[lbo-talk] Saddam captured

Bill Bartlett billbartlett at dodo.com.au
Tue Dec 16 03:56:00 PST 2003


At 10:11 PM -0500 15/12/03, Brian Siano wrote:


>But, if you want to be pedantic enough to insist that only a trial
>can establish his guilt, you'd have to give Hitler and Stalin the
>benefit of the doubt as well.

Very old-fashioned isn't it, insisting on a trial? I'm sure Saddam would be in your camp, waste of time, just take them out the back and shoot them like dogs. Only, just as executing a murderer is condoning the very crime of murder, so it is also condoning tyranny to pass judgement on a tyrant without due process.

That's the difference you see. Well, I guess you don't see. I understand that, in the US, they rarely bother with trials these days. Preferring to coerce guilty pleas from the accused through blackmail and various other means. But in the free world we're somewhat attached to the anachronistic notion of the rule of law.

You and Saddam might be right of course. Hitler, Stalin, they all agreed with you too. Goodness me, aren't you in good company?

Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas



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