Self-censoring in regular news media resulted in readers flocking to the internet to find a complete video of Saddam Hussein’s execution. Here is the uncensored video, taken with a camera phone by one of the witnesses to Mr. Hussein’s hanging.
The video showed an undignified spectacle, with Mr. Hussein appearing more composed than his killers. I have no tears for Mr. Hussein; yet, I also have no respect for his executioners, who made the state-orchestrated execution appear like an assassination by thugs. And of course, our domestic television news just couldn’t bring themselves to show the end result of thousands of sacrificed American soldiers-one dictator falling to his death, his head twisted horribly to the side as he was swinging at the end of the rope.
Out of thousands of visitors viewing the video on my site, those visitors included CBS News, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security. After all, they couldn’t view what happened through any official channel. I guess 2006 will be remembered as the year when the blog world truly took over as the most important source for useful, uncensored reporting.
I don’t have any respect for a justice system which uses the death penalty. Killing is always barbaric, whether it takes place in Iraq or in the U.S. As for the Iraqi justice system, the puppets currently leading the country apparently made a late-night end run around the legal protections any prisoner is entitled to before his death, in order to quickly assassinate Mr. Hussein. This process speaks for itself.
The fact that the Americans held Mr. Hussein in captivity and turned him over after having been assured of the “legality,” of the decision, doesn’t make the spectacle any more palatable.
In the end, Mr. Bush caught and killed his father’s archenemy, under the thinly veiled guise of “justice.” Just as clearly Mr. Hussein, who has been the miniature Stalin of our time, deserved his fate. But, the whole affair leaves a bitter aftertaste.
The killing of Mr. Hussein doesn’t confirm that there is any justice. It simply confirms that whoever is in possession of raw power can do whatever he wants.
Welcome to 2007.
Peter Rost, M.D., is a former Vice President of Pfizer. He became well known in 2004 when he emerged as the first drug company executive to speak out in favor of reimportation of drugs. He is the author of “The Whistleblower, Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman.” See: http://the-whistleblower-by-peter-rost.blogspot.com/
