Monday was kind of a blur for me, doing the last minute research on candidates and ballot initiatives before the election.  As a result, I didn't process the news of Saddam Hussein's sentencing until today.  There in the New York Times of Monday Nov 6, 2006, was a huge photo of Saddam Hussein protesting the sentencing, timed and placed there, no doubt to influence voters.

The various angles of the stories filled me with dread and disgust for a number of reasons.  Hussein's alleged actions are bad enough, but the conduct of the trial left much to be desired.  Legal experts agreed that the standards of international justice were not met, that evidence had been withheld from the defense, resulting in "trial by ambush."  Yet, the experts were willing to concede that the results were good enough.  Is this what passes for international justice?  No matter the crime, every accused criminal deserves a fair trial, and access to all the evidence and witnesses. Many of us are protesting the Military Commissions act, egregious for the very reason that it disallows the accused this access.  The standards must be applied evenly and impartially.

Second, the public has been led to believe that Saddam was being tried for the murder of thousands of people.  This trial involved allegations of 148 specific executions, where arrests were made, and then executions carried out. The victims were all men and youths.  The key words used were "willful killing, unlawful imprisonment and forced deportation…torture and other 'inhumane acts'."  I am not questioning the value of the lives of the men and youths, but at least in the case of the death sentences of the 148, some modicum of due process, such as it existed at the time, was followed.

Now,  I'd like to describe another situation, a town where thousands of civilians were killed, in apparent retribution for the deaths of 4 contractors.  There is evidence that white phosphorus was used against the citizens, that they were barred from leaving the city while trying to escape, that bodies were "warehoused" to prevent the numbers of deaths from being known. Hospitals were destroyed, women, men, children, elderly and infants were killed by infantry, bombs and poison gas.  The city was Falluja, in April 2004. Photographs of the devastation are posted on http://dahrjamailiraq.com/gallery/search.php?searchstring=falluja

Under the criteria used to convict and sentence Saddam Hussein, there seem ample grounds and evidence to accuse, convict and sentence those responsible for these crimes against humanity.  Who stands accused? President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard B. Cheney and Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

My "Green" Moment

As we head into the home stretch of the midterm elections, let me share a "Green" moment with you.

I was picking up a prescription Saturday night, and the pharmacist saw my "Desert Greens Green Party of Utah" button.  He asked, "So tell me about the Green Party; why would I want to vote Green?"  We proceeded to chat for about 45 minutes about the 10 key values, especially about ecological wisdom , personal responsibility, local control. We discussed local energy production, locally owned business, self sufficiency, bias in the media against 3^rd party candidates.   We went on to discuss the war in Iraq, the military commissions act, loss of civil liberties.  We discussed what Wal-Mart is doing to the marketplace, and how it affects our own jobs.  One of the pharmacists, knew the Smith family personally, and was horrified at the changes in the company now that this formerly locally owned chain was owned by grocery giant Kroger. There were frequent interruptions to serve other customers, but we kept finding new topics to discuss, and passionately.    We ended with an exchange of email addresses, so that I could share further information with them, and I promised to bring a copy of Greenwald's Wal-Mart movie on my next grocery trip.

This conversation took place not in Boston or San Francisco, but in Murray, Utah.

As progressive activists finish our canvassing, our advertising, our research into other candidates, remember that we have the moral high ground, and we have more in common with our constituents than we allow ourselves to realize.  Whatever the results on Tuesday, let us remember these serendipitous opportunities for conversation and community. Our struggle is not for success in a campaign cycle, but for our continued co-existence on this planet.

Now, Everyone, Before You Vote…

If you still believe that the current administration and its complicit Congress is doing a great job maintaining national security and protecting us from nuclear weapons proliferation you should read the following before you vote:

U.S. Web Archive Said to Reveal a Nuclear Primer about how the Bush administration and prominent congressional Republicans pushed to have all of the weapons of mass destruction information found in Iraq posted on a public web site without checking it for sensitivity. Apparently it contained detailed information on triggering mechanisms, the construction of plutonium "pits" and wiring diagrams.

And this:

America Seen as Threat to World Peace by Closest Allies  whose title speaks for itself.

And this one:

Chomsky on Terrorism especially the first half, about the history of the war on terrorism, and the US role in it.

And this one:

Bush Moves Towards Martial Law Do try the links in the article.  When I attempted to read the full text of the law, the links would only allow me to read a "summary" version, where the infamous section 1076 was not included. Are we not allowed to read it?  A public law?

Vote with your head, your heart, your soul, but VOTE!