Sic Semper Tyrannis

Almost as soon as the floor beneath his feet had given way, and the noose he had long deserved tightened around his neck, the rumors began to swirl about the execution of Saddam Hussein. What were his final words? Where some of Muqtada al-Sadr's followers present? Was there fear in his eyes? Or was he defiant right to the very end?

Perhaps more worrisome were the sentiments expressed by some anti-war westerners. They raised questions about the 'fairness' of his trial; extolled his ability to 'hold Iraq together' during his reign; complained that his execution changed nothing; and claimed that this execution made the executioners (read: Americans) no better than Saddam himself. These sentiments and concerns were not confined to the radical left. Indeed, one international organization, Human Rights Watch, went so far as to declare Saddam's execution "a step away from human rights and the rule of law in Iraq."

But all of these inquiries, rumors, myths and, in the case of Human Rights Watch, lies have one thing in common - they completely miss the point.

A true tyrant is a terrible thing to behold; a thing which, I believe, is largely unfathomable to most Americans, who have been blessed with a Democratic Republic for over 200 years. We cannot imagine the terror that comes with a Saddam Hussein. Furthermore, particularly given the way we have balked at our approximately 3,000 military casualties thus far in Iraq, we cannot possibly stomach the death that comes with tyranny. During his 23 years as 'President' of Iraq, an estimated 1 million innocents lost their lives to the genocide of Saddam. The execution of Saddam is about them - those hundreds of thousands who were not around to testify at his trial. Saddam's death was justice for them; and a grim reminder for the rest of us.

The hanging of Saddam is not, as some seem to think, an occasion for joy or celebration. Indeed, the fact that we are occasioned an opportunity to deal with the aftermath of genocide is quite a terrible and, for lack of a better word, sad thing. It is sad because of what it means. All those questions - Was he defiant? What did he say? Was it fair? Was it justified? - are being asked because a million people, one million, met unjust and untimely deaths.

Sic semper tyrannis indeed.