Saddam to hang by 10:00pm EST tonight

[phyzik]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16389128/

MSNBC News Services
Updated: 1 minute ago
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The official witnesses to Saddam Hussein’s impending execution gathered Friday in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone in final preparation for his hanging, as state television broadcast footage of his regime’s atrocities.

The Iraqi government readied all the necessary documents, including a “red card” — an execution order introduced during Saddam’s dictatorship — even as Saddam’s lawyers asked a U.S. judge for a stay of execution.

The Pentagon said U.S. forces, always on high alert in Iraq, were braced for any upsurge in violence from Sunni insurgents loyal to Saddam.

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A U.S. judge refused late Friday to stop the execution, rejecting a last-minute court challenge by the former Iraqi president.

"Petitioner Hussein's application for immediate, temporary stay of execution is denied," U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said in Washington after a hearing over the telephone with attorneys.

An adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Saddam would be executed before 6 a.m. Saturday, or 10 p.m. Friday ET. Also to be hanged at that time were Saddam’s half-brother Barzan Ibrahim and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, the former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court, the adviser said.

The time was agreed upon during a meeting between U.S. and Iraqi officials, said the adviser, who declined to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

“The time has been agreed upon. It will be done by 6 o’clock in the morning,” the adviser said. “The agreement was reached during a meeting between Iraqi and American officials. Saddam will be handed over shortly before the execution.”

Earlier reports said al-Maliki feared fueling religious tensions if Saddam were executed during Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday that starts Saturday.

An execution during Eid would be highly symbolic. The feast marks the sacrifice the prophet Abraham was prepared to make when God ordered him to kill his son and many Shiites could regard Saddam’s death as a gift from God. Such symbolism could further anger Sunnis, who are resentful of new Shiite power.

Al-Maliki said earlier in the day there could be “no review or delay” in carrying out the sentence after an appeals court this week upheld a verdict delivered on Nov. 5.

Najeeb al-Nueimi, a member of Saddam’s legal team, said U.S. authorities were maintaining physical custody of Saddam to prevent him from being humiliated before his execution. He said the Americans also want to prevent the mutilation of his corpse, as has happened to other deposed Iraqi leaders.

“The Americans want him to be hanged respectfully,” al-Nueimi said. If Saddam is humiliated publicly or his corpse ill-treated, “that could cause an uprising, and the Americans would be blamed,” he said.

One senior Iraqi government official told Reuters that U.S. troops would hand Saddam over only “when he climbs the gallows.” Saddam has been held at a U.S. base near Baghdad airport, but the place of execution has been kept secret.



:clap :clap :clap :clap :clap :clap

[RashoFan]

I was under the impression that he would be executed in Jan....Fox News just announced that the execution will happen in a min from now.

[bendmz]

I'm waiting........

[Fillmoe]

http://pub.tv2.no/multimedia/na/archive/00130/Saddam_Hussein_i_so_130592c.JPG


RIP my nigga!

[RashoFan]

Fox News just stated Saddam has been hung...he is dead. As per Al Arabiya

[Fillmoe]

I got a new shirt coming out with the slogan "Wanna hang with Saddam?"



DONT BITE IT! look for it in your local mom and pops stores coming january 07

[spurschick]

CNN is reporting the same

[Marklar MM]

"I was hanging with Saddam December 29th, 2006"

[bendmz]

hasta la vista sucker... :hang

[Fillmoe]

RIP to one of the greatest leaders ever

[Fillmoe]

http://www.cnn.com/video/portable/promoplayer.html?mode=live&stream=4&source=pop/

[RashoFan]

Still waiting for official confirmation by someone in the Iraqi government. Unofficial reports are coming from Al Arabyia

[RashoFan]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/12/29/hussein/index.html
Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Popular
Hussein executed, Iraqi TV stations report
POSTED: 10:19 p.m. EST, December 29, 2006
Adjust font size:
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has been executed, according to two Arabic language media outlets.

Hussein was hanged before dawn on Saturday in Iraq, at about 6 a.m. (10 p.m. Friday ET), the U.S.-backed Al-Hurra television reported.

CNN's Aneesh Raman, Arwa Damon, Ryan Chilcote, Sam Dagher, Jomana Karadsheh and Ed Henry contributed to this report.

[Neutral Guy]

I don't know what to think about the outcome to follow...

[Pistons < Spurs]

:ttiwwp:

[Saddam's Ghost]

Sorry brah, I took pictures on my cell phone's camera to post them on the internet after I died, but guess what? They were right, you really can't take it with you... Sorry brah.

[sam wheat]

They were right, you really can't take it with you... Sorry brah.


Have you seen my Molly?

[RashoFan]

:ttiwwp:
Pics and video is pending...the execution was videotaped and photograped. Of course Networks have to view the images prior to broadcasting for what is acceptable. I personally would be doing an online search of the Arabic News stations, they will more than likely show the video in full of the execution.

[Old School Fool]

Sorry brah, I took pictures on my cell phone's camera to post them on the internet after I died, but guess what? They were right, you really can't take it with you... Sorry brah.

:elephant :elephant :elephant :elephant :elephant :elephant :elephant

[Saddam's Ghost]

Molly? Banged her once and her grandma twice since I've been here, brah.

[ShoogarBear]

And there's your number three.

[Saddam's Ghost]

And here's your sign! I love that Larry the Cable Guy, too.

[spurschick]

And there's your number three.

I was just thinking the same thing. But does it count since we already knew it was coming?

[Saddam's Ghost]

Yes.

[spurschick]

Dude, I had a feeling your were a Lakers fan.

[RashoFan]

Dude, I had a feeling your were a Lakers fan.
:lol

[Saddam's Ghost]

I always yell KOBE! when I ball it up with my homies.

[RashoFan]

:ttiwwp:
I found Saddam's hanging on the web...













http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c333/RashoFan/saddam_hang.gif

[spurschick]

http://www.driko.org/blogicons/southpark_410_saddam_satan.gif

[RashoFan]

Nice Spurschick!!!! :tu

[ShoogarBear]

I was just thinking the same thing. But does it count since we already knew it was coming?It is kind of a humble since it was a scheduled death. But nobody else wanted to step up.

[boutons_]

Repugs, Say it Loud, Say It Proud:

3000+ US dead to kill one motherfuckng Saddam

you're doing a heckuva job, dubya

[angel_luv]

Even though he was am evil man and I am glad he can't hurt anyone anymore, I can't rejoice that Saddam is dead.
Don't you find it sobering at all?

[spurschick]

It might be hard to stomach the hanging, but he tortured a lot of people. They didn't get the benefit of a quick and painless death, so an eye for an eye works just fine for me in this case.

[01Snake]

Repugs, Say it Loud, Say It Proud:

3000+ US dead to kill one motherfuckng Saddam

you're doing a heckuva job, dubya

Fuck of Croutons

[angel_luv]

I can't believe he's dead- even with all this CNN coverage.

[RashoFan]

Repugs, Say it Loud, Say It Proud:

3000+ US dead to kill one motherfuckng Saddam

you're doing a heckuva job, dubya
Could you have done/ do a better job with little to no U.S. casualties?

[RashoFan]

It might be hard to stomach the hanging, but he tortured a lot of people. They didn't get the benefit of a quick and painless death, so an eye for an eye works just fine for me in this case.
I agree with you M. Now in regards to Bin Laden, I would ask for the chance to pull the tigger, throw the switch, kick out the chair on him myself.

[RashoFan]

I can't believe he's dead- even with all this CNN coverage.
It is surreal. When the photos are released it should be more of a reality.

[boutons_]

I wouldn't even have tried.

There was no need to remove Saddam.

Iraq now is an unmitigated, totally unnecessary catastrophe, geo-political and humanitarian, that will be a huge problem and threat for many years to come, all thanks to dubya.

[angel_luv]

I just heard on CNN that Bush was asleep when the execution took place.
Am I wrong to think that is completely inappropriate?

[T-Pain]

saddam is dead

[spurschick]

I just heard on CNN that Bush was asleep when the execution took place.
Am I wrong to think that is completely inappropriate?

It was definitely stupid for them to tell the media that he was asleep. Idiots. I don't know if it was inappropriate, but it is certainly puzzling since his number one goal was to get this guy. I think he probably owed it to the troops to at least stay awake for the execution.

[RashoFan]

I wouldn't even have tried.
Fair enough, I would have not wanted that job.


There was no need to remove Saddam.
I disagree on that because Saddam was a tyranical ruler of Iraq. Whether or not it should have been up to the U.S. and Allies to remove Saddam from power is going to be debated for a long time to come

I
Iraq now is an unmitigated, totally unnecessary catastrophe, geo-political and humanitarian, that will be a huge problem and threat for many years to come, all thanks to dubya.
I will agree that Iraq will have difficulties for years to come with the new government in place, especially in areas of Politics/Government and humanitarian. It is a struggle that all coutries with changing of governments/ rulers (especially if the change is radical compared to the previous)will expirence.

[tsb2000]

I'm no fan of this war, or how it's being run, but Saddam killed hundreds of thousands of people, and tortured even more for his own amusement. Good riddance.

[ChumpDumper]

I just heard on CNN that Bush was asleep when the execution took place.
Am I wrong to think that is completely inappropriate?Chances are they don't want any story coming out of the White House until they get a chance to decide how to respond. Not much of a big deal either way.

[RashoFan]

I would have thought Pres G.W. Bush would have been kept UTD with the execution plans and would have been awake when it finally occurred.

[Marklar MM]

"I thought the execution was tomorrow, ehe"

[spurschick]

Chances are they don't want any story coming out of the White House until they get a chance to decide how to respond. Not much of a big deal either way.

They've known all day that the execution was tonight. How much more time did they need to decide how to respond?! Oh wait... nevermind...

[ShoogarBear]

I just heard on CNN that Bush was asleep when the execution took place.Par for the course.

[RashoFan]

It is tomorrow...over there... :D

[ChumpDumper]

I would have thought Pres G.W. Bush would have been kept UTD with the execution plans and would have been awake when it finally occurred.Yeah, but staffers and cabinet members are out on a Friday night, at the MCI Center, watching the Champs Sports Bowl....shit can wait until tomorrow.

[angel_luv]

Chances are they don't want any story coming out of the White House until they get a chance to decide how to respond. Not much of a big deal either way.

I disagree.
Everyone knew this execution was immenent this weekend.
That being the case, it seems to me that the White House should already had a preliminary response prepared.

Concerning Bush:
For someone who's felt it so necessary to be involved in Iraq, I am rather surprised he didn't want to see this part of the process ( for lack of a better term) through.
Personally, I expect the President to be alert and awake right now, given the historical and world wide impact of Saddam's execution.

[RashoFan]

I figured someone in the WH staff would have been keeping tabs.

[angel_luv]

I see Rasho fan, Spurs Chick , and Shoogar are all faster typers than me.

Had I known, I would have waited and just said ditto. :)

[ChumpDumper]

Really, Bush can't act like this is keeping him up at night because he has the larger question about what is to be done about Iraq now. I have no doubt in my mind he followed the situation pretty closely, but this particular part of the Iraq story was out of his hands, and he doesn't want to come across as passive these days. Better to say he was tired from working on the new direction.

[Pistons < Spurs]

We've known for over a year that he was going to be executed. It was just a matter of time. Why lose sleep over the event.


And who knows if he's asleep? Does someone sit next to his bed to see if he's really sleeping? More than likely, they meant he went to bed ... meaning his bedroom. For all we know, he's been in his presidential pajamas, laying on his craftmatic adjustable bed, watching CNN right along with us.

[RashoFan]

:lol

[ChumpDumper]

And who knows if he's asleep? Does someone sit next to his bed to see if he's really sleeping? More than likely, they meant he went to bed ... meaning his bedroom. For all we know, he's been in his presidential pajamas, laying on his craftmatic adjustable bed, watching CNN right along with us.BULLSHIT.

Everyone knows he's watching Fox News.

[Pistons < Spurs]

BULLSHIT.

Everyone knows he's watching Fox News.


LMAO! My Bad!

[angel_luv]

Really, Bush can't act like this is keeping him up at night because he has the larger question about what is to be done about Iraq now. I have no doubt in my mind he followed the situation pretty closely, but this particular part of the Iraq story was out of his hands, and he doesn't want to come across as passive these days. Better to say he was tired from working on the new direction.




I understand the president needs rest but he can't take it right as all this is just happening.

This is a huge thing and I don't think it is unreasonable to expect that Saddam's execution keep him up one more night.

I don't see how you can defend him.

[angel_luv]

Look how argumentative I am being. Maybe I should go to sleep. :lol

[RashoFan]

So...who all wants to see pics and who all wants to see video? I know that is quite morbid, but I am just curious.

[RashoFan]

I understand the president needs rest but he can't take it right as all this is just happening.

This is a huge thing and I don't think it is unreasonable to expect that Saddam's execution keep him up one more night.

I don't see how you can defend him.
Sis...he is human not to say the least... a male human at that.

[Moral Troll]

So...who all wants to see pics and who all wants to see video? I know that is quite morbid, but I am just curious.


I do. After the horrible things he did for all those years, his death was an easy one.

[ChumpDumper]

I don't see how you can defend him.:lmao

You obviously haven't spent much time in the political forum.

[Spurminator]

I don't think you're necessarily wrong, Angel, but I really don't see what the big deal is either way.

This execution is basically a formality.

[Pistons < Spurs]

I want the video. I suppose to most it's morbid, but it doesn't bother me. It's not like it's one of the beheading videos that went all around the net.

I've seen too many pictures on the internet of car accidents, train accidents, suicides etc etc for a hanging to effect me.

[RashoFan]

I would watch the video if that becomes available on the net.

[Pistons < Spurs]

This execution is basically a formality.


Bingo.

[ChumpDumper]

The video pretty much has to be released. There are thousands of Iraqis that won't believe he's dead unless they see it.

[angel_luv]

I don't think you're necessarily wrong, Angel, but I really don't see what the big deal is either way.

This execution is basically a formality.


I don't know- it's just that this execution is historically significant and effects the world, including our country.
I just don't like feeling like I am more interested in what is going on than the president of my country.

Lots of people with less important jobs work late when necessary- I don't see how he is exempt.

[Saddam's Ghost]

Sis...he is human not to say the least... a male human at that.


remembering old times, rashofan? :eyebrows

[angel_luv]

Sis...he is human not to say the least... a male human at that.


Whom Bush or Chump? :lol

[RashoFan]

remembering old times, rashofan?
What old times are you trying to refer to?? :wtf

[Saddam's Ghost]

i will have this chump "dumper" executed!

[Saddam's Ghost]

well, i would if i were still in power, and alive

[RashoFan]

Whom Bush or Chump? :lol
Technically...both. but I was referring to Pres. Bush

[Saddam's Ghost]

What old times are you trying to refer to?? :wtf

How many times have I told you never to dangle prepositions in front of Saddam!

[RashoFan]

How many times have I told you never to dangle prepositions in front of Saddam!
None, because I would have probably killed you had you ever been in my presence... :ihit

[angel_luv]

Technically...both. but I was referring to Pres. Bush


Gotcha . :)

[RashoFan]

I guess Saddam's ghost was recalled back to hell...:devil

[RashoFan]

wow...Saddam was born April 19th....Gives us Aries a bad name...

[angel_luv]

wow...Saddam was born April 19th....Gives us Aries a bad name...


Same date as the Oklahoma City Bombing I believe.

[RashoFan]

I believe you are right sis...

[spurschick]

wow...Saddam was born April 19th....Gives us Aries a bad name...

Being on the very cusp like that, I say we kick him over to the Taurans.

[angel_luv]

Iraqui offical: " Saddam died very quickly- in the blink of an eye." - per CNN.

[RashoFan]

Being on the very cusp like that, I say we kick him over to the Taurans.
Oh hell yeah!!! :tu

[spurschick]

I would watch the video if that becomes available on the net.

It can't be any worse than GIGs videos.

[Marklar MM]

Haha.

[RashoFan]

Iraqui offical: " Saddam died very quickly- in the blink of an eye." - per CNN.
He was lucky to die so quickly....

[RashoFan]

It can't be any worse than GIGs videos.
:lol

[ChumpDumper]

Would you hold it against Bush if he flipped over to Futurama like I did?

[angel_luv]

Witnesses of the execution said Saddam was " strangely submissive" to the whole process.

[spurschick]

I can't imagine how that feels to know you're moments from execution.

[angel_luv]

Would you hold it against Bush if he flipped over to Futurama like I did?


I'd like to pretend that didn't make me laugh but :lol

[angel_luv]

I can't imagine how that feels to know you're moments from execution.


Me neither- especially when you have lived such a life.

[RashoFan]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/12/29/hussein/index.html
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi dictator who spent his last years in captivity after his ruthless regime was toppled by the U.S.-led coalition in 2003, was hanged before dawn Saturday for crimes committed in a brutal crackdown during his reign.

The execution took place shortly after 6 a.m. (10 p.m. Friday ET), Iraq's national security adviser, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, told Iraqi television.

"This dark page has been turned over," Rubaie said. "Saddam is gone. Today Iraq is an Iraq for all the Iraqis, and all the Iraqis are looking forward. ... The [Hussein] era has gone forever."

Rubaie, who witnessed the execution, said the former leader was "strangely submissive" to the process.

"He was a broken man," he said. "He was afraid. You could see fear in his face."

Rubaie said that Hussein carried with him a copy of the Quran and asked that it be given to "a certain person." Rubaie did not identify that person.

White House deputy press secretary Scott Stanzel said President Bush was asleep when the execution took place and was not awakened. The president had been briefed by national security adviser Stephen Hadley before retiring and was aware the hanging was imminent, Stanzel said.

The White House issued a statement praising the Iraqi people for giving Hussein a fair trial.

"Fair trials were unimaginable under Saddam Hussein's tyrannical rule," Bush's statement read. "It is a testament to the Iraqi people's resolve to move forward after decades of oppression that, despite his terrible crimes against his own people, Saddam Hussein received a fair trial." (Full story)

The execution took place outside the heavily fortified Green Zone, Rubaie said, and no Americans were present.

"It was an Iraqi operation from A to Z," he said. "The Americans were not present during the hour of the execution. They weren't even in the building."

He added that "there were no Shiite or Sunni clerics present, only the witnesses and those who carried out the actual execution were present."

Hussein was hanged for his role in the 1982 Dujail massacre, in which 148 Iraqis were killed after a failed assassination attempt against the then-Iraqi president. (Watch what happened in Dujail )

Two other co-defendants -- Barzan Hassan, Hussein's half-brother, and Awwad Bandar, the former chief judge of the Revolutionary Court -- were also found guilty and had been expected to face execution with Hussein, but Rubaie said their executions were postponed.

"We chose to postpone Barzan and Awwad's execution to a later date because we wanted to have this day to have an historic distinction," he said. "We wanted to have one specific date for Saddam so people remember this date to be linked to Saddam's execution and nothing else."

Rubaie said the execution was videotaped and photographed extensively from the time Hussein was transferred from U.S. to Iraqi custody until he was dead.

Many of those who witnessed the execution celebrated in the aftermath.

"Saddam's body is in front me," said an official in the prime minister's office when CNN telephoned. "It's over."

In the background, Shiite chanting could be heard. When asked about the chanting, the official said, "These are employees of the prime minister's office and government chanting in celebration." (Watch what Hussein's death could mean in Iraq )

He said that celebrations broke out after Hussein was dead, and that there was "dancing around the body."

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki did not attend the execution, according to an adviser to the prime minister who was interviewed on state television.

"It's a very solemn moment for me," Feisal Istrabadi, Iraq's U.N. ambassador, said on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360." "I can understand why some of my compatriots may be cheering. I have friends whose particular people I can think of who have lost 10, 15, 20 members of their family, more.

"But for me, it's a moment really of remembrance of the victims of Saddam Hussein."

Friday evening, a U.S. district judge refused a request to stay the execution.

Attorney Nicholas Gilman said in an application for a restraining order, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington, that a stay would allow Hussein "to be informed of his rights and take whatever action he can and may wish to pursue."

Munir Haddad, a judge on the appeals court that upheld the former dictator's death sentence, called Gilman's filing "rubbish," and said, "It will not delay carrying out the sentence," which he called "final."

Throughout the day, there were conflicting reports about who had custody of Hussein. Giovanni di Stefano, one of Hussein's defense attorneys, told CNN the U.S. military officially informed him that the former Iraqi dictator had been transferred to Iraqi custody, but that the move in U.S. court could have meant that Hussein was back in U.S. custody.

There had been speculation that Hussein would be executed before Eid Al-Adha -- a holiday period that means Feast of the Sacrifice, celebrated by Muslims around the world at the climax of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. The law does not permit executions to be carried out during religious holidays.

Eid began Saturday for Sunnis and begins Sunday for Shiites. It lasts for four days. Hussein was a Sunni Muslim.

Meeting with half-brothers
Another defense lawyer, Badie Aref, told CNN that Hussein met with two of his half-brothers in his cell on Thursday and passed on messages and instructions to his family.

"President Saddam was just bracing for the worst, so he wanted to see his brothers and pass on some messages and instructions to his family," Aref said. The half brothers who visited were Sabawi and Wathban Ibrahim Hassan al-Tikriti, he said.

He never asked to see anyone else -- not even his wife, said his lawyers. She was the mother of his five children.

Aref said the U.S. soldiers guarding Hussein on Tuesday took away a radio he kept in his cell so he could not hear news reports about his death sentence, which was confirmed that day.

"They did not want him to hear the news from the appeals court upholding the sentence," he said. "They gave him back the radio on Wednesday."

Aref said Saddam found out about the appeals court verdict "a few hours after it was announced."

Crimes against humanity
Hussein was convicted on November 5 of crimes against humanity in connection with the killings of 148 people in the town of Dujail after an attempt on his life.

The dictator was found guilty of murder, torture and forced deportation.

The Dujail episode falls within 12 of the worst cases out of 500 documented "baskets of crimes" during the Hussein regime.

The U.S. State Department says torture and extrajudicial killings followed the Dujail killings and that 550 men, women and children were arrested without warrants.

CNN's Aneesh Raman, Arwa Damon, Ryan Chilcote, Sam Dagher, Jomana Karadsheh and Ed Henry contributed to this report.

[spurschick]

"President Bush called the execution 'an important milestone' for Iraq."

Well thanks there, Capt. Obvious.

[RashoFan]

"President Bush called the execution 'an important milestone' for Iraq."

Well thanks there, Capt. Obvious.
I think it is Commander(in Chief) Obvious....

[angel_luv]

I think it is Commander(in Chief) Obvious....


:lol

[Saddam's Ghost]

Actually, they executed one of my many doubles, so I'm sipping pina coladas and blogging from RashoFan's house :eyebrows

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/2214/f473f90b79d4480d8029674hf7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

** FILE ** Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, left, sits alongside British hostage Stuart Lockwood in this Aug. 23, 1990 file photo made from Iraqi television. Clutching a Quran and refusing a hood, Saddam Hussein went to the gallows before sunrise Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006 executed by vengeful countrymen after a quarter-century of remorseless brutality that killed countless thousands and led Iraq into disastrous wars against the United States and Iran. (AP Photo)

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Saddam Hussein Executed for War Crimes
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) _ Clutching a Quran and refusing a hood, Saddam Hussein went to the gallows before sunrise Saturday, executed by vengeful countrymen after a quarter-century of remorseless brutality that killed countless thousands and led Iraq into disastrous wars against the United States and Iran. In Baghdad's Shiite enclave of Sadr City, people danced in the streets while others fired guns in the air to celebrate the former dictator's death. The government did not impose a round-the-clock curfew as it did last month when Saddam was convicted to thwart any surge in retaliatory violence.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/5176/9ea522843f72444abcdbf98tu5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

** FILE ** Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, left, pats British hostage Stuart Lockwood on the head in this Aug. 23, 1990 file photo made from Iraqi television. Clutching a Quran and refusing a hood, Saddam Hussein went to the gallows before sunrise Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006 executed by vengeful countrymen after a quarter-century of remorseless brutality that killed countless thousands and led Iraq into disastrous wars against the United States and Iran. (AP Photo)

[RashoFan]

Actually, they executed one of my many doubles, so I'm sipping pina coladas and blogging from RashoFan's house :eyebrows
Don't you wish....Let me call my BF and get one of his gun's....

[Saddam's Ghost]

his gun's what? :eyebrows

[RashoFan]

If he has a glock...you are gonna get shot....

[Saddam's Ghost]

so what? i'm a ghost!

[AFE7FATMAN]

so what? i'm a ghost!

If your trial had been here in America you would still be alive because the
liberal judge would have ruled that you cannot kill a criminally insane man and therefore you must be rehabilitated before you could be put to death.

[T Park]

I for one am happy they whent in and got this guy.

I for one am happy that hes now dead.


Why does Bush have to be up for this? Again?

[Condemned 2 HelLA]

wow...Saddam was born April 19th....Gives us Aries a bad name...

Wasn't Hitler born on April 20th?
Talk about a pair to draw to!

[AFE7FATMAN]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eat-the-press/Saddam%20execution%20on%20Fox.jpg

The video has been released to certain news agencies, and Fox has put it up, freezing it before the critical moment. The video, with Arabic writing on the screen, shows Saddam in a long black overcoat being walked, handcuffed, to the gallows by about four or five men wearing black balaclavas.

The rope is huge and thick - the noose is enormous - and one man holds a black cloth around Saddam's neck before the noose is placed around it. Saddam is not fighting back, and does not seem to be reacting, really, either way, though at one point he does have an exchange with the hangman.

Two men put the noose around his neck, and tightened. At this point the videotape freezes; according to Fox it seems that they received the video that way, frozen at that moment. They are replaying continuously; it last for about 45 seconds. It showed at approximately 3:55 a.m.



http://www.foxnews.com/images/root_images/saddam_hanged_graphic.jpg

[phyzik]

I hope the reports are wrong that it was quick.... the motherfucker deserved to struggle and squirm like a fish out of water.

Now can we please get fucking Osama, cut off his balls and drag him through the streets of New York allowing everyone to beat the shit out of him before we finally cut his throat at the Twin Towers?

[RS189]

They didn't show him dieing bc it was a setup and he's still alive! those bastards :dramaquee

[RashoFan]

Now can we please get fucking Osama, cut off his balls and drag him through the streets of New York allowing everyone to beat the shit out of him before we finally cut his throat at the Twin Towers?
I like that...but I would like to see him dragged through NY by a Fire Truck, a police Squad car and an Ambulance.

[ZStomp]

wow...Saddam was born April 19th....Gives us Aries a bad name...

mysa.com says he was born on April 23, 1937

[ZStomp]

http://www.liveleak.com/saddam1.html

This is the best one I've found but it doesn't show the actual hanging.

[boutons_]

'an important milestone'

dubya misspeaks again. Saddam/Iraq is a fatal, legacy-trashing, important MILLstone around dubya's neck.

Some TV talking head regretted Saddam's hasty demise, because Saddam in his defense statements revealed a lot details about the specific events he was accused of.

If Saddam had be repeatedly tried for other alleged massacres, the idea is that more details would have emerged. The details would have perhaps allowed other miscreants to have been captured. The formal establishment/admission that events actually happened would have helped the Iraqis face down the devilishness.

On legal grounds, it was apparently a pretty shitty, shabby legal procedure, consistent with the profound shittiness of the Iraqi government, which is no surprise, being spawned by a shitty govt in Wash DC and its shitty, bogus war.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

http://www.newseum.org/frontpages

Hanging Video - FoxNews (video freezes before final moment) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0kMo6WEDEE)

Saddam's Body - Iraqi TV (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvPqDXpO_oA)

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Holy shit. Honolulu ran the screencap over the fold.

PDF - http://www.newseum.org/media/dfp/pdf30/HI_HA.pdf

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

SAEN - PDF

http://images.mysanantonio.com/aboutus/expressnews/pdf/SAEN_12-30-2006_01A_Metro.pdf

[RashoFan]

thanks for the links JB.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

'an important milestone'

dubya misspeaks again. Saddam/Iraq is a fatal, legacy-trashing, important MILLstone around dubya's neck.

Some TV talking head regretted Saddam's hasty demise, because Saddam in his defense statements revealed a lot details about the specific events he was accused of.

If Saddam had be repeatedly tried for other alleged massacres, the idea is that more details would have emerged. The details would have perhaps allowed other miscreants to have been captured. The formal establishment/admission that events actually happened would have helped the Iraqis face down the devilishness.

On legal grounds, it was apparently a pretty shitty, shabby legal procedure, consistent with the profound shittiness of the Iraqi government, which is no surprise, being spawned by a shitty govt in Wash DC and its shitty, bogus war.

Poor boutons, he lost his role model today... don't worry, you've still got Osama and Ahmadinidumbass left to look up to.

[ZStomp]

thanks for the links JB.


why not me?

[RashoFan]

Sorry Stomp, I must have skimmed past your link. My apologies to the Man in Blue. :cop

[ALVAREZ6]

Killing one piece of shit doesn't change much, but I'm glad the dude's dead.

[spurschick]

Holy shit. Honolulu ran the screencap over the fold.

Mad props to my peeps...

[E20]

I'm suprised this thread got past post 1.

[Burn531]

Here's the actual hanging video (http://www.uselessjunk.com/article_full.php?id=13970). Crappy quality though.

[Pistons < Spurs]

:tu

I hope there is a better version released at some point

[The Pied Piper]

Wow.

So odd to see a pre-meditated death in actual film.

[E20]

Saddam's quite the trash talker:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061231/ap_on_re_mi_ea/saddam

[kobe_bryant]

Full Hanging (http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-8530694302018532382&q=saddam+hussein+execution+video)

[angel_luv]

What a wasted life Saddam led. All that brilliance and influence he misued and abused. It really is a shame.

[GhostBusters]

I guess Saddam's ghost was recalled back to hell...:devil



We need some information, Miss "RashoFan". We heard you've been hanging with Saddam.

[Clandestino]

What a wasted life Saddam led. All that brilliance and influence he misued and abused. It really is a shame.

what brilliance?

[Bob Lanier]

The way that was carried out is truly fucked up. I don't hold much sympathy for the religious, and especially not the secular who are finding religion on the gallows, but it wouldn't have killed anyone to let him finish his prayer. And the taunting about going to hell... ugh. There's something to be said for human decency, even towards those who have none.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

The way that was carried out is truly fucked up. I don't hold much sympathy for the religious, and especially not the secular who are finding religion on the gallows, but it wouldn't have killed anyone to let him finish his prayer. And the taunting about going to hell... ugh. There's something to be said for human decency, even towards those who have none.

thank you


while this man was by all means a tyrant, this was not how justice should've been served

I thought this article, if somewhat biased, brings up some good points about Saddam

I think he should've gotten life imprisonment (but I don't believe in capital punishment)

I think boutons nailed it on the head as well




and here's the article....




THE LIVING MARTYR

By Malcom Lagauche

The decision to uphold the death sentence of Saddam Hussein by the sham Iraqi appeals court has gained worldwide condemnation, except for the U.S., of course. The court took two days to read 1,500 pages of documents presented by the defense. No court in the world can decipher this number of pages in such a short time, not even a legitimate court.

No one was surprised by the verdict against Saddam because of the knowledge this was a foregone conclusion. However, the court outdid itself by ruling on the Iraqi vice president, Ramadan. He was sentenced to life in prison, but the appeals court took it upon itself to change the sentence to death, even though his case was not on the docket.

From the time Saddam first set foot in court until today, the entire system was stacked against him and conducted so many breaches of the law that it would take an expert mathematician to give us a tally.

Dr. Curtis Doebbler, a noted international human rights attorney, was on Saddam’s legal team from the start. I spoke to him today to get his opinion on the appeals court decision. He stated:

We’re trying to point out that if an execution takes place, it will be an ex-judicial, arbitrary execution outside the law in violation of the law. It’s somewhat ironic that this individual who will be executed has proven to have much more integrity than the individuals who are executing him, including the U.S. president who exhibits more evidence that he has committed crimes against the Iraqi people than there was against the president of Iraq in the first trial in which he was brought before the U.S.-created court and there has still has been no investigation of the U.S. president.

As you’ve seen the Iraqi president has maintained his dignity and also maintained his peace of mind in belief that he personifies the will of the Iraq people to continue to fight against this occupation, which they believe, and the majority of the international community believes, is illegal and the consequence of the illegal invasion of Iraq.

It’s quite a sad day, I think, for international justice and, unfortunately, an another example of how the United States is unwilling to conform with international law; to show respect for international law. What hurts me most, as an American, is that we’re the ones who benefit the most from respecting that law. When we set this example, we essentially tell people that the law cannot be used to try to get the United States to respect their rights. They have to use other means. That’s what got us into many of the problems that we’re in today.

Almost everybody in the U.S. is in the lynching mood. Pundits are frothing at the mouth while they discuss the upcoming execution. There is a collective air of insanity today in the U.S. Even former anti-war proponents are cheering on the future execution. Many Democratic politicians have said they were happy about the decision and that Saddam "deserves" it. Not one, however, has discussed the legality or the fairness of his trial.

Leftist journalists are trying to outdo each other in demeaning Saddam. Not only are they talking about his "brutal dictatorship," they are making up even new fables of atrocities committed under his regime.

I challenge all journalists who advocate the hanging of Saddam Hussein to take a few hours and research reality.

The standard figure of deaths attributed to the Ba’ath regime during the Anfal campaign is 182,000. Why have there not been any bodies found? If 182,000 people were killed, there must be piles and piles of bodies, yet none has appeared.

If 148 people were sentenced to death in 1982 for attempting to assassinate the president of Iraq, why are at least 24 still alive? And, those who were executed received a lengthy and fair trial that lasted about three years. They were fighting on the side of Iran while Iraq was engaged in a war with its eastern neighbor. In the U.S., this would be considered high treason. With Saddam Hussein, it was called mass murder. George Bush himself signed off more execution orders while the governor of Texas than did Saddam in the Dujail case.

If Iraqi military personnel gassed and killed 5,000 Kurds in Halabjah, why were only 300 bodies found? And, why was the gas used to kill the citizens cyanogen, a gas that Iraq did not possess but Iran did? Why have the CIA, the U.S. Army War College, Greenpeace, the main CIA analyst in 1988 (Stephen Pellitiere), the late Jude Waniski, the U.S Marine Corps Historical Report, and various other individuals and organizations blamed Iran for the gassing of the Kurds?

Why has not one Iraqi come forward and stated he was part of the gassing campaign? Today, with the Ba’athists out of power, one cannot use the excuse that no one would step forward because of threats of death from the Ba’ath administration. Huge sums of money have been offered for someone to state that he knew about or was part of the gassing: a pilot, or a supply specialist, or an observer, anyone. Not one person has emerged to claim the bounty.

In November 2003, the U.S. stated that 400,000 bodies were found in mass graves in the south of Iraq. The following June, Tony Blair admitted to the press that only 5,000 bodies were found. He "mis-spoke" when he used the original figure of 400,000. Subsequent investigations showed that many of the 5,000 were killed by U.S. bombs in Desert Storm. Why has no one taken the ball and run with this story?

I have reported extensively on the above anomalies. Unfortunately, few others have. To me, investigating and disproving accepted myths are the marks of an astute journalists.

No, today we still hear all the beastly acts attributed to Saddam Hussein from the mouths of people who should know better. Many people have stated that George Bush has lied about everything to do with Iraq: weapons of mass destruction; the Bin-Laden/Saddam link; the Iraqi involvement with 9-11; the fictitious biological weapons trailers; the imprisonment of an American POW since 1991; etc. Yet, the same people broadcast the myths about Saddam Hussein’s barbaric actions. I again issue a challenge to the leftist press: Please explain if Bush has lied about everything, why is he telling the truth about Saddam’s brutality? That’s a hard one for the pundits to answer. For someone with any amount of intelligence and logic, it is easy: Bush lied about Saddam as well.

Here are a few questions that are not heard today, but should be crucial in discussing Iraq:

Why don’t we hear about Iraq being designated "free of illiteracy" by the U.N. in 1982, when in 1973 the country’s literacy rate was below 40%?

Why don’t we hear about the proclamation of the U.N. in 1984 that Iraq’s education system was the finest the world had ever seen from a developing country?

Why don’t we hear about the New York Times calling Iraq the "Paris of the Middle East" in 1987?

Why don’t we hear about Saddam Hussein visiting houses in the south of Iraq in the 1970s just to make sure each one had a refrigerator and electricity?

Why don’t we hear about the several million foreign Arabs who went to Iraq to take advantage of the land program the Ba’athists instituted in which the person would be given land to create crops?

Why don’t we hear about the Iraqi educators and doctors who were sent to Arab countries to assist them in developing their own programs?

Why don’t we hear praise from Arab countries for Iraq having lost so many soldiers in the Iran-Iraq War, all for the defense of these countries who were scared about Iran exporting its religious fundamentalism to their shores?

Why don’t we hear about the several approaches made to Saddam in the 1990s by U.S. sources to recognize Israel and allow U.S. military bases in Iraq in trade for lifting the embargo?

Why don’t we hear that every U.S. person on the U.N. inspection team from 1991 to 1998 was a spy, not an inspector?

The list could go on and on. In my upcoming book, The Mother of All Battles: The Endless U.S.-Iraq War, I go into detail about these and other matters left untouched by the cliché-ridden, myopic and gullible media.

The current scenario just does not make sense. The people who lied through their teeth (Bush, Cheney, Rice, Bremer, Powell, Rumsfeld, et al) and stole tens of billions of dollars that belonged to the country of Iraq, are proudly speaking of creating a new Middle East or conducting booksigning tours for their memoirs. The results of their lies led to the killing of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis; a cost of about a trillion dollars so far to the U.S. public; and the destruction of a country’s culture and infrastructure. Even the history of Iraq has been re-written by people in Washington D.C.

On the other hand, the guy with the moustache who told the truth about all the lies and adhered to the U.N. request for inspections, as well as supplied a 12,000-page report that documented in detail every aspect of Iraq’s former WMD programs, sits in a jail cell awaiting execution. Something is fundamentally wrong when things can get so far out of hand.

Today, Saddam Hussein is the freest man in Iraq, although he is behind bars. His mind is clear and his integrity is nothing short of incredible. He awaits death with dignity. Not once has he cracked under torture or pressure. Even when offered a "get out of jail free" card by the U.S. if he stopped the resistance, Saddam refused to capitulate.

Other leaders, such as Ghadaffi and Noriega did succumb to U.S. pressure. Ghadaffi, once a revolutionary, today is nothing more than the head inspector of the transfer of his country’s oil to the capitalist giants. He no longer has a grand view of society. He may not be in jail, but he is a slave.

Noriega quickly began singing when the U.S. put on the pressure. He admitted to trafficking in drugs, despite the U.S. being his partner. And, he made a big deal of stating that he had found Jesus after he was incarcerated. He is a slave behind bars.

Saddam Hussein is not a slave, although his incarceration keeps him imprisoned. He is not allowed to see his family, unless, like his sons and grandson, they are shot to death with hundreds of bullets. The U.S. prides itself on "family values," but not for foreign individuals. A U.S. family is sacred, but an Iraqi family is merely cannon fodder.

On January 17, 1991, Saddam Hussein proclaimed to the world, "The mother of all battles has just begun." Despite two U.S. presidents declaring victory over Iraq with a New York parade and a U.S. aircraft carrier celebration, the mother of all battles now roars more fiercely than ever.

In about three weeks, it will be the 16th anniversary of the beginning of the bombing of Iraq. Despite U.S. denials and proclamations, the battle still rages. The bombing did not stop with the signing of a cease-fire agreement on March 2, 1991. It continued until March 2003 from the illegal "no-fly" zones the U.S. created.

Soon, Saddam Hussein will be hanged. He will be dead, but his legacy will not only survive him, it will be enhanced. The mother of all battles is a long way from being terminated.



and once again, I do think Saddam was an awful human being who deserves to be punished, but there's a reason why most countries outside north america are condemning this execution

[Bob Lanier]

I think he should've gotten life imprisonment (but I don't believe in capital punishment)
Let me make myself clear: I couldn't care less about the punishment. That he would be killed was a foregone conclusion from the day the Americans elected their current president, and Saddam wasn't someone who particularly deserved to go on living.

But this proceeding was completely, disgustingly undignified; it was more a lynch mob or a revenge spectacle than a modern act of law. It reminded me greatly of the beheading of that American journalist a few years back, except with even less respect for the humanity of the condemned.

That's all I have to say about it: as an aesthetic experience it left something to be desired. But it's the Americans' puppet government and their executioners; I guess it's up to them to kill as they see fit.

[angel_luv]

what brilliance?

It takes intelligence to cause as much havoc as he did- takes plotting, strategy. leadership and persuasion of those who worked with him etc.
Those giftings could have been put to good use... unfortunately they were used to ruin lives instead of better them.

[Clandestino]

thank you


while this man was by all means a tyrant, this was not how justice should've been served

I thought this article, if somewhat biased, brings up some good points about Saddam

I think he should've gotten life imprisonment (but I don't believe in capital punishment)

I think boutons nailed it on the head as well




and here's the article....




THE LIVING MARTYR

By Malcom Lagauche

The decision to uphold the death sentence of Saddam Hussein by the sham Iraqi appeals court has gained worldwide condemnation, except for the U.S., of course. The court took two days to read 1,500 pages of documents presented by the defense. No court in the world can decipher this number of pages in such a short time, not even a legitimate court.

No one was surprised by the verdict against Saddam because of the knowledge this was a foregone conclusion. However, the court outdid itself by ruling on the Iraqi vice president, Ramadan. He was sentenced to life in prison, but the appeals court took it upon itself to change the sentence to death, even though his case was not on the docket.

From the time Saddam first set foot in court until today, the entire system was stacked against him and conducted so many breaches of the law that it would take an expert mathematician to give us a tally.

Dr. Curtis Doebbler, a noted international human rights attorney, was on Saddam’s legal team from the start. I spoke to him today to get his opinion on the appeals court decision. He stated:

We’re trying to point out that if an execution takes place, it will be an ex-judicial, arbitrary execution outside the law in violation of the law. It’s somewhat ironic that this individual who will be executed has proven to have much more integrity than the individuals who are executing himyou have got to be fucking kidding me!, including the U.S. president who exhibits more evidence that he has committed crimes against the Iraqi people than there was against the president of Iraq in the first trial in which he was brought before the U.S.-created court and there has still has been no investigation of the U.S. president.

As you’ve seen the Iraqi president has maintained his dignity and also maintained his peace of mind in belief that he personifies the will of the Iraq people to continue to fight against this occupation, which they believe, and the majority of the international community believes, is illegal and the consequence of the illegal invasion of Iraq.

It’s quite a sad day, I think, for international justice and, unfortunately, an another example of how the United States is unwilling to conform with international law; to show respect for international law. What hurts me most, as an Americanthe author is not a real american, is that we’re the ones who benefit the most from respecting that law. When we set this example, we essentially tell people that the law cannot be used to try to get the United States to respect their rights. They have to use other means. That’s what got us into many of the problems that we’re in today.

Almost everybody in the U.S. is in the lynching mood. Pundits are frothing at the mouth while they discuss the upcoming execution. There is a collective air of insanity today in the U.S. Even former anti-war proponents are cheering on the future execution. Many Democratic politicians have said they were happy about the decision and that Saddam "deserves" it. Not one, however, has discussed the legality or the fairness of his trial.

Leftist journalists are trying to outdo each other in demeaning Saddam. Not only are they talking about his "brutal dictatorship," they are making up even new fables of atrocities committed under his regime.

I challenge all journalists who advocate the hanging of Saddam Hussein to take a few hours and research reality.

The standard figure of deaths attributed to the Ba’ath regime during the Anfal campaign is 182,000. Why have there not been any bodies found?honestly??? is this dude fucking kidding. tons of mass graves were found. fuck, we have video footage of his atocities. If 182,000 people were killed, there must be piles and piles of bodies, yet none has appeared.

If 148 people were sentenced to death in 1982 for attempting to assassinate the president of Iraq, why are at least 24 still alive? And, those who were executed received a lengthy and fair trial that lasted about three years. They were fighting on the side of Iran while Iraq was engaged in a war with its eastern neighbor. In the U.S., this would be considered high treason. With Saddam Hussein, it was called mass murder. George Bush himself signed off more execution orders while the governor of Texas than did Saddam in the Dujail case.

If Iraqi military personnel gassed and killed 5,000 Kurds in Halabjah, why were only 300 bodies found? And, why was the gas used to kill the citizens cyanogen, a gas that Iraq did not possess but Iran did? Why have the CIA, the U.S. Army War College, Greenpeace, the main CIA analyst in 1988 (Stephen Pellitiere), the late Jude Waniski, the U.S Marine Corps Historical Report, and various other individuals and organizations blamed Iran for the gassing of the Kurds?

Why has not one Iraqi come forward and stated he was part of the gassing campaign? Today, with the Ba’athists out of power, one cannot use the excuse that no one would step forward because of threats of death from the Ba’ath administration. Huge sums of money have been offered for someone to state that he knew about or was part of the gassing: a pilot, or a supply specialist, or an observer, anyone. Not one person has emerged to claim the bounty.

In November 2003, the U.S. stated that 400,000 bodies were found in mass graves in the south of Iraq. The following June, Tony Blair admitted to the press that only 5,000 bodies were found. He "mis-spoke" when he used the original figure of 400,000. Subsequent investigations showed that many of the 5,000 were killed by U.S. bombs in Desert Storm. Why has no one taken the ball and run with this story?

I have reported extensively on the above anomalies. Unfortunately, few others have. To me, investigating and disproving accepted myths are the marks of an astute journalists.

No, today we still hear all the beastly acts attributed to Saddam Hussein from the mouths of people who should know better. Many people have stated that George Bush has lied about everything to do with Iraq: weapons of mass destruction; the Bin-Laden/Saddam link; the Iraqi involvement with 9-11; the fictitious biological weapons trailers; the imprisonment of an American POW since 1991; etc. Yet, the same people broadcast the myths about Saddam Hussein’s barbaric actions. I again issue a challenge to the leftist press: Please explain if Bush has lied about everything, why is he telling the truth about Saddam’s brutality? That’s a hard one for the pundits to answer. For someone with any amount of intelligence and logic, it is easy: Bush lied about Saddam as well.

Here are a few questions that are not heard today, but should be crucial in discussing Iraq:

Why don’t we hear about Iraq being designated "free of illiteracy" by the U.N. in 1982, when in 1973 the country’s literacy rate was below 40%?

Why don’t we hear about the proclamation of the U.N. in 1984 that Iraq’s education system was the finest the world had ever seen from a developing country?

Why don’t we hear about the New York Times calling Iraq the "Paris of the Middle East" in 1987?

Why don’t we hear about Saddam Hussein visiting houses in the south of Iraq in the 1970s just to make sure each one had a refrigerator and electricity?

Why don’t we hear about the several million foreign Arabs who went to Iraq to take advantage of the land program the Ba’athists instituted in which the person would be given land to create crops?

Why don’t we hear about the Iraqi educators and doctors who were sent to Arab countries to assist them in developing their own programs?

Why don’t we hear praise from Arab countries for Iraq having lost so many soldiers in the Iran-Iraq War, all for the defense of these countries who were scared about Iran exporting its religious fundamentalism to their shores?

Why don’t we hear about the several approaches made to Saddam in the 1990s by U.S. sources to recognize Israel and allow U.S. military bases in Iraq in trade for lifting the embargo?

Why don’t we hear that every U.S. person on the U.N. inspection team from 1991 to 1998 was a spy, not an inspector?

The list could go on and on. In my upcoming book, The Mother of All Battles: The Endless U.S.-Iraq War, I go into detail about these and other matters left untouched by the cliché-ridden, myopic and gullible media.

The current scenario just does not make sense. The people who lied through their teeth (Bush, Cheney, Rice, Bremer, Powell, Rumsfeld, et al) and stole tens of billions of dollars that belonged to the country of Iraq, are proudly speaking of creating a new Middle East or conducting booksigning tours for their memoirs. The results of their lies led to the killing of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis; a cost of about a trillion dollars so far to the U.S. public; and the destruction of a country’s culture and infrastructure. Even the history of Iraq has been re-written by people in Washington D.C.

On the other hand, the guy with the moustache who told the truth about all the lies and adhered to the U.N. request for inspections, as well as supplied a 12,000-page report that documented in detail every aspect of Iraq’s former WMD programs, sits in a jail cell awaiting execution. Something is fundamentally wrong when things can get so far out of hand.

Today, Saddam Hussein is the freest man in Iraq, although he is behind bars. His mind is clear and his integrity is nothing short of incredible.???? crazy psycho author He awaits death with dignity. Not once has he cracked under torture or pressure. Even when offered a "get out of jail free" card by the U.S. if he stopped the resistance, Saddam refused to capitulate.

Other leaders, such as Ghadaffi and Noriega did succumb to U.S. pressure. Ghadaffi, once a revolutionary, today is nothing more than the head inspector of the transfer of his country’s oil to the capitalist giants. He no longer has a grand view of society. He may not be in jail, but he is a slave.

Noriega quickly began singing when the U.S. put on the pressure. He admitted to trafficking in drugs, despite the U.S. being his partner. And, he made a big deal of stating that he had found Jesus after he was incarcerated. He is a slave behind bars.

Saddam Hussein is not a slave, although his incarceration keeps him imprisoned. He is not allowed to see his family, unless, like his sons and grandson, they are shot to death with hundreds of bullets. The U.S. prides itself on "family values," but not for foreign individuals. A U.S. family is sacred, but an Iraqi family is merely cannon fodder.

On January 17, 1991, Saddam Hussein proclaimed to the world, "The mother of all battles has just begun." Despite two U.S. presidents declaring victory over Iraq with a New York parade and a U.S. aircraft carrier celebration, the mother of all battles now roars more fiercely than ever.

In about three weeks, it will be the 16th anniversary of the beginning of the bombing of Iraq. Despite U.S. denials and proclamations, the battle still rages. The bombing did not stop with the signing of a cease-fire agreement on March 2, 1991. It continued until March 2003 from the illegal "no-fly" zones the U.S. created.

Soon, Saddam Hussein will be hanged. He will be dead, but his legacy will not only survive him, it will be enhanced. The mother of all battles is a long way from being terminated.



and once again, I do think Saddam was an awful human being who deserves to be punished, but there's a reason why most countries outside north america are condemning this execution

malcolm lagauche must be the pen name of the former iraqi information minister

[ALVAREZ6]

http://break.com/index/graphic_saddam_hussein_hanging_video.html

I don't know if this is the same one as already posted, but whatever.

[Duff McCartney]

It's good to see justice served...and that it is 19th century frontier justice.

Personally, I don't really see what this is gonna do. Are we gonna find solice in all the people that have died just to add another? What is that gonna accomplish?

I'd feel better if we moved on to other scumbags that deserve to die like Charles G Taylor or all the other African tyrants that control their respective countries with brutality and corruption of innocent people. Or the warlords that are tearing up Somalia, or the President of the Sudan.

[Billy Cobham]

FYI: Americans didn't execute Saddam. Iraqis did. Too bad some people don't realize this.