Saddam Captured: After The Interogation What Then?

[RT_1984]

I was wondering what people think should be done with Hussein after the debriefing. Some of the main options include: Iraqis trial under Iraqis law, US trial or international tribunal. And also, what sentence would you give him?

[Galahad]

I was wondering what people think should be done with Hussein. And also, what sentence would you give him?

I don't know.

All I know is that if his plea was ... "I'M NOT AN ANIMAL I'M A HUMAN BEING" ... I'd forgive him a lot.

After all, we make mistakes.

[Lost in Manitoba]

I think that was a joke......

What happens when/if a Yank soldier is captured and a trade demanded? Possible that it might happen. I think it would be awesome (and unlikely) if the Iraqi's wanted the international criminal court to handle it.

[Galahad]

I was wondering what people think should be done with Hussein after the debriefing.

Maybe we won't have to do anything with him...maybe he has his own plans.

Evidently during interrogation today they asked him if he wanted a glass of water.

He replied "No. If I take a glass of water then I will have to use the bathroom. How can I use the bathroom while my people are enslaved?".

How long can a guy last without taking a whizz?

[Galahad]

I think that was a joke......

How would you recognize one on this board?

[Michael Hardner]

He replied "No. If I take a glass of water then I will have to use the bathroom. How can I use the bathroom while my people are enslaved?".

This seems like a made-up quote.

[Goldie]

Let me get this straight.

The same people that want Iraq handed back to the Iraqis now want Saddam handed to the International community?

The International community washed their hands of this matter long ago. Hell, if it where up to them, Saddam and and Hans Blix would have their own sitcom on NBC.

This has been a coalition and Iraqi show from day one so leave it in their hands.

Internationalists can't have it both ways.

[Moderate Centrist]

I opposed the war in Iraq from day one and still have seen no justification for it. However, Saddam's fate should be decided by the coalition or the Iraqis themselves.

Since I oppose the death penalty Saddam should be imprisoned for life.

[Morgan]

Moderate Centrist said:

Since I oppose the death penalty Saddam should be imprisoned for life.

Your high brow values a)made you want Saddam's status quo to stay in power and also makes you want him to be kept alive inspite of the fact that he's a mass murderer and a genocidal maniac.

That's an amazing sentiment. I can't believe it.

Lost in Manitoba said:

I think it would be awesome (and unlikely) if the Iraqi's wanted the international criminal court to handle it.

Awesome??? An international court that's shown itself to be an ineffectual expensive object of ridicule....you think if the Iraqis could somehow pull themselves up and join the 21st sophisticates that rule the UN and see their way to handing over Saddam to these "deadbeats" like good bleeding hearts would do...you think that would be awesome...

Whatever.

Here's what I think. The interrogation should be handled by Israeli Mossad. Saddam paid homicide bombers' families to kill Israeli civilians...the Israelis should get a chance for pay back to Uncle Saddam.

And after Saddam is "debriefed" by the Mossad, then he should be handed over to the Iraqi government and they should decide how they want him extinguished from this planet, because that's what Saddam deserves. They should give the Kurds first dibs, then whatever is left of Saddam, the Shiites should get their wacks in too.

I hope the punishment is truly barbaric to send a loud and clear message to other Saddam wannabes that they should think twice about their ambitious plans

and to the other Arab tyrants that they'd better pack up their things and move along.

International court, my foot. Anyways, the international court's calendar is all booked up for the next 20 years dealing with Milosevic.

[Moderate Centrist]

Hi Morgan,

"Your high brow values ..."

Morgan

First I made no claims to values in my post - high brow or otherwise.

Second - with regards to Saddam and criminals in general - I do not care how severe their crimes, I do not support the death penalty under any circumstances. Please note I have no negative opinions on those that do - again I merely do not.

Third - I did not "want" Saddam to stay in power. I favored the status quo - the devil we know. The invasion of Iraq and the fall out has not settled yet.

I oppossed the war because Saddam was little or no threat to the United States as was confirmed by their own intelligence:

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/06...7/sprj.irq.wmd/

Despite things having gone fairly well for the US so far I see no reason to change my position.

Finally,

"I hope the punishment is truly barbaric ..."

Morgan

I find this a pretty amazing sentiment. Especially since the death penalty has no relation to crime deterence.

[Morgan]

Forgive me for interpreting your comments as being a tad bit sanctimonius.

But IMO, if ever there were cases to justify the use of capital punishment, Hitler, Stalin, Saddam Hussein are up there on the top 10 list.

As for not changing your opinion about Saddam being a threat to national/world security, no offense but you need to broaden your news reading to additional sources beyond what's offered by Ted Turner's bolshevic organization.

1. from the National Post, per Craig Read-Saddam's support of Al Qaeda

Documents link Baghdad to 9/11, National Post, Dec.15/03

2. Saddam's known cache of chemical and biological weaponry, including smallpox, per German intelligenceSaddam and biological.chemical weapons

3. Saddam fingered by Iraqi Lt. Colonel who had personal knowledge about Saddam's WMD

Lt Col al-Dabbagh states that Saddam could have unleashed WMD in less than 45 minutes

4.Saddam's missile deal with North Korea, Dec.02/02 ,The Scotsman

5. Saddam's sponsored terrorists' bombings of Israeli civilians Saddam gave $25,000 to the families of suicide bombers, $10,000 to the families of those killed in the intifada, and smaller sums to the wounded

If you still believe Uncle Saddam was an sweet old guy just minding his own beeswax in the confines of his palaces after reading the above cited articles, I would suggest you get your vision checked.

[kokanee]

Morgan, you have the right idea, but to be more specific, I believe the Butcher should:

1) Be subjected at length to vengeance by his victims, namely, the Iraqi and Israeli peoples. This should all be done in the public spotlight, with medical oversight to ensure his most painful survival for the next phase, i.e;

2) Be lightly armed and confined with his friends on the left, two or three at a time, say for a week, so they can get to know each other better. These would include the American Democrats and Canadian lib-left politicos who have been so supportive of him, as well as the rabid menopausal grandstanders such as Barbara Streisand and the Dixie Chicks (Svend would fit in both groups). This process could take years but should result in a better understanding of the consequences of their positions;

3) Be publicly and spectacularly executed, and interred in a hog’s carcass, facing Jerusalem. This would send a message to his Stone Age fellow Islamists that there are not 73 (or whatever) virgins waiting in heaven, only a lot of Virginians here on Earth.

Deterrent enough?

[Morgan]

Welcome, Kokanee.

I bow to the wisdom of your specificity re: deliverance of "justice" to ex-President Saddam Hussein. Wonderful ideas, and it's a win-win for all concerned.

a)I believe the Iraqis would agree with your ideas too. Here are some pictures of celebrating Iraqis, who would love to implement your ideas, no doubt:

Iraqis celebrating the capture of the Butcher of Baghdad, a.k.a. Uncle Saddam to the UN twits

B)I forgot to answer one last comment made by Moderate Centrist:

I find this a pretty amazing sentiment[re:Morgan's hope for a barbaric death penalty to be delivered to Saddam by Iraqis] Especially since the death penalty has no relation to crime deterence.

My, my, how easy it is for you to opine with such certainty from your cozy Canadian abode on how the death penalty for Saddam would not be a deterrent...

For starters, Saddam's death would mean he will no longer be around to authorize and financially support future attacks of murder. Even with his murderous keester in jail, Saddam would still be able to orchestrate and finance murders, not to mention that his tax supported upkeep in jail would demonstrate that criminals who committ atrocities are rewarded. No worries, just pass the steak, Saddam would tell his jailers and I need more back rubs, too.

Also, there's research done in the past 3 years that demonstrates that capital punishment of regular criminals, never mind mass murderer political leaders, has a deterent effect and protects lives. Err...I guess you haven't kept up with the research on this subject, Moderate Centrist:

Sept.23/03 Boston Globe Studies show that the death penalty has a deterence value

A recent study at the University of Colorado, for instance, finds "a statistically significant relationship between executions, pardons, and homicide. Specifically, each additional execution reduces homicides by five to six." A paper by three Emory University economists concludes: "Our results suggest that capital punishment has a strong deterrent effect. . . . In particular, each execution results, on average, in 18 fewer murders -- with a margin of error of plus or minus 10."Comparable results have been reached by scholars at the University of Houston, SUNY Buffalo, Clemson, and the Federal Communications Commission. All these studies have been published within the past three years. And all of them underscore an inescapable bottom line: The execution of murderers protects innocent life.

Statistics fail anti-death penalty activists

In pursuing their ideology at the expense of honest reporting, many journalists and political activists have perpetuated a number of myths about the death penalty, riddling the debate with shoddy statistics. Also, the positive consequences that the death penalty has in reducing crime should not be forgotten. During the last ten years, as the number of executions has increased, the number of murders has simultaneously dropped. Political Commentator William Tucker, in the National Review Online, remarks that even more interesting is the fact that "the most dramatic decline in murders over the last decade has been precisely in those regions that have had the most executions …. Since 1990, [Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas] have performed half the nation's executions … [and] murder rates in these four states have fallen faster than anywhere else in the country." 

Thirdly, perhaps it's time for new studies to be done on "deterrence" values of capital punishment...we should let the Iraqis conduct their own scientific data gathering to offset the bleeding hearts' research, starting with Saddam being sent to Allah, followed by captured Al Feyadeen operatives. Let's see perhaps 5 years from now, after all the "psychos" are committed to their graves, we can revisit your "no deterence" opinion and if terrorism rates have gone down in Iraq, I guess you are just plain wrong.

c) Btw, Moderate Centrist, I've read that Saddam was perhaps given up by his daughters...the ones whose husbands were murdered by Saddam...perhaps those women are finally relieved of their sorrow [revenge is sweet, Pappa, thank you for showing us the way...]

[Michael Hardner]

Considering all the trouble he caused, I think we should be paying more attention to how these despots come to power, and remain in power.

Often, it's the US who supports these people in order to serve some short-term interests.

Musharraf, in Pakistan, is a prime example. He's (supposedly) co-operating in the search for Bin Laden, so he's off the radar. But Pakistan has engaged in torture and harassment under his undemocratic rule.

The way some people go on about Saddam, you'd think he was the only world leader who tortured anyone.

That being said, I'm glad Saddam is in custody and I support the effort to try him in Iraq. Trying him in Israel would be ridiculous, of course. It would only serve to needlessly aggravate Arabs, and would work against US interests in the middle East.

[Communist_boy]

Isnt it interesting how this all started.

An attack on america, by saudia arabians, from afghanistan, who were connected to iraq and palestine. who maybe we should get rid of the people who caused all of this. if you look back in history im sure you american loving morons might be able to see how all of this happened.

The western world under the leadership of America screwed this world over pretty badly. Just a couple of people say covered in brass you couldnt tell they were human playing god with a pen and a map. Now they wanna get out the white out and erase all those mistakes they made a few generations back.

America helped start the ball rolling and untill those ignorant people can realize that they will be hit and hit hard.

So all that said, they should keep invading country after country removing the dicators they empowered, after all america is becoming over crowded and those terrorists need more motivation to heal that problem. lol

BTW, wheres bin laden and the former leader of afghanistan, you never hear about that disaster.

As for canada not joining, we have taken the job of the janitor, after the US goes in after screws up a place, we send men in to "maintain the peace" i find it funny that the americans talk about how we dont do enough, were to busy cleaning up their mess.

The world needs to remove the worst dictator its ever seen. George W Bush, you talk about people not even being elected, look at almost every president those hypocritical pigs have had, not many were elected by the people.

[Moderate Centrist]

Hi Morgan,

Before we get too far along on this death penalty thing you should know that I can not be convinced... ever. I am a death penalty opponent period.

I would not support it even for the following:

"But IMO, if ever there were cases to justify the use of capital punishment, Hitler, Stalin, Saddam Hussein are up there on the top 10 list."

Morgan

As for studies on it's value in deterence of crime, A it still doesn't convince me and B I can produce an equal number of studies refuting your claims. We can go back and forth like that for months if need be.

Also remember murder makes up a very small amount of crime anyway. I personally am not scared of being murdered as the chances of it happening to me are slim to none. So even if the death penalty did deter murder it has no effect on crime unless you take the following into consideration:

The easiest and fastest way to eliminate crime for those so concerned is to abandon civil rights, give the police and the law unlimited authority and institute the death penalty for all crimes regardless of severity.

To give Israel any say in the punishment or trial in Iraq would be a Foreign Policy nightmare.

Saddam's fate should be left to America, the Coalition and/or the Iraqis. They should reap the benefits of the war and occupation and accept the downfalls as well.

"Be subjected at length to vengeance by his victims, namely, the Iraqi and Israeli peoples. This should all be done in the public spotlight, with medical oversight to ensure his most painful survival for the next phase."

Kokanee

If I may be so bold this is a very disturbing comment but I'll grant it's passion and not reason.

I've been called a lefty on hear a number of times but despite that I really do believe our (the wests') political system is the best in the world.

It is therefore essential that we keep the moral highground. We can not allow vengence to enter our laws.

[Galahad]

He replied "No. If I take a glass of water then I will have to use the bathroom. How can I use the bathroom while my people are enslaved?".

This seems like a made-up quote.

It may be a "made up quote", but it wasn't made up by ME. One of CNN's corespondents in Iraq reported it yesterday.

It sort of ties in with the reports of high ranking military today that he's behaving like a "smartass".

[Galahad]

Musharraf, in Pakistan, is a prime example. He's (supposedly) co-operating in the search for Bin Laden, so he's off the radar. But Pakistan has engaged in torture and harassment under his undemocratic rule.

So you think that the US should do exactly WHAT with Pakistan?

Invade them & depose Musharraf?

Before or after Mugabe? Or Kim Jung Il?

A imperialist running dog's work is never done.

[Mr Farrius]

Hm. What'll happen after the interrogation? Well let's see... First they'll torture Saddam to get the rest of the high-ranking Iraqi operatives. Then they'll probably kill him (hanging, blowing up by a firing squad, torturing to death, one of those). After that, the Iraqis will have a great new leader and a great government set up directly by the United States.

[Michael Hardner]

So you think that the US should do exactly WHAT with Pakistan?

Invade them & depose Musharraf?

Before or after Mugabe? Or Kim Jung Il?

A imperialist running dog's work is never done.

Supposedly he's their ally so maybe it won't have to come to invasions.

[Communist_boy]

After that, the Iraqis will have a great new leader and a great government set up directly by the United States.

so in other words there screwed like the rest of the world. the US cant organize their own government let alone another nation.

i think he will be assasinated, by some one secretly working for the US, the US will deny it, and in 30-40 yrs it will all come out, after that wonderful nieghbor of ours is collapsed in ruins because of missmanagement.

[Galahad]

Since I oppose the death penalty Saddam should be imprisoned for life.

"Since I oppose the death penalty Saddam should be imprisoned for life" ... is just about the best line I've come across in this century.

I can't wait to throw it around among my Mensa friends.

Thanks MC!

[RT_1984]

I think Saddam should be hung. The world is better off without him. He doesn't deserve 3 meals a day and a bed to sleep in. He deserves justice and the Iraqis deserve restitution. For those who will no doubt condemn me for injecting my right-wing socially conservative and relativist morals into justice then they should look in the mirror first. These same people never ever hesitate to inject their relativist morals into the economic matters of a market economy. What a bunch of blind hypocrits. The bottom line is that restitution is a part of society and it always will be. Humans are moral beings and we will always have morals. I don't think Saddam should be rehabilitated and nor do I think Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, Paul Bernardo, & company should either. I believe there is such a thing as true evil. It is clear, naked, intentional, prejudice and very specific. Sociologists will always come up with new theories to serve their politics (which they promote quite blatantly despite claiming to be unbias and objective). Let justice be done. There's nothing wrong with that.

[Goldie]

I'm an American loving moron.

I'm pretty sure Britian and France did the partitioning of the old Ottoman Empire but since I'm a moron I can't be sure.

Say what you will but know this simple truth. When America gets attacked the world will be changed for the better when the dust settles.

The fact that Europe is fighting over a common constitution instead of borders is a testament to America living up to its immense responsiblity in a world that mostly lived under tyrant monarchs.

They where really the first to come out from under this type governance. This must be spread to the whole world for before true peace can be maintained with minimal effort.

Just look at how South Korea has done compared to the North. During the first gulf war many people were cynical saying it was all about oil. My response, well maybe but unless you absoulutely don't use petrol products, shut up please because your position is moronic. As if either bush was actually taking the oil home or padding his corporation. In fact America could have gotten way more oil contracts if they wanted to make a deal with Saddam intsead of paying Billions for a war.

Short sighted anti-Americanism is to make thyself or your your country appear superior. If Bush came out and said well we need to secure Iraqi oil to ensure the west can keep the fat Liberal lifestlye because were gonna tighten the srews on Saudia Arabia and need to become less dependant on oil from that country (given their support to terrorists). Who would have joined the effort; not France, not Germany, not Russia. They all had their own deals with the killer.

Clinton phoned Larry King and said, ("when I left office there was alot of unaccounted for WMD, we didn't know one way or the other"). Is he lying too? Is Clinton also sexing up the rush to war?

In 10 years when we look back at the new jewel known as Baghdad, that partition of the Ottoman Empire won't look so bad. The jewels will be twins however, another will be known as Tehran. The way we now regard Soul and Tokyo will be the attitude towards the twins of the Middle East.

Who would condem the citizens of Tokyo or Soul to go back in time to have the Americans do nothing? Anybody?

[Moderate Centrist]

"I was wondering what people think should be done with Hussein after the debriefing"

RT 1984

This was the first comment on this post. I feel my position that Saddam should not be executed is reasonable. Obviously he will be but I do not agree.

This is legitmate. I am not expressing negative comments against those who feel otherwise. I have always oppossed the death penalty for any and all reasons.

However I do maintain that the west must maintain the moral high ground. I am bothered when I see people on this site advocating torture and then equating it with justice.