Letter from an Iraqi refugee"Bush gives blood as gifts..."

Residents hold posters of Iraq's former President Saddam Hussein during a protest condemning his execution in the Sunni district of Adhamiya in Baghdad January 1, 2007. REUTERS/STR

The following anguished letter has just arrived from an Iraqi refugee who we met during our trip to Jordan and Syria last summer. I have edited for spelling, punctuation, and made small clarifications to her uncertain English, but I hope I have not altered the flavor of her communication. Her text came to me in red letters -- it seems right to reproduce it here in the same color.

Happy New Year and God bless you and all honest USA people. Dears, I want you to tell all and newspapers this, my message to all.

We were crying about Saddam. They killed him to please Bush and the criminals of Baghdad and Iran. He was better than them.

America's people should hang Bush! He has killed many many Iraqis and US solders (more than 15 thousands wounded) for nothing. The UK should hang Blair for killing US and UK solders. We should hang Al Hakim and Sadr and Maliki. Iran, they killed more than Saddam killed. He [Saddam] killed people who try to kill him in Dejail...But Bush, Blair, Hakim, Sadr killed many honest people. Also the Kurds killed hundreds, thousands. 600,000 Iraqis killed. [So many] Iraqi solders in Iran-Iraq war (they killed them from behind in that war.) [The killers] should all be hanged.

Saddam, he had many good things [about him] -- may God forgive him. But those others, what they have done for forgiving!!?? I know we were very poor but we were safe at least. We had [a] home and country but now what we have? We have nothing. We had honor in his regime. What we have now?? We are looked at like slaves!! No home, no country, no hope, no future. God punish Bush, [a] Santa Claus who gives blood as gifts, and the Congress. More than anything that's what I wish.

The killers [of Saddam] killed him on a very blessed [Muslim holy] day for peace. They gave us blood and killing, not gifts for our children or something to help our situation. I'm writing and have tears in my eyes. All Arab and Muslim countries pray against America and Congress. They say God will punish all who did that. It is not fair to kill [a] person in this blessed time for Muslims -- also a blessed season for Christians. I want tell Bush what he has given the world and USA: he gave blood and fire; he gave USA people more and more enemies; he brought shame on himself by what he did.

I'm so sorry to tell you that, but you are my real friends and family and I tell you all my feelings...My love and peace

Don't mention my name; they may kill me also.

Obviously there were many Iraqis who felt quite differently about Saddam Hussein's execution. But there were certainly enough who felt like this that his death will simply to bring more deaths, not peace.

UPDATE, January 2: Anyone who doubted that the thuggish execution would lead to more carnage, read Juan Cole.