graeme
Tens of thousads die of humanitarian aid
Posted on: 09/10/2011 13:55
A search of the web shows that as of last April, sources on all sides were saying the death toll in Libya was at least ten thousand to thirty thousand. By mid August. sides were considering the possibility of 50 thousand. And still counting. That seems high for a humanitarian mission. And it doesn't count at least double that number maimed.
Of course, Our Canadian bombers hit only soldiers. Their bombs have a built in device that detects civilians, so they don't go off if civilians are near. Lucky thing, because many of the bombs they are dropping are cluster bombs, and cluster bombs have been notorious for having a very high proportion of civilian kills.
I wonder if any of our preachers will remember that tomorrow as they lead prayers for tje fewer but more important people killed in New York.
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graeme
Posted on: 09/12/2011 19:25
According to the western press, the rebels won the war over a week ago. So how come it's still going on? Today, the army attacked an oil refinery, killing fifteen rebels.
This reminds me of Bush and "Mission Accomplished".
Birthstone
Posted on: 09/16/2011 08:11
Hey Graeme - I wondered this too, but I'm sure that such things, in big countries with lots of people aren't cut & dried, or tidy.
However, some boundaries need to be set to stop further 'punishment' of the Ghaddafi loyalists or 'rebellion' - they need to stop the fighting, get down to business and show why they are worthy of leading people now.
By the way - my friend, a UCC minister worked with her good friend the Rabbi to host a 9/11 event - The event included the Imam, people from the Ba'hai, and Unitarian churches, another UCC minister, and others. Its focus was NOT on memories or evil - it was on "What do we do now to build trust & friendship" - a nice evening, not a ton of answers, but definitely open minds and willingness to stand together. They all recognized that the 3000 killed was pittance compared to what happens every day around the world, and that we had to stop moaning about 9/11 and move forward.
I am glad Ghaddafi is gone, but the bloodiness of that battle has been shameful. Of course, what counts as appropriate?
graeme
Posted on: 09/16/2011 12:36
The 9/11 gathering sounds good.
ghadaffi, the bad guy, was a close collaborator with both Britain and the US. He supplied torture facilities to the CIA. His own intelligence service offered full information to the UK and US. If he's bad, then they are at last as bad - and you can bet the new leaders will be bad in exactly the same way.
Any war by bombing - especially using cluster bombs, is a war on civilians. And it's never appropriate.
By all accounts (and even by a close reading of the western press, the rebels are not much of an army. The didn't win battles. A pathway was bombed for them.
We don't provide humanitarian aid by killing tens of thousands. Nor do we have much of a record in planting democracies. Indeed, if anybody in Libya gets serious about democracy, he stands a strong chance of being shot.
InannaWhimsey
Posted on: 09/16/2011 13:58
The funeral homes & construction industry must be raking in the dough over there
Mely
Posted on: 09/16/2011 15:48
ghadaffi, the bad guy, was a close collaborator with both Britain and the US. ...
It was disgraceful that Scotland release Abdelbaset al_Megrahi, the only person convicted in the Lockerbie bombing. They released him more than 2 years ago, after serving only 8 years, because he supposedly only had a short time to live. Last I heard he was still alive. It is believed that Scotland did this to secure some sort of oil deal. It makes me ashamed that my grandparents came from Scotland.
Then Gaddafi's son was given a PhD by the London School of Economics. Apparently his dissertation was plagiarized and he gave a huge donation to the university. The UK government was involved, and British Petroleum. Apparently a lot of universities in the UK, and no doubt in other places too, are prepared to give up their integrity and independence in exchange for money from evil dictators.
It is disgraceful.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1372520/Gaddafi-sons-given-help-...
I'm sure who ever takes over in Libya will be just as bad as Gaddafi. Nato should have stayed out of it.
graeme
Posted on: 09/16/2011 17:48
Save your indignation and shame. The"bomber" was released almost certainly because there was no case against him; and the government would have been embarrassed when the case came to appeal - as it was going to.
As to being ashamed of being Scottish - don't you know that a purely "scottish" government could not have released him? Scotland is a part of the UK. Remember?
Was they cheating? I don't know. Did you know JFK cheated on his thesis? not to mention his wife. That ISrael is cheating by tearing down the homes of Israieli Palestinians, and forcing them out. Did you know that the early lleaders of Israel were terrorist who killed both British and Arabs?
Are you scandalized that one man might have been released for an oil deal? What do you think we've been killing people over for the last century?
GordW
Posted on: 09/16/2011 19:35
Not to mention why do you think the US is so unconcerned about the legalized murder of Hussein and the fact that Moammar willl have a similar fate (and Syria and Egypt and the Saudis). There are inconvenient bits of knowledge they all have about their actual dealings with the West....
Not only for oil, but also geo-political strategy