I really need to start a new category called GMAFB for when I run into incredibly stupid bullshit like this twaddle written by someone named Amy Ross that I read in Tuesday's Atlanta Urinal and Constipation.
There is broad consensus that Saddam Hussein is linked to massive atrocities. Far less agreement exists on how he should be held accountable.
Here's my suggestion: turn him over to the Iraqis. I think they will know what to do with him.
With the capture of Saddam, the Bush administration is presented with the opportunity to correct its chief failure in the conduct of this war.
Break out the bullshit repellent spray because here comes the bullshit!
Like so many other moments in the crisis involving Iraq, the correct way would be to proceed within the framework of the United Nations and international law.
Told ya! If we had waited for the United Nations and international fucking law, Saddam and his two sons would still be killing and raping innocent Iraqis. And speaking of the United Nations, are they still in Iraq? Nope. They cut and ran at the first sign of danger.
Such an agenda would involve establishing an international court to try crimes committed in Iraq, including those attributed to Saddam. It would meld Iraqi and international interests in the pursuit of justice.
GMAFB! Exactly who would be on this international court? Would it be the same countries that are on the Human Rights Commission? Ya know, countries known for human rights like Libya, Syria, Cuba, and Iran?
The dossier of evidence against Saddam is thick. The charges include those of the most serious nature: crimes against humanity and genocide. These acts are considered so heinous as to be of importance to all of humanity, rather than simply the locale where the acts occurred.
Yet, to much of the Arab world, this man was considered a hero. The Syrians and the Palestinians love him.
Particularly since the arrest of Chile's Augusto Pinochet in London in 1998, human rights activists have increasingly sought out foreign jurisdictions to pursue cases that have been stymied by impunity at home.
I don't think there will be any problem with the Iraqis giving Saddam the justice he deserves. I do think we should be allowed to make him listen to the Barney theme until he tells us everything he knows. Or maybe we could make him watch the Britney Spears' movie Crossroads. He'd be screaming for mercy! Amnesty International would probably declare that as cruel and inhumane punishment.
National courts --- especially in Western Europe, such as in Brussels and Madrid --- have been transformed into international arenas in the process. This phenomenon has been described as the "externalization of justice" or "justice without borders." The indictment, arrest and trial of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic in The Hague shows that (despite the difficulties) it is possible to bring a barbaric tyrant before a civilized legal proceeding.
"despite the difficulties"? There won't be any difficulties. This is an Iraqi affair. Once we squeeze all the info out of this worthless bastard, we turn him over to the Iraqis who give him a fair trial and hang him. Fuck the UN. Fuck international courts. Where the fuck was Brussels and the United Nations when we were doing the heavy lifting? Sorry assholes. We did the work. We decide the outcome. If you want to start with the international law bullshit, explain to us where international law was when the Iranians violated international law by taking American diplomats hostages for 444 days. Where was your international law then? Stick your international law up your cowardly international asses!
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which sits in Arusha, Tanzania, has also conducted fair and open trials against those of the highest rank considered responsible for the genocide. A newly established U.N. War Crimes Tribunal for Sierra Leone recently flexed its muscles in pursuit of Liberia's ex-president, Charles Taylor.
If the world is serious about Africa, they're gonna be overwhelmed with Zimbabwe, Sudan, Somalia, Sierra Leone, and most of the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. And like most of the rest of the United Nations it is gonna be totally useless.
Each of these courts has lessons to offer a future international tribunal for Iraq. Perhaps the main lesson is that something entirely new can be created: a custom-made court taking into account local, national and global interests. In this sense, each successive war crimes tribunal should be seen as a "trial run" in the historical development of human rights.
I want some of whatever it is that she's smoking. It has got to be really good shit.
It would be unlikely that an international tribunal could agree on the death penalty as a possible punishment for Saddam. But what's important is a fair trial. The extent of the maximum punishment is of lesser concern.
Yep! This is a guy who has killed millions of people. I repeat: give him a fair trial and hang him.
I do not give a flying fuck about the international community! The international community hates the United States. International law sucks. Once again I bring up Iran's violation of international law in taking diplomats hostage. Where was international law then? Where was the isolation of Iran?
And now for the grand conclusion.
In his news conference on Monday, President Bush said that any trial of Saddam would "withstand international scrutiny." He can do better than that and turn his No. 1 prisoner over to an international court.
Dream on. Ain't gonna happen. Take another toke. Don't worry your silly little head. Go to sleep. Grownups are on the job here.
Posted by denny at December 16, 2003 10:04 PM