Southside

Thoughts of a Newtown Socialist

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Hanging Saddam

There is a lot of discussion about how Saddam Hussein was executed. It is focussed around whether he died with dignity, not whether it should have happened at all.

What did the authorities prove by hanging Saddam Hussein? Were the Americans re-enacting the execution of Nazi war heroes? "Oh but Saddam was hung by the Iraqi authorities, not the Americans", you may say. Well who set up the Iraqi authorities?

Tyrant he was but Nazi war criminal he wasn't. Nazi war criminals systematically killed people purely on the basis of ethnic origin, religion, creed or sexual orientation. Saddam killed people who put up resistance as did the American Government in the American Civil War (hundreds of thousands) or even in Iraq itself.

What about the mass murder of thousands of dissidents of Saddam? Well what about the murder of teachers in Afghanistan for daring to teach girls in the late 1970's, by American-backed mujahadeen? How many civillians did the American-backed contras kill in Nicaragua in the 1980's?

Interestingly, just about three weeks ago General Augusta Pinochet, the Chilean ex-dictator died without being brought to justice. If he had been found guilty of being responsible for the deaths of over 3000 of his fellow citizens after, it is doubtful that he would have been sentenced to death.

To me, it is wrong for the State to deliberately kill anyone whatever the reason. In this particular case, Saddam did little or no worse than some former United States presidents.



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