FLavius Valerius Constantinus Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 (edited) The execution of Saddam is the thin end of the wedge. Of course its justified to hang Saddam. Thewn they hang people for lesser crimes. Eventually innocents become the casualty's of miscarriages of justice, You cannot release someone from death if new evidence prooves them not guilty. A line in the sand should be drawn here. NO DEATH PENALTY. No matter how much justification. Every execution desensitizes us a little more, ultimately cheapening the value of human life. Hmm...here's where I'm going to apply my ethics class lessons. The objectivism here tells us that we all are working towards one goal, or telos, which is giving/getting justice. However, relativism and objectivism together tells us that we have the same goal, but different methods of achieving, the ethical relativism aspect Oh wells, I for one am happy this genocidal bastard is getting the noose and the issue of the death penalty shows us the difference between Europe and America. Edited November 6, 2006 by FLavius Valerius Constantinus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Porcius Cato Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 Historically, Europeans haven't been always been soft on dictators. Mussolini was strung up by his heels so the Italians could visit their rage on his corpse. Ceaucescu was shot only a few days after fleeing the capital. Compared to these villiains, Saddam has been treated like a prince. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tflex Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 A line in the sand should be drawn here. NO DEATH PENALTY. No matter how much justification. Every execution desensitizes us a little more, ultimately cheapening the value of human life. It's the other way round, if you don't execute then you don't value human life. When you execute a criminal, you're sending the message not to mess with human life or else... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Augusta Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 I just worry that executing Saddam will lend him the status of martyr, which he and his supporters would love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 I just worry that executing Saddam will lend him the status of martyr, which he and his supporters would love. It doesn't seem that there is much love lost for him really, even among his former supporters. The question is do they really care about him in particular or just the reclamation of power. I think the impending (currently occurring) civil war has little to do with Saddam's fate. (Other than the fact that he kept all the factions in check, I just mean that his death will effect very little change that wasn't already in motion since his removal from power.) They may use his execution as a rallying cry, but is such a cry of martyrdom really necessary at this point? As for hanging him... I'm personally supportive of whatever the majority of Iraqi's want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Paulinus Maximus Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 The death sentence may seem pretty horrendous to a lot of people in this day and age, but lets not forget that to many cultures around the world it will symbolise freedom from the chains of a monster. Saddam Hussien lived by the proverbial 'sword' it is only fair that he should die by it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pantagathus Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 Historically, Europeans haven't been always been soft on dictators. Mussolini was strung up by his heels so the Italians could visit their rage on his corpse. Ceaucescu was shot only a few days after fleeing the capital. Compared to these villiains, Saddam has been treated like a prince. I agree His trial was very transparent and the evidence against him is supposedly quite overwhelming (as was with the Nazis) because of the self documentation practices. Bye-bye Saddam, may you prove yet another example of what happens to brutal Tyrants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julius Ratus Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 The only thing that ticks me off about the execution of Hussein, is that bin Laden, who actually did kill American civilians, is still free, while we hang Hussein and occupy Iraq. Iraq has nothing to do with 9-11 but Bush led the U.S. to invade Iraq because he supposedly had supported Al-Queida and was building WMD's. It is unseemly that America invades nations without provocation, but if you kill Americans and fly planes into our buildings you remain free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelianus Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 No matter what the reasons for invading were, whats done is done, and in the current situation executing Saddam is the best (and only) thing that America (George Bush) can do for the Iraqi's. Well, all they seem capable of doing. Bin Laden is a differant matter entirely... and off topoic, so i wont go there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Augusta Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 As for hanging him... I'm personally supportive of whatever the majority of Iraqi's want. Now, PP, you have hit on the very point, and it's the one thing that makes me very uncomfortable about the whole 'war crimes' ethos. If it is what the majority of Iraqi's want then hang him. I have to confess to not following the trial too closely - but was this tribunal made up of a majority of Iraqi's? As it was the Iraqi's whom his greatest atrocities were visited upon, then I have no qualms with his standing trial before his peers. It's the 'victors' justice' thing that makes me uncomfortable. Another poster has mentioned Bin Laden. Is Saddam standing trial for him too, just because he's out of reach? I know that this is a very emotive topic, and I may be being very naive and have an imperfect view on it, but I would like to know your views? If you feel it should go into another thread, please say so. And please, don't anyone out there think that I am defending Saddam, because I'm not - far from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rameses the Great Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 I'll start off by saying in the Middle East hanging is the primary death penalty for serious crimes. I once saw a movie in which three men raped a lady and were sentenced to hanging. What they did was put the rope around the person's head, and pushed a lever which opened the floor board that made the person dangling. So this is what may or may not happen. As for my take I don't like the ruling. To be brutally honest Saddam was the only one able to keep all the people there in check. I agree some of the stuff he did was worthy of some harsh treatment. He was going to live the rest of his life isolated in a cell I don't know why the sudden change in mind. The court was primarily Kuridsh-Shi'ite majority so the ruling did not come as a surprise. Either way some Iraqis are happy, but the Muslim fundamentalist (radicals) will feed off of this invoking more of a hate for the Western World. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 As for hanging him... I'm personally supportive of whatever the majority of Iraqi's want. Now, PP, you have hit on the very point, and it's the one thing that makes me very uncomfortable about the whole 'war crimes' ethos. If it is what the majority of Iraqi's want then hang him. I have to confess to not following the trial too closely - but was this tribunal made up of a majority of Iraqi's? Considering that there are more Shiites and Kurds combined than Sunnis, I'm thinking its fairly safe to assume that the majority want him dead. However, it makes little difference to me personally whether they flay him alive and roll him around in a vat of salt, if they put him prison forever, or exile him to some posh resort in the Swiss Alps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brotus maximus Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 personally for me i think it is good news that saddam is geting the death penalty, personally i think that hanging is a bad way for him to die to slow i say firing squad or the old fashioned public stoning would serve him right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Porcius Cato Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 Bye-bye Saddam, may you prove yet another example of what happens to brutal Tyrants. My sentiments exactly. This is why I'd much prefer Saddam to be hung than to spend the rest of his days 'exiled' at a posh Swiss resort. Hopefully (and at this point it's pure hope), there's some way to dissuade future world leaders from behaving like Saddam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted November 7, 2006 Report Share Posted November 7, 2006 Bye-bye Saddam, may you prove yet another example of what happens to brutal Tyrants. My sentiments exactly. This is why I'd much prefer Saddam to be hung than to spend the rest of his days 'exiled' at a posh Swiss resort. Hopefully (and at this point it's pure hope), there's some way to dissuade future world leaders from behaving like Saddam. My only point was that such a penalty need be applied by the people who were victimized as a part of the democratic exercise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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