Lynched Autocracy

Posted Fri, 12/30/06

I was born and raised Catholic, and still go to Mass on special occasions. However, being Catholic does not mean I allow the Church to influence my political thinking or certain "moral issues" that I sometimes find questionable. I do believe in the death penalty, and I most stringently support a woman's right to choose abortion.

Statement from the the Vatican:

Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Vatican's Council for Justice and Peace, said that carrying out the death sentence (for Saddam Hussein) by hanging would be an unjustifiably vindictive action.

"For me, punishing a crime with another crime - which is what killing for vindication is - would mean that we are still at the point of demanding an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

Vindictive action? The two words boggle the mind when placed in context next to the Iraqi despot.

Saddam Hussein deserved to die. In fact, his execution was mild in comparison to the atrocities he inflicted on others. He got away easy. Forgiveness is one thing, but to excuse a murderously psychopathic tyrant and allow him to live out his life in relative ease is beyond my own moral comprehension. Hussein and Hitler run neck and neck in the history books, as far as I'm concerned.

Yes, life is sacred. But it is not so for those who take the lives of others at will, without conscience or repentance.