Is America Safer?

Is America safer now that Saddam is in custody? Not directly. I don’t believe that Saddam himself was directly involved in any terrorism against the United States. Now, that does not mean that I believe that he is innocent of aiding and abetting terrorism against the US.

Apparently documents were found providing a link from Saddam to Mohammed Atta (if there is anyone in the world I harbor hatred against, it is this man. And the fact that he is dead makes no difference in my mind). Atta was in Iraq with the knowledge and approval of Saddam. Not only that, but Saddam contributed monetarily to terrorist activities. I don’t believe for a minute that Saddam had the courage to directly attack the US. He would have allowed others to do the dirty work for him. He would have subsidized them knowing what they planned to do, but turning a blind eye to their activities.

Would Saddam have been happy to see the US crumble? Of course. He and most of the rest of the mid-eastern world hates the US because we do not embrace the Muslim faith. And to make matters worse, we are prosperous and the most powerful nation in the world. We are infidels and do not deserve to live, much less have the power and prosperity we have.

Saddam is a deluded individual who still lives in the world he created over the last three decades. Only now, it’s not Iraq, it’s all in his mind.

Showing the Video – Good Idea or Bad?

The video is, of course, of Saddam undergoing the medical exam after his capture. There are some, such as the Vatican, some Congressmen, Hollywood celebrities and various world leaders who think it was a travesty to show the video.

It had to be shown. It was the only way to show the Iraqi people that Saddam was in custody. And to show the world that he was receiving the same care that any other “person of interest” in military custody would receive. I've heard that the mouth exam was to determine if he had cyanide capsules in his teeth. It makes no difference to me. The reason behind the exam was for his own health and the health of the people who would have care and custody of him. After all, he could have had a contagious illness. Or infested with fleas, or lice. And never forget that we treat our prisoners better than a lot of other countries have treated our people who were prisoners. Americans do believe in doing the right thing.

Some say it was degrading to show the video. This was, after all, video of a former world leader. (Excuse me? Third world, maybe.) It’s not as if we were showing tape of Saddam stripped and being deloused. That would have been degrading and I would be incensed about it. Everyone, no matter what their crime, deserves a certain amount of human dignity. Dignity that Saddam himself did not allow citizens of his own country.

Don't forget this is the man who ordered the gassing of the Kurds. This is the man who under whose reign thousands of Iraqis vanished after daring to disagree with Saddam. This is the man who allowed his sons to kidnap, rape, mutilate, and murder women. This is the man who allowed those same sons to murder people by putting them into shredding machines - alive.