I was rather taken aback by the news that Saddam Hussein is to be hung. I know he is guilty of some terrible crimes, hundreds of people died under his reign etc, but I’m not comfortable with the idea of hanging. I think this has proved to me once and for all that I am totally against the death penalty, in all circumstances.
Not that my alternative is exactly a picture of liberal thinking – I think that such people (mass murders etc) should be used for medical research, their brains examined to see if we can come to some understanding of what causes their behaviour in the first instance. And failing that, why not use them to test new drugs – better than innocent rats.
The Metro handled the story with its usual sensitivity this morning with a nice graphic of a noose - presumablyfor anyone who doesn't know what hanging is. Rather unnecessary I thought.
3 comments:
I'm not entirely sure why but I was surprised by this news.
I didn't actually think he'd ever get sentenced to death.
I don't like hanging full stop, so I'm uneasy with it from that perspective too.
I think your ideas are really interesting, especially the drugs trials idea.
Arguably Bush should also be hung seeing as more people were killed by the invasion of Iraq than Hussein killed in his reign.
But then America are above any such antics aren't they?
Yes, Bush (and Blair)are both guilty too as the war was thought to be illegal. But there seem to be different rules for different dictators! Its the same as the enviromental issue - India and China are being criticised for doing just the same as Europe & USA were doing for years.
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