Did you notice that the execution of Saddam shows many similarities to the execution of Jesus?

At least he died as a Martyr. This is definitely worse than leaving him alive.

Life isn't textbook. A proper trial is impossible to have for Saddam. Maybe if you got some tribe members in Africa or something.

Anyway, about the oil, as far as I've heard the US has plenty of oil. It's the refineries where the issue comes up.

Anyway, the guys dead. We all knew it would come some day.

I disagree, and thankfully so do the people in such positions to make such calls. If Hitler went to court, he is already guilty in my eyes and most everyone in the world. Following these ideas blindly is foolish in my view.

In an ideal world, everyone would get a fair trial. Everyone would be equal under the law. But who holds that ideal? Not the typical arab nation. Legal equality and blind justice are distinctly western/US notions. So isn't enforcing the notion of equality and fairness on a culture that does not hold such ideals just as wrong as forcing democracy as some people claim?

Sure in an ideal world someone like Saddam, Hitler, Gerring, Napolean could get a fair trial, but like Rick said, to get unbiased jurors you'd have to goto the heart of Africa or some place even more remote.

Edit: the ruler comment seems to refer to the old testament passage about 'measure ye not lest by the same measure ye be met'; if so using a comment from the Jewish part of the Bible to refer to a Islamic dictator is either hilarious or profound.

The greatness of a justice system isn't measured by how it treats the best of criminals, but how it treats the worst of them. If Hitler can't get a fair trial, then what chance do other people have? If the prosecution can't find obvious evidence to condemn him, and the sentence was decided even before the trial, then what's the point of it all?

Happy new year to everyone.

[quote ]
Hey Axilmar how are things these days?
</quote>

Not bad. I am watching one Star Trek episode after another these days...wonderful stuff. I just finished watching Enterprise and I am going into TOS. When that finishes, I will go into BSG.

EDIT: I forgot to add playing of adventure games. I finished Monkey Island 2 and I am at the end of Monkey Island 3. Tremendous fun.

And you Steve?

The sad fact is that the big powers like USA support dictators because it serves their interests, and when the dictators are no longer useful, they throw them away. The quest for spreading democracy and fighting terrorism is just a bunch of lies to cover up their acts.

What's even sadder though is that we humans learn to act in the same way in our lifes when dealing with other individuals...

Can't you say the same about anyone else? Let's try it!

"Truth is some people deserve to die, and OJ Simpson was one crazy mad dog killer".

There you have it. No need for silly trials anymore. Just associate some image of someone in your head to that of a dog and you get to kill that person instantly! Well, with your brutal efficiency, you'd save taxpayers so much money.

Why, we can dish out punishment immediately, as needed, and then later sort out the details (if we have time). And if we make a mistake? That's all ok, God will sort out the innocents up there in Heaven. So there, we're all good!

Congratulations, you have lowered yourself to the likes of famous people like Saddam and Stalin.

I hear that internet trolls like Furious Orange also drink blood from babies and steal in general, and obviously he loves the death penalty too (random non sequitur?)

Perhaps you should invest in some glasses then, dear fellow, or at least some reading lessons. There hasn't been a single good thing said about Saddam in this whole thread.

Yes, some of us wanted him to receive a fair trial. But not for his sake. A fair trial benefits everyone, not just the accused.

As annoying as a troll, but weaker?

Time to quote Lord of the Rings again? Evert? You do it better than me :-)

I knew my copy of Lord of the Rings would be useful for something someday. I never realised it was so pro-capital punishment until now.

The omnibus edition makes a great paperweight.

Lets keep the bible out of this. I for one would not consider anything in it of any relefence to the case at hand. As for "an eye for an eye", that's plain barbarism that I would like to think we've grown out of.

That he was, and maybe (quite possibly, in fact) he did get what he deserved. That wasn't the issue though.

That's right, and they cook them over a low fire and serve them with red wine sauce and pickled onions. And crisps.

So? I aspire to be, in some sense, better than he was. A fair trial for everyone is part of the principle and way of life I happen to believe in. Are your principles cheap enough that you can shove them aside so easily? Do you think they're worth fighting over?
Since you brought the bible into it, doesn't it also say to not do onto someone what you do not want done to you?

No one is. That doesn't mean it cannot be discussed.

No, but he wasn't condemned for genocide. Do you not find it a little ironic that he was executed for killing a 148 people? If he hadn't done that, wouldn't they have executed him? Or would they have found a different reason? Maybe that's what they should have kept looking for here?

He wouldn't have been executed anyway. Anyway, never mind how much of a bastard old Slobo was, he wasn't in the league of a Saddam Hussein.

What I do not understand is that people do not see the difference in saying "Saddam was a cool guy" and saying "Saddam didn't get a proper trial, which is wrong."
Saddam Hussein was a bastard, and if I were in position his people were in, I'd gladly have killed him myself, with my bare hands if I had to. I can also well understand the relief many people feel over his death.
This does not alter the fact that I think he didn't get a fair trial, while he should have had one - even if the end result would have been the same.