In honor of President Hosni Mubarak's fall from office last week, I thought I would do an "Ode to Dictators" post. The following is my list of "favorite dictators."
Disclaimer: By saying these dictators are my "favorite," I am in no way saying that I agree with their policies and/or lack of respect for human rights. The information and data published on the website is strictly for fun.
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First up, the leader of Lybia. I saw this picture of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi online the other day and was so amused by it that I had to save it to our desktop. Charles saw the picture and re-saved it as "Joycee's Dreamboat." Nice! Later he re-named it again, "Hubba Dude." I love his curled lip, serious look in his eyes and messy hair together with his crisp, military uniform. It rocks. I have to admit, I have had a fascination with this man for a few years now. He is such an interesting character with his flamboyant dress and gun-toting female bodyguards.
You can see some of his female bodyguards behind him in this picture.
Qadaffi laid out his political philosophy in the 1970s in his "Green Book" (which I own). It's an alternative to both socialism and capitalism, combined with aspects of Islam. It is uniquely his. In fact, I acquired the Green Book almost at the cost of my future career (at the time). I was in Syria at the time and really wanted to get a copy of the Green Book. The U.S. does not have a Libyan embassy but Syria does. So I thought it was the perfect opportunity to acquire this little gem. I went to the Libyan embassy and asked for a copy. They asked to see my passport which I handed over without hesitation. They made several photocopies of it and handed it back with my Green Book. A short time later, I realized that my future dreams to work for the CIA/NSA or U.S. Government were most likely destroyed because I now had my name on record with the Libyans....
Check him out in this picture. Wow! Is that the same guy?
Here is a classic!
Anyway, Muammar is NOT my ONLY favorite dictator. There are others, such as:
Yasser Arafat! I used to call him simply, "Yasser." I still own a white t-shirt with his smiling face on it (that looks very similar to the picture above) and the Palestinian flag waving in the background. I have not ever washed it either. I don't dare. I fear the iron-on applique will come off. When I have worn it, I only keep it on for short periods and am careful not to sweat in it. I wore it in college when I was competing in something called "Model Arab League" and was representing the Palestinians.
I remember when I was in Bethlehem and we had just walked into the Church of the Nativity. I had just crouched down to touch the spot where some believe Jesus was born, when I heard that Yasser Arafat was going to appear outside. I jumped up without a moment's hesitation and ran out to see him. There was a small crowd. I was with my Aunt Gertrud and cousin Susi. I gave my camera to a tall man (if I remember correctly) so I could get pictures of him. My adrenaline was pumping and I could not have been MORE excited! I saw Yasser!
Hafez al Assad is also a favorite of mine. I must say though, I am a bigger fan of his son but I will get to him in a second. I like Hafez al Assad because he was the president of Syria when I first visited the country in 1999 (he died in 2000). He was president for 30 years. A solid dictator. I remember driving through a very uninhabited part of Syria where there was literally desert as far as you could see and spotting in the distance a statue of Hafez waving. I found it so peculiar that there would be a statue so far out and in the middle of no where that I was intrigued.
I still own a heart-shaped key chain with a picture of Hafez al Assad on one side and his son, Bashar al Assad on the other side.
I got the privilege to return to Syria after Hafez had died and was able to go to his hometown of Qardaha and see where he was buried along with his son Basil who was supposed to be his successor until he died in a car accident.
This is the son of Hafez al Assad, his name is Bashar al Assad. (Isn't his wife hot? More about her in a minute.) He came to power in 2000 after his father died. I became obsessed with Bashar when I found out his father had died. I read article after article and wondered what kind of leader Bashar would be. I had high hopes that he would bring great change to Syria because he was not groomed to be the president after his father. Originally it was his older brother Basil (like I mentioned previously). Bashar initially was going to be an eye doctor and had been educated in London. I believe that is when he met his wife, Asma who is a British-born Sunni Muslim. She had worked for JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank. She is well-known for her high fashion sense.
When I returned to Syria in 2001. Our group got to know a prominent Syrian businessman who kept telling us he would try and get us an opportunity to meet the president. I was so overcome with excitement I could hardly contain myself. I thought about how great it would be all the time. I wanted to meet Bashar more than anything at that time. I even had a dream once that I got to play soccer with him. We never did get to meet him but we did write letters to him in our best Arabic and told him about our experiences in Syria.
Ok one more picture of just Bashar.
Next up, a man NOT from the Middle East, Mao Zedong of China or Chairman Mao. He ruled China for 33 years! I first became interested in Mao when I took a class at the University of Utah on Chinese Politics. I ended up doing my senior thesis on how the United States sold weapons to Israel who then sold them to China. Those weapons were then used against the United States when they were defending Taiwan. A viscious little cycle. I must admit, I know I learned a lot about him in that class and how he mobilized the peasants and something about the Red Army and the long march but I don't remember much. Whatever I learned, it has stuck in my mind that I thought he was pretty fascinating. I have never been to China. He died the year I was born so there was no possibility of meeting him either. But for some reason, I have held on to him as one of my favorites.
Last but not least, Fidel Castro of Cuba. (Why is he so sad in this picture? I know not.) He was in office an astounding 45 years! I became interested in Castro when I read a book about Che Guevara while I was in college. Again, I don't remember a ton but the Cuban Missile Crisis was pretty cool. The fact that this tiny country has been a constant threat and annoyance to the United States makes it a favorite. I always wanted to go to Cuba simply because you weren't allowed. I own Castro's biography but as Charles will tell you, I have not read it. I plan to one day, hopefully soon.
Anyway, that completes my list.
Now the question is:
Who is YOUR favorite dictator??
Alexandra brought this old, ratty pillow to the middle of the kitchen floor one night while I was cooking dinner and laid down. She was so proud she had made a nice, cozy bed in the middle of the kitchen.
Here is her new cheesy grin she gives to the camera. She even says "cheese."
Here are the girls watching the Ten Commandments on Easter. Abby and Sammy really got into it and have watched parts of it several times since. 
The girls went on a Easter egg hunt and met the Easter Bunny. Alex became obsessed with him and followed the poor bunny everywhere stealing a touch of his fur whenever she could. She even kept her eye on him when he was off in the distance. Perhaps she was contemplating whether he was real or not.
Hooray for Easter!
Abby's artwork always surprises me. I am quite amazed at how good it is. Is it just me or do you think it is good too? Who couldn't love those birds! It has gone on our art wall of fame (our walls on the way down to our basement are completely covered with their art. I will have to post a picture of it sometime).
I love, love, love getting things professionally framed. I have been wanting to frame this since the summer of 1999. I got this from Maloula, Syria. It is the Lord's Prayer in English, Aramaic and Arabic. Maloula is one of the last places on earth where Aramaic is spoken.
My Easter table - I love the coordinating chairs and table cloth
The girls' morning ritual is to stand at the glass door and wait for Abby's ride to pick her up and take her to school. After Abby leaves, Alexandra and Sammy won't leave the door until the car has completely disappeared. If she only knew how much they idolize her.
Abby and Sammy were being the best friends one day. I love that they always have each other to play with AND little Alex of course....
