Saddam Hussein Hanged
Not quite sure how to feel about this. I wish I could say I felt relieved, and I'm glad I don't feel elated.
There was little doubt about his guilt, and I don't really feel too upset that he was executed. If ever a death was earned by one's actions, this man's certainly was. He was an egomaniac, and he was a brutal dictator, and he defied the international community for decades. He clearly saw nothing wrong with any of his actions, and there was no chance he was going to atone for them. Rehabilitation was out of the question.
I have friends who are against the death penalty on principle; I am not, though I see it as at best a necessary evil. It's poorly applied here in the US, certainly, and I think it needs to be fixed so that it works better. But in the end there are some people who have done something SO horrible, or who are simply too damned dangerous to be allowed to EVER mingle with the real world again. And in that case, nobody benefis from keeping these shits alive.
Murder, rape, and possibly treason are the ones I'd put in that category. I'm talking about hte truly evil bastards who *need* to be put away or put down. And I think civilization has a compelling interest to enforce the laws, and punish wrongdoing.
Though it did seem a bit rushed, didn't it? I suppose with his guilt pretty much established, there was little to be gained by a lengthy wait. This way they start the new year with Saddam undeniably out of the picture, and one hopes it will put an end to this chapter of Iraq's history. Most criminal cases are not so thoroughly clear-cut.
So off you go to the discard pile, Saddam. We shant miss you, but I do fear that you'll become yet another rallying point.
There was little doubt about his guilt, and I don't really feel too upset that he was executed. If ever a death was earned by one's actions, this man's certainly was. He was an egomaniac, and he was a brutal dictator, and he defied the international community for decades. He clearly saw nothing wrong with any of his actions, and there was no chance he was going to atone for them. Rehabilitation was out of the question.
I have friends who are against the death penalty on principle; I am not, though I see it as at best a necessary evil. It's poorly applied here in the US, certainly, and I think it needs to be fixed so that it works better. But in the end there are some people who have done something SO horrible, or who are simply too damned dangerous to be allowed to EVER mingle with the real world again. And in that case, nobody benefis from keeping these shits alive.
Murder, rape, and possibly treason are the ones I'd put in that category. I'm talking about hte truly evil bastards who *need* to be put away or put down. And I think civilization has a compelling interest to enforce the laws, and punish wrongdoing.
Though it did seem a bit rushed, didn't it? I suppose with his guilt pretty much established, there was little to be gained by a lengthy wait. This way they start the new year with Saddam undeniably out of the picture, and one hopes it will put an end to this chapter of Iraq's history. Most criminal cases are not so thoroughly clear-cut.
So off you go to the discard pile, Saddam. We shant miss you, but I do fear that you'll become yet another rallying point.