Wednesday January 3, 2007

I've Been Thinking:

Robert Ellis, a United States army nurse, treated Saddam Hussein while the Iraqi dictator was in United States custody.
When Ellis recounts his exchanges with his patient, Saddam Hussein not only sounds human, he sounds kindly.
He describes how Saddam fed the birds, how when Ellis had to return to the US because his brother was dying, Saddam said he would be Ellis' brother.

Is Ellis delusional?
This is Saddam Hussein, aka the Butcher of Baghdad.
The truth is, dictators and mass murderers are not the devil incarnate, they are humans who perform dastardly acts.
They can murder thousands of people without shedding a tear and then cry their hearts out when a pet dies.
They can wantonly kill women and children then come home and enjoy classical music.

Mass murders are perpetrated by humans.
And sometimes, under certain conditions, they are likeable humans.