Chasing the Wind

The Iraqi bloggers aren’t shy about how they feel about Saddam’s performance at his hearing today. Saddam was defiant, even while handcuffed. He blamed Americans and Kuwaitis as the criminals, said the court was but a “theater,” tried to intimidate the judge, and insisted on being called “President of Iraq.”

“I am Saddam Hussein, president of Iraq,” he told Thursday’s hearing where he was read seven charges, according to reporters in the courtroom at Camp Victory, a sprawling U.S. base that was previously a lavish hunting estate with a man-made lake.

“Put down ‘former’ in brackets,” the judge said to a clerk who was noting Saddam’s declared occupation as head of state.

At “Iraq at a Glance,” A.Y.S. says

Just finish the trial, just finish it.. I don’t want to listen to what Saddam says, execute him and that’s it.., he’s talking as an innocent! I hit the ceiling when I heard his excuses regarding the invasion of Kuwait.. The same arrogance again.. The same evil look.. UNFORTUNATELY they broadcasted the sound too.. ‘ Kuwaitis promised to let the Iraqi women tramp in the streets and buy them with 10 Dinars.. Do you accept that? Ha? And you are an Iraqi..’ Saddam angrily said !! And never mentioned how he and his thugs insulted them..

Mass graves, suppression of Kurds and Shia uprisings, chemical weapons attacks, persecution, executions.. And many many other crimes he committed, he must die thousands times…

Execution.. He deserves the execution…. that’s it.

And Mohammed at “Iraq the Model” unloads about how he really feels about Saddam. It’s a powerful rant against the tyrant that took away what Americans have taken for granted. It’s too long to post in it’s entirety here, but well worth the read:

What shall we sue you for, Saddam?
For what?…..For what!?
For murdering millions of Iraqis? For the torture you used against anyone who dared to oppose you or even against those you doubted their loyalty?
Or for the impoverishing Iraq and her people and wasting Iraq’s fortune?
Or for the fear we lived in for thirty five years; the fear that made us die a thousand times a day, we were getting scared to death when someone knocks on the door or when the phone rings or when we see one of your wretched dogs watching us in the street or at work.
…
What shall we sue you for?
For your innovated methods to terrify people?
For chopping off tongues, hands and years?
Or for burning the prisoners alive in front of their friends to make them see, hear and smell pain and death?
What shall we sue you for?
…
Where are your supporters and where are your loyal servants?
Why didn’t we see millions cheering your name or calling for your innocense?
Why didn’t any Iraqi lawyer accept to defend you?
We reject you and we’d like to expel you out of our minds forever.
We’re nothing like you and we’re not going to treat you the way you treated your opponents when you grabbed power.
We’re going to get a fair trial and you’re going to have lawyers to defend you and we will listen to you although you refused to listen to us for thirty five years.
We will not start our new life with mistakes like you did; this is a new Iraq, an Iraq that neither you nor any of your fellow criminals can recognize.
The new Iraq is totally different from what you wanted or planned in your sick mind.
This is the Iraq where everyone listens to anyone even to criminals like you.

Mohammed understands what his new freedom means – “This is the Iraq where everyone listens to anyone even to criminals like you.” And he’s exercising his freedom in a way unthinkable only just last year.