Saddham was a product of a violent culture that has been like this for centuries.There are many more like him in Iraq waiting to fill the void.He was executed quickly in the hope his supporters will quickly wilt.

I doubt that the culture of violence will ever leave Iraq,since after centuries of survival of the most violent,they are left with a culture ingrained with this genetic propensity.This reality coupled with religious dogma that ignores all logic does not make for a very bright future.

If the US stays,the violence will continue,if they leave,chaos and civil war will prevail without the force of a ruthless dictator.

Which will be worse,a ruthless dictator or millions suffering in a protracted civil war?

The veneer of civilisation is indeed very thin and we need to take heed of this when formulating our immigration policies.

I can't help wondering if he will be considered a matryr by some extremist group or another and his death will be used to promote violence. How do both sides evaluate that possibility?

Bugger, I knew any mention of JC would attract BD and his mobile pulpit and lashings of god botherings.

Does anyone know someone who can perform exorcisms on-line? Surely there's some freeware we can download and deploy - a bit like virus software I would imagine.

Perhaps I can add something to this;
I have an indirect relative who was imprisoned by Saddam Hassian for
eight years as a hostage for the release of an assassin that was gaoled
by the British for attempted murder in London of an Iraqi dissadent.
The case was well publicised at the time.
He was tortured in their prison and still suffers his injuries.
As he said, why torture him, there was nothing to gain. He had been
lured there to discuss a business deal and was arrested when he got off the plane.
Discussing this with him at Christmas, his comment was that westerners
do not really understand the mentality of the Arabs and their religious
context. His statement was that they do not think like us at all.
It is this mental process that leads them to send a van with a suicide
driver to pick up a group of poor day labourers looking for work and then
blow them all to pieces.

It is as natural for them to kill Saddam Hussien as it would be to swat a fly.

So lose no sleep over that murderer and tyrant.

Posted by BOAZ_David, Tuesday, 2 January 2007 7:29:41 AM
Dear Ranier
yes.. Jesus... the Christ was entirely correct, but you have not quite put the balanced picture mate. As I've said in other places, the first word of the Good News is...'Repent' it is followed by 'believe' and the consequence of that 2 fold action is.. "forgiveness".

It wasnt Ranier it was me. And your argument is entirely inconsistent (as usual). Clearly there was no repentence on the part of those torturing Jesus to death and couldnt be because they didnt even realize what they were doing and yet they were forgiven. Take a course in logic David. I know that YOU said 'repentence is required' in other places but Christianity is supposedly based on the teaching of Jesus not on the teaching of Boaz.

Good God Rob, didn't you realise that Boaz was omnipotent?