I love you, Jim Maceda! You have crystallized my thoughts exactly!

Every human being has a positive and a negative side-
even a Saddam Hussein (Like it or not!).
It would all be wonderfully simple if it were not so:
we could divide the world into "good" and "evil".
The concept of "those who are without guilt should cast the first stone" is based on precisely that premise: there are preciously few people in this world who do not have a dark side.
There are no evil people- only evil deeds.
What the propagators of vengeance usually ignore is that this vengeance does not leave this world a better place. Neither will it destroy the evil within the 'evil' person. It destroys the divine element within that person- as well as the divine portion within the seeker of vengeance.
An eye for an eye will leave this world populated by blind people...and we will deserve every second we will be forced to exist in the very hell-hole we helped to create.

Please bring our troups home...NOW...our occupation of Iraq sickens us. I was sickened at how our corporate media kept showing and discussing the hanging of Sadam. Where did the moral values of this country go. We do not show executions of our prisoners and our media displayed no respect for the citizens of Iraz or the citizens of the United States. Please, let us leave this Middle East Country alone. There were no civil wars going on before we arrived and occupied Iraq. Perhaps these Civil Wars in Iraq are due to our Administration wanting to privatize their country's oil. The peril of our youth is unbearable. U.S. Citizens feel helpless in stopping this occupation.

Why is there no mention of the following:
1. US did not want Saddam sent to International Court because of evidence he had against US involvement in biochemical weapons used to kill hundreds of thousands
2. Why convict him on Dujail killings and not Halabja?
WHY??

dear sir, why are we fighting for the iraq's when they will not stand up and fight for themselves. americann's are dying for nothing.those people dont care about american's, hell they don't care for their own people. the are savages and alway's will be savage's. get out of there. lets take care of our people. let them destroy the middle east. that's what they want, so let them have it. if you are not with us, then you are against us. protect america and ban all middleern people frome this great country that we all love. AMERICA FIRST

there should be more examples made of tyrants. Saddam was a tyrant he killed to forward his agenda and power. Hes not the only one. The Warlords of Somalia, Angola, Congol and Rwanda should get some punishment also. They should be flogged with red hot chains; their hands should be cut off and allowed to heal then a noose placed around their necks and led to gallows in their underwear and socks unrestrained where they would be pushed. It would be cruel and unusual to see men that inflicted such carnage trying to free themselves with no hands while choking. oh yeah clear plastic bags should be placed over their heads (why give them hope? let them fight with no chance) Truth of the matter is there are a few Americans that deserve that also. Ken Lay and some other Enron people.
The fact that People (not just Americans) like to see a little carnage or execution should not be a subject mattter. Its passe we know who we are and thats all there is to it.
Whats amazing is the time it takes for the people to turn on the tyrants. How we all just move along while the evil plant their seeds and exist here on earth with us.

Saddam Hussein was a vicious dictator who did much to hurt a great amount of people. What has that got to do with us, here in this country? In Africa where genocide has taken place we did virtually nothing. We all acknowledge this already. But Why? Because there was no monetary gain for other countries to garner for sticking their noses in it. But, in Iraq, obviously, there was a monetary difference, and interest for our country, and other countries as well. If the Iraqis wanted Saddam out, they could have revolted again and again until they succeeded. They didn't. So, we stuck our noses in their business and wound up with body bags of thousands of young Americans who have died under the guise of patriotism. Sounds a little like the dream fed to the suicide bombers and their virgin reward in heaven. Our boys and girls died with no such promise. They just gave their lives for a cause that was contrived by the money power brokers around the world that are partners with us.

Mr. Maceda's article states that "...we may have- finally- turned a corner..."
I beg to differ. No corner was turned here...
That was merely the needle of the old grammophone slipping back into the same groove in the old shellack-record...record...record...

One of the dozens or so critical lessons that young people can draw from the current political debates seen ad nauseam currently in the antique Media USA, is the chilling likeness of the new Congress and the gutless cut and run Congress of 1974, who refused to supply even rudimentary funds for ammunition and air support to *OUR ALLY* the Republic of South Vietnam.

All the Pretentious Poseurs, the elites in the Congress then and their mouth pieces [the antique MSM] guaranteed the collapse of South Vietnam while the North were still being fully supported and funded by the Soviets [USSR] and to a lesser extent the Red Chinese.

The most bitter and ironic book ever written during the war was the biography by NVA General Gaip, which included some surprisingly candid admissions, in some respects. In it he clearly revels how badly beaten they were [the NVA] and how near complete collapse they were at several times during the war.

But every time Gaip was beaten to a pulp and flat on his back he could always count on a great infusion of help that we Americans never had access to.

In fact Giap had access to a super weapon that cost our soldiers and Marines dearly in fact paid for in blood, their blood.

That weapon was the Main Stream Media right here in the United States, and it was for the NVA, a Tokyo Rose, a Lord Ha Ha, a Jane Fonda and every other anti war Guru talking head that could jam his or her mug in front of a TV camera the best propaganda weapon ever invented that money couldn't pay for, yes that's right the American traitors gave it to Giap and the NVA for free.

Ask yourself do you want to trust the same old loser class who's motive for political gain will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory again?

re: Iraq, Do you want to piss on all the sacrifices made by our Nobel Hero's who gave it all and bleed so freely for you and me just like all my brothers and sisters did, not so very long ago in Vietnam?

The 'class' who insist on cutting and running in Iraq are the same Partisans who swore we would have our soldiers and Marines out of Balkans in one year. Lets see.. they deployed in 1995 and do you detect the building crescendo, either by the Defeatocrats or the MSM? How does that work eh? the difference is politics, clear Partisan politics, Democrats Billy Clinton and Sandy Burgler made that promise, so who cares eh?

Don't hold your breath for the alphabet soup networks, Chris Matthews or Jim Maceda to demand deadlines and abandon all hope for any pet projects of Clinton, Jimmuh Carter or Madeleine Albright's like they are doing for Iraq!

I saw the excution of Saddan hussein I KNOW HE WAS A BAD MAN BUT I HOPE IT THE CELL PHONE VIDEO DOESN'T TAINT EVERYONE'S VIEW WE SHOULD WORK FOR PEACE.

Hi again from Baghdad,
I have talked to most of my Iraqi friends here now and the question is how do they feel about this event. After all this is their country and their future. In all my conversations and e-mails even since the sentencing I have yet to hear a single student say anything other than they are very happy that the Saddam chapter is over. Every step away from the rule of this tyrant is a step in the right direction for the future of this amazing country.
Yesterday I flew back from Dubai and on the plane were dozens of Muslems coming for the pilgramidge in Najaf. Not something that mainstream media will report but yes the Baghdad Airport is open and has flights in and out everyday. Yes tourist are coming to Iraq, many of whom couldnt come while Saddam was in power because they didnt agree with him. Many good things are happening here and many more good things will come this year. I just saw one of my students and to quote him,
"Happy New Year professor! This will be a great year for new Iraq. The old gone and the new will get stronger."

so what is the problem? WMD's are gone. No terrorist are attacking US. Saddam is gone. It is time to leave. We won. Iraq has now moved into a Civil War phase and we are not suppose to be there for this action. If we stay we lose. Something we should have learned by now is that anything that goes wrong in an arab/muslim country is always someone elses fault or Allah's will. I say leave it to Allah.

sadham was a bad man!! he killed people which to me is wrong and you sayindg that hanging him is bad. i agree with hanging him and torching him sadham is another hilter he put that poor country and there people in misery the man is pure evil and he sholud of consisted his actions before performing them on the terrible people just think them people have familes and children what would it feel like if he killed your child would you still be sayin it is wrong to kill him!! he desevered everything he got and the world will be a better place without such an evil man!!

Why did he not get convicted for all of his crime before he was killed? Do the other peoples families not deserve that same satisfaction of know that the world acknowledges that fact that all the crimes he did was wrong? I guess not since is was just convict and kill. What did that solve? itonly made him a martyr.

You've all been lied to. Saddam was CIA and who they hung wasnt even the real Saddam. As a matter of fact, the only truely free countries left are the ones that are villianized in the pathological US press. Any media that doesn't tell you that Angela Merkel, the new Chancellor of Germany, isn't a blood daugther of Hitler is not to be trusted.

Oh, and one other thing. Why is it on these comment boards that the people who write and say the most arrogant and ignorant things cant even spell? (I think I know the answer to that... just wanted to point it out)

I've just read NBC Jim Macedas comment that Saddam Hussein was a kind of mythic vampire who would come back in the dead of night to suck their blood, as he did in real life".
how can a sensible man imagine Saddam Hussein to be an immortal vampire in the eyes of Iraqis ? a bit of history would do you good, Mr maceda. Saddam Hussein was a brutal man, ruthless to those who betrayed him, generous to those who were loyal. he and his baath party really tried to modernize his country, improved education and health and kept muslim officials at bay (not just the shiites by the way). all this was not achieved without brutality. esp in a country that is severely divided and threatened by its neighbors. so what ? do u think American troops are now perceived by Iraqis to be much softer than saddam's own ? at least THEY knew how to restore peace and order ! with a bit of tact and sensibility, Saddam might have been turned into a reliable, though brutal partner, not the arch enemy who, once destroyed, leaves a nightmare of chaos behind him. believe it or not, many people miss him in Iraq...
by the way, while we're talking, Bin Laden is still playing around in the afghan mountain !

Jim, It is true of the gore & denbothcery in this war is not as bad as horrific events in different times. we as americans live such a sheltered life. The media has even evolved and standards lowered of what we see on tv as a community. We should not be supprised about what transpires next in Iraq. I know people that swim in the ocean and would be totally shocked to be nipped on the foot by a shark. This is there home and yet you still choose to swim in it. Mentality of crime & punnishment has not changed in some parts of the world in over 1,000 years. Our job should be to move on and rebuild . As soon as they have a viable security force we should pull out.Oil should not be the only issue for us to be there in 2010. we are all anxious to see what happens next. It will affect our lives in America as we know it. God bless all of you over there & Good luck.

Just because Vietnam had a much higher death toll than the Iraq Investment, doesn't make the meaningless deaths any less offensive to me.

To Bad we can't HANG him again he is the most Evil
Man to walk the earth since Hitler

Saddam's Execution Helps To Solve A Two Thousand Year Old Mystery-How the Romans executed Jesus and pinned the blame on the Jews.

Saddam was in the hands of the Americans just as
Jesus was in the hands of the Romans. None of them would have been killed if their captors kept them away from the rotten frenzy that permeated the atmosphere.

Both were captured by the occupying authorities and not by their people.

Pilate washed his hands off a "purely Jewish" affair just as the Americans said it was a purely Iraqi affair.

Jesus was hanged for being the "Son Of God" something that threatened neither the Jews nor the Romans. Caesar was God to the Romans and hanging someone for claiming to be his son was absurd. There is no Old Testament Law to hang someone for such insane proclamation. The Jews had no interest to set an example of Jesus.

Both were rushed to the gallows before very important occasions (the Sabbath and Id).

Saddam almost got hanged with two other accomplices. Instead he went with a President and King Of Sould. The two accomplices are on their ways to join him, albeit a week late.

Jesus was executed by the Romans and the Jews have been blamed for it all these years. A critical examination of Iraq can easily explain how that was possible. Who controls the media?

WHO should we blame??? YES the BUSH administration if Bush can't have control over one mans execution how can he have control over our country?

How did Americans get to be Shites? I hate the name of Bush! I thought Bush was against terrorism that the Shites suppotrs around the world? Bush is truely against America.

Bush is prepering to send more troops to help the Shite goverment? Hasn't bush done enough against Americans? Bush is the terrorist he is allowing to Shites to become very powerful in the face of this earth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a question for the avergae American. How does the war in Iraq, or Afganistan, or anywhere else affect you? Unless you have served, or know someone who has served, how does the war affect you? Are you standing in line for food? Are you going without a car, or saving scrap metal for the war effort? Do you have to black out your windows, run air raid drills, or preposition food and water? I think the answer is no. Ask your self another question. If you never saw the news or read a paper would you even know there was a war? I feel the people with absolutly no stake in this war are the ones who are the most vocal about it. The people who should be for or against the war are the families of thoses who serve, thoses who have something real at stake. If we have any hope in this war we need to always remeber to do the honorable thing at all times. So far we have failed at that. Honor will save us,and in the end it or the lack there of is all we will be remebered for.

The video pictures of Mr. sadam husain's execution showed nothing to the civilised world, But the uncivilised behaviour of socalled developed world.

God! Please save us from this devils.