Trial And Verdict

I suppose now I must look forward to hearing such monumentally profound observations on the order of "The death sentence against Saddam Hussein is right. He was a really, really bad guy." and "The world's a better place now that he's gone." Perhaps. However, even Saddam Hussein in his most megalomaniacal never caused the deaths of 600,000 of his fellows. (Lancet estimate.) Where am I going with this line of thinking, you say? No where. I know where I live and the age in which I live. 600,000 lives of some Middle Easterners is chump change for us. Like General Dyer at Jallian Walla Bagh, we have a point to make and we will bloody well make it. Human Rights Watch ( www.hrw.org) has stated: Iraq: Dujail Trial Fundamentally Flawed Court Should Overturn Verdict and Death Penalty The trial of Saddam Hussein and seven other defendants before the Iraqi High Tribunal for crimes against humanity was marred by so many procedural and substantive flaws that the verdict is unsound. So now the "Really, really bad guy" group will argue against the "Fundamentally flawed" group. It is not my responsibility to try Saddam Hussein nor to condemn him to death nor to carry out the sentence. My government has tried to distance itself from the process by turning the trial over to Iraqi lawyers who have been out of the international circuit, particularly out of the international crimes against human rights circuit, for a number of years. So we provide ...advice to them. And we have the sentence read...just before the November elections. This trial, given its importance, should have been a perfect example of the use of international law. Instead it was a jimmy-legged, jerry-rigged mess. But what does one expect nowadays? I refuse to have this man's blood on my hands. I have acquiesced in enough killing in the Middle East. What answer will I have for St. Peter at heaven's gate? St. Pete:"What about this slaughter in Iraq...and, for that matter, Palestine?" Me: "I didn't do any killing. I wuz following orders, anywho." St. Pete: "......Riiiiight. "