December 17, 2003
Remember that woman, that baby
The American soldiers who captured Saddam showed him far more dignity and respect than Saddam ever showed any of his enemies.
Compassion is good, yes. Objectively I can see the broken look in Saddam's eyes and recognize: "Wow. This man is a ruined man. It must suck to be him right now." The feeling in my heart, watching the footage, his scared eyes, his broken face, was similar to my sensation, as a kid, during Star Wars, when I felt sorry for Darth Vader because obviously nobody liked him. (Hey whaddya want, I was just a kid).
But we can't let compassion be a weak-limbed bent-back thing.
My compassion is greater, far far greater, for those who suffered and died in Hussein's torture chambers, for those who disappeared off the face of the earth, for the fathers who had to watch their young daughters be raped, for the Kurds, for the political prisoners, for those who have lived in that despotic tyranny for decades.
Look at this picture. Look at it hard, okay? I think that Cardinal Renato Martino in Rome who said Saddam was treated like "a cow" should look hard at this picture, too. How would we describe how THIS woman, THIS baby were treated?
My compassion is with HER and with her BABY. Imagine being that woman. Imagine what she went through. It's hard to do, isn't it? For longer than 5 or 6 seconds? Put yourself in her shoes. Imagine how she tried to save her baby. And look at that poor baby.
Remember that NO mercy was shown towards either of them. NONE.
HE did that to them. HE did that to them. He is a monster.
Do not forget what he has done. Do not forget the crimes he has committed just because you are lucky enough to be a human being who can actually feel things for other human beings - even if they are murderers (or Darth Vader). Such capacity for compassion is indeed a blessing and a curse.
Do not put Saddam being treated "like a cow" (which basically means being given proper medical care) on the same horror-scale as what was done to the Kurdish woman, her baby, and thousands and thousands of others.
That would be a crime. A crime.
Posted by sheilaThanks for the reminder. I must admit I was feeling a little sad for the Evil Meister. I need to keep seeing pictures of what he's done so I don't give him even an ounce of compassion.
Posted by: Norahnick at December 17, 2003 02:23 PMForget it. I was wishing the guy would jamb that tongue depressor straight into his throat. I felt no compassion for the guy. Not. An. Iota.
Posted by: Val Prieto at December 17, 2003 02:53 PMIt was amazing to me how restrained our guys were. Here they are, confronted with Enemy #1, or at least #2 - and nobody freaked out. I was proud of that. Since the entire world was watching and the entire world thinks we are evil and corrupt.
I was also glad that they showed restraint and did not kill him - which would be too easy for him, I think.
Posted by: red at December 17, 2003 02:58 PMOne last thought:
I believe that there is such a thing as evil in the world. And I don't think it's ignorant or simplistic to call it by its name. Such blatant disregard and contempt for human life - as shown by Saddam Hussein - is evil. People felt pain. When confronted with their pain, he either felt nothing, or he felt happy that they were in pain.
I do not care what was done to him to make him that way.
Most of us, when we see others in pain, feel something for them. We can't help it.
And in some people, that compassionate gene is left out.
The reasons why are unimportant in the end.
Posted by: red at December 17, 2003 03:03 PMI think if the soldiers who captured Saddam had been shown that picture minutes before they grabbed him, his fate would have been very different.
Posted by: Bill McCabe at December 17, 2003 04:03 PMThey almost dropped a grenade in on Saddam in his rat-hole as part of military procedure. Almost wish they had.
But, maybe, just maybe, he can help us with a little information......not that it will never make up for what he did. He killed. With no mercy, no regret. He will burn in hell for it, if there is such a place.
After we are done with him, we should drop him naked in Kurdish territory.....in a big circle of angry Kurds. That is his just reward.
Posted by: ....a moment with Easycure at December 17, 2003 04:08 PM"I believe that there is such a thing as evil in the world. And I don't think it's ignorant or simplistic to call it by its name."
I'd go further than that: to be charitable, it is either ignorant or simplistic NOT to do so. To be less charitable, to refuse to recognize evil for what it is is the first and largest step toward acquiescience, if not outright complicity. It's been repeated so many times as to be a cliche, but Burke was right when he said that "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Posted by: Dave J at December 17, 2003 05:12 PMWhat is the source and credits of that photo please?
Sorry to be a skeptic, but the internet is rife with false info.
Posted by: Rori at December 28, 2003 12:52 AMRori:
Hm. I thought you were a porn site with that URL.
Sorry to be a skeptic.
The photo was published in a long essay in The New Yorker about the plight of the Kurds. I found it on a web site dedicated to what they call "Bloody Friday" - the day they were attacked and killed with poison gas.
How did you get to me? I am suspicious of you.
Posted by: red at December 28, 2003 01:10 AMRori - I must add to my former comment:
That photo is a famous photo which was published around the world in the wake of the attacks on the Kurds. As famous as the photo of the Palestinian father huddling over his small son, just before getting killed in the crossfire. The picture I posted here had just as wide a circulation.
Where have you been? Not paying attention or something?
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