Saddam Hussein

[Metallifold]

That is quite possibly the most despicable post I have ever seen at this forum. You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself for likening the two or even suggesting that there are "striking and obvious" similarities between the President of the United States and the world's most notorious dictator.

Dear god man, Leighton you can't be serious! You just can't be. I mean, I've seen you taking on any discussion you can, seemingly just for getting an opportunity to fight. Where you, Leighton, have gone now is way to far. I am reporting you.

[FBM]

My English/ American is very bad, and I can't really ad it to the disscusion, but I think it's not good to say "You killed so many people, now you gonna die".
Man, they who choose Saddams future, so it's the death, aren't way better than him. Saddam is a, well with my english, let's say "bad guy", I hope you know what i mean, but killing him doesn't make sense for me, Good that the death sentence (death sentence, what ever 'Todesstrafe' is called in AE) doesn't exist in Germany.
Im against this.
Only god is allowed to take life of people.

[Speed Damage]

I don't know what you're trying to accomplish here Leighton...its one thing to have a political discussion, but comparing Bush to Hitler is just ridiculous, especially on non-political based board like this, and its only going to stir trouble in this topic thats not needed. Everyone here is entitled to a free opinion, but posting "shock value" comments like that doesn't help the discussion at all.

I'll leave the topic open so that hopefully some valid discussion can still continue about Saddam, but the staff will be watching it. Political discussions are always trouble...its no surprise why PPM and the Metallica Boards don't allow them.

[master of rehab]

As much as I dislike Bush, he is not Hitler. Hitler systematically killed 6 million jews, gays, gypsies etc for his purposes. Bush went into Iraq to finish what his dad and John Major (UK prime minister at the time) did not. Remember, Britain was the country who sent the SAS into kill Saddam in the first gulf war. They got caught (BA plane was destroyed), and hence you now have Andy McNabb and all his books (Bravo 2 zero). So aside from the Iraqis (The massacre Saddam was hung over), Britain was the first to try to assasinate him, not the US. People forget that.

Saddam controlled his country through fear, but when you see the chaos in the country without him, it shows Iraqs problems run very deep. Personally, I would not have executed him yet, because he could perhaps have helped to stabilize the country to an extent. Unfortunately, that is now the problem of the US and Britain. They removed him from power and they will have to try and fix the situation which will not be easy. Although I don't agree with the initial invasion, Saddam was not a nice guy, and people should spare a thought for all his victims.

[Leighton]

There are similarites. That's all I'm saying. If this "fuhrer" facet of the quote posted is the only thing that can even remotely be attacked then I guess there's no hope for some people. Seems some of you are getting hung up on numbers... as if the 600000+ Iraqi deaths are meaninless. That isn't the only way to compare shithouse leaders who seek to defer attention by starting unnecessary wars. After studying WW2 extensively through university I've got no need to be reminded of how bad humans can be, but that doesn't mean I'm going to not offer up my opinion having looked at both of them. We're supposed to learn from those times, not simply close our minds and let it happen again simply because it was so bad that it couldn't possibly happen again.

Getting back on topic though, it's interesting to see that people are getting more interested in the events leading up to the Saddam execution. I like the fact he was executed, but not the way it's been carried out. It hasn't come across as very professional and it seems Maliki has now admitted he ignored a vital part of his new constitution in getting his second in command to sign the final orders. Add to that the taunts of witnesses and gaurds and you've got a pretty shabby spectacle.

I'd also like to add that if you see the media endorsing his execution, ask them why, if it's so acceptable to kill a man this way, is it not OK to show it. I'm of the opinion that if it's good enough to call for his execution for years then it's good enough to show what you've been endorsing.

[master of rehab]

I can see where you are coming from Leighton, but that is as far as I am going to go.

Having watched the execution, I thought it was tasteless (Yes, I know watching it was as well, but I had my reasons). Despite what someone has done, you need to rise above them and at least let his death be respectable. That it was not. Lets be honest, it was pure vengeance. And now that he is gone, what will they next take their vengeance out on. Here comes the civil war.

[sorrowman]

I dunno. Saddam was a cruel man who did evil things, and he should be held responsible for it at that... but to hang him for it, it seems such a narrow-minded and last desperate measure kinda thing from a crumbling government of a country pretty much torn into pieces by what is pretty much a civil war at this point (kinda like, let's rush this 'cause we don't know where we ourselfs are gonna be tomorrow either).

I found the reports on his execution alone disgusting, no need to watch the full vid really. I found it especially worrying to find out the execution was carried out by what turns out to be a bunch of Al Saddr supporting radicals who supposedly were dancing and singing as he was making the drop, so reports a witness (so much for a fair trial, building up a working legal system and democracy over there)

Hell, even though I'm against death penalty it was pretty obvious what the outcome of his trial would be is it not. And since it's G.W.B. and his lot who went after him in the first place I think US should have trialed and executed him in stead of the Al Saddr supporting fukkerz who did it just now in a very disrespectful way (I think the way it went down just now doesn't exactly show that US is able to deal with what's going down in that country in general ATM) I think Donald Rumsfeld maybe should have opened the hatch under his feet (he's got plenty of time on his hands anyzwayz these days)

Overall I feel it's just a very very sad example of what mankind is capable of doing to eachother.

[Doin]

This is pretty fucked up.

Got the article from here:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/chi ... 59671.html

Children die mimicking Saddam hanging

Two boys have died while reportedly mimicking Saddam Hussein's execution, while a 15-year-old girl has committed suicide in response to the Iraqi dictator's hanging.

Police and family of the Indian girl, from the town of Kharda, said she had become depressed after seeing reports of Saddam's execution at the weekend.

"She said they had hanged a patriot," the girl's father, Manmohan Karmakar, told AFP by phone from the town of Kharda.

"We didn't take her seriously when she told us that she wanted to feel the pain Saddam did during the execution."

He said his daughter, called Moon Moon, had become extremely depressed after watching Saddam's execution on television.

"She kept watching the scene over and again and didn't take food on Saturday and Sunday to protest against the hanging," he said.

Police superintendent Pravin Kumar confirmed the suicide, saying the girl had strung herself up from a ceiling fan and was found dead early on Wednesday.

The communist-ruled state of West Bengal has condemned Saturday's execution of Saddam, with thousands of people taking to the streets.

A 10-year-old boy in the US accidentally hanged himself while apparently mimicking the execution of Saddam Hussein.

Sergio Pelico had watched a TV report about the former Iraqi President's death which included footage of the noose being placed around his neck.

The youngster, from Houston, Texas, was found dead in his room on New Year's Eve, having tied a slipknot around his neck while on a bunk bed.

Police said the death appeared to be accidental and that Sergio, described by relatives as a happy child who was very curious, had been "experimenting".

The day before, he had watched the news of Saddam's execution on TV with an uncle and asked why he was killed.

Another uncle, Julio Gustavo, told the Houston Chronicle: "His uncle told him it was because Saddam was real bad.

"He (Sergio) said 'OK'. And that was it."

He added: "I don't think he thought it was real.

"They showed them putting the noose around his neck and everything.

"Why show that on TV?"

Police Lieutenant Tom Claunch said: "It appears to be accidental.

"Our gut reaction is that he was experimenting."

California-based clinical psychologist Edward Bischof told the newspaper the boy might have been "modelling" or mimicking behaviour he saw on TV that he found interesting or exciting.

"I would think maybe this kid is trying something that he thinks fun to act out without having the emotional and psychological maturity to think the thing through before he acts on it," he said.

"Saddam Hussein was (shown) standing there with a noose around his neck probably a dozen times in an hour.

"This is a real case where TV appears to be a stimulant."

In Pakistan, another child, a nine-year-old boy, also reportedly died trying to copy the scenes from Saddam's execution video.

Mubashar Ali, helped by his 10-year-old sister, tied a rope to a ceiling fan and his neck.

Their father said the children had been watching the footage of the execution on TV.

Agencies