We've all seen the footage before he is hanged. There is a definite look of calm fear in his eyes. Thre must be not a thing that is scarier than staring death in the face like that. Kudos to him for keeping his cool.
This comment does not reflect my political beliefs in anyway, shape or form. It's just a pointless observation.
I might suck at Super Puzzle Fighter but I'll Puyo Pop you into next week!
I remember, as a kid, seeing footage on TV of a mother lying dead on a set of concrete steps, still clinging to her lifeless baby, as though protecting it was even possible. Both were victims of chemical bombings carried out by Saddams' forces against the Kurds in northern Iraq. They, and tens of thousands of others, died...terribly. Meaningless genocide. Also shown, was footage of loyalists cheering and shouting praise over what had taken place. This bizarre combo of celebration and horror (in this and other instances) has given me recurring "black & white" nightmares that are specific to the Middle East and Asia.
I saw Saddam die. A day prior, I commented to someone that it would make a great tattoo. I've seen so many horrible things, thanks to my subconscious and the media, but somehow this bothered me. It didn't seem real. No fight...no struggle...just pitiful. Why? Is it that I've had my fill of violence? I think it's the whole damn thing...this human condition, which breeds things like execution, that is eroding my shell. Whatever it is, it's making me very tired...
In retrospect, I would rather have seen him suffering in a "real" prison for the remainder of his life.
It would have given him time to reflect, something he wasn't afforded.
Ugh.. the whole thing was embarrassing for the world.
1. Although Saddam was evil, he's not half (or even a quarter) to as evil as what the USA makes of him. He killed his enemies, sure, he ruled with dictatorship, and wasted a lot of money on his ego. But guess what? Just about every other world leader would do that if they had the chance. This 'execution' didn't have anything close to a fair trial. They planned to hang him when the trial started.
2. Saddam was a great leader. His only problem was that he was TOO good. He tried to conquer other countries, repress his opponents, and that was his mistake. Otherwise, he did good for Iraq's economy, education, etc, before the world clamped the sanctions on Iraq.
3. Democracy does not and will not work well in Iraq. The closest would be a one-party democracy that Saddam used (which was ironically, toppled in the name of democracy). The USA can still live on free speech and democracy because everyone is equal. Even women/minority rights activists will agree that men, women, and people of different races *do* hang out together. In Iraq, just like in many 3rd world countries, people try to live in peace, but if you look carefully, there's still some tension between them. Forcing democracy would be giving power to the timid. Democracy can only work when over half the voters are smart/unbiased enough to give a good vote. Heck, look at Thailand, Indonesia, there are coups and most of the world didn't care.
4. For those of you who thought that it was a bad idea to hang him, it's still the best choice for his opponents. Kept in jail, Saddam, being the escape artist he is, would probably get out through bribery, charisma, or just physical skill and get back to power once America leaves. He'd get back to power as easily as Napoleon did, and everything would be right back where they started, cept that everyone, western, eastern, middle easter would be poorer. Except the oil countries.
5. Iraq's new dictator is another idiot. Left alone long enough, he'll be just like Saddam, but a lot nicer to the powerful countries and a lot meaner to his citizens. Once he sees that the western countries are too tired to go to war, he'll continue what Saddam did, just without caring about his people's happiness. Again, as evil as Saddam was, at least he had a sense of humor.
I don't know what my point is. I guess I felt sorry for him. He deserved to be shot. Still, I feel sorrier for the rest of the world. America just gave Osama bin Ladin more recruits, killed one of his enemies, and wasted a hell lot of money and lives. And in case anyone forgot, he was the true terrorist, the guy behind 9/11 or at least the one claiming the glory...
EDIT: Dunno why. But somehow the whole deal was depressing. I mean.. it doesn't seem like it's his fault he ended up the way he did... he just responded to what life gave him. It's not the fault that American soldiers are so damn violent... they've lost their best friends to 'armed civilians'. Yet when they shoot someone pointing a gun at them, they become the scapegoats. And a few days back, yet another scapegoat died, because nobody knew him, because *someone* had to die for killing thousands of American civilians. Some day, they will find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq... but what's the point when all the major powers in the world have nukes? Is it because they, the faceless people of Iraq are too primitive and violent, unlike us civilized people who only use them for 'self-defense'? After all the military is under the 'department of defense', we only attack other countries because nobody likes them anyway...
Edited by the Author.
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
Section 1: I doubt that "Just about every other world leader" would choose to torture and kill not only their enemies, but their own people.
Section 2: "Saddam was a great leader. His only problem was that he was TOO good. He tried to conquer other countries, repress his opponents, and that was his mistake." By this reasoning, Hitler was a "great" leader too.
Section 3: Saddam assumed the role of president after forcing an old man to resign. He was not voted in by the people. NOT a democracy. Also, the Ba'ath Party, which Saddam rose through the ranks of, stole the government in the first place, by way of a coup. However, I do think that the US would have a better chance of leaving a house of cards standing in a subway tunnel, than leaving a functioning democracy behind in Iraq. I never believed that anyone could force a core belief system on another, no matter how "correct" it seemed. Crusades anyone?
Section 4: Only a complete idiot would have imprisoned Saddam in his homeland. I think he got off real easy. He did posess charisma. He calculated every step he took on his way to the presidency and exercised it well. The physical skill of Saddam at 69 is somewhat questionable
Section 5: Time will tell on this one. However, I do believe he (Talabani) has a different set of interests after 50 years of democratic advocacy. After all, he is a Kurd. "he'll continue what Saddam did, just without caring about his people's happiness" Saddam only cared about himself and the Ba'ath party. Everything he did was to garner support and finances. "as evil as Saddam was, at least he had a sense of humor" I don't know what that means...sorry
The bin Laden recruits comment is dead on. WOO!
EDIT section: "it doesn't seem like it's his fault he ended up the way he did... he just responded to what life gave him" Saddam was an extremely intelligent man who took from life EXACTLY what he wanted. "another scapegoat died, because nobody knew him, because *someone* had to die for killing thousands of American civilians" Saddam was put to death for genocidal war crimes which he DID orchestrate. Nothing less. "They planned to hang him when the trial started" - section 1 - Has he not been guilty and therfore deserving of that since the Anfal?
I'm definitely NOT always right, but some of these points I feel were incorrect, others I did disagree with. Sorry, and thanks for the interesting read
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