The latest revelations about torture tecniques in Iraq,
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/jackstraw1.html reminded me of something:
A few years ago, on the CBS evening news, I saw a video of a meeting between Saddam’s top henchmen, the purpose of which was to show how much ‘love’ they had for the big guy. Apparently, if you hold a position of responsibility, at any time you may be asked if there was anything you would not do for Saddam. Of course the only reply is “I would do anything for my beloved leader!” Then the next question was “Okay, then, here’s a knife. Poke out one of your eyes.”
AND THE GUY IN THE VIDEO DID IT !! They followed with another guy who pushed a sharpened cane through his own belly, one who shot himself in the abdomen, and one who let another bozo tap some daggers into his skull with a hammer until they stuck, and he paraded (carefully) before the group. It seems that if you are a big shot in Iraq, and you are asked this question, you can pass it down to your underlings to carry out, since this would also show your devotion to Saddam, and your power to control your personnel. The implication was that anyone who refused was subjected to something worse.
There was little controversy at the time, now I’m wondering if (a) I dreamed the whole thing up, or (b) it was a fake of some kind or another.