Friday, December 29, 2006

Trifecta Completed?

A couple days ago, Otto asked who would be the third celeb to die. According to MSNBC, we may have an contender:
Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, sentenced to death for his role in 148 killings in 1982, will have his sentence carried out by Sunday, NBC News reported Thursday. According to a U.S. military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, Saddam will be hanged before the start of the Eid religious holiday, which begins at sundown Saturday.

The hanging could take place as early as Friday, NBC’s Richard Engel reported.
Otto stipulated that the third famous person should be a star of the 70s, and I'm not sure Saddam makes the cut. He didn't seize full control of Iraq until 1979, having spent the prior decade consolidating his power by sticking forks in peoples eyes. We didn't really pay him much attention here until the 90s, but the Iran-Iraq war from 1980-1988 was probably his hey day.

Besides, can you even count someone who gets executed?

8 comments:

Otto Man said...

I think I'm going to have to disqualify Saddam for a couple reasons. First, he's being executed, which doesn't count. These should be surprises. Second, he's a damned dirty foreigner, and unless they're Canadians or Brits who've been integral parts of our pop culture -- say, Roger Moore? -- they don't count either.

Still, when Saddam gets his, I'll look forward to seeing him reunited with his lover Satan. That'll be a sweet moment.

Mike said...

Pardon me OM, but I think Saddam qualifies to complete the Jerry, JB, and The Third trifecta if he meets his (money)maker on Sunday.

You should feel good about living in America when we end our long, national nightmare and Win Invasion Now.

(This is getting exhausting.)

Anyway, say it loud, you predicted a trifecta and you're proud. So, if you can handle a squeek(y) from me, I say this counts.

I'm Mike . . . and you're not.

Anonymous said...

I'm with OM. Saddam doesn't make it as a celebrity and has no place in pop culture, here or anywhere. And, as Mr. T. noted, Saddam didn't come to nefarious prominence until the 1980s when, as I recall, St. Ronald's foreign policy/national security brain trust backed him in the war with Iran.

As for Saddam's apparently scheduled departure, I just hope it doesn't end up costing a lot of our troops and innocent Iraqis their lives.

Thrillhous said...

Yeah, a surprise is probably what we need. I'm giving a nod to one of Mike's former Mets: Darryl Strawberry goes down in a blaze of gunfire this New Years eve.

Mike said...

Darryl Strawberry goes down in a blaze of gunfire this New Years eve.

Say it ain't so.

Mags said...

Yeah, Saddam doesn't count. But you know what's gross is that they're going to videotape his execution. Yuck.

I guess they want to record this for posterity's sake, to prove that the man's dead and all, but jeesh. That gives me the heebs.

Anonymous said...

Actually, this whole execution-watch that's going on is kind of ghoulish. It strikes me as the kind of thing Saddam and his henchmen would do.

After it's over, just excise the guy's head, put it in a jar of formaldehyde, pack it in a crate and send it to George W. Bush. I'm sure The Decider would derive great satisfaction from being able to show it off to visitors down at the ranch.

David's Test said...

How would Jesus execute someone? Rope? Injection? Bullet?

I'm sure W's exhaustive Bible study has the answer.

I know this is not a popular comment - but the idea of killing a mass murderer I can't support it.

It doesn't seem to satisfy even a blood lust unless you could kill him hundreds of thousands of times and bring him back.

I guess I'm a little too "New Testament" for the death penalty.