A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words [Jack M.]

Drudge was running the following photo of Hugo Chavez on his site for most of the day today when it struck a chord in my memory.

The chord? C#. But that's besides the point.

What it reminded me of was the last time I saw a photo of a child so uncomfortable in the presence of such a caring, benevolent, and compassionate man like Hugo Chavez.

Did I say "caring", "benevolent" and "compassionate"? I meant "evil", "tyrannical" and "barbaric".

That photo was taken over 16 years ago. Anyone remember this?

That's right. That is none other than deposed tyrant Saddam Hussein posing with a "guest" of his regime, a 5 year old English lad named Stuart Lockwood.

Lockwood was just one of dozens of hostages that Hussein was using as human shields in 1990 in the futile hope that their presence as "human shields" would deter the American-led coalition from liberating Kuwait.

I find this quote from then-British Foreign Minister Douglas Hurd to be particualrly apt for both of these photos:

The manipulation of children in that sort of way is contemptible.

Anyway, for a blast from the past this link will give you a summation of the Hussein/Lockwood story.

Make of the pictures what you will.

I just thought they were interesting. And quite telling.

posted by Ace at 04:54 AM

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