Disqus - Friends of Lisa1LinenLady

Re: Live Blog - Libya Feb 23

smaneck — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:15:14 -0000

They didn't kill 1250 people launching rockets into Israel. How many Israelis actually died in these attacks compared to Palestinians?

Re: Live Blog - Libya Feb 24

smaneck — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 18:47:15 -0000

You are forgetting that the US spent months preparing to go to war with Iraq and it proved to be a mistake! Obama is prepared to take action if necessary, but only with the consent of the global community. Unlike GW he is no Lone Ranger. Is it really better for Libya that the US removes their dictator rather than the Libyan people themselves? If Ghaddafi had succeeded in bombing the cities it might be one thing, but the pilots are either deserting or crashing their own airplanes rather than do this. Let this be the victory of the Libyan people, not another case of US intervention.

Re: Live Blog - Libya Feb 24

smaneck — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 23:27:38 -0000

Yes, if what the Minister of Justice claims about Ghaddafi having ordered the Lockerbie bombing can be verified, the US would have every right to take him out but by the time this gets verified, the Libyan people will have already done that. Isn't that a better scenario in the end? If we have to help, I think we will.

Re: Live Blog - Libya Feb 26

smaneck — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:03:35 -0000

I believe the European Union has already agreed to freeze assets. If needed I expect they will put i a no-fly zone in force (does Ghaddafi still have an air force behind him?) Beyond this the question becomes what can Americans and Europeans do to stop the bloodshed? If we march in to liberate Tripoli, what would be our exit strategy? As America knows from sad experience these messes are easier to get into than out of. And would there really be less bloodshed, or would an American or EU presence only give credence to Ghdadafi's insistence outsiders have engineered all this? If we could just take Ghaddafi out with a surgical strike, I would agree we should so do so, but that's not as easy as it appears. How long did it take us to find Saddam Hossein? And we are still looking for Bin Laden. I hate to see people dying too and we should certainly not allow genocide, but God willing, the Libyan people will win this battle in a few days.

Re: Live Blog - Libya Feb 26

smaneck — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:25:31 -0000

You give us too much credit, Thomas. These revolutions took the US by surprise. That's why Obama has been so slow to respond. He is not a man to open his mouth until he knows what he is talking about. When it came to Egypt, for instance, his advisors told him all the wrong things but eventually Obama went with his gut and got it right. His friendship with people like Rashid Khalidi paid off and hopefully it will eventually help the Palestinian people as well. But it is a difficult for a Democrat to be tough on Israel because they need the Jewish vote.

Re: Standoff In Wisconsin Square

smaneck — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:37:29 -0000

In that case the Democratic senators have every right to boycott the legislation so the Republicans can't vote just as the Republicans used their filibuster of the US Senate to prevent various bills from passing.

Re: Live Blog - Libya Feb 26

smaneck — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 01:44:48 -0000

I think the opposition now has the most arms, Mark. It seems only about ten percent of the army remains behind Qaddafi. What he has left is mostly the special forces brigades which his sons command. They are helplessly outnumbered. The problem is that weapons in the had of the opposition are mostly outside of Tripoli and that is where people are being killed in the streets. Qaddifi did have enough arms to hand out to his henchmen there. Now that the opposition is heading towards the capital I think Tripoli will be liberated in a matter of days.

Re: Live Blog - Libya Feb 26

smaneck — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 01:48:42 -0000

We do support Libya's freedom and getting rid of the Gaddafi regime. The real question is what can we *do* to support it that won't cause more harm than help?

Re: Live Blog - Libya Feb 26

smaneck — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 01:55:14 -0000

The UN might be able to function effectively if we got rid of veto power in the Security Council.

Re: Live Blog - Libya Feb 26

smaneck — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 01:59:43 -0000

At least George Bush has the grace to step down when his time was up.

Re: Live Blog - Libya Feb 29

smaneck — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:52:15 -0000

The US gets only small fraction of its oil from Libya. I think the US is hoping they won't have to do anything, that merely allowing these ships to approach Libya might be enough to persuade more of the military to desert Gadhafi.

Re: Live Blog - Libya Feb 29

smaneck — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 01:03:24 -0000

Might not hurt to take out the air base at Sirt either. That would open the way up for the rebel troops to liberate Tripoli. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to recognize the Provisional Government and let them decide what kind of help they need.

Re: Live Blog - Libya Feb 29

smaneck — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 01:11:14 -0000

Looks to me like the Arab people are carrying out their own liberation and hopefully setting up their own democracies. So far I've not heard any US official suggest that we will provide the revolutionaries with arms. As for asking Gadhafi to step down, we can ask all we want. It is the Libyan people who will bring this about. US isn't about to occupy Libya, so you can relax. Any aid we give with be done without setting foot in the country.

Re: Live Blog - Libya March 2

smaneck — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:33:29 -0000

I appreciate your sentiments Colorado, but while justice cannot be bombed from the skies justice can be blocked from the skies if the air force at Sirt is able to bomb the rebels. At the very least they can prevent Tripoli from being liberated.

Re: Live Blog - Libya March 2

smaneck — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:00:13 -0000

Because the men have beards that means they are al-Qaida? You and Gadhafi need to make up your minds. You can blame in on the CIA or you can blame it on al-Qaida, but it can't possibly be both. (Hint, maybe it is actually the Libyan people, some of whom wear beards.)

Re: Live Blog - Libya March 2

smaneck — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:09:10 -0000

Coup d'etats are carried out by the countries military, not by rag-tag militias. Libya is already impoverished, despite its huge oil revenues. Now why is that? With the price of oil right now there will be no need for Libya to go into debt to rebuild is country. Indeed, if Gadhafi would just leave there will be no need to rebuild anything. The US doesn't need Libyan oil. It is mostly China and European countries who buy it. You know who the major supplies of foreign oil to the US are? Canada and Mexico! If Americans want to see Gadhafi go it is because of his long history of terrorism against the US plus the fact that he is willing to sacrifice his own people to maintain his leadership. What leader does that? In any case, the US has no intention of setting foot in Libya. If the freedom fighters want us to give them a no-fly zone, maybe we will do it, but given the fact that air strikes appear to be happening only very occasionally and involve only an airplane or two one has to wonder whether even that is necessary.

Re: Live Blog - Libya March 2

smaneck — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:14:09 -0000

The Libyan people have asked for air support from the Americans, they just don't want ground troops. It is not even clear the air support is necessary at this point. The ships are there just in case. I don't expect a single Marine will put his foot down on Libyan soil unless it is to deliver humanitarian aid. If what we have seen so far is indicative of all Gadhafi's air force can do, I don't think we will need even the no-fly zone. And I certainly don't think we should be using our air power to target mercenaries on the ground. They will leave as soon as they realize Gadhafi can't pay them anymore because his assets are frozen.

Re: Live Blog - Libya March 2

smaneck — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:25:38 -0000

We certainly didn't gain anything from 9-11. The xenophobia it created led us into two costly and unwinnable wars. Some of Bush's cronies profited, but they aren't there anymore. And yes, I think bin Laden is still hiding somewhere but not in the country we are occupying.

Re: Live Blog - Libya March 2

smaneck — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:30:14 -0000

I think you misunderstand the meaning of a military coup. A military coup is carried out by the military of the country in which the coup occurs, not outside invaders. A coup is what brought Gadhafi to power. What happened in Iraq and Afghanistan were not coups, they were invasions, plain and simple.

Re: Live Blog - Libya March 2

smaneck — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:33:36 -0000

Yes, Evangelical Christianity plays a large role in US support for Israel, but that has more influence in the Republican Party than the Democratic Party. To vastly over-generalize, Evangelicals tend to support the Republicans while Jews are more likely to support the Democrats. Evangelicals support Israel, not because they are the chosen ones, but because they believe this would be a prelude to Christ's return.

Re: Live Blog - Libya March 2

smaneck — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:36:26 -0000

I think it would be better if the Arab League enforced the no-fly zone. I hope they step up.

Re: Live Blog - Libya March 2

smaneck — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:40:00 -0000

As much as a dislike Gadhafi, I have to agree that the term 'genocide' is being thrown around too loosely. It would only be genocide they were to say target one of the tribes opposed to Gadhafi and try to wipe them out as a tribe.

Re: Live Blog - Libya March 2

smaneck — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:42:53 -0000

I don't think invading Libya is even on the table for the US. I suspect that we sent this ships in more to intimidate Gadhafi than anything else. Perhaps they might be used to enforce a no-fly zone, but invasion is out of the question.

Re: Live Blog - Libya March 2

smaneck — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:46:29 -0000

Relax. We are not going to invade or occupy Libya.

Re: Live Blog - Libya March 3

smaneck — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:32:35 -0000

It would not be an act of war against Libya if we officially recognize the Provisional Government in Benghazi. But none of this may be necessary. The air strikes carried out by Gadhafi forces have so far been so limited one really has to wonder how much air power they really have.