I must admit I was quite surprised at the rapidity with which Saddam Hussein’s death sentence was carried out. I guess it makes sense, though. Delays might’ve given Saddam’s loyalists a chance to take hostages and commit other acts intended to scare the nascent Iraqi government into letting the brutal dictator go.

Will this be good or bad in the long run? I really don’t know. Leaving Saddam alive to rot in prison might have encouraged his sympathizers to commit acts of barbarity in the name of earning his freedom. In death, however, he becomes a martyr around which many insurgents will surely rally. I don’t think any of us can know which course of action came with the higher price tag.

I am against the death penalty. Period. End of story. But that doesn’t mean I have any sympathy for Saddam. He was an evil piece of garbage, a sub-human thug, a smear of filth on the surface of this planet.

Nevertheless, I cannot say with certainty that he leaves the world no poorer for his passing. Because his death may trigger more violence which claims more innocent lives.