August 20, 2003
THE PEN IS MIGHTY
A panel of Iraqi teachers has been removing Saddam Hussein references from school books. As the San Francisco Chronicle reports, it hasn’t been easy:
Fuad Hussein, a returned Iraqi expatriate who chose the panelists, remembers seeing one teacher's hand hesitate the first time she had to cross out a picture of the dictator.
"I told her, 'Don't be afraid. Just bring the pen down here, then across here, and he's finished,' " he said.
That might be one of the prettiest paragraphs I’ve ever read.
(Via Joanne Jacobs.)
Posted by Tim Blair at August 20, 2003 05:55 AMI agree Tim. The other outstanding quote for me is:
When asked if the references to Saddam Hussein in English books bothered him, Abdulla laughed.
"You didn't grow up under an authoritarian regime," he said. "You can't understand."
The pen is mighty
Especially if it is one of those unexploded ordinance pens.
Posted by: Andjam at August 20, 2003 at 09:25 PMThose who rewrite their past are doomed to repeat it...
Posted by: Tatterdemalian at August 20, 2003 at 09:28 PMWhat is it with this "penis mighty" stuff. Isn't that sexist? Wait a minute. Missed the space. "Never mind." (Emily Litella)
Posted by: JorgXMcKie at August 21, 2003 at 11:31 AM