The title of this blog comes from a Gaelic expression -"putting on the poor mouth"-which means to exaggerate the direness of one's situation in order to gain time or favour from creditors.
30 December 2006
Saddam Hussein was executed at 6am local time. No tears shed here.
I doubt that his execution will make Iraq a happier or safer place though.
For reasons I'm at a loss to explain, Saddam's death has left me feeling very uneasy. Don't get me wrong, I have no sympathy for the raping, murdering, thieving and torturing old bugger, but hanging? I fear this execution simply makes a martyr of him. In my mind, it also robs the criminal justice system of any moral high ground, because it chose such a gruesome method of execution.
Saddam to me just symbolises barbarism, from the vicious punishment he meted out to his opponents, right through to his mode of execution. I'd like to think it's the end of an era, and a time for Iraq to move on, but I suspect it will remain mired in violence for a long time to come. Maybe it's time the US and UK got the hell out of there and let them sort themselves out.
jams, the points you made are the very same as the first two points I made. Nothing really changes; things will continue to go downhill until (as siani suggested) the US and UK get out. They may go downhill after that, too, and if one engages in such speculation, they may have gone downhill even if Bush had never ordered an invasion, but the only certainty now is that things will not improve until Bush comes to his senses. I'm not holding my breath.
My gut feeling says that it was quite right for Saddam to swing, my head of course says no. AS with anyone who commits such heinous crimes, I wish them a long, miserable life.
4 comments:
For reasons I'm at a loss to explain, Saddam's death has left me feeling very uneasy. Don't get me wrong, I have no sympathy for the raping, murdering, thieving and torturing old bugger, but hanging? I fear this execution simply makes a martyr of him. In my mind, it also robs the criminal justice system of any moral high ground, because it chose such a gruesome method of execution.
Saddam to me just symbolises barbarism, from the vicious punishment he meted out to his opponents, right through to his mode of execution. I'd like to think it's the end of an era, and a time for Iraq to move on, but I suspect it will remain mired in violence for a long time to come. Maybe it's time the US and UK got the hell out of there and let them sort themselves out.
jams, the points you made are the very same as the first two points I made. Nothing really changes; things will continue to go downhill until (as siani suggested) the US and UK get out. They may go downhill after that, too, and if one engages in such speculation, they may have gone downhill even if Bush had never ordered an invasion, but the only certainty now is that things will not improve until Bush comes to his senses. I'm not holding my breath.
Steve: Bush come to his senses?????
Perhaps if he were given a 'fair' trial he may come to his senses.
My gut feeling says that it was quite right for Saddam to swing, my head of course says no. AS with anyone who commits such heinous crimes, I wish them a long, miserable life.
The execution will solve nothing.
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