Informed Speculation

…most definitely NOT the same as the old boss:

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said Tuesday that Iraq and other countries have the right to impose the death penalty, adding that the world should never forget Saddam Hussein’s “heinous crimes.”

Ban’s first public reaction to Hussein’s execution signaled a sharp break from his predecessor, Kofi Annan, an ardent death-penalty critic who opposed U.N. participation in the Iraqi war crimes tribunal that sentenced Hussein to die. Human rights advocates expressed concern that Ban’s comments lend credibility to what they see as a flawed trial of the former Iraqi leader, and complained that he could set back efforts to abolish the death penalty.

Regardless of your stance on the death penalty, what a breath of fresh air to have the pompous Annan in the rear view mirror.  Meanwhile, that bootlegged video of the Hussein execution continues to grab headlines:

A security guard who used a cellphone camera to record the chaotic scene of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein’s execution was arrested Wednesday, according to an adviser of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

The prime minister’s political adviser, Sadiq al-Rikabi, did not identify the guard or say where he was being held. Iraqi authorities are questioning the man to see whether he acted independently or was working with others to intentionally undermine the government’s desire to publicly reveal just a brief portion of the execution proceedings, said Rikabi.

Well, I’m conflicted.  As I stated elsewhere, I hate snuff, and I don’t care at all to witness violence in any form.  However, the arguement can definitely be made that the anonymous guard made a contribution to history.  It’s the old argument about whether journalists should reveal state secrets brought to a new and uglier set of circumstances, I suppose, even if the journalist in question was a thug at a hanging…