Quote:
Originally Posted by jtwn
I'd just like to know why the Foreign Secretary is seemingly fine to acknowledge the process of somebody who has been lawfully killed by a state, when this country has a firm policy against capital punishment?
|
Both Bush and Blair are distancing themselves from the execution in an attempt to make this appear to be a strictly Iraqi affair. After all, the deposing and bringing to justice of Hussein was supposedly one of the key motives for the invasion of Iraq (along with other things). Now they have achieved and facilitated that aim they are keen to get out of Iraq asap. The problem, of course, being that they appear to have no clue whatsoever how to do so. They have created a monster and it remains to be seen how, if at all, they can get the lid back on Pandoras box.
Saddam deserved to be punished for his crimes - of that there is no doubt. Perhaps (a particularly public) death wasn't the smartest move to reflect a new democracy but the means justified the end. Let's not delude ourselves into believing this is some sort of manifestation of impartial democracy - it's anything but.
Two prime fact(or)s are that the trial judge was a Kurd who had lost relatives in the incident for which Hussein was found guilty, hardly a stoic basis for impartiality.
Al-Maliki lived in exile for many years under a death threat courtesy of Hussein - again hardly a sound basis to suggest impartiality.
Either way he is dead but the suicide bombings and all the other madness still remain. It will be interesting to see if the trial for the gassing of the Kurds proceeds (conveniently without his damning testimony - obviously).
I'm a great believer in, and advocate of, civilized democracy but there's something telling in Russ's earlier post regarding the posting of links to any video footage of the actual hanging. With true democracy comes responsibility. If true Iraqi democracy entails the public broadcasting of an execution (of anybody) then, frankly, it's a democracy I can do without supporting.
My thoughts are with the widows, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters of the servicemen and women who have lost their lives in exchange for a 30 second clip of morbid sensationalism being streamed around the world. I'm sure it's no comfort, whatsoever, for them - particularly at this time of year.
As granny Angry would often say "Two wrongs don't make spilt milk" - or something.