Thursday, December 28, 2006

Karma

Hundreds Apply to Be Saddam's Hangman - Ned Parker

Hundreds of Iraqis have offered to act as hangman in the execution of Saddam Hussein, according to senior officials in the Baghdad government.
(Times-UK)

7 comments:

LHwrites said...

Yes, just like all those itching to watch W. Bush get impeached...what goes around comes around...often...not always...but often.

Bruce said...

I hope you're not suggesting that our elected President's misdeeds are equivalent to this ruthless dictator's evils...

LHwrites said...

Are you implying that it would be inequitable for us to compare Saddam's torturing Iraqis with Bush's torturing of Iraqis? Or the death of inmates under Saddam contrasted with the death of inmates during the US led occupation? Or the thousands of Iraqis killed under Saddam, with the thousands killed when we invaded? Or the quiescent factions under Saddams brutal oppression, that are now violenty and murderously asserting themselves under the US led occupation? Or the covert surveliance of Iraqis under Saddam with the covert surveliance of innocent American citizens under Bush? Or those held without due-process under Saddam, with those held around the world without due-process under Bush? If you were hoping to make any such comparison seem ludicris, then as George W. Bush would say--Mission Accomplished!---and of course, as in the past, he would be mistaken.

Bruce said...

I am indeed implying that a vibrant democracy can never be equivalent to a society in which a dictator is unchecked.

See Natan Sharansky's "The Case for Democracy."

LHwrites said...

So in other words, when the leaders of free societies do wrong...it's okay. When Bush's CIA comes a knocking for all the middle east news and websites you are so interested in, you might wish Bush believed enough in due-process to let you have one phone call to the ACLU.

Bruce said...

When leaders in free societies do wrong, we have active mechanisms for self-correction [3 branches of government, frequent elections, term limits and so on].

Please don't underestimate the impact democracy has on conflict resolution.

LHwrites said...

You are correct. There are many Democratic politicians working to reverse the abuses of the Bush administration. Nevertheless, 4+ years in solitary without due process is hard to reverse for innocent people that didn't look or act the way this cowboy administration would like. And when the wiretapping is secret, it is hard for other branches of the government to reverse it, save for the press, which despite W. Bush's best efforts, is still free in America, and still digging up the truth. Nevertheless, everything George W. Bush has done in Iraq would be considered criminal acts if perpetrated by any country save England, Russia, China or the US.