(2004-08-27) — Iraqis this week got a lesson in freedom as they watched accused murder Muqtada al-Sadr walk free after spending several weeks directing his followers to shoot at U.S. and Iraqi government forces from inside of the most holy Imam Ali Shrine.

The lesson in freedom is part of a multi-year curriculum called “How to Start and Run Your Own Democratic Nation,” which Iraq has begun to implement. According to an unnamed Iraqi government spokesman, next year’s lesson is ‘justice.’

“We value freedom so much that we’re setting free this murderer and his band of cold-blooded thugs,” said the source. “Later we’ll learn about being a nation of laws where no one is above the law. But for now…you know…baby steps.”