i finally found it, the video of saddam's execution,

director's cut, unrated, whatever.

it's pretty weird, as you might imagine, and yet it's important to view.

as with all these snuff videos, they're just bizarre. i know they're real, and yet they seem so surreal, so dispassionate, you would think that viewing this, and other terrorist execution videos would allow for a rational thought process about capital punishment.

and yet, in the line of business i've had for so long, murder and "unnatural death" still weirds me out. i can deal with those who commit these acts, i can spend long hours talking with them, trying to get to know them, trying to understand the circumstances surrounding the commission of these acts resulting in death, and even defending them in courts of law, and defending them in courts of public opinion. but the actual sorting out of this act, and this person, inside me, attempting to make sense of it all, and to attempt to put it in some sort of "big picture" just doesn't completely fold neatly.

hanging saddam was not the right thing to do; it trivializes all the evil acts for which he was responsible, and minimizes all the evil he represents.

as is "poof, he's dead and gone" is the answer.

it answers ONLY some people's need for punishment, but in terms of prevention, rehabilitation, restitution, and for setting examples of preferred behavior, it falls far short of the proper resolution.

the family members of those who died as a result of the acts for which saddam was being tried at the time of his execution are denied the right to have a verdict in those cases.

have we no better method of achieving justice?

do we not owe the world a better example of how fair and just a criminal justice system actually can be?

i'd be interested in some opinions, readers. thanks.