Deadly Iraqi Trading Cards

Monte Smith · March-25th-2003, 01:31 PM

To complement the exciting line of Psychedelic Republican Trading Cards that Raymond kindly brought to our attention.

Here's my favorite, the red-headed Izzat Ibrahim, Saddam's right hand man. This is a pre-posthumous shot:

Izzat Ibrahim is at the heart of the Iraqi regime aides.

Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri has stood the test of time as one of Saddam Hussein's top aides and most trusted confidants.

Ibrahim, Vice-President Taha Yasin Ramadan and Saddam Hussein himself are the only survivors from the plotters who carried out the 1968 coup which brought the Baath Party to power.

His daughter was briefly married to Saddam Hussein's elder son, Uday.

He serves as the Iraqi leader's number two in the regime's powerful Revolution Command Council, as vice-chairman.

Together with Mr Ramadan, he is known as Saddam Hussein's enforcer.

He held a senior post on the government committee responsible for northern Iraq when chemical weapons were used in 1988, killing thousands of Kurds.

Ruthless

When the Gulf War broke out in 1991, The New York Times newspaper quoted him as warning the Kurds not to cause trouble.

He reminded them of the chemical attack with the words: "If you have forgotten Halabja, I would like to remind you that we are ready to repeat the operation."

Mr Ibrahim was born the son of an ice seller in 1942 near Tikrit, where Saddam Hussein has his power base.

He joined the Baath Party, rising swiftly through the ranks after the 1968 coup. In the 1970s, he served as both agriculture and interior minister.

Like Mr Ramadan and Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, he travels abroad frequently as the Iraqi leader's envoy and was sent to woo neighbouring states during the pre-war stand-off with Washington.

Icebreaker

He chaired the Arab Parliamentary Union session in Baghdad in September 2002, calling for Arab solidarity in the face of the "American-Zionist threat". He is also deputy commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

He broke up a similar summit in March 2003 by screaming insults at the Kuwaiti delegation until he was shouted down.

Close shaves

He has had some narrow shaves, escaping an assassination attempt in the city of Karbala in 1998, and avoiding arrest in Vienna in 1999 for suspected crimes against humanity while on a private visit for medical treatment.

Announcing that Saddam had won 100% approval in the referendum to give him another term as president, Ibrahim hailed "the great success of this unique democratic practice".

The election "surpassed the highest forms of popular democratic practice throughout the world, particularly the countries which have showed enmity to Iraq, fought it, and made it difficult for its people to choose the ruling system they want, the principles they believe in, and the future they seek", he said on Iraqi TV.

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.

Dennis Gonzalez · March-25th-2003, 01:56 PM

Is this better?

Monte Smith · March-25th-2003, 02:03 PM

I don't know, Dennis. you kinda made Izzat look like Rip Taylor.

Raymond · March-25th-2003, 02:51 PM

This seems like a cool idea; mix the decks, shuffle, and spend the next few lifetimes trying to separate them out again!

Monte Smith · March-25th-2003, 02:58 PM

Something tells me we are going to be quite a few cards short of a deck when it comes to the Iraqi regime. Cause they're all gonna die.

Somebody cue up Motorhead's "The Ace of Spades."

Pete C · March-25th-2003, 03:02 PM

Monte Smith · March-25th-2003, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pete C

Schnikey! Saddam doesn't have the monopoly on body doubles!

Dennis Gonzalez · March-25th-2003, 05:16 PM

OK, Monte...whatever.
Why are you even watching Rip Taylor?

Who is that with Rip, Reagan's Vice President?

Monte Smith · March-25th-2003, 05:26 PM

Dude, that's Jerry Lewis.

Dennis Gonzalez · March-25th-2003, 07:04 PM

I guess you didn't see the movie "Back to the Future"? At one point, the character played by Michael J. Fox, Marty Mc Fly, lets slip that "back in the future" Ronald Reagan is currently president, and his sidekick, Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), chuckles and says to McFly, "So, who's vice-president? Jerry Lewis?"

Sorry, I guess you had to be there!

Monte Smith · March-25th-2003, 07:07 PM

Huh. Love the movie, forgot the quote.

Monte Smith · March-25th-2003, 11:54 PM

Wow! Talk about a full card! Collect 'em all!

Here's a smart shot of Saddam's boys, Uday and Qusay. Look at that cigar! Smoke 'em while you got 'em!

Monte Smith · April-11th-2003, 05:35 PM

And to think I was kidding when I started this thread.

April-11th-2003, 06:06 PM

We have our own cards...

Monte Smith · April-11th-2003, 06:18 PM

"We have our own cards."

True, and what cards they are. Like here is Nancy Pelosi:

April-11th-2003, 06:23 PM

I prefer the Queen of Clubs. Wait 'till you see the king.

BTW I love how these Bush jokels got WMD into it. What is a WMD scientist? And in a country where none is to be found!

Uli · April-11th-2003, 06:29 PM

The Queen of Clubs is a "beauty", Chris! Keep em coming.

patricia · April-11th-2003, 07:48 PM

I thought this thread was a joke, until I saw that there is actually a 55 card deck of cards, with the faces of all the "targets", which has been given to the soldiers. Unbelievable.

Monte Smith · April-11th-2003, 07:53 PM

Why unbelievable? Darn useful, IMHO.

By the way, dear Izzat Ibrahim made the cut on this deck. He is the King of Clubs. Makes me wanna play a game of Egyptian Rat Screw. Anyone know that game? Great fun.

patricia · April-11th-2003, 08:23 PM

Laugh it up, Monte.
I can just see the soldiers, spotting a likely target, shuffling through their deck of cards, to see if they should kill him/her, or tell him/her he/ she can go home.

April-11th-2003, 08:33 PM

The card you don't want dealt you...

Monte Smith · April-11th-2003, 08:38 PM

What I foresee is American soldiers playing with these decks every night and incidentally memorizing some names and faces. Can't argue with the wisdom and prudence of that.

I hope they print up a gazillion of these. For soldiers and civilians. The more games of slap jack played with these decks, the better.

Slap jack? How 'bout three-card monte?

Monte Smith · May-15th-2003, 10:16 AM

OK, it is officially a fad. Republicans in the Texas Legislature immediately came out with a deck identifying their fugitive Democrat peers. Looks like anyone can play, doesn't matter your ideology:

Whee!

This is fun!

Tom Storer · May-15th-2003, 10:45 AM

As a technical writer, I have to say the deck of Iraqi playing cards is *the* documentation coup of the year. Regardless of the ire, disgust, contempt, righteous indignation, etc. I feel for the Bush administration and all its evil deeds, a deck of playing cards distributed to soldiers is a brilliant way to familiarize the soldiers with those "most wanted" Iraqis' names and faces.

Monte Smith · November-12th-2005, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monte Smith

Here's my favorite, the red-headed Izzat Ibrahim, Saddam's right hand man. This is a pre-posthumous shot:

Pre-posthumous be damned!

al-Arabiya TV reports that according to a Baathist website, "On the soil of Arabic Iraq, the soul of Comrade Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri returned to God the Creator on Friday at dawn." So al-Douri perhaps kicked off last week. No word on how.

S'long, Comrade Izzie! Your boss Saddam will be along in good time.

letchhausen · November-12th-2005, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Storer

As a technical writer, I have to say the deck of Iraqi playing cards is *the* documentation coup of the year. Regardless of the ire, disgust, contempt, righteous indignation, etc. I feel for the Bush administration and all its evil deeds, a deck of playing cards distributed to soldiers is a brilliant way to familiarize the soldiers with those "most wanted" Iraqis' names and faces.

Though more likely it will lead to soldier's shooting at anyone who looks remotely like them. Though since someone looking out a window with binoculars constititues breaking the "rules of engagement" for these guys before they starting sending tank shells into buildings who knows if they'll even get that close.........not that you can blame people for being paranoid in a country where almost everyone wants to shoot you........I suppose the insurgent deck only has one card, with a picture of an American Military uniform on it........