What a Strange Trifecta

Has there ever been a more strange Trifecta that James Brown, Gerald Ford, and Saddam Hussein? One man struggled with personal demons while touching the world. One man did what he thought was right despite public opinion. And one man was insane.

Like much of the Iraq debacle, the United States made another strategic blunder in executing Hussein. Once a paria, he is now a martyr. History books are filled with good men who are considered great simply because they were executed. John F. Kennedy probably is the most glaring example, but an untimely death always tends to cause historians to forget one's faults.

No matter how bad Hussein was, let us take a moment to condemn capital punishment. Death is not an answer for death. As our savior taught us, one should not match an eye for an eye. We cannot as Christians protest the killing of the unborn while celebrating the killing of the born. A better - morally and politically - fate for Hussein would have been to rot in on of his own Iraqi jails.

Let us also celebrate Gerald Ford. A man - like President Bush - lambasted for being an imbecile despite an extraordinary academic record. He was an unusual man who did not seek power or fame and when it found him, he responded with dignity, grace and vision. We need a man like Ford in the White House today.

And the Godfather of Soul. Rest in Peace. You defined a generation of black Americans and gave the rest of the country a window into the black experience and soul.