Monday, January 01, 2007

Interesting Corner Post

Cliff May wonders what would happen if Saddam had received a life sentence:
Imagine that Saddam had not been executed. Imagine that he had been sentenced to life in prison.
Now imagine that a group of pro-Saddam terrorists seizes an elementary school. They say they will kill all the students and teachers if Saddam is not released within 24 hours.
Should Saddam then be released? Or should several dozen innocent children and their teachers be killed?
Is it not better that we have guaranteed that it will never be necessary to make such a choice?

I have to agree with him.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

What's to stop them from doing it anyway?

El Duderino said...

Killing innocents? Nothing. But at least if the Iraqis are forced to release Saddam at this point he has been rendered more or less harmless.

Unknown said...

I meant they could have enacted your hypothetical situation the entire time he was in custody. Clearly no one wanted him loose.

zaphod said...

Actually, that's not clear at all.
(link)

Anonymous said...

Yet Dexter is right -- the argument about a "hostage situation", terrorists threatening murder unless S.H is released, is a red herring, morally, in terms of warfare & justice.

It doesn't work that way, and no matter what folks threatened, it should not impinge (generally) on an execution. The question here is whether an execution should have happened, period.

On that, I waver, I admit. But maybe4 it shouldn't have been so quick?http://www.slate.com/id/2156776/