Justice As a Deterrent

Mario Loyola over at the corner makes a very important post…

What is most shocking to me about war critics who dismiss his execution is the ease with which they wave away the hundreds and thousands of hours of real torture—and I don’t mean waterboarding, but rather sulfuric acid poured in the eyes, electric shock on the genitals, digits ripped from the hand with pliers, and worse—which Saddam inflicted on tens of thousands of innocents in Iraq.  In today’s Boston Globe, Jeff Jacoby remembers more of Saddam’s horror stories.  You need a heart of stone not to be consumed with hatred for Saddam.

As Peretz suggests, Saddam has earned an eternity of torment.  The debate over the decorum of his execution makes me wonder, as Christopher Hitchens has, whether we really understand the brutality of our enemies—and whether we ourselves are capable of the brutality which may be necessary to defeat them.

Exactly so. This is a question I have asked here, repeatedly.  The reason I ask, is I have long since begun to doubt we do.

I would ask you to read the rest of his article.

Done? Good.

Now, you’ll recall I made reference recently, to Italy lynching it’s dictator, and hanging  the bastard by his heels.  I should have pointed out the other night, that  Italy not only survived, but did well following the war… not in spite of that act, but rather BECAUSE of it. When you’re dealing with a ruthless enemy, defeating that enemy requires ruthlessness…. not just from the standpoint of that enemy’s actual defeat, but as a reinforcement of JUSTICE… both in the minds of the victims, and in the minds of those who would, given the chance, create more.

Which, as Loyola points up was exactly what Nurremburg was about. It WAS for show.

As an example… Don’t think for a minute that the guano leader in Iran isn’t watching these events, and recognizing that his current behavioral path is the same as Saddam’s… and the outcome will be the same… heckled as he swings….assuming he doesn’t change that path, himself.  Understand; simply dying doesn’t have the same fear factor attached to it for such people,  as does being executed with such ignominy.

But it took the Iraqis to do this… it was something that even assuming was within our rights to do, we would not; We haven’t the stomach for it as the reaction from the left I mentioned yesterday, shows clearly.

As such, we had best consign ourselves to losing the war on terror… assuming we don’t grow a pair of our own to face this menace.