While others may gloat or cheer the hanging of Saddam Hussein, I can’t. Not only can I not cheer, I can’t even look at the pictures of the man’s hanging. Avoiding these images is hard to do. Today’s Globe and Mail shows three such pictures — one on the front page.
Justice was served when the man was removed from power. Justice was served when he was found guilty. Call me a bleeding heart “something” but I don’t believe in capital punishment. Not simply because of its history of (deadly) mistakes but because I believe capital punishment reduces those seeking justice/revenge to the level of those it seeks to punish. An “eye for an eye” doesn’t work for me and never has. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." I agree.
And even if you could somehow convince me that this is one man who certainly deserved execution, hanging is a barbaric way to accomplish this end. Yes, it was up to the Iraqis to decide how the man died so I’m getting into cultural differences here. But while on the subject of Hussein and Iraq itself, I’ll risk further criticism and point out that evil dictators exist elsewhere. However, not all of them end up on George Bush’s hit list for political/economic (read “oil”) reasons.
There — rant finished. Feel free to disagree. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I suspect I’m in the minority with mine.
Still, no matter what anyone says, those pictures sicken me.
That won’t change.
Justice was served when the man was removed from power. Justice was served when he was found guilty. Call me a bleeding heart “something” but I don’t believe in capital punishment. Not simply because of its history of (deadly) mistakes but because I believe capital punishment reduces those seeking justice/revenge to the level of those it seeks to punish. An “eye for an eye” doesn’t work for me and never has. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." I agree.
And even if you could somehow convince me that this is one man who certainly deserved execution, hanging is a barbaric way to accomplish this end. Yes, it was up to the Iraqis to decide how the man died so I’m getting into cultural differences here. But while on the subject of Hussein and Iraq itself, I’ll risk further criticism and point out that evil dictators exist elsewhere. However, not all of them end up on George Bush’s hit list for political/economic (read “oil”) reasons.
There — rant finished. Feel free to disagree. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I suspect I’m in the minority with mine.
Still, no matter what anyone says, those pictures sicken me.
That won’t change.
5 comments:
Beth, you are so right on the money with this one. Americans think they are so above it all, and we are just like any race of barbarians on Earth.
Personally I thing we had no right to invade a soverine nation and remove their leader, no matter how much of a dictator he was. George Bush, when Governor of Texas over saw many exicuitions, as did his brother in Florida, as did Sadam.
It sickens me that my tax dollars go to perpetuate killing through the US and the world.
"guy" - Thanks for your support. Nice to know I am not alone.
P.S. I added a quotation from Gandhi to the post. It's a good one.
Hey Beth,
I have also read Mahatma and embrace his ideas. I too was shocked and sickened to see the images. A notorious and cruel dictator surely, but something about dignity, even for the worst among us...at the defining moment of death. It says more to me abut us than it does about him, and it shames and disgusts me.
Don't go to YouTube. I was horrified that the BBC on the internet had footage of the hanging, although not the entire thing. Youtube though has several clips of the entire process. I will confess, that it brought me to the point of nausea that they were there, and knowing that many people will eagerly watch it. I didn't look. Truely makes me despair about humanity. I feel sick.
nomad - your comment put it so succinctly. I actually thought I might offend people with my views. Glad you're with me.
oreneta - For sure - no Youtube re: that spectacle. So glad there are other "sane" people out there.
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