Spreading democracy
Is Iraq a model for the Middle East or what?
Under a broad new set of laws criminalizing speech that ridicules the government or its officials, some resurrected verbatim from Saddam Hussein’s penal code, roughly a dozen Iraqi journalists have been charged with offending public officials in the past year.
Currently, three journalists for a small newspaper in southeastern Iraq are being tried here for articles last year that accused a provincial governor, local judges and police officials of corruption. The journalists are accused of violating Paragraph 226 of the penal code, which makes anyone who “publicly insults” the government or public officials subject to up to seven years in prison.
Thank goodness Huck never thought of this.
Comments
Cost of Iraq war nearly $2b a week
http://tinyurl.com/gv6us
Posted by: Riverdog![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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September 29, 2006 06:24 AM
I'd worry more about the Iraqis if I wasn't so worried about what monkeyboy is doing here...like making torture okay...like being able to wiretap Americans without a warrant.
Bush is in good company though...Pol Pot also loved to 'water-board' stories out of his guests.
I am so saddened by how far my country has fallen.
Posted by: zelda![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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September 29, 2006 06:56 AM
Never mind the Huckster thinking about making dissent illegal, we had better worry about our friendly Republican Congress (abetted by too many Blue Dog Democrats) passing such laws for Cheney Rovebush to sign into law.
Posted by: esscurve234![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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September 29, 2006 10:05 AM
With the willing help of Senator Mark Pryor, our Congress gave permission for Bush-Cheney to detain and torture everyone on the planet yesterday.
Why would it be so far fetched to think the next thing down the pike isn't a bill that says speaking out against Bush or the war is aiding our enemy?
If Bush can get away with not discussing waterboarding because it will lead to our enemies finding a way to grow gills and therefore be immune to the torturous effects of being drown while tilted with your head down and your arms and legs tied down, shutting up the press and the American people will be a snap.
I'm sure this time Senator Lincoln will vote for the ban on free speech because it's Senator Pryor's turn to appear to be taking the high road. Use your heads! We're being used like the dumb tools we appear to be. Speak out now! While you still can....
Posted by: Deathbyinches![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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September 29, 2006 11:23 AM
Pay attention to DBI, folks. It wouldn't be hard for Bush to get such a law passed, when we have people writing to the editor of a newspaper in north AR that the letter writer thought a woman wearing a peace sign as jewelry should be arrested for aiding and abetting the enemy!
I mean, most people aren't that seriously idiotic, but the Republicans have a lot of people convinced that they are the only thing standing between the American people and a full-fledged invasion.
Scary.
Posted by: BlueRidge![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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September 29, 2006 01:12 PM