You must be trolling, you have to be. The whole reason we helped remove him from power, at the request of france and germany, was because he was shooting his own people. Now thats what i call a saint. As for the IRA, he publicly supported them. If you knew what you were saying at all, you would be aware of that. Go read up on it, then come back and tell me how great he is.
The people being shot were attacking military sites. From the beginning of the uprising, the terrorists attacked police stations and army barracks etc with the aim of stealing weapons. Herc, you seem totally ignorant of the accomplishments of the Jamahiriya government, you only mention things you find negative. Even if true, Gadhafi's public support of the IRA is certainly comparable to the US support of Saddam Hussein, Osama bin ladin, up to the Saudi crushing violently the uprising in Bahrain:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/bahrain/index.htmlYou accuse Gadhafi of personally shooting his own people as if he was walking around with a rifle gunning people down simply for daring to protest. You neglect to acknowledge the fact that the rebellion in Libya was a violent uprising from the beginning, and many police and soldiers lost their lives as well - some victims of mass execution.
To say that "I must be trolling" is a weak, cowardly personal attack. Are you so terrified of an opposing, evidence-based viewpoint, that you cant respond in a more tolerant, intellectual manner? The civil war in Libya is a fairly major historical event, which is still unfolding with US involvement. My goal is not to incite you or anyone else... My goal is only to present an alternative view to counter the massive lies and propaganda pumped out by the mainstream.
Prof, I posted that older video because it shows a clear pattern of behavior among the rebel terrorists, complementing the Human Rights Watch report that came out only a few days ago.
http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/10/16/libya-new-proof-mass-killings-gaddafi-death-siteThe report itself is written with an anti-Gaddafi slant, yet documents substantial evidence showing that the rebels were guilty of atrocity and war crimes.
Here is an excellent 2-part video, about 20 minutes total, which shows evidence of several key points: 1) Jamahiriya troops showed a pattern of restraint, and by and large only shot people in self defense 2) The rebellion was violent almost from the beginning, and showed strong signs of being a pre-planned, coordinated effort (contrary to the propaganda that taking up arms was spontaneous) 3) Rebel terrorists had a clear pattern of executing captives on mass, including non-uniformed captives 4) Rebel terrorists, after seizing weapons from government police stations and barracks, dug themselves in within various city centers, effectively taking large numbers of civilians hostage, and providing useful fuel for propaganda that the government troops were attacking civilians when it can clearly be argued that the government was trying to protect the citizens from violence at the hands of armed gangs and islamist terrorists. (Black civilians were particularly vulnerable)
Video part 1:
Video part 2:
Prof, you accuse me of anti-US rhetoric, yet you slam the Libyan Jamihirya as though it had no supporters and no accomplishments. Why pretend that the US doesnt have a mixed record, like any other country? The US should improve on her shortfalls the same as any other nation, yet when criticism is brought up by someone like me, I get demonized as well ... Told to "gtfo" etc... And you want me to move to Syria (currently under attack by US/NATO backed terrorists) or Iran (next in the US firing line)....
Here is neo-conservative commentator glenn beck in a recent video explaining how the US is working with terrorists in Lybia and Syria:
Glenn Beck is certainly not muslim. Does he hate America for daring to say that the US is supporting terrorists? Biggest problem with Beck and others is theyre playing too much into the broken 2-party system and scapegoating Obama when Romney would be doing the exact same thing.
Also Prof, you throw a lot of personal attacks at me for being a white muslim and having a strong opinion on Libya despite having never been there, as though this legitimizes your mainstream-based opinion. But its not me thats putting the evidence out there. Human rights watch is telling you what happened. Videos taken by the rebels themselves and civilian witnesses tell the story after being analyzed. As the fog of war lifts, more of the truth will come out. Also, Muammar Gaddafi and the Libyan Jamahiriya have always been very good friends of the Nation of Islam here in America. My character judgement of Muammar Gaddafi is informed primarily by that relationship, as well as his consistent advocacy for a strong, independent, and united Africa. Libya was a destination country for black migrant workers, and black Libyans thought enough of the Jamahiriya to make up a significant portion of the police and armed forces.