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Hanging Saddam

Hanging Saddam

Date: Feb 27 2007

Themes: News

Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Everyone who wanted to see it could see it: the final moments of the life of Saddam Hussein. The grainy cell phone images were posted all over the Internet and the now famous photo of his corpse in the body bag, with the neck grotesquely twisted, was on the front page of the New York Times.

The global community was against the execution of Hussein. But the US and Iraqi governments seemed determined, and hastily carried out the sentence.

The footage of the hanging is disturbing, to say the least. The behavior of the guards leaves Hussein himself appearing to have more dignity than his executioners.

Listen to Kevin and Marni talk about this bizarre historical event.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Kevin

Kevin

Marni

Marni

Kevin:  Have you been reading about the controversy about the execution of Saddam Hussein?

Marni:  I have a little bit. I, I just have to say, I… I just think it’s so interesting, you know, I… that the US executed someone by hanging them. I mean, it just seems so archaic.

Kevin:  It’s appalling. Now the US claims that it was Iraq, but I, I, I really think the US government could have stepped in and stopped it. I mean, it was… it appeared to be, like, a three-ring circus. I mean, don’t get me wrong. He was a terrible human being.

Marni:  Of course.

Kevin:  But…

Marni:  I don’t think anyone disagrees with that. No one disputes that. But, you know… it’s that sort of whole thing. Taking one eye for an eye and…

Kevin:  Which I don’t agree with but that’s just me. I, I think, um, it was done in such an unprofessional way and I think it’s easy for the US government to say, “Well, it was the Iraqi government that did the hanging.” Yet we could have easily stepped in and, and arranged that better if it needed to take place.

Marni:  Right. Well it seems like it could have been a little more private. I mean, the public execution, that’s, I guess, the, the part that just seems so archaic.

Kevin:  The cell phone pictures…

Marni:  Yeah. It’s… It’s just….

Kevin:  The taunting from the guards… It was really… I found it very disconcerting.

Marni:  Absolutely.

Kevin:  Disappointing.

 

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

Kevin and Marni both found the hanging of Saddam Hussein to be unsettling.

Did you watch the execution of Saddam Hussein on the Internet?

Do you believe that Saddam Husein should have been executed?

 

Comments

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I M P E R I V M

United States

I dont think hanging him did much for the families of murdered prisonersUndecided

09:50 PM Nov 23 2012 |

wael hassona

Egypt

I am sorry I find this sentence in the introduction

 

08:06 AM Jan 11 2008 |

wael hassona

Egypt

this subject some sentence cut I do not no why I listen it before and I know some sntence cut says(Sadam Hussain is more dignity thant his execution !!! why you cut it

08:03 AM Jan 11 2008 |

hsaadaoui6

Algeria

saddam is a brave hero and nobody could tarnish his reputation o,ly cowards like bush and his alies

03:58 PM May 12 2007 |

hsaadaoui6

Algeria

saddam is a brave mother man and no body can took the liberty and tarnishhis reputation only the cowards like bush and his alies

03:57 PM May 12 2007 |

Ehsan-eagle

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

good for him,it is the end of a kingdom with a lot of killing,

10:09 AM Mar 09 2007 |

1 person likes this

getchar

getchar

Algeria

sadam wasn’t a man of honnor.he killed a lot of kurdsand many other persons who knows how many!!!;no one juged him for that!!in my cullture we have an old saying that tells<< who kills any soul don’t have where to go>> we also say <>
the way of killig him is not important..he just got what he deserve…!!

08:03 AM Mar 07 2007 |

1 person likes this

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