Death of a Dictator

So, I'm sitting at the bar lastnight, and I hear "Jenny, look on the TV" and I look up and its no longer the LaCrosse games, its news coverage about how CNN was waiting for the Official word of Saddam's death. That he is to be hung.

In silence (except for the Juke Box turned low) we watch the tv. No one is really saying much. This goes on for about 10-15 mins, then cheers ring through out the bar. Its official, he was hung. Comments about the various ways he SHOULD have been executed ringing through the air, but there are veterans with tears in there eyes of joy and a unanimous relief & excitement that the Dictator's life is over. Toby Keith's "Red White & Blue" (see end for lyrics) ring through out the bar: cranked on the Juke and everyone singing.

And there were rounds bought on the house, below the house and for the house! A dictator is dead. Thank-you sweet Justice.

~!~!~!~!~
One of my cousins was sent back over, to Bagdad. Not to long before Christmas. I've always supported our Soldiers and their actions, I havn't always supported our President's. But capturing Saddam was one thing out of this war to help make it a little easier to go on about it, for me personaly. And his death lastnight, makes it worth it a little more. I wish he would have died on American soil, that it would have been our Soldiers giving him his final breath. But he is dead now. And we can't be picky when it comes to those things.

I can't keep track of how many Head Terrorists, etc have been captured, killed, found DOA or whatever. But I do know, that with each one of them that is out of the picture more come into the picture to take the place of the fallen one. Some of these are nastier and meaner the ones before, its inevitable. But I have faith in the Men & Women of America, and I have faith that they will do whatever is necessary
to help bring peace.

JR isn't going out peace the best way, but I can say this, he showed more control than I would have. If I was president when 9-11 happened, I would have sent troops over to air raid and just demolish the whole fucking land. Kill them all and let the gods sort em out. But that's irrational thinking, and it would definatly not be the best way. And who is to say that someone, somewhere wouldn't do the same to us.

And one more thing about Saddam, the Soldiers who captured him, they must have had control of steel to not kill him then & there. I salute you for being the better men & women than he was. Its not always easy being strong, and your the strongest & bravest people I've known, Our Soldiers.

The life and death of Saddam Hussein
By: Rebecca Spitz

Saddam Hussein was executed in Iraq Friday night. Hussein's death caps a long history of power in the Middle East. Saddam Hussein was born April 28, 1937 in the Northern Iraqi City of Tikrit, the son of Sunni Muslim peasants. He married his second cousin and had three daughters and two sons, Uday and Qusay.

Saddam first became involved in the Iraqi Nationalist Movement as a student in the 1950s, joining the Baath Party.

After Iraq's King Faisal was assassinated, Saddam was briefly forced into exile -- first in Syria, then Egypt. He returned when the Baath Party first took control of Iraq in 1963.

After years of turmoil, the party consolidated its hold on Iraq, and Hussein began rising to power. He became a general In 1976 and president three years later. Hussein invaded Iran in 1980, setting off an eight-year war during which Hussein was accused of using mustard gas and chemical weapons.

In March of 1988, he authorized the use of poison gas against the Kurds in northern Iraq. Two years later, Iraq invaded Kuwait -- an action which led to the first Gulf War. Iraq was quickly defeated and faced a decade of UN sanctions, weapons inspections, and even airstrikes by US and British warplanes. Then came the events of September 11.

Saddam Hussein was executed in Iraq Friday night. Hussein's death caps a long history of power in the Middle East. Our Rebecca Spitz takes a look at his life as the Iraqi president and a brutal dictator.

After the campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan, pressure mounted against Hussein. In November of 2002, the UN security council passed resolution 1441, calling for tougher inspections and threatening serious consequences if Saddam refused to comply.

There was one final round of weapons inspections. It turned up no new weapons, but inspectors said the Hussein government was not fully cooperative.

Finally in March of 2003, the US and Britain led an invasion, beginning with a decapitation strike on the dictator and some of his top aides. Baghdad fell within weeks.

In July, Saddam's sons Uday and Qusay Hussein were killed by coalition troops and their bodies were shown in public. As the hunt for Saddam continued, many were skeptical the former dictator would ever be found. But that changed on Sunday, Dec. 14 when US Administrator Paul Bremer made an unexpected announcement.

"We got him," he said.

Saddam was arraigned before a judge and went on trial in 2005, charged in the killing of 148 Shiite Muslims in 1982. He admitted to ordering trials for the Shiites who were eventually executed. But he insisted it was legal. Through months of court proceedings, Saddam remained defiant, going on hunger strikes and shouting at prosecutors. In November a tribunal announced a guilty verdict for the 1982 killings and sentenced Saddam to hang. That fate was cleared earlier this week, when Iraq's highest court rejected his appeals and ordered that Saddam be hanged within 30 days.

The former Iraqi dictator was executed Friday around 10 p.m. In the final hours of his life, his attorneys did file another appeal, this time in American courts. That's where they argued over who technically had custody of Hussein, whether it was the United States or the Government of Iraq. That appeal was denied.

The Pentagon says Hussein's execution will likely lead to a spike in violence across the country.

Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)
by Toby Keith

American girls and American guys will always stand up and salute;
Will always recognize
When we see ol' glory flying,
There's a lot of men dead,
So we can sleep in peace at night when we lay down our head.

My daddy served in the army,
Where he lost his right eye.
But he flew a flag out in our yard 'til the day that he died.
He wanted my mother, my brother, my sister and me
To grow up and live happy in the land of the free.

Now this nation that I love has fallen under attack.
A mighty sucker punch came flying in from somewhere in the back.
Soon as we could see clearly through our big black eye,
Man we lit up your world like the Fourth of July.

Hey Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list,
And the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist.
And the eagle will fly,
And there's gonna be Hell,
When you hear Mother Freedom start ringing her bell!
It's gonna feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you...
Brought to you courtesy of the Red, White and Blue!

Oh, Justice will be served and the battle will rage.
This big dog will fight when you rattle his cage
You'll be sorry that you messed with the US of A
'Cuz we'll put a boot in your ass
It's the American way.

Hey Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list,
And the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist.
And the eagle will fly,
And there's gonna be Hell,
When you hear Mother Freedom start ringing her bell!
And it'll feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you...
Brought to you courtesy of the Red, White and Blue!

Of the Red, White and Blue..
Of my Red, White and Blue...