Wait a minute. The question is not THAT easy. Was Saddam a dictator? Yes, he was. Do I grieve over Saddam? No. But it seems important to consider WHO took him out and WHO is trying him.
This is a very complex situation, and while Macdonald Stainsby's below position is the usual simplistic leninist response, so is just saying "Ding Dong the wicked witch is dead"...or in this case "captured".
It is NOT the Iraqi people who overthrew Saddam, even though they might have liked to do so. It is not the Iraqi people who are putting him on trial, though they might like to. It is the United States who overthrew him and who are putting him on trial. What do we say about that? That there is a silver lining in every cloud...that this is something good (getting rid of SaddamO that is a result of something bad (a US invasion). It's a question to condsider long and hard...and I will be doing so over the next few days and weeks. You may be sliding closer to Christopher Hitchen's position than you think. I am not really accusing anyone, but this situation is MUCH too complex to be complacent with your hatred of Saddam (which I share with you). One vicious dictator was taken out by another repressive force. What does it mean when the main actors on the stage are dictators, imperialists cum "liberators" and religious fanatics? What a set to choose from and indeed we should not choose from that set. -Thomas
> Message: 6
> Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 02:22:07 -0800
> From: Macdonald Stainsby <mstainsby at resist.ca>
> Subject: Re: [R-G] ANSWER Statement on Recent
> Developments in Iraq
> To: "David.Mcr at earthlink.net"
> <david.mcr at earthlink.net>,
> "Radical
> anti-capitalist environmental discussion."
> <rad-
> green at lists.econ.utah.edu>
> Message-ID: <3FDD8B4F.1060806 at resist.ca>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-
> ascii; format=flowed
>
> David.Mcr at earthlink.net wrote:
> It could have been
> > handled in a single line, perhaps
> even two or three words. What is not
> > said speaks very loudly about
> ANSWER.
> > David McReynolds
> There is nothing that ANSWER could (or not) say
> about Saddam Hussein that
> anyone in North America has somehow been sheltered
> from. The attack on
> Iraq--and let us make no mistake, capturing the
> former president of the
> Iraqi state is definitely a part of this-- is part
> of the war. We didn't
> have any obligation to denounce the Baath party in
> March and we still do
> not, irregardless of how many mass graves are dug
> up.
> I applauded ANSWER's statement, and had already
> forwarded it to local
> anti-war groups when I read your reply.
> We are in North America. Here, our job is to stop
> the killing perpetrated
> by North Americans in favour of the Empire-- and not
> with an asterix beside
> it that explains what we think of the personalities
> of those being targeted
> by imperialism's murderous romp.
> Further, though every single thing said against
> Saddam Hussein is
> accurate, let me be the first to state-- bluntly as
> possible--
> FREE Saddam Hussein.
> He IS a political prisoner. His crimes do not matter
> to the occupiers (or,
> to be more accurate, his communist and Kurd killing
> would be the best part
> of his regime).
> Mussolini could not be legitimately captured by
> Hitler.
> Macdonald
>
>
>
> ___________________________________
>
http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
===== <<You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals So let's do it like they do it on the Discovery Channel>>
Bloodhound Gang, "The Bad Touch"
__________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/