"They could have kept him in jail forever!" Sergio protested with disgust. He'd just witnessed the hanging of Saddam Hussein on his Spanish language television channel. He was repelled by the lynching. Like many people, Sergio had been a rather aggressively advocate of capital punishment. Seeing the surreal cellphone video of the tyrant's execution changed his attitude. It was barbaric and unnecessary. It was primitively savage, revenge, not justice. It was the kind of abuse you expect from Texas vigilantes. Like many persons, seeing the tyrant killed changed Sergio's opinion on executions. It wasn't the consequence that George W. Bush or his puppet government in Iraq had intended. Many persons in America who saw the video have been turned against capital punishment. The question wasn't if President Hussein deserved to die for his crimes. The question was does a civilized people resort to institutionalized assassination? Is Texas vendetta what America should be imposing in Iraq? Bush's puppet made a martyr of Hussein while at the same time turning much of American public opinion against capital punishment. It can't be the consequence the Bushites intended. While governor of Texas, Bush conducted dozens of executions, sometimes attending in person, albeit quite drunk. Before Bush's needless and pointless wild west war in Iraq, Saddam had been America's ally. He was one of the many tyrants, dictators and murderers that America supported. We gave him arms and bought his oil. Republican politicians gleefully flocked to shake his hand. Sure, he killed lots of his own people, but it took him twice as long to kill half the number of Iraqis that we've slaughtered or caused to be slaughtered. His hanging was just another in Bush's endless blunders. In this instance, the unintended consequence was to turn more people against the death penalty as well as against the war. We have no fondness for Saddam Hussein or for other tyrants, but they aren't our tyrants. They aren't our problem. Though Bush and the conservative crazies want to build a Christian empire, over which to rule like Caesar, we aren't the world's cops. We should stay out of other people's business unless there's a genuine effect and an immediate danger to us or our security. That doesn't mean Bush's lying. It doesn't mean killing to steal oil or invading in order to make the Vice President's Halliburton business boom. We should be concerned with getting rid of our tyrant. Replace Bush and the conservatives with decent government. And abandon the folly of capital punishment. Rebecca's Bargain Antiques Collectible Vintage Photos Fine Prints - Old Maps Sheet Music - Old Books Elegant Antiques and Collectibles "All my possessions for a moment of time," last words of Queen Elizabeth I, 1603 You are welcome to use or republish any of our material. Please give www.prisoners.com credit as the source. Return to the New and Interesting Items Menu. Return to the Death Sacrifice Menu. Return to the Main Menu. Go to our site's Search Engine. Send us Your Comments, Questions or Input.