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Hang 'Em High

0

ne year after his trial
started, Saddam Hussein
was found guilty of crimes
against humanity in the 1982 kill-
ings of 148 Shiite villagers and sen-
tenced to hang.
"God is-great!" shouted a defiant
Koran-clutching Hussein. "Damn
you and your court! You are the
enemies of humanity"
Hussein was convicted of order-
ing the mass arrest and imprison-
ment of more than 100 villagers
after a failed assassination attempt
in the small town of
Dujail. Many died in pris-
on, and the rest were put
to death.
Three of Saddam's
defense attorneys were
killed during the trial
that took place inside
Baghdad's heavily guarded
Green Zone, so the final
death toll should probably ,
be boosted to 151.
Some Iraqi citizens
celebrated by firing AK-47 auot-
matic rifles into the air, an unusual
departure from firing AK-47s at
each other.
A 24-hour curfew was in place
hours after the announcement; but
72 Iraqis were found killed by day-
break, according to an Associated
Press story.
While some were happy with
the verdict by the U.S.-backed
Iraqi High Tribunal, the European
Union and others were not pleased,
according to a Nov. 5 Reuters story.
"The EU opposes capital pun-
ishment in all cases and under all
circumstances; and it should not be
carried out in this case, either:' said
Finland's representative, current
holder of the rotating EU presi-
dency.
Great Britain's Prime Minister
Tony Blair said he was against the
death penalty, too, "whether it's .
Saddam or anyone else."
Europeans and humanitarian
groups around the world feel that
the death penalty is barbaric; but
things are different in the Middle
East, where hanging can become a
community affair.
On March 16, 2003, after 23-
year-old Iranian Mohammed Bijeh
confessed to raping then burning to

death 16 boys in the small town of
Pakdasht, he was sentenced to hang,
but not before receiving100 lashes.
A crowd of 5,000 gathered to
watch the punishment. As he was
being whipped, the townspeople
pelted him with rocks.
According to an Associated Press
story printed at the time, "After the
flogging, a rope was put around
Bijeh's neck and attached to a hook
on a crane. The crane's arm jerked
upward and Bijeh's body dangled,
drawing applause from the crowd."
Whether "the villag-
ers" will be invited to .
Saddam's hangin' is any-
one's guess, but I won-
der if the right course
would have been to give
orders to kill the brutal
dictator upon discovery.
You don't have to be
much of a cynic to think
twice about the Bush
administration using
Saddam Hussein's trial
as a way of humiliating the dictator
while gaining political points.
You don't have to be much of a
cynic to note the timing of the ver-
dict, just three days before the mid-
term U.S. elections.
And you don't have to be much
of a cynic to think that if the roles
were reversed, the Democratic Party
would be timing advantageous news
to improve their poll numbers.
On a final note, now that the elec-
tion is over, I'm befuddled.All the
phone calls from the local candi-
dates ended on Tuesday. They were
so polite, and seemed to really want
to know my views on things.
I'll try to reach the winners
through the Caller ID numbers I've
collected. If no one answers, I'll
leave some messages at their offices.
I have some great ideas on how to
move Michigan forward, and I'm
sure they want to hear from me.
They probably want to hear from
you, too.
It's nice to feel wanted, isn't it? ❑

1.1.11.;1.17 , 81 < its

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