I like it how our government who is against the death penalty and usually becomes involved when a 'briton' is sentenced to death in a foreign land, has welcomed the death sentence in this case. Didn't they criticise the talaban for having the death penalty?

Unlikely. Most of the US also allows the killing of convicted black men criminals.

I really, really like firing squads.

The irony is that while the occupying forces are engineering the execution of the hard man they put in place back in the seventies to hold the country together, they are looking around increasingly desperately for a hard man who could hold the country together...

I'm with Jon on this: If murdering innocent civilians in pursuit of your personal or political aims is a hanging offence (and though I can't condone capital punishment, it seems to me that it's as good a candidate as any), then I can draw no distinction that would send Hussein to the gallows and allow Bush and Blair to walk.

In some respects I regard them as even more evil, or at least more cynical. Hussein made no attempt to conceal that fact that he was a self-serving, murdering shit. Bush & Blair wrapped themselves in flags and righteous indignation whilst covertly phosphor-bombing civilians. It's somehow even worse that they made such a bollocks of achieving their desired ends.

I've always liked firing squads too. If ever i had to be executed, that's how i'd want it to be done.

I doubt he'd be very happy when he gets his office back.

 

"You bastards, i spent years working a perfect arse-groove into this chair. Grr, i'm so angry i think i'll destroy another village"

Not very environmentally friendly though! :[

What with all the cordite and lead poisoning and stuff. LMAO

Bryan

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And has anyone noticed how when westerners are 'captured' they're called hostages, yet when coalition forces capture someone they're called prisoners of war or terrorist suspects? Whats the difference between a hostage and a prisoner anyway?

I think my previously mentioned Brady Bunch Suicide idea would be suitable on this occasion.

Is it to do with ransoms and suchlike? And probably some more stuff.

Yes to "terror suspects", no to "POWs". The US has officially refused to recognise people it has captured/grabbed as prisoners of war. Dubya and friends insist on the term "enemy combatants" because it's against the Geneva Convention to torture POWs or "extraordinarily rend" them to legal black holes like Guantanamo for getting beaten and pissed on by US soldiers.

But you're right. Westerners being taken by the Islamists just demonstrates how evil the enemy are; secret CIA concentration camps are like Disneyland. Isn't that how propaganda works?

I might be wrong, but I seem to remember hearing Blair say that he disapproves of the death penalty in all circumstances, but that since it's "under Iraqi control" we must do what they want. I actually thought it was one extremely small good thing that he's said.