[Very OT] Saddam Hanging Video -- Some comments

[Paul King]

On 1 Jan 2007 at 10:19, Stephen Allen wrote:

> Madison Kelly wrote:
> 
> > Fark took the stance that even though groups like CNN and Fox want to
> > share it, fine for them, but they wouldn't. For that, I give them huge
> > props. As they said, it's a snuff film. To me, watching it is akin to
> > getting everyone out for a good 'ol public hanging. Something that
> > should have stayed done away with.
> 
> I can't agree with this -- It's important for people to see reality from
> time to time, especially in the western world, where we are so pampered,
> and often don't realize what's important in life, other than material
> things.
> 

<snip>

I agree with Stephen, although I would like to add that we need to see from 
time to time, the political and human consequences of political actions from 
the so-called "free world". The act of hanging -- a repulsive act all by itself 
-- was just the end result of an American political system that wanted to see 
itself as completely innocent by appointing an American judge, would not put 
America to scrutiny (even though the Geneva Convention states that he should be 
tried by a judge from his own country). His very trial is thus a war crime. 
Certainly, this is the end of a chapter of a very messy story. I believe we 
have to move away from "Saddam Bad"; "America Good". In fact, there doesn't 
seem to be any "good guys" at all in this story.

I agree wholeheartedly with Steve when he says that we need to see "reality" on 
occasion. In the sixties, we did. We saw North Vietnamese civilians getting 
shot on our TV screens; we saw Bhuddists burning themselves to death on the 
streets of Hanoi on the 6 o'clock news while we ate dinner. Americans saw 
enough reality that they got angry, protested and ended the Vietnam War. 

The media has now been manipulated to the point that it would not surprise me 
if anyone ever got angry like that. We seemed to have waged a war apparently 
free of human suffering (unless Iraquis are causing it), to believe what the 
media tells us (and the media would rather us not talk about Gitmo). My feeling 
is that the war could simply go on in perpetuity, simply because we consider it 
too much an imposition on our lives and our psyches to view the images, the 
same ones which Iraquis will never forget, and experience in different guises 
every day. And I guarantee you, few people in Washington care about any 
imposition on the lives or psyches of Iraquis.

Paul

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