Saddam hangs

This is exactly right. These two groups are similar to the Palestinians and Israelis in how deeply rooted their hatred is. They're in civil war. Saddam's execution may fan the flames for a brief period, but in the end, they're simply looking to kill each other because they hate one another.

And whether or not this will increase sectarian violence should not be a reason to not execute Saddam. If anything, Iraq needs a sense of justice and order. You kill thousands in cold blood, you get the death penalty. People need to see justice being served or they're going to totally lose faith in the Iraqi government altogether.

Hm, ok I accept your point. I still believe that any kind of death sentence is ridiculous and barbaric. As a progressive society a hanging or a death sentence is terrible. I still can't believe this would even happen to a political leader.

The judgment was also reached by the majority sect, which Sadamm is not a part of. The sentence was determined by a bias party.

I dont think I life time imprisonment would be viewed as an injustice, at least to educated folk.

Like Matty I think a death sentence is morally wrong, regardless of the criminal. It only encourages that kind of action by the government, by showcasing it(especially with a hanging). The government would instill more confidence with its people if it did not rush to hang him one minute before the start of their religious holiday. It would also have a good image if it did not hang people like they did in the 17th century.

My random thoughts on the death penalty:

#1 I really truly think that there are legitimate arguments for all sides as our death penalty system is very flawed, but IMO the death penalty is justifiable for certain people.

#2 IMHO you cannot argue that the death penalty is always wrong unless you are also a pacifist and think that ALL war is wrong and immoral.

#3 If killing a murderer "sends the wrong message," does imprisoning a kidnapper send a wrong message too?

#4 I am confused why many death penalty opponents oppose the death penalty on moral grounds and simultaneously argue "if you really want to punish a criminal, send them to prison for life. Living in prison for life without any possibility of parole is about as cruel as it gets." I'm not sure which is more cruel, the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole and the high probability of repeated sexual assault.

PS - Thus far the discussion has been good and civil, but if immature posts appear I think this thread is going to be locked in a hurry.

Hm, ok I accept your point. I still believe that any kind of death sentence is ridiculous and barbaric. As a progressive society a hanging or a death sentence is terrible. I still can't believe this would even happen to a political leader.

The judgment was also reached by the majority sect, which Sadamm is not a part of. The sentence was determined by a bias party.

I dont think I life time imprisonment would be viewed as an injustice, at least to educated folk.

Like Matty I think a death sentence is morally wrong, regardless of the criminal. It only encourages that kind of action by the government, by showcasing it(especially with a hanging). The government would instill more confidence with its people if it did not rush to hang him one minute before the start of their religious holiday. It would also have a good image if it did not hang people like they did in the 17th century.

Is your concern more so with the method of execution? And the fact that it was televised?

Personally, I don't care about the death penalty. There are some that deserve it, some that don't. I do think life in prison without the possibility of parole is a harsher sentence, unless that individual likes living in prison, which is probably highly doubtful.

Is your concern more so with the method of execution? And the fact that it was televised?

I think that is a huge factor for me, but either way I would rather not see a political leader, with pockets of influence be put to death. I do feel it would trigger more violence than normal. Also in this day and age, I just feel the death penalty is wrong. I do not support Virginia and its usage of the death penalty.

As for chances of parole, you can always put a prisoner away for life no parole. That solves that issue in my mind. I do understand a concern was that he could be broken out of jail by supporters, but I think that is over exaggerated by those who made this decision.

And I do not generally support war, only as a last resort. I guess that makes me a pacifist, but I feel that term has a negative connotation.

For this ruling the choice was made by his enemies, not a fair and balanced jury. I know he was a terrible person, but there have been worst political leaders that have gotten off with nothing. He just deserved life in jail.

Honestly what was gained out of this? A message? I think him being jailed has a huge message too. How does this give the Iraqis more confidence in their government? It just shows the bias towards the majority, and that hanging is acceptable as a general procedure. Killing is just answered with more killing. How is the government not like the terrorists by releasing a video of a hanging? No matter how bad your enemy is, you cannot sink down to their level, and the government just did that. I guess I would not have this much of a problem with the ruling if it wasnt a hanging, but I would not support it either way.

Seeing him hang really gives nothing back to me. Shows me their government is not modern enough to deal with the issue in a proper way. It shows the government is only going to cause more problems in the future now the majority is in power. He kills tons of people, but killing him doesn't solve the problem. The problem is this deeply rooted sectarian violence, that goes way beyond him.

Watch for more bloodshed....

Another point that hasn't been mentioned is that, as long as Saddam remained alive and in prison, he would be a rallying point for his supporters and would remain a threat to return.

This thread was a really good idea.

My random thoughts on the death penalty:

#1 I really truly think that there are legitimate arguments for all sides as our death penalty system is very flawed, but IMO the death penalty is justifiable for certain people.

#2 IMHO you cannot argue that the death penalty is always wrong unless you are also a pacifist and think that ALL war is wrong and immoral.

#3 If killing a murderer "sends the wrong message," does imprisoning a kidnapper send a wrong message too?

#4 I am confused why many death penalty opponents oppose the death penalty on moral grounds and simultaneously argue "if you really want to punish a criminal, send them to prison for life. Living in prison for life without any possibility of parole is about as cruel as it gets." I'm not sure which is more cruel, the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole and the high probability of repeated sexual assault.

PS - Thus far the discussion has been good and civil, but if immature posts appear I think this thread is going to be locked in a hurry.

The Sheriff is all about the ordered lists today!

My own list:
#1 You are right - it's hard to ever argue in absolutes. However, this is a moral line, where some people feel that the line just can't be crossed. When you argue an absolute position on moral grounds, you can never emperically justify the marginal cases.

#2 Again, absolute positions require faith for the marginal cases.

#3 C’mon, you went to law school, so you know the difference. The death penalty is a final, unequivocal step – there is no appeal after the fact. That’s the key difference, not the nature of the crime being equivalent to the penalty.

#4 Again, I don’t think it’s about being cruel – I think it’s about drawing a moral line in the sand and saying, “If we go there, we are no better than them.”

All that said, I think you and I have the same opinion about the death penalty – it is a punishment that has its purpose and, when used judiciously, has a preventive effect on crime. There is, however, a very good argument for the other side (and I do recognize that you realize this – I just think some of your arguments trivialize the anti-capital punishment argument a bit).

I think all convicted to the death sentence should be put to death as efficiently and quickly as Saddam. There are hundreds of people that have sucked off the teet of the tax payers for too many years for no good reason.

Without the death penalty there is no "Prison Break"....yeah, chew on that for a minute