PETER ROST, MD
Counterpunch
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Self-censoring in regular news media resulted in readers flocking
to the internet to find a complete video of Saddam Hussein's execution.
Here is the uncensored video, taken with a camera phone by one
of the witnesses to Mr. Hussein's hanging.
The video showed an undignified spectacle, with Mr. Hussein appearing
more composed than his killers. I have no tears for Mr. Hussein;
yet, I also have no respect for his executioners, who made the
state-orchestrated execution appear like an assassination by thugs.
And of course, our domestic television news just couldn't bring
themselves to show the end result of thousands of sacrificed American
soldiers-one dictator falling to his death, his head twisted horribly
to the side as he was swinging at the end of the rope.
Out of thousands of visitors viewing the video on my site, those
visitors included CBS News, the Department of Defense, and the
Department of Homeland Security. After all, they couldn't view
what happened through any official channel. I guess 2006 will
be remembered as the year when the blog world truly took over
as the most important source for useful, uncensored reporting.
I don't have any respect for a justice system which uses the
death penalty. Killing is always barbaric, whether it takes place
in Iraq or in the U.S. As for the Iraqi justice system, the puppets
currently leading the country apparently made a late-night end
run around the legal protections any prisoner is entitled to before
his death, in order to quickly assassinate Mr. Hussein. This process
speaks for itself.
The fact that the Americans held Mr. Hussein in captivity and
turned him over after having been assured of the "legality,"
of the decision, doesn't make the spectacle any more palatable.
In the end, Mr. Bush caught and killed his father's archenemy,
under the thinly veiled guise of "justice." Just as
clearly Mr. Hussein, who has been the miniature Stalin of our
time, deserved his fate. But, the whole affair leaves a bitter
aftertaste.
The killing of Mr. Hussein doesn't confirm that there is any
justice. It simply confirms that whoever is in possession of raw
power can do whatever he wants.
Welcome to 2007.
Peter Rost, M.D., is a former Vice President of Pfizer. He became
well known in 2004 when he emerged as the first drug company executive
to speak out in favor of reimportation of drugs. He is the author
of "The Whistleblower, Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman."
See: http://the-whistleblower-by-peter-rost.blogspot.com/
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