Saddam's verdict: a poor precedent?

Yay! I have my Internet connection back to normal. And, my new DVD-recorder (with 160gb HDD) is on its way.

Life is good.

Well, probably not so good for Saddam Hussein and the two others sentenced to death (by hanging) in Iraq, assuming they aren't so delusional as to not realise/believe what's going on. I imagine the verdict has put a slight crimp in their day.

As I'm against capital punishment, I'd obviously far prefer to see the former dictator rot in some god-forsaken cell for the rest of his life (preferably as a democratic Iraq forms around him - though I'm afraid that might be too much to hope for). Allowing the state to execute people (for whatever reason), effectively handing the government and courts the power of life or death over their citizens, is giving it just too much power for my liking.

It's always struck me as more than a little ironic that the country which is probably most sympathetic to the idea of a minimalist state is also most comfortable with state executions.