Should Saddam Hussein be executed?

I saw George Galloway last night on Big Brother saying that he reckons the American government will now be regretting their decision to keep Saddam Hussein alive. He thinks that the only reason they did this was to humiliate him. I’d like to think that he was kept alive so that he would be put through the proper judicial system, a right held by anyone, but this was a war, so was this really the reason?

Galloway was saying that the Americans have a tough decision now, as he thinks (roughly) that Hussein would be more influential as a martyr than he would be in a jail cell, fading away in people’s memories. Is execution really the best punishment in this scenario?

In one sense it puts a full stop at the end of the Hussein era, and the associations he had with Iraq, possibly helping to kick-start the currently rocky Iraqi regime. On the other hand it would be a controversial move which could induce a backlash against the US, fronted by those who disagree with their interfering where they are not wanted.

What do you think about this, was it in the Americans interest to keep him alive, and on top if this do you think he should be executed now?

It is most certainly in Americas best interst to keep him AND Osama Bin Laden alive, and here is why.

If you kill them, you give them exactly what they have been seeking - Martyrdom in the eyes of their followers. Killing them will empower them and their will beyond our imagination, their death will be the calling that Extremist Islam has long needed, and unfortuneately will be answered by the millions.

Launching these two or either of them into Martyrdom in the eyes of Radical Islam will only make things much more difficult for the US and our allies. Furthermore, the public humiliation of life in jail behind the walls of their most hated allies would put a MUCH larger dent in Radical Islam than their death ever will.

Should Osama ever be captured, we must keep him alive, for regardless of whether he lives or dies attacks will increase - people will be strapping up and blowing themselves up in shopping malls, packed parking lots, any soft target they can get in order to free their leader. His death will be the confirmation they desperately seek in the religious aspect of their war - a martyr by which all radicals should follow in order to slay the beast - the US. The same goes for Saddam and his followers now in Iraq, his death will only fill them with a bloodlust we have yet to experience, and his Martyrdom will be an example for all Radicals the world wide.

It would be a dire mistake to execute either of these men, but would aid if we kept them in prison to live out the rest of their days in the hands of their most hated enemies - and humiliate them in front of their followers who before then would have labeled them as "Invincible".

Well said Conquistadork



If the US killed either of these charachters, then the reaction of their followers would be far worse than anything we have seen so far. The last thing we can do is make a martyr out of them. Quite the sticky situation.

Originally posted by Messi
I saw George Galloway last night on Big Brother saying that he reckons the American government will now be regretting their decision to keep Saddam Hussein alive. He thinks that the only reason they did this was to humiliate him. I’d like to think that he was kept alive so that he would be put through the proper judicial system, a right held by anyone, but this was a war, so was this really the reason?

Galloway was saying that the Americans have a tough decision now, as he thinks (roughly) that Hussein would be more influential as a martyr than he would be in a jail cell, fading away in people’s memories. Is execution really the best punishment in this scenario?

In one sense it puts a full stop at the end of the Hussein era, and the associations he had with Iraq, possibly helping to kick-start the currently rocky Iraqi regime. On the other hand it would be a controversial move which could induce a backlash against the US, fronted by those who disagree with their interfering where they are not wanted.

What do you think about this, was it in the Americans interest to keep him alive, and on top if this do you think he should be executed now?

saddam should me given the most volts possible on the biggest baddest electric chair right this second while im still sittin on my couch with my beer and popcorn so i can say you wont be killing innocents anymore ya bum.

You should read the posts above and reconsider your comments. Sure it would feel great to whack Saddam off real good, but how many innocent lives are going to be lost to do this?

Well said Conquistadork, you hit the nail on the head as far as my view on this subject goes. Not only will it prevent those two becoming heroes in the eyes of those who view Martyrs in this way, but it will also not draw attention to these characters any more than necessary. They are only effective when they are bravely standing against their enemies, the ultimate example of course being them dieing for their cause. This is what could inspire other like minded terrorists to act. I would doubt that Saddam being silenced with the prospect of a lifetime in jail does little to inspire anyone.

I also don’t think that the current situation involving Osama is that problematic compared to the scenario of him being found and killed. Don’t get me wrong, I think he should have to face the consequences of what he has done! I’m just saying that at least he’s been silenced and forced to hide, which is half the battle. With no worldwide attention he is harmless compared to how he influenced in the past, or would do fighting and being killed for his psychopathic views on religion and humanity. Hopefully he will be found and thrown in a cell that is not bolted, but cemented shut; never to be seen or heard from again.

GrowingConspiracy – I think everyone would like to see Saddam pay for what he did while he had control of Iraq, but we have to think of the possible consequences of any actions taken, along with the fact that for him, death would be the easy way out.

Tie em up Bare-ass, give em a few lashings via bullwhip, as public humiliation, then jail the suckers for the rest of there lives.

[edit on 11-1-2006 by C0le]

Let the Iraqis determine if Saddam should live or die, irregardless if it in the best interest or not of the US.

Personally, this is not an issue of the US's best interest, but the Iraqis best interest. After all, it was his own Iraqi people that he abused, tortured, maimed, and mass murdered. Saddam will face Iraqi justice. Whether one agrees with the war in Iraq or the war on terrorism is irrelevant. Iraqi law should have the final say, not the US's best interest, which was to remove Saddam in the first place. IMHO, the Saddam trial is set and determined, but what it does represent is the return of Iraq to the law of nations. Therefore, this trial is not about justice for Saddam, but justice for those victims of Saddam and his regime/government. Furthermore, Saddam's trial should not be the opportunity for Saddam to voice his opinions to the mass media, just so as to appease your own appetities for who he will fault and blame for his doings. Personally, on this matter of voicing his thoughts and opinions, as he has been doing, Saddam should feel damn well lucky that he is given any chance at all to argue or voice his opinions and thoughts before the court, something which he denied to his political opponents and victims before he had them executed. Also, he is damn lucky to have any trial at all; it is a luxury that he never granted fairly to most of his victims.

And to those of you who wish to call this trial unfair, a circus, a farce, or that it should be held fairly and justly at the Hague by the United Nations, etc., I put forth that no matter where the trial of Saddam is held, it will be far more fair than any so-called mock trials or kangaroo courts that Saddam gave his own people. The legal presumption of innocence should be nearly mute, just as it was for his victims, IMHO. Anyhow, is it not interesting that there is more sympathy and fairness being shown for Saddam and his fellow torturer-murderers within this board than there is for those he and they tortured, maimed, and murdered?! Fairness is being suggested and called for, and yet, fairness Saddam and his murdering thugs did not give.
Ironic, huh?

Saddam's fate should be justly, rightly, and only in the hands of the Iraqi people. Saddam's trial will give the Iraqi people and those unmentioned, forgotten, and neglected victims the justice they have been denied for decades. Whether Saddam is sentenced to death or not should remain the right of the Iraqi people, their justice system, and their best interest to determine and implement, not dictated to or by another nation's best interest.





seekerof

[edit on 11-1-2006 by Seekerof]

I totally agree with what you say about other nations having nothing to do with this case, Seekerof. However when it comes to not giving him a fair trial, two wrongs will never make a right, no matter how ironic the alternative may be.

Hopefully the Iraqis will be above his level and give him a fair trial, which will almost certainly result in him being proven guilty of many, many charges. He will then be punished appropriately for all of them. Let’s be honest, no matter how this trial goes, there have been very few guiltier men face prosecution; he stands no chance of anything but life imprisonment or death.

Sorry I was a bit ambiguous with my question, I was just wondering what everyone thought would be better for the Americans who captured him, not what the Americans should do with him.

The Iraqi people want him dead so they can finally be free of his terror. As long as he is still alive, they beelive he could come back. Who could blame them when a large portion of the world thinks he should never have been taken out of power?

Execute him or humiliating him will only be like adding fuel to the fire or creating a martyr.

Originally posted by Vekar
Execute him or humiliating him will only be like adding fuel to the fire or creating a martyr.

We killed Hitler but that didnt do much except we have a few Neonazis in America. People are a little over this martyr crap. For example the Palestinians martyr themselves but we have Palestinians trying to care more about living then dying. You dont see millions of Palestinians doing that do you?

Originally posted by GrowingConspiracy
saddam should me given the most volts possible on the biggest baddest electric chair right this second while im still sittin on my couch with my beer and popcorn so i can say you wont be killing innocents anymore ya bum.

Go ahead and shove as many volts through him as you want, you still wont kill him.
Its the amps that kill you, volts are only the push.
You cant hurt someone if your pushing nothing.

Originally posted by deltaboy

We killed Hitler

You should double check your facts there.

en.wikipedia.org...

As Soviet troops battled their way in street-to-street combat towards the Reich Chancellery in the centre of the city, Hitler committed suicide in the Führerbunker on 30 April 1945, in Berlin by means of a self-delivered shot to the head (it is likely he simultaneously bit into a cyanide ampoule). Hitler's body and that of Eva Braun, (his long-term mistress whom he had married the day before), were partially burned with petrol by Fuhrerbunker aides, and hastily buried shortly thereafter in the Chancellory garden with Russian shells pouring down from all directions, and with Russian infantry less than a few hundred metres away.

Hitler killed himself. This is sort of funny, as i was under the impression this was common knowledge.

Anyway, as per the topic... Of course Saddam should be executed. He's got too much dirt on us from the 80s to allow him to live.

(for those with less than half a clue, that's sarcasm)

Originally posted by negativenihil

Originally posted by deltaboy

We killed Hitler

You should double check your facts there.

And what made Hitler killed himself? Im sure he didnt do it just for fun.

Originally posted by deltaboy
And what made Hitler killed himself?

Im sure he didnt do it just for fun.

Hitler killing himself is very different than saying "We" killed him.

He ended his own life, plain and simple. Yes, at the time it was clear he was not going to win, but "We" had very little to do with the bullet in his brain and the cyanide in his belly.

anyway, let's not drag this threat too far off topic

Originally posted by negativenihil


Hitler killing himself is very different than saying "We" killed him.

He ended his own life, plain and simple. Yes, at the time it was clear he was not going to win, but "We" had very little to do with the bullet in his brain and the cyanide in his belly.

anyway, let's not drag this threat too far off topic

We had alot to with Hitler's death. Were it not for the Allies surrounding him. Remember that Osama himself has said that he vow to never be taken by Americans alive. He would kill himself instead. Thats the same as killing him. Its like we force him to kill himself like it was mind control, like everybody is surrounding you in a dark corner and you have no choice but to take the door to darkness. Saddam Hussein... well I guess he didnt want to die even though he had a gun with him I believe.

Think about it delta, you kill thier hero it will simply create anger, hate and awe at the fact that the person stood his ground against "the massive warmachine!" , better to remove the head than the arms yes no?

Originally posted by deltaboy

Originally posted by Vekar
Execute him or humiliating him will only be like adding fuel to the fire or creating a martyr.

We killed Hitler but that didnt do much except we have a few Neonazis in America. People are a little over this martyr crap. For example the Palestinians martyr themselves but we have Palestinians trying to care more about living then dying. You dont see millions of Palestinians doing that do you?

I don't think this a fair analogy, Nazi Germany was beaten, who would Hitler have been a marytr to? These Fundementalists are far from beaten, a martyr would do more for their cause imo.

devilwasp, the hornets nest was already disturbed, pissed off, and/or aggravated when the US invaded Iraq, Saddam was removed from power, and US/Western troops are still in Afghanistan. How much more would the hornets nest be stirred up over the death of Saddam? Not much at all in my opinion. The death of Saddam will only add one more thing to the long laundry list of excuses already being used by antiwar proponents and Islamic fundamentalists and jihadists.

The damage is already done.
As such, Saddam would become just a number among the growing numbers of other martyrs.






seekerof

[edit on 11-1-2006 by Seekerof]