Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 6, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press monday november 6, 2006 a5 Saddam Hussein guilty world response to death sentence smiling on Way to Hangman the families of the victims have Saddam doomed but next Leader May turn out to be just like him by Matthew Fisher t he iconic image of the second War Between Iraq and washing ton was of a platoon of . Marines tearing Down a massive statue of Saddam Hussein in the Centre of Baghdad. But that moment was immortalized Only because it took place literally across the Street from where the world Media and crucially their satellite dishes were camped out. For Days before and after that event As other towns and cities across Iraq fell to the invading Force it was iraqis with no cameras to goad them ? rather than americans ? who gleefully toppled monuments to the tyrant and shot up or torched the ubiquitous portraits depicting the 69-year-old baath party Leader As a Brave Soldier a Loving father a Learned scholar a skilled horseman and most improbably As a pious Muslim. Saddam will go to the Gallows for the murder of 148 kurdish men from the Village of Duvail but that crime rep resents Only a tiny fraction of his Cru Elty during his 24 years As Iraq a absolute ruler. That is Why ? against Western expectations that Likely arose from How poorly things have gone for Iraq since Saddam was deposed three years ago ? most iraqis were demonstrably overjoyed by sundays death sentence rather than furious Over what had often been described As victors Justice. But at the same time because Iraq is now in the first ominous throes of civil War that openly pits shiites against sunnis and May soon pit arabs against kurd and the . Is not so quietly calculating How to declare Victory and get out a few iraqis and a few Ameri cans who were part of the misadventure Over there have begun to contemplate the unthinkable ? whether the Only Way to save this rigidly divided country is for it to once again be ruled by a ruthless autocrat. Still that Saddam should be execute analysis de has been the virtually unanimous conviction of Iraq a shiite majority and its kurd and turkmen since the moment 23 months ago that Saddam was dragged bedraggled and dazed from a spider Hole near Cikrit. Not surprisingly it was their communities that suffered the most from his evil caprices. That Saddam should be put to death is a View that is also shared by most christians iraqis and by Many sunnis especially educated ones from Bagh dad. While Many christians and sunnis including those in his inner Circle prospered during Saddam a dictatorship being a Christian or a sunni or a senior government official provided no Iron Clad guarantees. Many of them were hauled away in the night too never to be seen again while the survivors of these purges spent their Days worrying about a Knock on the door at night. The Only other modern Leader with whom Saddam might be compared is Yugoslavia a Slobodan Milosevic. Both had bloody Long runs delighted in taunting the United states and the West and spent years devising schemes to avoid severe in sanctions. Both lost everything in wars against the us and ended up in court. But Milosevic was tried by an inter National tribunal in the Hague. Sad dam was tried in by his own people in a court about 10 Kilometres from the Centre of Baghdad. There is an entirely new cast of play ers in Iraq today. Although Many Are As cruel As Saddam was and evidently wish to Rule in the same pitiless Man Ner they give him Little credit for inspiring them. In fact except for some Saddam loyalists who Lead parts of the insurgency in the sunni Triangle to the West and Northwest of Baghdad they Seldom mention Saddam a name except with contempt. The staggering number of Public monuments and portraits of Saddam Hussein that were once As much of the iraqi landscape As the desert have All been destroyed. Even in his Hometown Cikrit All traces of Saddam a swagger ing Public Persona have been erased. What May be the last iconic image of the vicious despot who shaped the Des tiny of so Many iraqis for so Long was produced before the iraqi High Tri Bunal sunday. Upon hearing that he had been sentenced to death Saddam spewed one last Harangue for the Cam eras and then curiously left the court room with what looked like a satisfied Smirk on his face. Perhaps Saddam was thinking of the terrible irony that perhaps the Only Way that Iraq May survive is for it to be ruled by someone like him. ? can West news service the right to smile and celebrate a Little by this death sentence against this criminal and his aides ? iraqi prime minister Nouri Al Maliki in televised speech Long live the people and death to their enemies Long live the Glo rious nation and death to its ene Mies ? Saddam Hussein this is a political court not a judicial court. Iraq is under occupation. The conflict of interest is Clear and obvious. You put your enemy in jail and try him. What is the meaning of that it is illegal under International Law ? Iraq a former in ambassador Mohammed Aldouri who now lives in the United Arab emirates the judiciary is operating independently and we need to give them credit for doing their Job and doing it in the Way they saw fit and proper ? White House spokesman Tony Snow Saddam was undoubtedly a Bru Tal dictator and even though i would to subscribe to the death penalty he deserves to be punished severely for the enormity of his crimes ? Chandra Muzaffar president of Malaysia based International move ment for a just world the judge was unjust and car Ries out what the . Dictates ? Laith Kamel 22, an iraqi living in Syria this is Justice from heaven. He should have been hanged a Long time ago. This is the smallest punishment for someone who executed tens of thousands of people ? Abdul Ridha Seeri who Heads political science department at Kuwait University since Day 1, we said the trial was politically motivated 100 per cent and that its completely illegal. The defence voice was not allowed to be heard at All ? Khalil Al Dulaymi Saddam a chief lawyer event sponsor Winnipeg free press Back Row Len Friesen Bob Friesen Dale Mcmurray Brad Kamble Rob Hardy front Row Donna Friesen Marnie Strath Maureen Mcmurray Tracy Mainland Cheryl Binning the cats meow the october 14th event which took place at the Winnipeg Fairmont was a purr act night that has gone Down in Hiss Story. Guests pounced on the Chance to have spent a fabulous evening dining and dancing to the nighttime sounds of Ron Paley and his band. 520 people attended this formal event to support the was and the 8000 to 9000 animals a year that pass through the shelter doors. Highlights of the night included a fur or Over the Doggie bags which were packed with All kinds of treats for humans and pets alike and a playful round of cat calling during the live auction. Co chaired by Charla Eby and Bev Howe the cats meow received donations and support from a myriad of businesses and individuals including the generous event sponsors investors group Independent jewellers & rolex Macc Winnipeg free press Vespa Winnipeg Clear 102.3 pm and the Fairmont Winnipeg. To achieve the Fine feline look of the event a number of groups got their paws into the mix including Tom Powell design studio signs now grower direct beyond Flowers uni source print rafters inc., and Ducom direct mail. The number 13 and Black cats brought fabulous Luck to this Bow wow Ball and thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and attendees the Winnipeg humane society a the cats meow was a fundraising Success. Front Row the honorable Christine Melnick minister of water stewardship Vicki Burns & John Gosselin 2nd Row balloon raffle Sellers Alia Pedersen Melissa Howryluk & Marcel Gosselin ;