Hangin Hussein

[scottg]

So should we begin to guess as to when he will be walking to the gallows?

[Im1chunkymunky]

they shoulda strangled him before he came outta the hole " he was like this when we found him" :thumps:

[Wayward Son]

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e163/sfarish/saddamgrabberit6.gif

[scottg]

Just read the news on the AP; seems as though many think he will be swinging from a rope this weekend.

[Wayward Son]

He just had his long drop with a short rope. Done deal.

[pantoja73]

I'ts saturday there already so I suppose he's in hell alright. I'm glad he's dead. Now let's hope for Castro's death to come soon, so they meet down there and screw each other.

[Marcus]

If you think this is going to make a any difference in world as we see it...then you're just naive. Not like he didn't deserve it...but it's not going to make a difference...to us anyhow.

[scottg]

Done deal!! He's dead.

As far as Castro is concerend, I wish he would meet the same death as his follower Che Guevara, but more brutal!! It kills me to see the youth of today wearing the infamous Che shirts and not understanding his influence in south american politics/socialism and the fact that his actions led to many a brutal cival war.

[SpearMax]

If you think this is going to make a any difference in world as we see it...then you're just naive. Not like he didn't deserve it...but it's not going to make a difference.


Regardless of how one feels about the war, you have to admit that it is very symbolic. I wish we had been able to try and hang Adolf Hitler. Saddam's hanging seems well deserved and sends a signal that the civilized world will get rid of tyrants sometimes. ;)

[Marcus]

Hitler and Hussein are apple and oranges. Hitler was threatning the entire world with his domination agenda. Hussein was completely under control by a very small portion of our military and wasn't a threat to anyone except the people that he ruled with an iron grip. If we are to genuinly be the world police then we should do it unbiasedly...as it should be. The only reason we give a shit about Iraq is because of their resources and tactical importance.
Furthermore, if we're really worried about the world's tyrants...we've a long road to hoe.

[scottg]

Standing aside from personal global feelings, I do wonder how historians will write this one, especially when there are so many sources to pull factual/non-factual info from.

Parents be careful of what your kids read as far as history is written. I know I will.

[SpearMax]

Marcus, That was not a political statement on the war. I stay out of those. It was just an historical observation that Hitler killed himself while Saddam hid in a hole in the ground.

[Marcus]

Marcus, That was not a political statement on the war. I stay out of those. It was just an historical observation that Hitler killed himself while Saddam hid in a hole in the ground.


Ah..excuse my ability to realize your intitial message. My mom always told me I wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. :D

[Oldsarge]

They did it!

[bgbill]

Hitler and Hussein are apple and oranges. Hitler was threatning the entire world with his domination agenda. Hussein was completely under control by a very small portion of our military and wasn't a threat to anyone except the people that he ruled with an iron grip. If we are to genuinly be the world police then we should do it unbiasedly...as it should be. The only reason we give a shit about Iraq is because of their resources and tactical importance.
Furthermore, if we're really worried about the world's tyrants...we've a long road to hoe.


Marcus,

The United States did not try Saddam, nor did the United States execute him, it was Iraq, a sovereign nation that tried, convicted and executed Saddam for crimes he committed.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-539092136898147334&q=saddam+executed&hl=en

[scottg]

Here is a better link to the execution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myY3-mdl-xU

[f94gator]

Everything would have been easier if they'd just shot him when they caught him. At least we don't have to sit through the trials of his sons, too!

[Marcus]

Marcus,

The United States did not try Saddam, nor did the United States execute him, it was Iraq, a sovereign nation that tried, convicted and executed Saddam for crimes he committed.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-539092136898147334&q=saddam+executed&hl=en

:rolleyes: C'mon Bill, that's like saying "That man didn't shoot that other man. It was the gun that killed him."

[Wayward Son]

Sure, we made it possible. Without us, he never would have stood trial for any of his actions.

You sound like this pisses you off. Why is it a bad thing that we gave those people the freedom to bring some justice to him?

[WonderBoy]

So......how long before we can actually see it?

[jackpine savage]

I am glad it didnt become a mockery like Milosevic trial. I am usually opposed to the death penalty except when it is used against people like Saddam. It is not a deterence it is ridding the world of evil. I just wish some of the other tyrants out there could be tried and executed like him, beginning with the leader of N. Korea

[Marcus]

You sound like this pisses you off. Why is it a bad thing that we gave those people the freedom to bring some justice to him?


You've got to be kidding me. I don't give a rat's ass about Saddam, let alone feel any emotion about his death. Furthermore, I don't care so much for his people that I'm willing to endanger our nation financially and kill thousands of our men and women in the process of "liberating" them. Why should I? Especially when we've so many other problems within our own nation to care about. What the hell makes the Iraqi people any more special than the rest of the oppressed people on this planet, anyhow?

The only thing that pisses me off is that people are so gullible to think that this is some sort of victory for the US....yaaaaaay, Saddam is dead. :rolleyes:

[zenspearo]

A truely evil guy and irrespective of how you feel about the war, Hussein got what he deserves.

[Bill McIntyre]

There is no doubt he was an evil dude, but that didn't bother our government as long as he was useful to us and had the same enemies.

In 1961 he had to flee to Egypt after he botched an assassination attempt on Abdul Karim Qassim, a leftist general who ruled with the support of the Communist Party. We didn't ask for his head or call him a murderer.

His exile ended in 1963, when his Baathist colleagues seized power with covert US assitance. The party's secretary general, Ali Saleh Saadi, said "we rode to power on a CIA train."

When militant Shiites took over Iran and he decided to do a preemptive attack on Iran in 1980, he got covert US support.

In March 1984, when Donald Rumsfeld was about to visit Bagdad for the second time as Reagan's Middle East envoy, the US had publicly condemned Iraq's use of chemical weapons. But Secretary of State George Schultz sent Rumsfeld a cable telling him that the condemnation was more or less pro-forma and that "our interests in 1) preventing an Iranian victory and 2) continuing to improve bilateral relations with Iraq, at a pace of Iraq's choosing, remain undiminished.....This message bears reinforcing during your discussions."

So yes, the guy was a monster, but we shouldn't forget that he was our monster with our encouragement for a very long time.

[scottg]

His personal belongings are already showing up on eBay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=001&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=110073937696

[aaron proffitt]

Figured the Big Show would have found it's way onto YOUTUBE by now.

[WonderBoy]

I love the question "can you dab some red paint to resemble blood on the rope" Classic! All across the US, there will be morons telling their friends that THEY bought THE rope that hanged SH.
"SEE THE BLOOD! IT'S REAL!!!"

[Seth]

omg thats pure genius, i wish i could shake that sellers hand.. wow.. i got some rope in the garage :)

[Marcus]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061230/ap_on_re_mi_ea/saddam_57

"Earlier, in Baghdad's Shiite enclave of Sadr City, hundreds of people danced in the streets while others fired guns in the air to celebrate. Some hanged an effigy of Saddam. "

Hopefully, the Iraqi people will remember the sacrifices we've made to get him hanged. I don't place much hope in this due to the financial ruins we've placed the country in.

On another note...

"First it was weapons of mass destruction. Then when there were none, it was that we had to find Saddam. We did that, but then it was that we had to put him on trial," said Spc. Thomas Sheck, 25, who is on his second tour in Iraq. "So now, what will be the next story they tell us to keep us over here?"

[monster slayer]

Sure, we made it possible. Without us, he never would have stood trial for any of his actions.

You sound like this pisses you off. Why is it a bad thing that we gave those people the freedom to bring some justice to him?


What about Pinochet? He died old and without prosecution, he was a genocidal murderer supported by CIA, i wish they had executed him along with Castro and Noriega ...

[scottg]

Yep, you are correct about Pinochet...

[Bill McIntyre]

Whatever else he was, it sounds like he was brave. I don't know if I could handle an eminent hanging that well.

In any event, I hope I never get to find out.
**************************************
On the Gallows, Curses for U.S. and ‘Traitors’

By MARC SANTORA
BAGHDAD, Dec. 30 — Saddam Hussein never bowed his head, until his neck snapped.

His last words were equally defiant.

“Down with the traitors, the Americans, the spies and the Persians.”

The final hour of Iraq’s former ruler began about 5 a.m., when American troops escorted him from Camp Cropper, near the Baghdad airport, to Camp Justice, another American base at the heart of the city.

There, he was handed over to a newly trained unit of the Iraqi National Police, with whom he would later exchange curses. Iraq took full custody of Mr. Hussein at 5:30 a.m.

Two American helicopters flew 14 witnesses from the Green Zone to the execution site — a former headquarters of the Istikhbarat, the deposed government’s much feared military intelligence outfit, now inside the American base.

Mr. Hussein was escorted into the room where the gallows, with its red railing, stood, greeted at the door by three masked executioners known as ashmawi. Several of the witnesses present — including Munkith al-Faroun, the deputy prosecutor for the court; Munir Haddad, the deputy chief judge for the Iraqi High Tribunal; and Sami al-Askari, a member of Parliament — described in detail how the execution unfolded and independently recounted what was said.

To protect himself from the bitter cold before dawn during the short trip, Mr. Hussein wore a 1940s-style wool cap, a scarf and a long black coat over a white collared shirt.

His executioners wore black ski masks, but Mr. Hussein could still see their deep brown skin and hear their dialects, distinct to the Shiite southern part of the country, where he had so brutally repressed two separate uprisings.

The small room had a foul odor. It was cold, had bad lighting and a sad, melancholic atmosphere. With the witnesses and 11 other people — including guards and the video crew — it was cramped.

Mr. Hussein’s eyes darted about, trying to take in just who was going to put an end to him.

The executioners took his hat and his scarf.

Mr. Hussein, whose hands were bound in front of him, was taken to the judge’s room next door. He followed each order he was given.

He sat down and the verdict, finding him guilty of crimes against humanity, was read aloud.

“Long live the nation!” Mr. Hussein shouted. “Long live the people! Long live the Palestinians!”

He continued shouting until the verdict was read in full, and then he composed himself again.

When he rose to be led back to the execution room at 6 a.m., he looked strong, confident and calm. Whatever apprehension he may have had only minutes earlier had faded.

The general prosecutor asked Mr. Hussein to whom he wanted to give his Koran. He said Bandar, the son of Awad al-Bandar, the former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court who was also to be executed soon.

The room was quiet as everyone began to pray, including Mr. Hussein. “Peace be upon Mohammed and his holy family.”

Two guards added, “Supporting his son Moktada, Moktada, Moktada.”

Mr. Hussein seemed a bit stunned, swinging his head in their direction.

They were talking about Moktada al-Sadr, the firebrand cleric whose militia is now committing some of the worst violence in the sectarian fighting; he is the son of a revered Shiite cleric, Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr, whom many believe Mr. Hussein ordered murdered.

“Moktada?” he spat out, mixing sarcasm and disbelief.

Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq’s national security adviser, asked Mr. Hussein if he had any remorse or fear.

“No,” he said bluntly. “I am a militant and I have no fear for myself. I have spent my life in jihad and fighting aggression. Anyone who takes this route should not be afraid.”

Mr. Rubaie, standing shoulder to shoulder with Mr. Hussein, asked him about the killing of the elder Mr. Sadr.

They were standing so close to each other that others could not hear the exchange.

One of the guards, though, became angry. “You have destroyed us,” the masked man yelled. “You have killed us. You have made us live in destitution.”

Mr. Hussein was scornful: “I have saved you from destitution and misery and destroyed your enemies, the Persians and Americans.”

The guard cursed him. “God damn you.”

Mr. Hussein replied, “God damn you.”

Two witnesses, apparently uninvolved in selecting the guards, exchanged a quiet joke, saying they gathered that the goal of disbanding the militias had yet to be accomplished.

The deputy prosecutor, Mr. Faroun, berated the guards, saying, “I will not accept any offense directed at him.”

Mr. Hussein was led up to the gallows without a struggle. His hands were unbound, put behind his back, then fastened again. He showed no remorse. He held his head high.

The executioners offered him a hood. He refused. They explained that the thick rope could cut through his neck and offered to use the scarf he had worn earlier to keep that from happening. Mr. Hussein accepted.

He stood on the high platform, with a deep hole beneath it.

He said a last prayer. Then, with his eyes wide open, no stutter or choke in his throat, he said his final words cursing the Americans and the Persians.

At 6:10 a.m., the trapdoor swung open. He seemed to fall a good distance, but he died swiftly. After just a minute, his body was still. His eyes still were open but he was dead. Despite the scarf, the rope cut a gash into his neck.

His body stayed hanging for another nine minutes as those in attendance broke out in prayer, praising the Prophet, at the death of a dictator.

Ali Adeeb and Khalid al-Ansary contributed reporting from Baghdad.

[apnea_complex]

I guess I read a different side of the story...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Speechless Hussein
trembled, struggled
The details of Saddam's
non-heroic final hour
Posted: December 30, 2006
12:48 p.m. Eastern

By Gordon Thomas
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

At two minutes past 3 a.m. (GMT) today, Saddam Hussein's boast that he would die a heroic martyr ended when he saw the gallows.

He began to tremble and his eyes filled with what one observer called "his terror at impending death. For the first time he was feeling what so many others had done facing execution from his actions."

One hour before – 2 a.m. on a cold Baghdad morning – his cell door had opened. Standing there was the Iraqi commander of the execution squad. He ordered the two American guards, who had stood their last death watch, to withdraw. In their place stepped two muscular Iraqi soldiers.

The commander told Saddam he would be hanged in the hour. There then followed the ritual formalities for execution.


At 2:30 a.m. he performed his final religious ablutions, kneeling and washing his hands, face and feet.

He then sat on the edge of his iron-cot bed and began to read the Quran. It had been a gift from his wife, sent to him at the outset of his trial. But only after the court’s death sentence had been passed had Saddam begun to study it.

Meantime, in the execution chamber, final rehearsals were underway.

A sack filled with builder's sand was used to test the gallows trapdoor. Twice the trapdoor swung open and the bag plunged into the void. The hangman judged the rope had been fully stretched.

After each test an Iraqi technician checked the trapdoor. Each flap was secured to the gallows platform by three steel and oiled hinges. The trap opening had been made wider than usual to avoid any chance of Saddam's body catching the sides of the platform.

At 2:45 a.m. two mortuary attendants arrived with a plain wooden coffin. They placed it beside the gallows platform.

By 2:50 a.m. the handful of invited witnesses stood against one wall of the execution chamber. They included members of the Iraqi judiciary, clerics, a representative of the Iraqi government and a doctor.

Their whispered talking fell silent as the chamber door opened. Gripped by the two hooded Iraqi guards, Saddam Hussein stood there blinking in the bright lights.

These had been switched on for the Iraqi video cameraman. It was 3:01 a.m. The tripod camera was in a corner of the chamber, providing a wide-angle shot of the gallows. Each time the test sack had plunged through the trapdoor, the cameraman had filmed a test video to check his framing.

Now at 3:01 a.m. Saddam stood there for a moment longer. Gripped firmly by the elbows, his two guards then motioned him forward towards the 12 steps leading up to the gallows platform.

At the foot of the steps, an Iraqi government official stepped forward and began to read from a single sheet of paper. It was the official death sentence.

An observer recalled: "Saddam’s mouth started to work. But no words came. The terror in his eyes was there for us all to see. He started to struggle. But he had no muscular power."

The official withdrew. Gripped even tighter by the guards, Saddam was half-forced up the steps.

The executioner – another Iraqi – came forward. In his hand he held a hood. He offered the blindfold up to Saddam.

Saddam shook his head, his mouth opened and closed.

"From where I stood he seemed to look down at the trapdoor as if he wanted to avoid it," said one of the observers.

One of his guards quickly pinioned Saddam's hands behind his back. A black cloth had been placed around his neck where the noose was now positioned.

He was maneuvered onto the center of the platform.

The silence in the room was total.

Suddenly there was the sound of a lever being pushed down hard. The trapdoor swung open. Saddam's body plunged through.

Saddam's body, neck broken, hung suspended for a few minutes. Then the doctor stepped forward and listened through a stethoscope for a heartbeat. There was none.

The two morticians stepped under the platform and cut the body down. The knife they used to slice through the rope looked like the kind a butcher would use.

At 3:14 a.m. Saddam Hussein’s body was placed in the plain wooden coffin and taken to a mortuary storage vault while a final decision was taken on the manner of its disposal. His widow had already made a request for it to be handed over to her for burial.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v29/faithhas_fallen/saddam_gallows.jpg

[Seth]

http://ebaumsworld.com/2006/12/saddam-full-execution.html


guess a lot of guys on here are anxious to see it? i personally have no interest in watching him die, but the link is there for anyone who does

[SpearMax]

That video looks so amatuerish. I thought I read they had a video on a tripod being operated by a professional with video lights. Maybe this one was a bystander's video.

[Bill McIntyre]

That video looks so amatuerish. I thought I read they had a video on a tripod being operated by a professional with video lights. Maybe this one was a bystander's video.

I haven't watched it and don't plan to, but the articles in today's LA Times say that it appears to be from a cell phone. The official video was also mentioned, but this one seems to be some one's individual effort.

[SpearMax]

it appears to be from a cell phone.

Bill, I think you are right. It looks like a MPEG format of video and the guy's hand movements might be an attempt at concealment. ;)