There’s no question about the harshness of Saddam’s rule. He was a dictator, but the infrastructure was intact, everyone had a job, and he pretty well kept together a land formed at the end of WW I which melded three religions and lands together which didn’t much care for each other. He had huge palaces built for himself, and was a pretty egotistical guy, as most dictators are. His picture was everywhere as is common with dictatorships. He has been found guilty by a kangaroo court consisting of judges selected and ’educated’ by the U.S., in a court set up by the U.S., not an international court. Frame up? Surely. He has been found guilty of causing the murder of 148 innocents in 1982, which was 24 years ago. Proof? Little if any. I still say he should be turned loose and let the Iraqis have their way with him. I am wont to remember that while he may have had 148 killed 24 years ago, the U.S. invasion has caused the deaths of over 600,000 in less than four years, plus the destruction of the infrastructure and thousands of buildings. Baghdad used to be a beautiful city… less than four years ago.
If Saddam can be found guilty in a kangaroo court set up by the U.S. invaders, what can the D.C. Gang do to innocents who are caught up in a web like Saddam’s? If a member of the D.C. Gang decides you are a terrorist, you may not end up much better than Saddam. Did you ever think about that? Some Democrats say they will get rid of the Patriot Act, and that’s fine with me. The question on Tuesday, is not who will continue the war or get rid of Rumsfeld, but who voted for the war in the first place, and that seems to be mostly Republicans. We will find out Wednesday morning how America feels about it. Is Iraq an excuse to turn America into a state which fears the government? Is the ’war on terrorism, an excuse to regiment us and give the D.C. Gang the power, or self declared ’right’ to declare martial law, or arrest innocents on the flimsiest of excuses? We can all hope not. A couple of weeks ago, when I had trouble with my server, and couldn’t get my web site up, several called and thought that I had possibly been arrested for my columns. Does that give you an idea of what America is becoming?