For some reason, I’m bothered by the celebration over Saddam’s death. While I believe wholeheartedly that he deserved execution and that the prospects for stability in Iraq required it, death is never something to celebrate. Saddam’s execution is both a sad reminder of his brutal killings and an example of the unfortunate reality that sometimes the world is safer with a particular person dead. Accordingly, I wouldn’t even toast Saddam Hussein’s death. No matter how you slice it, the ending of a human life is always a tragedy, irrespective of how necessary and justified it may be. And don’t get me wrong, from my perspective as both a Catholic and student of the law, Saddam Hussein’s execution was necessary and justified. It’s just sad, to me, that retributive justice and protecting innocent life occasionally requires taking it.
For some reason, I’m bothered by the way over Saddam’s death. While I believe wholeheartedly that he deserved execution and that the prospects for stability in Iraq required it, death by stoning would have been always something to celebrate.
December 29th, 2006 at 10:14:36 pm
Couldn’t have happened to a cuddlier dictator ;-)
December 29th, 2006 at 10:41:11 pm
al Hurra, indeed. ;>
December 29th, 2006 at 11:56:55 pm
For some reason, I’m bothered by the celebration over Saddam’s death. While I believe wholeheartedly that he deserved execution and that the prospects for stability in Iraq required it, death is never something to celebrate. Saddam’s execution is both a sad reminder of his brutal killings and an example of the unfortunate reality that sometimes the world is safer with a particular person dead. Accordingly, I wouldn’t even toast Saddam Hussein’s death. No matter how you slice it, the ending of a human life is always a tragedy, irrespective of how necessary and justified it may be. And don’t get me wrong, from my perspective as both a Catholic and student of the law, Saddam Hussein’s execution was necessary and justified. It’s just sad, to me, that retributive justice and protecting innocent life occasionally requires taking it.
December 30th, 2006 at 12:00:51 am
Personally i think he should have been left to rot in a jail cell and allowed to drift into obscurity, but oh well, no real loss.
December 30th, 2006 at 1:54:09 am
For some reason, I’m bothered by the way over Saddam’s death. While I believe wholeheartedly that he deserved execution and that the prospects for stability in Iraq required it, death by stoning would have been always something to celebrate.
January 6th, 2007 at 5:36:26 am
as a catholic and a law student… did you mean “unnessesary and justified”?
here is a spoof of the video footage… it’s as if ESPN covered the Hanging
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMjEUwd2bRU