Why Hussein Died

Posted on December 31, 2006 in Justice Occupation of Iraq

Iraqi jurists claim that Saddam Hussein was “not hung for revenge“. I believe it: Hussein died when he died (on a Muslim holy day) so that he could not be tried for the gassing of the Kurds. This would have entailed bringing out the role of the United States in knowingly assisting a genocide. And what would the Iraqi people think of a judiciary which aided and abetted such a power?

As expected, a few so-called “moderates” chewed and swallowed the poison pill of disinformation so they could go on supporting a war portented to claim its 3000th American soldier today. There is no moderate stand for the death penalty. The claim goes against the definition of the word (“avoiding extremes of behavior or expression : observing reasonable limits “). The opposite of the death penalty is complete lack of accountability, which only those in power seem to enjoy. There is nothing moderate about eliminating further investigations into the character and origins of this war. I do not contend that Hussein did not order the gassing of the Kurds: I want the full story to come out and to see others who played a part (e.g. Donald Rumsfeld) brought to justice.

The killing of Hussein was all too hurried. We lost one of our chief eyewitnesses to American corruption during the Reagan era. This trial should have been conducted in The Hague or in Belgium where jurisprudence is the order of the day and truthseeking the granted expectation.

But now Hussein belongs to the ages. Whatever you think of him, he went out with class. We had our chance to deprive him of martyrdom, but we gave it to him anyways. His name will be remembered as a hero of the Iraqi people and it’s all the fault of those who wanted him dead.