddam throughout Iraq was mind blowing. Tony talked about a joke. There are 32 million people in Iraq, 16 million citizens, and 16 million pictures of Saddam. There were mutltiple, life-sized pictures of Saddam in public restrooms. Everything I thought I knew about Iraq is either true or true but much worse than I had previously thought.

RJB