Who would take pleasure from watching someone die?

New Delhi: The All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) on Saturday took a rather strong stand on the execution of former Iraq president Saddam Hussein.

Terming Saddam's execution as "justified", the AISPLB added that Saddam was tried by a court of justice and punished for his heinous crimes.

"Saddam should not be seen as a Muslim as he was not following true Islam," the president of AISPLB's Mumbai chapter, Sayed Mohammed Nawab, said in an official release.

NEW DELHI:...Zafaryab Jilani, lawyer and member of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), said the "illegal hanging" of a friend of India should be strongly condemned because "no legal procedure was adopted in conducting the trial and the sentence was awarded without observing the principles of natural justice."

The execution just before Eid-ul-Azha was aimed at creating more hatred between Shias and Sunnis and to slow down the reconciliation process in Iraq, he said and asked Muslims to guard themselves against the "anti-Islamic designs of the U.S."
...
Mr. Jilani called upon them to maintain calm despite this "grave act of provocation" by the U.S.-supported "puppet government" in Iraq.

"Executing Saddam Hussein just at the time of Eid-ul-Azha is very unfortunate and this was done only to hurt the Muslim sentiments." The execution was part of a deep conspiracy to fuel the sectarian violence between Shias and Sunnis not only across Iraq but also in the entire West Asia. It could affect India as well, said Kamal Farooqi, another AIMPLB member.

Bush/Cheney and the administration are taking advantage of every opportunity and doing eveything possible to fan the flames across the entire Middle East. They don't want peace in the region. It is against their 'interests' for peace to develop there.

Not enough people get it yet, but: What we see in Iraq is exactly what was intended by Bush/Cheney all along.

I have not and will not view the video, I've seen quite enough violence and death in my time, thank you, and it shames me that so many of my countrymen rejoice and celebrate a death that was nothing more than the slow motion murder of a tyrant, by tyrants, for the sake of tyranny.

This was a "...don't mess with us..." murder carried out by the puppets of our choice. No good will come of this.

I hate to say it, but when our bankers, the Communist Chinese, finally grow tired of American hegemony, decide to yank the plug on loaning us any more war-making money, dumps the dollar, and bankrupts us so badly - and quickly - that we are nothing more than a banana republic without the bananas, we will deserve it and NO ONE or ANY COUNTRY will care or lend us a hand or mourn our passing. (We did, after all, pay for all this with China's dime.)

No doubt the world is a safer place without Saddam Hussein just as it always is with the removal from society of the killers of other human beings. But beyond that practical reality, the killing of a fellow human being, no matter what their crime, diminishes the value of everyone's life.  Regardless of the justification for killing, when we as a society are reduced to this the lowest of common denominators, all life is devalued.

And if we are to inflict such punishment upon the dealers of unjustifiable killing, I am forced to confront my own responsibility, and being in the uncomfortable position of looking at my own country's actions, and the actions of my country's president and leaders. I must face the fact that not only is George W. Bush guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, crimes hardly less heinous and contemptible than those of Saddam Hussein, but I myself as a member of this democracy, I am responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.  So not only should George W. Bush one day be made to walk up those stairs to the gallows, and have that rope placed around his neck, and wait for that long drop and quick snap at the end, but I myself, just as every other responsible US citizen, taxpayer and voter, we all deserve to stand on that platform and get our just desserts. No doubt some of us feel no responsibility whatsoever for the actions of our president and this White House and Congress, but history and our victims will be the ultimate judge of that and us.

And don't anyone give me any of that representative democracy or Republic crap, tell it to the judge.  If the people are sovereign, then it is we who must bear ultimate responsibility.  Everyone on down the line from the president through his Cabinet, the Congress, the military, state and local governments, down to school school board and city Council members, ending up with each and every citizen over voting age.  Only kids, teenagers and felons get a pass, only they will justly be granted immunity from the great purge when it comes.  Interesting combo for a fresh start, convicts and prepubescents.  No doubt future generations will have real incentive to grab the reins of civic responsibilities with both hands and pulled back hard when our elected leaders start acting like tyrants and petty dictators.  They will be well motivated to keep the ship of state in trim knowing that their very lives are on the line.

I just hope that on my execution day, someone will be running 6  to 10 high resolution high-definition cameras, with at least six sound engineers recording everything in 6.1 Digital Dolby surround sound along with a 24 track analog backup.  So that every excruciating moment will be covered from all the most advantageous visual and acoustic angles, with whip pans and super close-ups on every bead of sweat on my and every one of your upper lips as we wait to find out if there really is something after the death of the body.

That way when future generations watch me and George, and Dick and Donald and Colin and Condoleezza and the rest take that long walk up the stairs, they'll be able to see, in high-definition detail, exactly how short a trip it is between life-and-death.  Then they will get to decide whether they want more of it, death that is, or if they want to put a higher price on life, perhaps hold all life in precious regard.  It's the choice generations to come will get to make for themselves, and I want them to be provided with every gory detail in hi-fi technicolor, so they can make an informed decision.

As a member of a democracy, where responsibility is something I was born with, I know the direction I want to take when it comes to killing, how bout you?

It's official. Maliki and his people are psychopaths. This really is a new low. It's outrageous- an execution during Eid. Muslims all over the world (with the exception of Iran) are outraged. Eid is a time of peace, of putting aside quarrels and anger- at least for the duration of Eid.

This does not bode well for the coming year. No one imagined the madmen would actually do it during a religious holiday. It is religiously unacceptable and before, it was constitutionally illegal. We thought we'd at least get a few days of peace and some time to enjoy the Eid holiday, which coincides with the New Year this year. We've spent the first two days of a holy holiday watching bits and pieces of a sordid lynching.

America the savior... After nearly four years and Bush's biggest achievement in Iraq has been a lynching. Bravo Americans.

Maliki has made the mistake of his life. His signature and unhidden glee at the whole execution, especially on the first day of Eid Al Adha (the Eid where millions of Muslims make a pilgrimage to Mecca), will only do more to damage his already tattered reputation. He's like a vulture in a suit (or a balding weasel). It's almost embarrassing. I kept expecting Muwafaq Al Rubaii to run over and wipe the drool from the corner of his mouth as he signed for the execution. Are these the people who represent the New Iraq? We're in so much more trouble than I ever thought.

The time for vengence is past. The opportunity for peace is now. All of our futures await our decisions.

just another tribal vendetta, in a land of warring tribes. not far, mentally, out of the stone age. you either have to put in enough force to wipe them all out, or get the heck out of there. i don't see this "surge" happy medium working.

Postcards of a hanging...

It seems no matter what the topic, the usual suspects repeat the same stuff to each other. Over and over and over again. Day in and day out.

Of course the topics have varied very little as well. Ford, Saddam, SaddamFord, Edwards, Hillary, Obama, FordSaddam, and, oh yeah, Bush sucks.

I'll check in again next week to see if anyone has something to say that they haven't already said 1000X before.

I know, I know, don't let the door hit you in the a$$ on the way out Sarc...