Waiting for the pressure cooker to cool enough to open (to hubby: stop touching that! It will BURN you!), Delta and I heard on Fox News (chill, Joel, CNN has the same story) that Saddam is due to be executed in the next couple of hours.
Delta: Will they show it on TV?
Me: No, honey. That’s gross.
Delta: We should cheer!
Me: Well, we really shouldn’t cheer when somebody dies. Even if it will be a relief when he’s gone. He’s a very bad man.
Delta:Â Yeah… didn’t he cause the Holocaust?
Something like that…Â
Uh, no. Nothing like that. Such comparisons are obscene.
While comparisons between Saddam and Hitler are emotionally satisfying for those who support the invasion and occupation of Iraq, it is ignorant and without historical justification. Hitler, in his time, actually did threaten much of the free world. At one point, he and his fascist allies actually did occupy and control a substantial amount of the global landmass and its human occupants. At no point did Saddam ever threaten the US or any of its allies, nor did Saddam even control his own borders–let alone other countries–when his nation was invaded.
Furthermore, anyone who begrudges Saddam the senseless brutality he visited on innocent Kurds, Shiites, Kuwaitis and Iranians must also begrudge the US for the senseless brutility visited on tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis by the invasion and occupation of Iraq, which precipitated the current civil war.
No offense intended, Joel; I do know the difference. My actual answer to Delta was that Hitler’s reign was sixty-some years ago… they were different people and different problems.
The similarities lie in the sheer brutality of torture and inhumanity that he visited upon thousands in his own country. The differences, with respect to world (and US) involvement, are as you noted.
That he is gone is a relief, but I harbor no illusions that the problems in the middle east are over. Nor do I believe that we can resolve their differences. However, I do expect my government to do all in their power to keep their violence from extending to us.
“I do expect my government to do all in their power to keep their violence from extending to us.”
I do too. Which is why I don’t understand what we’re doing in Iraq. Iraq never attacked us, was never a threat to us, and is still not a threat to us. Bin Ladin did attack us and was, therefore, a threat to us. The Bush administration captures and executes Saddam, more American soldiers died this month than in any previous month this year, and bin Ladin is still free. What part of this makes sense to you?