Why Saddam Should Not be Hanged

Aw ... look at all the happy people making their way back to join us for another commute to work; you all look very nice in your new Christmas sweaters. I have to say it was hard being away from everyone and not posting anything to the blog for the past several days; I know Christmas is probably the one time of year you need our always sound advice the most ... things can be tough over the holidays. Speaking of which, I'm sure most of you have heard by now that the Appeals Court in Iraq has upheld the death sentence imposed upon poor Saddam Hussein; according to law in Iraq the sentence must be carried out within 30 days, which puts the deadline (sorry for that Saddam) at January 27.

So, you guessed it, the topic for discussion today during the commute was ... death ... in keeping with the spirit of Christmas ... and once again we had a very clear view from the front seat about how things should really be rolling out here ... surprise, surprise (by the way, I hope Saddam likes surprises too). So, I have to say upfront that we don't have an issue with the fact that Hussein has been sentenced to death; we think that's fitting for the crimes he committed. In fact, we applaud Iraq for establishing law that allows them to avoid the tax payer burden of keeping a criminal alive for 20-30 years after having been sentenced to death (within 30 days sounds great to me), like it is in the US. We would, however, challenge the mode of execution.

We feel death by hanging is letting Saddam off a little too easy, unlike some of the punishments he imposed upon his own residents. Instead of hanging, we think it'd be a little more fitting if he were sent to the gas chamber, but not just a regular gas chamber. Back on December 19, The View from the Front Seat discussed alternative (likely more effective) punishments for those who have committed crimes (to see that post click here). I think we have an opportunity here to further that new way of thinking about sanctions. Let me explain .....

The Associated Press recently reported a violent incident at a jail between two cell mates, resulting from one inmate getting all gassed up about his cell mate's excessive flatulence; there was no place for him to go to avoid it, so I guess he felt it was best if he tried to cut off the gas line at it's source. So what we're thinking Iraq should do is learn from this experience and lock up the old fart (I mean Saddam) in the new style gas chamber with someone who tends to air things out in a manner similar to the situation reported on by the Associated Press. Since the prison also controls the diet of the inmates, it would obviously be very responsible of them to ensure Hussein's roomie received plenty of fiber in his meals (I mean, they have to make sure inmates are eating properly; there's no need to be cruel....). Despite the fact that Saddam and his defense team would likely kick up a stink about it (I know, that's just plain unfriendly of me), that would surely be more unpleasant than the hanging and more in line with the spirit of torture that Hussein favored when he was in power. I would have recommended pairing up Saddam (who we could then nickname "Saddamn that stinks Hussein") with the lady who brought down the American Airlines flight from DC to Dallas, with her little chemical issue, but the FBI couldn't get close enough to her to charge her (click here to see more on that).

Anyway, those are just our thoughts on how to improve upon that nasty ass situation over there in Iraq. We'll be back again with more thoughts on the world's problems tomorrow. In the meantime, keep your eyes on the road .... and your windows down, if you have to drive with anyone like the guy I do.