The blog feeds are showing people in Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and elsewhere saying that the bombing is good and that Qaddhafi is a monster (two statements I wholly support). Aside from a few reprehensible die-hard Qaddhafi loyalists like his son Saif and criminal collaborators like Robert Mugabe, Hugo Chavez and Jeremy Corbyn, no one is denouncing the West seriously. When Premier Putin made a few derogatory remarks for domestic consumption, President Medvedev publicly bitch-slapped him. Amr Moussa has been raked over the coals for his backtracking.
I really don't see the reaction, beyond the occasional shrill voice that can be expected no matter what we do or don't do.
Reactions sent via Twitter to live feeds:
1320: Farid, who has family in Tripoli, writes: "All my friends and family I have contacted in Libya feel more protected since the air strikes. They feel they are being cared for by the international community. Gaddafi was just taking revenge and punishing everyone, but people on the streets are happy the allied forces are weakening the regime. Tripoli is run by fear - there are a lot of arrests and killings by Gaddafi forces. There were demonstrations there last week. The air strike on Gaddafi headquarters is huge. It is a huge military fortress. It is good it has been hit."
1329: Mohamed, in Misrata, says:"This tyrant (Col Gaddafi) is fooling the world with his lies about cease fire. He is still destroying Misrata today and he has more than 200 snipers terrorising the city - using laser guided rifles. We call on the international community to go all the way and help us topple the dictator."
1343: Khaled, who is originally from Zawiya, says: "I just want to assure anyone who questions how the west of the country feels about the air strikes, that people in the west are just as desperate to see Gaddafi go, they understand that it will come at a cost, and they are paying it. You don't see them protesting against Gaddafi because they are being surrounded by his brutal forces that shoot people in the streets, kidnap them from their houses, and set snipers on top of their buildings. Please believe me as a Libyan, whose family is still in the midst of all this, now that we have a resolution, don't let the Libyan people down because of propaganda that Gaddafi always used. The few hundreds who are shown as pro-Gaddafi are either forced to do this through taking hostages of their loved ones, or thugs who always helped Gaddafi oppress Libyans, and they are now sticking with him."
1516: NS in Tripoli, Libya writes: "I think that the air strikes are targeting Gaddafi's forces and Gaddafi himself, which is not a crime but I think the allied forces should give Gaddafi a little time so that perhaps he can surrender."
1540: Libyan American BentBenghazi tweets: "What is happening in #Libya is not a civil war, but Ppl against their dictator. #Gaddafi is massacring ppl. #Benghazi stands with #Tripoli."
1743: Sami, a Libyan in the USA, writes on the Arabic-language BBC News website forum: "Gaddafi says the West is after our oil, but we Libyans are not benefiting at all from our oil anyway. So even if the West has a vetted interest, what's wrong with us getting external help to get rid of a mad regime and get our oil back from him?"
1759: Abdi in Tripoli, Libya writes: "We live in fear. All our lives we live in fear. Everybody has a family that has been in prison. No freedom, no democracy, no elections."
1810: Mohammed in Tripoli, Libya writes: "The strike has been very serious. We want Gaddafi to step down. We want our freedom or else we will not stop fighting."
1933: Lila, from Algeria writes: "We really need to help the Libyan people. Even the Algerian people, young men, they've said they would be ready to go to Libya to help the people there who are dying, the children. Because Gadaffi really has to go. He'll hang on until the bitter end."
I really don't see the reaction, beyond the occasional shrill voice that can be expected no matter what we do or don't do.
Reactions sent via Twitter to live feeds:
1320: Farid, who has family in Tripoli, writes: "All my friends and family I have contacted in Libya feel more protected since the air strikes. They feel they are being cared for by the international community. Gaddafi was just taking revenge and punishing everyone, but people on the streets are happy the allied forces are weakening the regime. Tripoli is run by fear - there are a lot of arrests and killings by Gaddafi forces. There were demonstrations there last week. The air strike on Gaddafi headquarters is huge. It is a huge military fortress. It is good it has been hit."
1329: Mohamed, in Misrata, says:"This tyrant (Col Gaddafi) is fooling the world with his lies about cease fire. He is still destroying Misrata today and he has more than 200 snipers terrorising the city - using laser guided rifles. We call on the international community to go all the way and help us topple the dictator."
1343: Khaled, who is originally from Zawiya, says: "I just want to assure anyone who questions how the west of the country feels about the air strikes, that people in the west are just as desperate to see Gaddafi go, they understand that it will come at a cost, and they are paying it. You don't see them protesting against Gaddafi because they are being surrounded by his brutal forces that shoot people in the streets, kidnap them from their houses, and set snipers on top of their buildings. Please believe me as a Libyan, whose family is still in the midst of all this, now that we have a resolution, don't let the Libyan people down because of propaganda that Gaddafi always used. The few hundreds who are shown as pro-Gaddafi are either forced to do this through taking hostages of their loved ones, or thugs who always helped Gaddafi oppress Libyans, and they are now sticking with him."
1516: NS in Tripoli, Libya writes: "I think that the air strikes are targeting Gaddafi's forces and Gaddafi himself, which is not a crime but I think the allied forces should give Gaddafi a little time so that perhaps he can surrender."
1540: Libyan American BentBenghazi tweets: "What is happening in #Libya is not a civil war, but Ppl against their dictator. #Gaddafi is massacring ppl. #Benghazi stands with #Tripoli."
1743: Sami, a Libyan in the USA, writes on the Arabic-language BBC News website forum: "Gaddafi says the West is after our oil, but we Libyans are not benefiting at all from our oil anyway. So even if the West has a vetted interest, what's wrong with us getting external help to get rid of a mad regime and get our oil back from him?"
1759: Abdi in Tripoli, Libya writes: "We live in fear. All our lives we live in fear. Everybody has a family that has been in prison. No freedom, no democracy, no elections."
1810: Mohammed in Tripoli, Libya writes: "The strike has been very serious. We want Gaddafi to step down. We want our freedom or else we will not stop fighting."
1933: Lila, from Algeria writes: "We really need to help the Libyan people. Even the Algerian people, young men, they've said they would be ready to go to Libya to help the people there who are dying, the children. Because Gadaffi really has to go. He'll hang on until the bitter end."
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
So within 24 hours of the 1st UN mandated action in Libya...
20/03/2011 04:38:25 PM
- 1477 Views
The Arab league guy has gone out saying he was misquoted.
20/03/2011 05:26:21 PM
- 723 Views
China and Russian abstained instead of voting No, which is odd.
20/03/2011 05:32:02 PM
- 658 Views
Workplace politics writ large. With more blood. Gads. My hermit instinct is rearing it's head. *NM*
20/03/2011 08:35:35 PM
- 304 Views
I think we should just ignore anything Russia and China says about human rights..
20/03/2011 10:15:59 PM
- 627 Views
Re: I think we should just ignore anything Russia and China says about human rights..
20/03/2011 11:12:11 PM
- 723 Views
Misquoted to the extent of ordering an emergency meeting of the Arab League uh?
20/03/2011 05:41:45 PM
- 689 Views
Apparently Qatar is about to join the fray... it is rather crucial that the Arab world backs this.
20/03/2011 05:50:14 PM
- 719 Views
There is a lot of politics going on in the Arab League, from what I've read
20/03/2011 05:52:31 PM
- 938 Views
That is a big miscalculation.
20/03/2011 06:10:34 PM
- 787 Views
Not really
20/03/2011 06:23:52 PM
- 818 Views
I dunno.
20/03/2011 06:59:18 PM
- 796 Views
But the people who are going to think that way are going to do it no matter what
20/03/2011 10:13:36 PM
- 674 Views
Seriously. I can't believe Snoop and Rebekah's comments. It's like we had weeks to act.
20/03/2011 10:27:40 PM
- 779 Views
We have had weeks to act
20/03/2011 11:15:15 PM
- 788 Views
The French hit those vehicles in that military convoy 10 miles from Benghazi center.
21/03/2011 03:01:06 AM
- 747 Views
Because when you get involved in what is, unfortunately, an internal matter,
20/03/2011 11:18:16 PM
- 690 Views
Qatar is not part of Libya so it would still be outsiders interfering in an internal matter
21/03/2011 12:25:30 AM
- 693 Views
I have to ask:
21/03/2011 03:13:31 AM
- 863 Views
I don't think the people in Libya give at rat's ass about what the king of Qatar wants
21/03/2011 05:12:26 AM
- 824 Views
Well, that has all shit to do with Qatari participation.
21/03/2011 03:02:19 AM
- 679 Views
Not so.
21/03/2011 08:54:31 AM
- 784 Views
Bullshit.
21/03/2011 01:37:32 PM
- 922 Views
Well.
21/03/2011 06:58:19 PM
- 704 Views
That's odd. I'm not seeing any of this criticism.
21/03/2011 10:55:27 PM
- 695 Views
It's not about "legitimacy" so much as it is about, to use the ugly word, propaganda.
21/03/2011 10:33:12 PM
- 637 Views
The only support I've seen Qaddhafi get is from the rogues gallery of world pariahs.
21/03/2011 11:01:54 PM
- 743 Views
Is the Qatar involvement as important as the Kuwaiti involvement in the Iraq War?
22/03/2011 06:57:27 PM
- 1116 Views
I don't see a situation where this does not turn into a land war.
20/03/2011 10:51:41 PM
- 752 Views
it is already is a land war if you ask the people on the ground doing the fighting for weeks
21/03/2011 12:34:10 AM
- 742 Views
Fuck Gadhafi.
21/03/2011 05:21:29 AM
- 618 Views
how full of yourself are you?
21/03/2011 12:37:47 PM
- 766 Views
They're not my people.
21/03/2011 02:22:46 PM
- 747 Views
Wha?
21/03/2011 03:55:51 PM
- 786 Views
Nope.
21/03/2011 04:21:21 PM
- 773 Views
Ok.
21/03/2011 04:30:44 PM
- 704 Views
I challenge you to point out where I'd advocated killing anyone but him and the military...
21/03/2011 04:45:05 PM
- 645 Views
Do something, get whined at. Do nothing and you get Rwanda.
21/03/2011 11:19:38 AM
- 868 Views
I would reply...
21/03/2011 11:22:14 PM
- 593 Views
It is only natural that the girl preferred me to you, but.......
21/03/2011 11:36:33 PM
- 744 Views
And you old enough to be her father, you should be ashamed...
22/03/2011 12:17:55 AM
- 487 Views
She said she prefers experience to enthusiasm.......
22/03/2011 12:24:05 AM
- 604 Views
Funny. She told me it was all down to the size of your.....wallet. *NM*
22/03/2011 12:33:33 AM
- 245 Views
"You old enough to be her father" is usually followed with "I'm impressed and envious"
22/03/2011 06:50:27 PM
- 656 Views