July 25, 2002

10:49 AM

"EX-DICTATOR BROKE, LIVING WITH MOM":This is not an Onion link. In the Washington Post, read the story of Valentine Strasser, former Sierra Leonean military dictator, who took power at 25, was ousted four years later, lived in exile in Britain, went to law school on a UN scholarship, dropped out, lived in London under an assumed name until his student visa ran out and he was deported. He's now back home, unemployed, living with his mother. "The government says Strasser is not entitled to benefits because he took power by force. Strasser concedes the point but says he should be treated better. Last year, the government called on citizens not to throw stones at the former head of state, who without a car, was wandering around Freetown on foot." Link via Sasha, in turn via Glenn.
posted by monju_bosatsu (22 comments total)

I thought all ex-dictators lived in France.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:54 AM on July 25, 2002

But Strasser was no angel. The young ruler was widely criticized when his government executed two dozen alleged coup plotters without trial on a Freetown beach.

And now he's broke and living with his mom. Instant karma sure got this guy, I DON'T THINK.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 11:01 AM on July 25, 2002

My mom used to work in the American Embassy in Sierra Leone when these people were in power. She's told me many stories about their glory days and the parties they would throw.
posted by laz-e-boy at 11:02 AM on July 25, 2002

Whoops. I was wrong. My mom knew the people this guy overthrew. My bad.
posted by laz-e-boy at 11:06 AM on July 25, 2002

I find the wacky sitcom possibilities of this story quite intriguing.
posted by MrBaliHai at 11:15 AM on July 25, 2002

The Onion Link.
posted by stbalbach at 11:22 AM on July 25, 2002

I love these stories of people of international import fading in the background again. It reminds me of Lt. Calley working in his pawnshop down in Georgia or the Saigon police chief in that famous Vietnamese execution photo running his drycleaning shop in Maryland, probably wishing he had his pistol handy everytime somebody comes in without a ticket.
posted by luser at 11:31 AM on July 25, 2002

Kind of puts all the dot-commers who had to move back home in perspective...
posted by mkultra at 12:10 PM on July 25, 2002

Strasser was forced into exile and soon ended up in Britain, where the United Nations arranged a special scholarship for him to study law at Warwick University in Coventry.

glad you can execute 24 people and then get a scholarship to law school in England. maybe that's what i should try.
posted by witchstone at 12:15 PM on July 25, 2002

And now he's broke and living with his mom. Instant karma sure got this guy, I DON'T THINK.

The world's getting soft. Didn't these guys used to be marched naked to city hall to be disemboweled on the balcony, with their steaming entrails tossed gleefully to the cheering crowds below?
posted by HTuttle at 12:16 PM on July 25, 2002

[NELSON]HAW-haw![/NELSON]
posted by mrmanley at 12:22 PM on July 25, 2002

I loved the part about the rocks (so did Sasha). I bet the reporter liked writing that part, too.

I have a similar reaction to luser, although I don't assume they're murderous by nature. As Arendt found of Eichmann, once stripped of its immediate threat, evil is often banal, the executioner just a sad old man. Brazil captured this quality with Michael Palin's torturer having a pleasant chat with his little girl before going off to rip someone's eyeballs out. In its own way, the Austin Powers Dr. Evil character plays on the irony that we know even "archvillains" actually have a dull home life, a dysfunctional relationship with a son.

As far as dictators go, he doesn't seem hardly worse than anybody else on that Barbary Coast, and maybe a little better than average.
posted by dhartung at 12:33 PM on July 25, 2002

or the Saigon police chief in that famous Vietnamese execution photo running his drycleaning shop in Maryland, probably wishing he had his pistol handy everytime somebody comes in without a ticket.


That guy is dead.
posted by delmoi at 12:34 PM on July 25, 2002

Great, I've just graduated from Warwick Law school and am also "looking for work". I heard that this guy got some work as a bouncer in Coventry after he dropped out. Must have been a double hard door-man.
posted by laukf at 12:39 PM on July 25, 2002

If I were to be ousted as dictator, I think I'd go with the Adolf Hitler Method™ and shoot myself and have the body drenched in petrol and set ablaze. I think it would considerably less scarring than going from absolute dictator to walking around in a Bob Marley T-shirt getting stones thrown at me...
posted by RevGreg at 1:47 PM on July 25, 2002

I think it would considerably less scarring than going from absolute dictator to walking around in a Bob Marley T-shirt getting stones thrown at me...

Not to mention being pestered to take the garbage out, turn down the stereo, get your feet off the table, quit drinking the milk straight from the carton, and the barrage of "Where are you going? Who will you be with? When will you be home?" questions every time you want to go have a few beers with your former henchmen pals.
posted by Dreama at 5:00 PM on July 25, 2002

or the Saigon police chief in that famous Vietnamese execution photo running his drycleaning shop in Maryland, probably wishing he had his pistol handy everytime somebody comes in without a ticket.

Can't find anything online at the moment, but I recall reading the man who was executed had just killed all/most of a family close to the chief (or something similar). Not sure if it's true, and I'm still not a fan of frontier justice, but it puts a bit of a spin on the pic.
posted by jalexei at 5:20 PM on July 25, 2002

I loved the part about the rocks

Me too. Just envision it:

Man with megaphone : Please do NOT throw stones at the former head-of-state. I repeat, please do NOT...

Former head-of-state: Ouch. ...Ouch! Knock it off already! Jeez...
posted by cx at 5:42 PM on July 25, 2002

Vietnamese execution photo running his drycleaning shop in Maryland,

I thought he had a restaurant in detroit?

"just killed all/most of a family close"
I heard that the executed VC killed a couple of police in a fire fight.

geez, for a diamond rich country, ya think he woulda stashed some ice away.
posted by clavdivs at 8:05 PM on July 25, 2002

Mussolini.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 4:39 AM on July 26, 2002

And to clarify, I don't think this is cute. The proper fate of evil bastards is to be strung up with their nuts in their mouth. And that goes for you too, Slobodan.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 4:41 AM on July 26, 2002

behold, behold, this reminds me of the 'in exile' comedy series, sadly terminated after one series. Fantastic series about a deposed african leader, who seeks sanctuary in the uk.
The civil servants and police sent to guard the general (whilst his usurper is in london) get drunk with him and start chewing the cud...
General Mukate - 'What about the time I bought 6 Harrier jump jets from the British Government, when nobody in my country knew how to pilot them?'

well, it made me laugh.
posted by asok at 1:01 AM on July 28, 2002