Ray Malone's Commentary

There are many articles and columns that are very critical of the Justice system in Iraq. They refer to what they call the "fault filled" trial of Saddam and the unprofessional handling of his hanging. There is the inference that civilized and organized nations would not produce the same sort of faulted trial and execution of sentence as did the trial of Saddam.

I wonder what nation those critics think is superior to the Iraqi justice system. Perhaps they believe the United States Justice system was far superior to the Iraqi system in our most recent murder trial of a famous person. I refer you to the O. J. Simpson trial. Did Judge Ito conduct a far superior trial to the one conducted by the Iraqi judges. At least Iraq was able to replace their version of Ito with a more forceful and in-control judge. Our system just allowed the O. J. Dream team make a fool out of Lance Ito for week after week. Could Marcia Clark hold a candle to the Iraqi prosecutor? At least the Iraqi prosecutors managed to get a conviction.

And what about that O. J. verdict... Would the critics of the Iraqi trial of Saddam like to compare the quality of the verdict in the Saddam case to the verdict in the O. J. case.

Does anyone think the US appeal process is superior when convicted murderers can validly claim that a death method no worse than a flue shot is Cruel and Unusual punishment? Why can a sentence execution in the US be put on hold with the claim that a simple shot in the arm is cruel and unusual punishment? At least the Iraqi justice system did what ours only claims to do... provide swift justice. How can a system that allows even convicted serial killers to avoid the execution of their sentence for years be better than the swift justice performed by the Iraqi system. Why does our system allow lawyers on the public payroll to make frivolous claims of procedural faults that year after year only serve to delay execution of the sentence?

There was a time in the United States when executions for murder were open to the public. It was quite common for convicted murders to be ridiculed by the citizens who came to the execution. Do we really want a system that has been modified by defense lawyers to fulfill the needs of the murderer or would a system that brings approval from the victims be a superior one.

I think the Iraqi justice system has, on the basis of the Saddam trial, proved itself to be a system that just may be superior to the system in force in the USA.

There are those that say our system works well except for high profile cases. Isn't that lovely! They say our system always works well except when the American people are watching. That is like a thief claiming he only steals when the store guard is watching.

The United States has the justice system that is broken unless you consider murderer's rights superior to victims rights. That is what the system in the USA has become. What the USA system demonstrates is that if you can afford a Dream Team you can likely get away with murder. And If you can't .. you will after some long years of appeals perhaps die .... But perhaps not.

Those who are very critical of the Iraqi system of justice must have their eyes closed to the United States system.