Saddam Hussein Sentenced to Death 1003
indraneil writes "Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death along with his half brother. Three Baath party officials charged with Hussein in the killings of 148 Shiite civilians have been sentenced to 15 years in prison, while a fourth has been cleared.
He is to be hanged inside 30 days from now. Saddam Hussein has been given 10 days to appeal against the decision.
His lawyer has warned to a bloodbath if the sentence is carried out."
Automatic appeal (Score:2)
Anybody clarify?
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Correct. This automatically goes to appeal. The defense has 30 days to file motions in that venue, and there is no set time limit on the appeal process. But once the appeals court says it's done, the sentence must be carried out within 30 days (assuming the sentence stands).
Re:Automatic appeal (Score:4, Funny)
The cappeal court's verdict:
The court: "We will hang you within 7 days, but the day on which we come to hang you, it will be a surprise."
Saddam thinks: "Well, since it has to be a surprise, it won't be on the 7th day, because that's the last day, so it wouldn't be a surprise.
That means that the last day the can hang me is the 6th day ... but since they can't hang me on the 7th day, if I make it to day 6, it won't be a surprise, so day 6 is out too ...
but ... if they come for me on day 5, it won't be a surprise, because they can't hang me on days 6 or 7 ...
(repeat)
Saddam: "You cannot hang me!"
Court: "Take him outside and hang him. Surprised?"
OT:Eye poking (Score:5, Funny)
Do not poke my eye with your spork;
Do not poke it out, you dork;
Do not poke it with a beer;
Do not poke it with a deer;
Do not poke it with your dick;
That just makes you one mean prick;
Do not poke it, it won't heal;
I'll have to call DrCowboyNeal;
Do not poke it on a train;
Do not poke it on a plane;
The DHS will suspend your right;
For poking my eye out on the flight;
Poke my eye out and you'll be;
Poked in Gitmo for E-TER-NI-T;
By some guy named Bubba who;
Will poke your 3rd eye sore boo-hoo;
So don't poke my eye out Mr. A.C.;
Or the next goat.dot.cx you'll be.
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A show trial in every sense. (Score:4, Insightful)
The US hand picked the judges and the sentence was a forgone conclusion.
Will Saddam get a chance to talk about how he had US support during the war with Iran? I doubt it.
Saddam shouldn't be executed he should be kept alive in a cell for the rest of his life as a lesson for the Iraqi's to learn from.
Executing Saddam will only turn him into a martyr.
Thoughts?
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The chief judge in Saddam Hussein's genocide trial was replaced Tuesday amid complaints from Shiite and Kurdish officials that he was too soft on the former Iraqi leader, a move that could raise accusations of government interference in the highly sensitive case.
Now, it's pretty obvious that Saddam wasn't a nice guy. It's just that this trial seems to be so politically well-timed with an outcome that was predetermined
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Being 27, and knowing the target audience for this line of thought, it sounds like some sort of big revelation. Reality is probably closer to the fact that when I was a kid, this stuff wasn't in the history books, not a part of everyday conversation, and really, not all that darned important to anybody anyway.
"Saddam shouldn't be executed he should be kept alive in a cell for the rest of his life as a lesson
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In case you didnt notice, fear of getting killed doesnt usually stop dictators from being nasty. In fact, it mostly tends to encourage them to clean up better, and to be more through in even more atrocities.
Just take a look at what Saddam was sentanced for; retaliating against an assassination attempt by one of the current Shiite political parties. Do you think his death sentance is preventing the current Ira
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Actually, it is important. We need to know what happened during the 80's, esp. since W. allowed that admin to hide the info as well as to destroy a great deal per an executive order. In fact, I would love to have Iran come forward with exactly what happened with the hostages and the iran-contra scandal.
A sentence to a lifetime of boredom strikes fear in the hearts of very few men who would follow in Saddam's footsteps.
Hmmmm. So those suicide bo
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Re:A show trial in every sense. (Score:5, Insightful)
Saddam must be bring to death, not only for his crimes, but for what he represents as well.
And a guy who hides in a rat-hole while his country is under the fire of ennemies and believe he represents the country doesn't deserve any respect. I don't know how such a wimpy president can be turned into a martyr otherwise than by unsane reasoning.
Sad To Say.... (Score:2)
Natural Born Killer (Score:3, Insightful)
Iraq could *become* a bloodbath? (Score:3, Insightful)
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Yes it could, but thankfully Bush only has a couple years left and can't run for a 3rd term.
bloodbath (Score:2)
And that would be different from the current situation, how?
As opposed to the blood shower? (Score:2)
Sympathy for the Devil (Score:2, Insightful)
The man has already been stripped of his wealth and power, and imprisoned. Will killing him bring back the 148 dead Shiites?
Re:Sympathy for the Devil (Score:5, Insightful)
Killing him will dash the hopes of Sunis wishing to reinstate him and letting him do it all over again. Unless he was going to be held in some prison outside of Iraq, that would always be one of the hopes of the Suni insurgents.
Did you hear his statements upon hearing the sentence? One might interpret them as his shot at martyrdom, but really they're his attempt to convince Sunis outside the courtroom to bust him out.
If the only alternative is to be held in an Iraqi prison, this is the only way to ensure he won't do it again.
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Only in your mind. The slippery slope argument is a fallacy.
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Since you subscribe to "slippery slope" theories, let's look at the slippery slope the other direction... I'll help by updating the first couple of paragraphs of your post if there were no death sentence and the most serious penalty possible was life in prison.
Of course not - but nor is imprisoning him for life. Saddam's victims are dead, dead, dead, and nothing is going to bring them back. Merely performing 40 hours of community service won't help. But nor will imprisoning him for life.
We're on a s
Moral Equivalency, citing extremes, etc. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Sympathy for the Devil (Score:4, Insightful)
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Perhaps we should sentence him to death too? Though, I'm slightly more realistic, I know it won't bring back any dead people.
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(Jokes aside, I see your point. But hey, eye for an eye seems to be the prevailing philosophy these days...)
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Psychopaths are charming, charismatic people who look nice and make you feel good. But
Why? (Score:2)
It isn't really going to act as a deterrent to anyone, and it's not like he's going to escape and regain power.
Regardless of what he's done, this is the killing of a defenceless man.
Can read this anywhere else on the web.... (Score:2)
I wonder what will happen to Linux after Saddam is gone?
In all comments above... see very well illustrated (Score:2, Insightful)
No it will not bring back the dead, but it WILL do 2 things
-> declare once and for all, and for everyone to see that killing is not allowed, which is a good thing
-> prevent anyone from helping him (kill even more), which is a good thing
-> prevent him from doing any further damage, which is a good thing
-> bring this criminal's death during a last dis
But it's not justice (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:But it's not justice (Score:5, Insightful)
Not to mention the rather minor point that the US broke international law by invading Iraq in the first place.
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The bit in the UN Charter that says that the only exception to peaceful resolution of conflicts is self defense when attacked by armed forces of another country, unless explicitly authorized by the Security Council. The UN charter IS international law.
20 guys from Saudi Arabia, in 4 aircraft, hardly constitute an Iraqi armed force.
You do remember that the Security Council decided against invading Iraq at the time,
Re:In all comments above... see very well illustra (Score:2)
Re:In all comments above... see very well illustra (Score:2)
Good on ya! By the way, how is that statement going to be presented, again?
Losing a wealth of historical knowledge. (Score:3, Insightful)
I think Saddam deserves to be punished as much as the next guy. He is categorically evil and I find myself unable to deny him the death penalty. But this is so convenient for the United States. He has a great deal to tell the world about how we supported the rise of his regime. How we tried to play Iran and Iraq against each other by supplying both with weapons. Eliminating Saddam makes us that less likely to see accountability for our past transgressions.
Now that Saddam has had his trial, it is about time to put Donald Rumsfeld [gwu.edu] (and other now prominent neo-conservatives) on trial for providing material support to a man we knew to be a brutal dictator.
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That's kind of the whole point.
Mission Accomplicate (Score:3, Insightful)
We can all forget about Darfur [darfurgenocide.org] now its obvious there could never be a more evil tyrant than Saddam.
America, we're (GOP'ers) asking you to forgive our sins [wikipedia.org], they're nothing more than political tricks by dems to sway the vote. We've brough gasoline prices down, we're bringing the troops home, we've got the largest unemployment ratio [google.com] in five years. All is well. If you don't vote for us now, the dems will allow Rosary beads of mass destruction [theregister.co.uk] into America. They're (dems) secretly colluding with Osama, Kim Jong Il, and Idi Amin. And as God is our witness (keep in mind dems are really Satan worshipping sinners), if you don't vote for us terrible things will happen.
Which sentence will Bush get? (Score:2, Insightful)
G.W. Bush: 650,000 killings of Iraqi civilians. Sentence? Oh wait...
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Not to mention kidnapping and holding hundreds of people against their will, oh sorry, they're prisoners of war. What, they're NOT prisoners of war? What are they then?
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History is written by the winner
Meanwhile, in a secret insurgant hideout... (Score:3, Funny)
Young Terrorist: Ackmed, Ackmed! I just recieved word that Saddam Hussein has been found in a court of law!
Ackmed: By Allah, that can only mean one thing... Everyone, pack your gear and go home, The insurgency is over. I'd like to thank all of you for your time and service to the cause, but democracy has won the day. As you leave, we will be handing out pamphlets on applying for a new job. Also on the way out, please remember to throw away your paper cups.
*as the terrorists leave,the lights in the hideout all turn on*
Ackmed: The electricity is back on! We can go on living now! Thank you George Bush! Thank you!
Obligatory music. (Score:2)
Hang the bastard, hang him high.
Hoist his body to the sky.
It's as nice as a day can be.
Won't you come to the hanging with me?
Hang the bastard, hang him well.
Send his sorry soul to hell.
When his neckbone snaps we'll know.
When the cannibal won't be killing anymore.
His face will turn red,
Then purple, then blue.
We'll watch from up here
To get a good view.
And when his eyes bug out we'll know,
It's the end of him
And the end of the show!
So hang the bastard, hang him with
Death Penalty (Score:2)
What's even worse about it is that the US occupation demanded the sentence earlier to the court judgement.
Character is demonstrated by how you thread your worst enemies.
The United States waged war against Iraq but did not let the Iraqi president sign a letter of capitulation. Th
Did anyone expect anything else? (Score:2)
I just find the timing amusing. Just right for the midterms. A coincidence, of course.
Civil thought... (Score:2)
So while this sentence was predictable and probably required from a political point of view I object on moral grounds. Instead he should be thrown in jail and never let out.
My 2 cents.
So wait.... (Score:4, Funny)
A brief history of Windows in the Middle East (Score:3, Informative)
Also, in 1979 Saddam became president of Iraq, he didn't like Appl [wikipedia.org]
Orson Scott Card talks about the war (Score:2)
He has a strategic perspective that Slashdottters might not be familiar with.
Re:And? (Score:4, Insightful)
Is anyone even in the slightest bit surprised that this was the verdict?
Why is this news on Slashdot?
Re:And? (Score:4, Insightful)
I found out first about the WTC plane crashes on Slashdot. While everything else was a mess, Slashdot proved to be the best resouce. Sometimes the site can serve a better place by being more than just tech and yet not lose its roots.
Re:And? (Score:4, Funny)
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Too bad this gets posted while Slashdot moderation is broken.
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Re:And? (Score:4, Insightful)
Actually, the death penalty is less punishment than life in prison would be.
He figures that in death he's at least some sort of martyr. Dying alone and forgotten of old age in some solitary cell as he watches his country move on (or fall apart or whatever happens) without him denies him even that.
It also means we don't sink to the same level. You don't want to become the very thing you're fighting against.
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--------
| O
| \|/
| | S A D D A U S S I
| _/ \_ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
| Game Over
=====
BC E H LMNOP T VWXY | Letters Missed
** ** ** * |
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Seems to me
Re:Saddam verdict on Sunday, U.S. election on Tues (Score:3, Interesting)
I can only guess, but I imagine it's along the lines of this: If the sentence is justified by how many innocent Iraqis Saddam has killed, maybe he shouldn't be alone on the gallows. Too bad for him that he didn't have the foresight to exempt himself from international law and basic human decency beforehand.
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The article summary gets a few things wrong, one being that "should he appeal." The appeal is automatic. Also, he's not the only one sentenced to death.
Re:Saddam verdict on Sunday, U.S. election on Tues (Score:5, Insightful)
If there may be an appereance that the verdict was planned or timed, you do things to avoid even that appearance.
Such as not announcing a verdict on the weekend before the U.S. elections.
I'm not saying for sure they timed it, because I just don't know. But I do know for sure that they could have waited 3 days and changed the whole image of the thing.
Re:Saddam verdict on Sunday, U.S. election on Tues (Score:5, Insightful)
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Meaning, "co" - "incident" - as in, two things, happening at the same time, yes. Have you not actually be following the trial? The Iraqi court has been pretty much right on the schedule they planned, but actually delayed a bit by some diversions (like one judge getting the heave-ho for speaking his opinion on things out of context, or Saddam's supporters wacking some of the legal team, that sort of thing).
I'm guessing, from your tone, that you probably think that suppo
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Obviously if the government stabilizes and establishes order it's a good thing. The whole point of my post is that an appearance of impropriety, like the one today, undermines that. So it's now obvious to everyone what your guesses are worth.
Some people in Baghdad celebrated, others did not, and are undoubtedly busy planning some more of their usual, different kinds of "celebrations," or don't you follow the news. [hindu.com]
Using generalizations the way you do, talking about "the p
Re:Saddam verdict on Sunday, U.S. election on Tues (Score:2)
I think you're confusing the average Republican voter with the Republican members of Congress who are beaten into submission by the Party Whip.
It's just plain nonsense to believe that even a majority of Republican voters beat each other up when someone assumes that Rove, Satan, etc. are political opportunists. Most Republicans would probably admit that Rove, Bush etc. play
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Not that I'm advocating it, but I notice inaccurately demonizing all members of a party has worked wonders for them.
Re:Saddam verdict on Sunday, U.S. election on Tues (Score:2)
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Re:Saddam verdict on Sunday, U.S. election on Tues (Score:2)
Obviously both parties try to spin the news in their favor. Not just the republicans.
It gets worse. The dems are not opposed to finishing the war in iraq, they just want an election victory.
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Re:Saddam verdict on Sunday, U.S. election on Tues (Score:2)
Well, since you're so sure that this was a well-timed coincidence, would you care to explain, rationally, how this will have any outcome on the election? The Republicans were always going to vote Republican and the Democrats were always going to vote Democrat. So I guess that just leaves the undecided voters, right? And are we to think that, upon hearing that Saddam has been sentenced to death, they are going to vote Republican solely
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Not true. Most people stay home and don't vote, especially on off-year congressional elections. Most of the campaigning that goes on is simply a turn out the vote effort, not an effort to get undecided voters.
So the impact of a Saddam death sentence would have on the election is that it would motivate those who support the war in Iraq to go out an vote. They are probably pretty demoralized right n
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Suuure... (Score:2)
We also arranged the deaths of various people involved with the case (judges, lawyers, et cetera), just to delay it enough to influence these C
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*cough* Diebold *cough*
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Forgetting countries like Japan and South Korea, are we? Not that it matters. One way or the other, moral relativism should never enter into such a debate.
"That would tend to indicate that, without a screwed up election system, being pro-death-penalty tends to get you elected out of office very quickly."
And what if it did not? What if the majority of the voters really were in favor of
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Any idiot can see that out of the 365 days of the year, it was extremely unlikely for this to be just a coincidence. Two days beforehand is the perfect amount of time for this to influence the election.
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Nice troll. I'll respond anyway.
Saddam: "A few Kurds tried to assassinate me. Go bomb the Kurdish village with poison gas. Kill everybody."
US-backed Iraqi government: "You ordered the mass murder of thousands of innocent people, including women and children. You're a waste of human life. Rot in hell. Here, let us speed you on the way."
There's a bit of a difference th
Dont' forget... (Score:2)
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President Reagan: Let's help out Hussein, give him helicopters, guns, etc. to fight Iran.
President GHW Bush: Saddam is Bad. He invaded Kuwait. Kick him out. Make sure he can't do anything like that again.
President Clinton: We'll keep the sanctions, no-fly-zones, etc. in place but leave Hussein alone as long has he behaves.
President GW Bush: Let's use 9/11 to fabricate an excuse to invade Iraq and depose Hussein. It'll be a good distraction from the fact that we can't find the true terrori
Forgot the last part (Score:2)
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Saddam: "Kurds harbor terrorists. Anyone who harbors terrorists IS a terrorist."
Even though some 3000 Kurds died, toppling Saddam would probably have brought many more deaths (as we witness now). One can imagine Saddam was in a better position to judge that than the rest of us.
Of course, the outcome of Saddam's orders was easy to predict, which is in striking contrast to US military policy. This makes his acts inexcusable. S
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Two weeks ago we an arson hit in a forest a few miles behind my house. The firefighters burned off some land in order to contain the spread of the fire. Are the firefighters not also guilty of the same crime as the original arsonists?
Re:Yay! (Score:5, Insightful)
Punish killing by killing! Go hypocrisy!
Punish kidnapping by putting someone in jail! Go hypocrisy!
ALL punishments of a criminal would be considered illegal if performed by someone on an innocent person. Therefore, by your logic, all punishing of criminals is hypocritical.
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The criminal justice system comprises two components, one is to protect the innocent and the other is to punish the guilty. Its nota bout "vengence". Its about making the person understand that what they did was wrong and will not be tolerated.
What would YOU do with someone who is a habitual theif? Theifs don't always harm people. What are you going to do, constantly slap him on the wrist and tell him "Bad man. Bad bad man! Ok now you're free to go."?? What about someone who commits fraud repeatedl
148 civilians (Score:2)
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Nope. (Score:2)
A nice bit of difference between our system and theirs.
But still... (Score:3, Insightful)
A little monster devoured by a much larger monster.
Re:Where's the "tech" tie-in? (Score:4, Funny)