Writer believes public should see Hussein's hanging

By Frank Curreri
Collegian Staff
January 24, 2007

Saddam Hussein wreaked havoc on his people and the United States for a long time. It seems recent international news is dominated by war, the threat of attack and instability in the Middle East.

The mastermind behind the majority of the chaos we have been subjected to since elementary school has been Hussein. That chapter of American history has reached an end with the hangings of Hussein and fellow terrorist cohorts Barzan Ibrahim Al Tikriti and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, head of Iraq’s Revolutionary Court.

Al Tikriti, Hussein’s half brother, had his head ripped from his body during his recent hanging.

Now the question of Hussein’s execution is whether or not the footage seen on CNN was too graphic for the public eye. The footage shows several men wearing ski masks surrounding Hussein, the sound of chanting and taunting in the background. A minute into the footage, a noose is placed around Hussein’s neck as the chanting gets louder. The former Iraqi president mocks his defiant crowd. The footage ends seconds before Hussein is dropped from a trap door beneath him due to its graphic nature.

On the other hand, a different media clip, which is circulating around popular Internet sites such as YouTube, shows a more graphic, violent depiction of how the incident truly occurred. The footage was taken from what is said to be a cellular phone and shows Hussein drop. At the end, a close-up of Hussein’s face is seen, lying motionless.

Should this media clip have been made accessible to the public? Not only should it have been, but it also should have contained aerial footage of the hanging, so we could take in every single second and watched this ruthless, inhumane dictator die. Even better, he should have been tortured for years, similar to the brutal punishment his victims experienced until he died a slow, agonizing death.

I don’t think people realize what kind of evil this man possessed and inflicted on anyone who got in his way. Just one example of his ruthlessness occurred in 1982, the crime that led to his execution. On July 8, Hussein was visiting the town of Dujail (50 miles north of Baghdad) when a group of Dawa militants shot at his motorcade. In retribution for this assassination attempt, the entire town was punished.

More than 140 men were apprehended and never heard from again. Approximately 1,500 other townspeople, including children, were rounded up and taken to prison, where many were tortured. After more than a year in prison, many were exiled to a southern desert camp. The town itself was destroyed, houses were bulldozed and orchards were demolished.

Hussein, along with Al Tikriti caused for those killings. He is responsible for having agents put the victims in a meat grinder.

I could go on all day as to why anyone associated with Hussein deserves to die. This man has caused so much damage to his own people and to U.S. families that we should watch this hanging with a sense of fulfillment. So many innocent citizens and soldiers have died because of his actions. Nothing will bring back his victims, but to see that man fall at the hands of his own people was nothing short of gratifying.

currerif1@lasalle.edu