The farce of Saddam's trial will only help Saddam's fans and supporters. The trial of Saddam and the verdict should have occurred in a (genuinely) free Iraq, and not in an Iraq dominated by foreign occupation troops where Arabs feel, justifiably, that whatever occurs under occupation is suspect at best. The timing, for example, was quite interesting--two days before an American election. What a coincidence. I was expecting Fox News to air a tape by Saddam in which he endorses Democratic candidates around the country. The change of judges certainly carried the hands of the US (and probably Macedonian) occupation. I was reading Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion on the plane. Good read, but I find the author to be quite annoying in more than way. He loves to back up his arguments with athesitic verdicts by "celebrity" scientists and politicians: like Einstein and Thomas Jefferson. The positions of either (especially the morally and politically cowardly Jefferson, not to mention the views of Einstein who also lacked political courage--somebody is writing a book on the views of Einstein on the Arab-Israeli conflict) is irrelevent to the argument. Who cares? Also, Dawkins is the most self-referential author I have read; more than Bassam Tibi even. It is quite annoying. Dawkins will cite anybody who ever mentions him on anything. I expected him to cite telemarketers' calls to his home number. He loves any kind of attention, no matter how mundane and bland. And while I relish mocking, ridiculing, and attacking religion (especially the famous three) I noticed that Dawkins mocked Chrisitanity but not Christians, and yet he relished mocking Muslims (and Islam). Quite interesting, I find. Also, while he researched the book as far as Christianity and Judaism are concerned, his knowledge of Islam is based on the writings of Ibn Warraq, a very mediocre writer who never came up with one original idea in his life, and who is so nervous in his writings and is afraid to even show an iota of diseespect for Christianity and Juadiams. It sells to take that position, of course. The man was even invited to the White House (look up his name in my archive section below). I have to go now. Remember to caramelize.