Weird, how much this bugs me.

[apocalypsos]

The top three sarcastic responses I made in my head to Saddam Hussein's execution:

1. I haven't checked Guinness yet. Did we beat the land-speed record for execution?
2. So now will the Iraqi people be giving me my pony?
3. Great news! I've always wanted world peace!

I know he was a dictator and all, but something about the whole thing makes me cringe.

I was just asking someone at work the other day who they thought the third celebrity death would be after James Brown and Gerald Ford. Funny, you think I would have put my (not really any) money on Saddam.

Comments

[wal-lace.livejournal.com]

I'm just happy we've brought civilisation and justice to Iraq.

Oh, and depressed that there are actually people who will A) Not see the sarcasm in the above sentence and B) Will then agree with it.

[chichiri-no-da.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you put that second part, because for a second I was like "wtf, who is this ignorant moron?"

*hangs head* I got about 3 hours sleep broken up into nice bite-sized chunks last night, does that excuse me?

[winterlive.livejournal.com]

yeah, man, i hate this.

[newredshoes]

Yeah, you too?

[cdybedahl.livejournal.com]

As a citizen of the USA, this execution should bug you, IMAO. Even if one approves of the death penalty in general (which I personally do not), there was more than enough that was very, very wrong about this one. Starting with the continual harassment of the defense team (up to and including murder of its members) and going all the way to the choice of date (a holy day for one of the sides in the current Iraqi civil war).

To me, this execution was the final straw that proved (together with Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, among other things) that your current regime is not the least bit better than Saddam's was; they only have more guns. The only thing I can think of that his regime did that yours hasn't done (yet) is to use chemical weapons on its own people.

(And apologies for being a miserable git in your LJ...)

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

That's cool. This is just the post to be a miserable git on. ;)

And dude, I'm not one of the ones you've got to tell any of this to. The ones who watch Fox News and think that this was a fair and balanced trial and that we'll be looked at as heroes for this, too? Those are the schmucks we've got to worry about.

[cdybedahl.livejournal.com]

I know you're one of the sensible ones. I've seen enough posts from the other ones today (although, on the good side, far fewer than I expected too). It's just that I've been on the Internet for long enough that I got tired of debating with that kind of person during the first USA-Iraq war, so mostly I've been practicing Shut Up-Fu this time around. This seemed like moderatly safe place to let out a little steam :-)

[lots42.livejournal.com]

The ones who expect reality from Fox News should be worried about. (Fox, or CBS, ABC, NBC, The Today Show, Colbert Report...none of them focus on reality)

[mayhemwench.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with this comment. It's not that I think Saddam was a spiffy guy, because I think he was a dictator, and not a nice one. And he did do some horrible things to the Kurds and all. But this whole trial (just like this whole war) is a complete and utter farce, and we're wasting lives of our troops to make things worse for the Iraqis than Saddam ever did, and it makes me really ashamed of my country that so few people are actually saying anything about this (or even care). You guys seem to be the sane ones.

I've been reading Baghdad Burning over the past few days and it made me even more certain that this is true.

And I'll also apologize for being miserable.

[lots42.livejournal.com]

What date ISN'T a holy day to one of the factions involved?

And the US didn't hang Saddam, the Iraqis did. Biig difference.

[storm_dancer]

something about the whole thing makes me cringe.

Same here.

[umetnica.livejournal.com]

I would have bet the 3rd celebrity death was going to be Saddam had I known anyone taking bets. I just thought they wouldn't do it this quickly so I wondered if it'd still count if there was a week or so inbetween.

[polydad.livejournal.com]

I think it's an excellent precedent. When do we get to do Bush?

best,

Joel

[justitia.livejournal.com]

I'll be honest, the whole thing has just made me feel sick.

[troubleinchina.livejournal.com]

I've been afraid to talk about it at all on my LJ because the few people I know on it who will say anything are throwing parties for it.

I just... I just don't know. I feel ill, too.

[lots42.livejournal.com]

People who will flame you for what you post on YOUR journal should be banned forever. That's -my- policy for my journal.

[wendylouwho.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this post. I thought I was the only one who had misgivings about this. I was a little worried that I had my head screwed on wrong. I still can't quite put my finger on why this bothers me, but it does.

Glad I'm not the only one who's feeling icky about this.

[tenebris.livejournal.com]

My parents and I were just discussing this last night, and both my stepdad and I conveyed our unease and disgust at the situation. Because this doesn't seem to be about justice, it's about gloating. And that...eeeegh.

[strix-an-stones.livejournal.com]

huh...guess I was the only one thinking "about damned time" and "a bullet would have been faster and less dramatic".

A lynch job, for sure

[feath.livejournal.com]

I know he was a dictator and all, but something about the whole thing makes me cringe.

yeah. so agree. The speed of the hanging was unseemly. The trial a joke. He was arrested because he was hiding wmd - or, was that, he was not assisting the world investigative team in helping them find the wmd - or, um, no wait! I know! He killed about 150 guys. Yeah, thats it.

Re: A lynch job, for sure

[lots42.livejournal.com]

Um, Saddam was put on trial (by the Iraqis, not the US) for killing about 150,000 Kurds.

Re: A lynch job, for sure

[feath.livejournal.com]

yeah, I knew the number was off ;)
thing is, even with the great number it was, that wasn't why we went after him.
But it was (if you'll excuse the expression) a convient thing to hang him with.

[dargie.livejournal.com]

Totally with you on this. You might want to check this out: Talking Points Memo for a very concise explanation of how I feel about it.

[wrenlet.livejournal.com]

A post on principles I'm linking around today because... well, because.

Aaaaaand the cynical part of me says they rushed him to execution before the rest of his trials to bury (ha ha) damaging testimony.