Why Saddam Hussein Had to Hang

Today Saddam Hussein swung from a rope until dead, as did his cohorts. This was a pivotal event in the history of human rights for it marked the first time that a bloodthirsty former ruler faced the hangman’s noose for mass murder and crimes against humanity. This execution was all the more significant because it was an Iraqi court that tried Hussein, composed of Iraqi prosecutors, and the chief executioner was an Iraqi. Not even the Germans who were anti-Nazi had the satisfaction of bringing Adolf Hitler to justice.

For the West this should be a time of reverent celebration. Aside from ordering the 1982 murder of 148 Shiites in Dujail, for which he was condemned to die, Saddam Hussein faced charges in the 1987-88 massacre of approximately 180,000 Kurds in Northern Iraq. His Baathist Regime was notorious for the wanton rape, torture, and murder of countless thousands of Iraqis throughout his rule. Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, which led to the Persian Gulf War. During this conflict he was responsible for the kidnap, torture, and execution of many Kuwaitis; the launching of SCUD missiles against a non-belligerent, Israel; the damage to the environment by the burning of the Kuwaiti oil fields; and for potentially destabilizing the entire Middle East.

If these atrocious crimes had been committed by any Western ruler, the United Nations, the EU, and human rights watch groups the world over would have called for that leader’s head on a silver platter. Because of the partisan unpopularity of the Iraq Campaign in the current conflict, there were many in the West who cynically viewed Hussein’s trial as a kangaroo court whose strings were pulled by the United States in a twisted sham of justice meant to exact revenge by the Bush family. Some Westerners felt a strange anti-American sympathy for Hussein, which they cloaked in calls to spare him from death lest he be turned into an Islamist martyr. There was no other bunk further from the truth.

If Americans, the West, and the rest of the world were to move forward in creating a global village in which human rights, democracy, and freedom were respected, valued, and defended, then Saddam Hussein had to hang. If world leaders were to be held accountable for their actions, especially if they were responsible for genocide, mass murder, and other crimes against humanity, Saddam Hussein had to hang. Even if you were one of those people who thought Bush launched an illegal war, lied to the American people, was guilty of war crimes, and should be impeached, Saddam Hussein had to hang. No matter what your political bent, if you believed that no man was above the law, then Saddam Hussein had to hang!

Know this. Saddam Hussein did not go to the gallows behind any American grudge against him; he didn’t swing because of his planned attempted assassination of George Bush, Sr.; he didn’t hang because he invaded Kuwait or because George W. Bush invaded Iraq to remove him and his evil regime, whether or not he had weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein was executed for the mass murder of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Kurds—innocent men, women, and children—plain and simple.

Isn’t Freedom Wonderful?

Anti-war protesters gathered to block the entrances to and disrupt the activities of the U.S. Armed Forces Recruiting Center in Pasadena, CA today. As I thought about the act of protesting—a long-held American tradition and right—steeped in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, I got to thinking. How many of those protesters understand from where their rights originate? Perhaps many of them do, maybe some of them don’t. I felt that they needed a reminder, an open letter to help them understand the significance of their actions.

So here it is:

Greetings protesters! Isn’t freedom wonderful? We live in one of the few countries where its citizens can congregate to criticize the government and its policies without fear of paramilitary crackdowns, the jailing of dissidents, or the censoring of our voices. It is our cherished and God-given right to speak our minds, express our opinions, and to cry out for justice. Do you appreciate this cornerstone of American culture—freedom? Are you fully aware of where our freedoms come from?

If you said the Constitution of the United States, you are mostly correct. It is the United States Constitution that spells out our freedoms, but don’t forget that it is only a document. A powerful document, but a document nonetheless. A piece of paper! Many governments have tried to establish “peace in our time” or guarantee the rights or freedoms of their people with pieces of paper, most of which turned out to be worthless scraps that led to the deaths of millions of people.

What makes our piece of paper—the Constitution—meaningful and powerful is that the most potent military force that ever existed backs it up. And this is not just any military force like the fascistic Nazi juggernaut or the oppressive Soviet machine of years past, composed of poor conscripts or brainwashed fanatics. Our military is made up of proud, educated, and patriotic volunteers, from all walks of American life: construction workers, teachers, musicians, doctors, artists, lawyers, police officers, firemen, students, Democrats and Republicans alike, rich, poor, and middle class, who all believe in FREEDOM, and understand that freedom is not free. That is why they continue to re-enlist and volunteer to return for second and even third tours of duty to places like Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

There are currently evil forces throughout the world trying to deprive the West of our cherished freedoms. They hope to isolate America and reduce our influence in places like Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, so that they can make inroads in those places. Soon, the flags of our enemies will fly over European, North African, and Middle Eastern capitals, as they rape, pillage, and murder to expand their empire of hate; spread intolerance of freedom and education; and continue the subjugation of women and non-believers. Only one thing stands in the way of their ultimate victory and world chaos: the United States of America!

So as you protest our recruiting station today, as you exercise your freedom to condemn the war and speak out against U.S. efforts to stop the rapid spread of Islamo-fascism, remember this. It is our servicemen and women, as well as our police forces, which have earned your right to protest freely. It will be American sons and daughters, whose blood will be spilled to protect you all from the evil horde sweeping across Southwest Asia and into Europe. Our enemies don’t care if you sympathize with them. They won’t be moved by your acts of protest. They won’t spare you from the head tax or give you reprieve from having your head sawed off because you stood against the deployment of U.S. troops anywhere. You won’t be given favorable treatment because you carried signs that read: WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER. Because you got it wrong. War is not the answer, but it is an answer. And sometimes it’s the only answer, in the end, that our enemies will understand. So as you gather here today, be sure to thank the people you’re yelling at, whose doors you are blocking, whose mission you are criticizing, as well as the police officers you’re taunting and preventing from protecting the rest of the city—THANK them profusely for safeguarding your cherished right to behave as you do.

Isn’t freedom wonderful?