I never cared much about Saddam Hussein. He had the same world view as Henry Kissinger, Augusto Pinochet, George Bush, and Dick Cheney - might makes right. In that sense he was delusional.

And though I think it is a bad thing for the planet that Henry Kissinger and other listed above have not yet been brought to account for their war crimes, I just feel saddened by the hanging of Saddam. I think when justice is too random, maybe it’s not justice? Maybe it’s just politics played out with a court room backdrop?

I seldom think the death penalty is a good idea. If we are called to use it as an end in the justice system, I think I would be less uncomfortable if we administered IV morphine to suppress the breathing until death occurs. There seems to be little question that such a death is among the least painful ways to go. It might take hours and if we want the public viewing of an execution, we need to have it happen quickly - like a hanging, or electrocution, or lethal injection. So that’s a drawback to the IV morphine drip method.

But I think there is little talk about IV morphine executions for another reason: there is some sense that the suffering death is part of the sentence. Nobody talks about that because it is barbaric, but I am not convinced that a suffering death is not part of the bargain. And watch as the folks with a lot of gusto for death and mayhem jump and down saying - well did Saddam give his victims a humane death? And that’s true of course, he did not, but the fact that this question will be brought forward in an almost reflexive reaction to the question of a humane means for applying the death penalty tells you that retribution - a suffering death for the prisoner - is part of this whole process.

It might be possible to find a little more of standing on the middle ground with the death penalty if we would choose a humane death penalty means. I am not sure about that, I might still not feel ok about it, but the retribution aspect of a barbaric, painful, public death puts some me off.

I am a believer and part of my belief system is that we will get a life review: did we do something with the gift of life? did we make the best of the spark of life, the miracle of consciousness, the burden of self-awareness? I wish Saddam well with that life review. I think he could have done better. I suspect that all of us can do better than we often do.

Today is another day. Maybe we get it right today. Seems like it’s off to a bad start with the news of this hanging.