With Gadhafi’s ouster, a world of possibilities for Libya and its people
Moammar Gadhafi, a longtime dictator and sponsor of the Lockerbie bombing and other acts of international terrorism, has finally lost his grip on power. Libyan rebels have taken the capitol city of Tripoli and are trying to capture Gadhafi, whose whereabouts are unknown. He chose to fight until the end and will now reap the consequences of that decision. Personally, I’d be surprised if he survives at the hands of those with a long, long list of grievances against him, many of a quite personal nature.
For that same reason, Bashar Assad must be shaking in his Syrian slippers. As the Guardian reports:
“The germs of Syria congratulate the rats of Libya,” read many a Tweet, referring to the terms used by each of the countries’ leaders for those fomenting unrest against the autocrats’ rule.
Others activists used the network to urge Assad to watch the news and realize he was next. The situation in Syria is less certain as the regime continues to crack down against almost exclusively unarmed protesters and without the appetite for military invention that helped push the Libyan rebels to victory.
But the impending end of Gadhafi’s rule – who came to power just a year before the Assad dynasty in Syria – has certainly bolstered morale among protesters.
It is also likely to rattle the regime in Damascus despite Assad’s assertions during a television interview last night that he is “not worried”.
While the assistance of NATO was no doubt invaluable to the Libyan rebels — a vindication of the policy adopted by President Obama and others — this remains a victory by and for the Libyan people. Tens of thousands, and eventually hundreds of thousands, took up the struggle against a tyrannical government, gambling their lives by fighting to free themselves from repression, and for the moment at least they have won that gamble.
As a result, they have earned the right to determine what happens next. It’s important to note that this is not a coup in which one strongman, usually with military backing, emerges to topple his predecessor. This is also not a revolt controlled or led from outside the country’s borders, or an invasion such as that which removed Saddam Hussein. This is something different, a genuine movement, a rising up of the people. And that is cause for optimism as we turn to the obvious question of what comes next?
Nobody really knows. Through their military assistance, the United States, NATO and the United Nations have all earned credibility with the Libyan people. Additional non-military assistance will now be needed as the Libyans attempt to rebuild government and identify and elevate new leadership. Again, that must be their battle. Those outside Libya should offer help as requested and needed, but we have neither the resources nor the wisdom to impose a solution. The Libyans have to do it themselves.
Even with such assistance, it is all too plausible that this rebellion will end as most have in the Middle East, with another dictator or power elite emerging to replace Gadhafi. There are no guarantees. However, what we do know for certain is that Gadhafi, a murderous tyrant, is gone. That opens up possibilities for Libya that did not exist a year ago. And if that part of the world is ever to stabilize and join the modern world, this is how it must happen.
– Jay Bookman
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1,049 comments Add your comment
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
2:14 pm
poison pen
My 2:02 was my first to you on the topic.
Just looking for clarification. If you didn’t support any of the three wars, does that mean you did not support attacking Afghanistan after 9-11? If not, why not?
Dusty
August 22nd, 2011
2:14 pm
Bookman,
There is hardly a country in the world that hasn’t had “atrocities” in its history. Almost every nationality can be reminded of their guilt, some more than others. But to constantly remind others of the atrocities and never the advancements, is a bit one sided. You would not be one sided , would you?
Normal
August 22nd, 2011
2:15 pm
“The Duchy of Grand Fenwick decides that the only way to get out of their economic woes is to declare war on the United States, lose and accept foreign aid. They send an invasion force to New York (armed with longbows) which arrives during a nuclear drill that has cleared the streets. Wandering about to find someone to surrender to, they discover a scientist with a special ultimate weapon that can destroy the Earth. When they capture him and his bomb they are faced with a new possibility: What do you do when you win a war?”
Anybody remember this one? “The Mouse That Roared”
I bring it up because it was asked, “Are there any civilized countries?”
Grand Fenwick was all I could think of…
Joe the Plutocrat
August 22nd, 2011
2:16 pm
md, and of course, none of the “axis of evil” (Iran, Iraq, Venezuela, Libya) ever SELL any of their oil on the open market. it is only after we “shock and awe” these folks, that they sell their oil.
stands for decibels
August 22nd, 2011
2:16 pm
Belgians being civlized.
No no no.
md
August 22nd, 2011
2:20 pm
“If you didn’t support any of the three wars, does that mean you did not support attacking Afghanistan after 9-11? If not, why not?”
Don’t know about him, but I for one do not/did not support boots on the ground. There was never any reason the most sophisticated military in the world couldn’t make it’s point against a pre-historic civilization without having to put boots on the ground.
After all these years, we have done nothing but shift the corrupting powers……………
DebbieDoRight
August 22nd, 2011
2:20 pm
DaveR: And if you need some, Hillary has some you can borrow.
Dave R – You.Are.Soooo.BAD!!
But that WAS funny!!
Joe the Plutocrat
August 22nd, 2011
2:20 pm
JB, and was not Winston afflicted with bipolar disorder (manic-depressive)? I suppose his leadership during WWII and the Battle of Britain was worthy or praise, but therein lies the difference between Winston the Prime Minister of the UK, and Winston the bitter, mentally-ill, head of a failing, has been, no longer a super power empire.
Ayn Rant
August 22nd, 2011
2:21 pm
Don’t count on anything good coming out of the uprisings in Egypt, Libya, and Syria. The citizens of those countries are a fractious lot divided by sectarian beliefs and social customs.
They need the guidance of a strong hand, hopefully one more honest, wise, and benevolent than the ones they overthrow.
Joe the Plutocrat
August 22nd, 2011
2:22 pm
Dusty, I think you meant to say; hardly a western/European, colonial empire….
md
August 22nd, 2011
2:24 pm
Joe…….selling it is not a given…………holding it hostage can sometimes have the bigger effect…………think his foray into Kuwait was to gain beachfront property??
Aquagirl
August 22nd, 2011
2:27 pm
Looks like Ayn is happy to share the White Man’s Burden with Dusty. These selfless 19th century thinkers renew my faith in humanity.
Mary Elizabeth
August 22nd, 2011
2:28 pm
Ayn Rant @ 2:21 p.m.
How condescending. And how generalized in perception. Each country – Egypt, Libya, Syria – is different in composition.
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
2:29 pm
Normal
A classic Peter Sellers!
Midori
August 22nd, 2011
2:30 pm
Can we get into mocking Muammar Gaddafi?
That is one goofy looking son of a gun….
oh come on, Mrs. G!!
you’ve got to admit — he has one snazzy wardrobe
Dusty
August 22nd, 2011
2:31 pm
No, Joe the Plutocrat,
I meant EVERY nationality. If you are dismissing the USA, well, our native Americans, our Indians, might say something a little differently about our history. The Peaceful Danes who rescued Jews, their ancestors the Vikings raided England with a vengence.
The Chinese, Genghis Khan. Russia, Stalin. It goes on and on if you want to dig up something to “throw” at others. Sadly, like I said, every nationality has their “atrocity”. We don’t forget but let us move on never to do it again.
DebbieDoRight
August 22nd, 2011
2:32 pm
Dusty: Almost every nationality can be reminded of their guilt, some more than others. But to constantly remind others of the atrocities and never the advancements, is a bit one sided. You would not be one sided , would you?
True — but History is History is History, you can’t change it, just learn from it.
AmVet
August 22nd, 2011
2:33 pm
Well some good news, peeps.
Regarding my wrecked beauty, I may be able to wiggle out of this hole without too much damage.
And maybe my anxiety level will drop back down to an acceptable level!
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
2:33 pm
md
I believe you’ll find, as you review the initial months of the Afghan war, that ‘boot on the ground’ (CIA/Special Ops) is what coordinated with the warlords, established alliances, killed and captured Taliban, killed and captured AQ, acted a spotter for AF aircraft to bomb targets.
Can’t think of a war we’ve been in where air power alone has led to the defeat of an enemy.
Including the Bosnian campaign.
poison pen
August 22nd, 2011
2:34 pm
Paul
poison pen
My 2:02 was my first to you on the topic.
” Just looking for clarification. If you didn’t support any of the three wars, does that mean you did not support attacking Afghanistan after 9-11? If not, why not?”
Paul, MD, made a valid point and I will expand on it.
We have smart bombs, drones and Jets, the Afghanistans have rocks, knives and a few weapons. Why should we sacrifice any of our children to go there and endanger themselves. We can take them out in a lot of different ways.
Seeing as how you seem to think it’s ok to send our kids there, please tell us how many of your children you sent? Or have you been there? just askin…
Granny Godzilla
August 22nd, 2011
2:34 pm
Midori
He always looks as if he’s dressed in my odd old aunties pyjamas….
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
2:35 pm
AmVet
I was just reading about new Infinitis and was going to link to some beauties but thought it might have been too soon.
Glad it’s working out well.
And you’re safe. Metal (no matter the affection we hold for it) can be replaced. People can’t.
DawgDad
August 22nd, 2011
2:35 pm
“Gee, notice how Winston neatly ignores the extremely savage depredations of the “civilized” Belgians in the Congo, the atrocities of the French in Algeria and elsewhere, the role of the West in capturing millions of Africans for sale and use as slaves, etc.”
Jay, if you’re attempting to imply “moral equivalency” then I have a couple of points for you. Raping and hacking to death Catholic Nuns in the main street of a town in open daylight is, ahem, immoral. I saw those pictures on the front page of my, ahem, liberal newspaper, growing up back in the sixties. They had NO PROBLEM identifying who was “at fault”.
As for the “role of the West”, well, I’m pretty sure I and most others around today had nothing to do with instituting any of the policies or committing any of the attrocities of the past you find so displeasing. If you’re blaming “the West” they are all long in their graves, dude, and quite irrelevant. Assigning relevance as justification for people’s actions today is very much condemning yourself and others to pay for the sins of others long in the past. It serves no constructive purpose and is guaranteed to perpetuate hate and resentment WITHOUT moral cause. This is one reason Christians hold to tenets of Confession, Absolution, and Forgiveness. And yes, I omitted any reference to the “chains” in their back pockets. Guilt yourself to death, just don’t condemn me to join you, please.
Midori
August 22nd, 2011
2:36 pm
Mrs. G —
Paulo977
August 22nd, 2011
2:38 pm
DebbieDR
It’s incredible how IGNORANT we in the western hemisphere have been about our rape of these countries!!!
“Through traditional villages, temples and mosques….they didn’t care where they built them because the indigenious people’s rights/wants meant nothing to them…” DDR
GT
August 22nd, 2011
2:38 pm
buck@gon you are right most Tech guys wouldn’t get caught in these silly converstations but I not only graduated but have a father, a grandfather, a father in law and a great father in law. I can promise you one thing Limbaugh is not a Tech grad.
poison pen
August 22nd, 2011
2:38 pm
Paul
md
” I believe you’ll find, as you review the initial months of the Afghan war, that ‘boot on the ground’ (CIA/Special Ops) is what coordinated with the warlords, established alliances, killed and captured Taliban, killed and captured AQ, acted a spotter for AF aircraft to bomb targets.”
Can’t think of a war we’ve been in where air power alone has led to the defeat of an enemy.
Including the Bosnian campaign.
Paul, The exact same thing could be said about Vietnam, and look how well that turned out. A democratic war that cost us over 58,000 lives. Please tell me for what?
Please tell us what we will get out of Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan? not one of these backward thinking, corrupt countries is worth one of our children.
PS, If you think it is then pick someones child to sacrifice.
md
August 22nd, 2011
2:39 pm
Paul……our definitions seem to be a bit different………spooks on the ground is not quite the same as an all out push with boots on the ground…………..
A spook gathering intelligence or pointing a laser is not the same as a large group of grunts marching through the streets……………..
jm
August 22nd, 2011
2:40 pm
Where’s Waldo? I mean Gaddhafi. On the way to Venezuela?
independent thinker
August 22nd, 2011
2:41 pm
Gaddafi was the first terrorist regime to attack and kill hundreds of Americans on a civilian airliner yet Bush II made him a partner in the war on terror. If Bush and the neocons had stayed in office longer Bush probably would have done the same for Osama. Amazing how those neocons can cozy up to those terriorist dictators and then make a big deal of lassoing them at the rodeo only to kiss and make up afterwards. Good example – old McNamara was Reagan’s emissary to Iraq to sell chemical weaponsWhere are their scruples? Twenty years of cowboy theatrics in iraq and where are we and what did it cost us??
.
Clinton and NATO got it right in Yugoslovia and we have stability today
Hopefully Obama and NATO got it right in Libya. At least it is now up to thhe Libyans to run their country and not some
American appointee. And what do we have to show for twenty years of military intervention in Iraq?And what have we truly accomplished by being the lead dog in Afghanistan after ten years?
I am waiting to see the Hannity /Limbaugh/ Wingfield/Boortz/ /Beck/ Coulter/ Ingram spin on this.I am sure they and the chicken hawks and neiocons on the right are praying for a divisive revolution following Libya’s liberation. Or could they just dare utter the Texas cowboy’s refrain of “Mission Accomplished”? No aircraft carrier landings and cowboy theatrics are necessary,
poison pen
August 22nd, 2011
2:42 pm
Have a good day everyone. Adios
md
August 22nd, 2011
2:43 pm
“Please tell us what we will get out of Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan?”
An uninterrupted supply of oil that a dependent US uses to run an economy that supplies it’s people with a lifestyle they’ve become accustomed to…………………………
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
2:43 pm
poison pen
I see your post was a minute after mine, which meant we were both composing at the same time. Your questions were answered in my post. I take it you think air power alone would have done the job. I don’t. Neither did US Special Operations Command or US Central Command.
Again, I am unaware of any of our conflicts, regardless of the technological level of our adversaries (and one can make the case that the more primitive the adversary, the more necessary are ground forces) that air power alone is sufficient.
Not even the AF teaches that.
Dusty
August 22nd, 2011
2:44 pm
Sure, Debbie, I’m not forgeting history. Who can change it?
Anyway, you mentioned Timbuktu. I saw Dr. Gates African story and the architecture of that “cathedral ” at Timbuktu was the most AMAZING structure I’d seen in a long time. I’d love to see it for real. Anyway, he also went to the library there, and volume after volume from ancient times were lying on open shelves seemingly unprotected. I was amazed. (I love old books!) Wanna take care of ‘em!
That was one of the best parts of his travels besides the interview with the slave in Mali. That’s amazing too, that slavery is still around in this world.
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
2:46 pm
poison pen 2:38
You appear to be veering all over now. First you make the case no ground forces, then you point to Vietnam for support? Not even close with Afghanistan.
2:42 I see you’re checking out.
Smart move.
Joe the (Nationalist) Plutocrat
August 22nd, 2011
2:46 pm
so Dusty, so which is it; nature (the DNA of all humas) or nurture (”nationalism” is a germ that leads otherwise docile, altruistic homosapiens to commit atrocities)? and as a pre-emptive strike, did not Cain slay Abel? I’d say maybe we’re not as “humane” as species as we think; or as Dickens observed (paraphrase); “…underneath this fine linen, we’re all cutthroats.”
AmVet
August 22nd, 2011
2:48 pm
Thanks my Texas bud. And you’re right.
(Oh for a new M56X!)
http://www.examiner.com/auto-review-in-national/first-drive-car-review-2011-infiniti-m56x-no-one-s-second-fiddle
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
2:49 pm
md
I equate ‘boot on the ground’ with ground forces, whether regular Army or Special Ops.
I think we erred when it was all turned over to SecDef Rumsfeld and General Franks at USCENTCOM. CIA was doing a pretty good job up until then, but DoD did not want to take orders from or have a military campaign run by, CIA. Heck, they were even running the Predator program.
If we’d left them in charge, I’m pretty sure it would have been an ‘in and out’ operation. “You aided and abetted AQ, we came in and killed you and took you out of controlling the gov’t. Try it again, we’ll return and kill you.”
I think they’d have understood that.
md
August 22nd, 2011
2:51 pm
“Gaddafi was the first terrorist regime to attack and kill hundreds of Americans on a civilian airliner yet Bush II made him a partner in the war on terror.”
Sometimes, one must deal with the devil to keep the devil from unleashing his potential…………..I do recall the trade included a nuclear program………………….
Isn’t there a saying about keeping friends close and enemies closer??
Joe the (Nationalist) Plutocrat
August 22nd, 2011
2:55 pm
Paul, we’ve been through this before; there’s no money in the SpecOps war. I mean, satellites and Predators, and mercenaries aren’t cheap, but nothing like aircraft carriers, B-2 strikes, and all the men and materiale needed to support a “conventional/150K (actually, 300k – not many one-legged soldiers) boots on the gound war. in addition, we had bin Laden at Tora Bora in 12/01; but where’s the $$$ in that. the SpecOps guys are good (and cheap), and that’s not how the game is played. If we found OBL in Pakistan, we could have easily found Saddam in Iraq (and whacked him for pennies on the dollar).
md
August 22nd, 2011
2:55 pm
Paul…….and I equate “boots on the ground” with large scale troop movements………but, we agree on the CIA…….the spooks don’t have the same constraints as regular military………..get it, do it, get out. They don’t have the” 100 questions to ask before shooting” manual to worry about.
DebbieDoRight
August 22nd, 2011
2:57 pm
Dusty: Anyway, you mentioned Timbuktu. I saw Dr. Gates African story and the architecture of that “cathedral ” at Timbuktu was the most AMAZING structure I’d seen in a long time
I’ve visited several countries in Africa, but I’d really LOVE to visit Timbuktu and also Ethiopia. As you know the Ethopians believe that one of their Queens, Sheba, was the consort of King Solomon and their union brought about a son (can’t recall his name) whom Solomon gave the Ark of the Covenant to to protect, (in Ethiopian mythology that is why the Ark was never found when the temple in Jerusalem was raided).
Anyway, Ethopia has a lot of pyramids and tombs and there is supposed to be a sect of “monks” that guard the Ark day and night. I’d LOVE to visit there and see all that for myself!
As for Dr. Gates, he has done more for African / African American History than any other person before him.
That was one of the best parts of his travels besides the interview with the slave in Mali. That’s amazing too, that slavery is still around in this world.
Sad isn’t it? The most common slave these days are the ones who are in sexual bondage, (mostly young children), all over the world. It seems the more we as a people change, the more we stay the same.
Joe the (Nationalist) Plutocrat
August 22nd, 2011
2:59 pm
md, surprisingly enough, I agree with your 2:51; and not because I think Bush was a level-headed guy, but we’ve never let killing Americans get in the way of business (Germany, Japan, Vietnam, China), unless of course we’re talking about Cuba.
getalife
August 22nd, 2011
3:00 pm
Sweet ride AmVet.
Dusty
August 22nd, 2011
3:01 pm
Joe the Plutocrat
I assure you that all humans have the ability to consider others as also human.
But the human spirit can become warped and distroyed by cruelty, envy, anger, illness, depravity and even ambition. That is why we try to raise our chiildren with the best conditions and the best treatment and education and introduce them to faith. That is the only way to confront the makings of deprevation in the human soul.
If our children meet obscene conditions, they realize what it is because we have taught and loved them and showed them what is good.
As a Christian, I believe we can go beyond the evils of this world. That is the power of faith..
.
poison pen
August 22nd, 2011
3:02 pm
Paul
poison pen 2:38
You appear to be veering all over now. First you make the case no ground forces, then you point to Vietnam for support? Not even close with Afghanistan.
2:42 I see you’re checking out.
Smart move.
Paul, I still have 5 minutes, I pointed to Vietnam as to the amount of casualities that we suffered, I’m not veering anyplace.
I’ll ask again how many of your kids did you send to War, or pick someones child to sacrifice.
You don’t have the cajones to answer, and your bad at flipping.
I really do have to leave noe, so you can make some snarky remark now, you seem to be good at that.
DebbieDoRight
August 22nd, 2011
3:04 pm
md: An uninterrupted supply of oil that a dependent US uses to run an economy that supplies it’s people with a lifestyle they’ve become accustomed to…………………………
How so? Remember these places are independent countries who can decide who they sell or not sell to. And, I honestly don’t think that the Iraqis like us as much as they may pretend to. Afghanistans either.
AmVet – when Paul mentioned something about Infinitis I was like “Oh No!! AmVet must be suffering with something awful!” So I googled it and…..well, you know the rest! You guys were talking about a CAR!!
PS: Glad to know that you’re allright and are not dying of In-fin-it-is.
md
August 22nd, 2011
3:06 pm
“md, surprisingly enough, I agree with your 2:51; and not because I think Bush was a level-headed guy, but we’ve never let killing Americans get in the way of business”
Which doesn’t stop folks from complaining about the wars, which very well may be saving more lives than they are taking. If the economy is disrupted by the lack of oil, the suffering here would be enormous………but folks can’t always see the bigger picture…………….
Take a sick economy, raise gas prices to 5, 6, 7+ a gallon, and watch what happens…………
Joe the (Nationalist) Plutocrat
August 22nd, 2011
3:07 pm
independent thinker, you’ve got your timeline mixed up; Ossama bin Laden was a CIA “asset” during the Reagan years. He was part of the mujhadeen (Islamic freedom fighters) who travled to Afghanistan to fight the Soviet occupation during the 1980’s. we “turned” on him as much as he turned on us in terms of flipping the switch from “good guy” to “bad guy”. and you are correct, it was much the same with Saddam. when he was fighting the Iranians, we staked him. He was an ‘ally’ up until he invaded Kuwait in ‘91. some might even suggest that like Oswald in Dallas in ‘63, he was something of a patsy in that we encouraged him to invade Kuwait, then ID’s him as the assassin. just a theory, but given the way people flip switches in DC, who knows?
Dusty
August 22nd, 2011
3:09 pm
AmVet,
What you need is a fine 2000 Cavalier to let you ride with pride! It is the best. I throw kisses to mine every day ( and hope the brakes don’t fail!) Ya gotta love ‘em!!
Joe the (Nationalist) Plutocrat
August 22nd, 2011
3:11 pm
Dusty, Dusty, Dusty; your assurances do not comfort me. if, as you observe, we are predisposed or prone to become “warped” by any number of experiences; perhaps it is natural for us to do so, and unnatural for us to pray/worship mythical deities.
md
August 22nd, 2011
3:11 pm
“How so? Remember these places are independent countries who can decide who they sell or not sell to. And, I honestly don’t think that the Iraqis like us as much as they may pretend to. Afghanistans either.”
Exactly……..who, when, how much…….all effecting the cost of oil…….hence the cost of gas……..and we have a gas dependent economy……………..
Prices of goods go up………….people can’t afford gas so they stop going anywhere………….money isn’t spent…….economy collapses into recession/depression…………..
Dusty
August 22nd, 2011
3:12 pm
Joe the Plutocrat
Nawwww… your 3:07 is too wild. You been reading those crazy paperbacks again?
AmVet
August 22nd, 2011
3:12 pm
LOL, Debbie.
I’m fine (other than a silly broken heart) but my pimp mobile is toast and I’m out some dough.
(In my best Leonard “Bones” McCoy voice) Damn it Jim, I’m getting another!
Paul
August 22nd, 2011
3:13 pm
md
See what happens when words are defined? Understanding.
poison pen
My point was wars are not won solely by air power. They require ground forces.
Vietnam was a quagmire, not winnable by air power.
Appealing to ‘cojones’ or ‘kids’ is an argument reserved for those without an argument. If a war is important enough to be fought, people will die. Servicemen understand that.
And can we stop referring to a professional adults who’s made a decision to serve, knowing full well it may cost life or limb, as ‘kids’ or ‘children?’ It’s demeaning.
DebbieDoRight
August 22nd, 2011
3:15 pm
I’m fine (other than a silly broken heart) but my pimp mobile is toast and I’m out some dough.
Well, I’m glad you’re fine that’s all that counts! OMG I’m such a GIRL!! I had no idea you guys were talking about cars! All my brother’s exceptional training on the merits of one car vs. another, just went right out the window! He’ll never forgive me.
Dusty
August 22nd, 2011
3:18 pm
Well, Joe, I love babies but they are the only “pure” people I know. Take it or leave it.
I don’t worship any mythical dieties. You can chase butterflies but I prefer the real thing. The door to forgiveness is open. Come along any time.
DebbieDoRight
August 22nd, 2011
3:21 pm
JP: perhaps it is natural for us to do so, and unnatural for us to pray/worship mythical deities
Aw, but she also mentioned “Faith” – and here’s where it comes in. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Whether you believe in a deity or not, our whole lives, our very existence comes down to “faith”.
AmVet
August 22nd, 2011
3:22 pm
Debbie, I remember some of your stories about learning about cars from them.
The truth be told I haven’t work on any of my cars since there were timing lights, distributor caps and rotors…
Dusty
August 22nd, 2011
3:25 pm
Debbie 3:21
Very nice!
DebbieDoRight
August 22nd, 2011
3:32 pm
The truth be told I haven’t work on any of my cars since there were timing lights, distributor caps and rotors…
Heck me either!! Everything now is “computerized” to the point that you need a degree in Mechanical Engineering and computer Science to work on your car. When I was coming up with my brothers, it was more of a “feel” or an art to breaking down an engine and/or a transmission and building it back up. Now most mechanics can’t even tell you what’s wrong with your car until they put it on a diagnostic machine.
Billybob
August 22nd, 2011
3:34 pm
‘ a vindication of the policy adopted by President Obama’
So you accept ‘the ends justify the means’ with regard to obama disregarding and ignoring the Constitution and the Wars Powers Act……quite similar to obama telling DOJ to disregard and ignore the Constitution and not to defend Defense of Marriage Act……it’s amazing that a ’supposed constitutional scholar’ is actually flouting the constitution instead of vigorously defending it……how would you respond bookman? if at all?
DebbieDoRight
August 22nd, 2011
3:34 pm
Well it’s 3:30 and it’s time for me to pick up the sweetest most beautiful baby in the world (my niece). Later Gators!
PS I know I probably spelled neice wrong — I always do, I can’t remember if it’s “I” before “E” except after “C” or vice versa.
DebbieDoRight
August 22nd, 2011
3:36 pm
Wait! Couldn’t ignore this one!
BillyBob: quite similar to obama telling DOJ to disregard and ignore the Constitution and not to defend Defense of Marriage Act……
The Defense of Marriage Act is in the Constitution? Which Article?
I’ll check in and view your comment later.
Late Gators!
Richard
August 22nd, 2011
3:43 pm
DebbieDoRight: NIECE is it. ’bout Libya, I sincerely hope that they end up with a government that is truly democratic and effective because they have spent the last seven months spilling blood from thousands. What I am seeing on CNN, with personal interviews with those in Tripoli who now boast of their new found freedom, it is truly inspiriing. It is great that NATO and the U.S. helped them in their hour of need; as Gadhafi was threatening to go from door to door in Bengahazi and slaughter anyone who challenged his dictatorship. The sad thing about Syria is that tyrant Assad has no such miliary opposition. So, I guess, he might find it a little troublesome after he murders millions of his fellow countrymen, only in the end to learn that he has killed them all and there are no more people for him to “govern.”
@@
August 22nd, 2011
3:45 pm
What’s not to love about Steyn?
Steyn on America
VOICE OF THE MAINSTREAM
I am on book promotion duty at the moment and, as a sensitive soul and insecure little author, it is naturally distressing when one hears circuitously from respectable TV bookers that one is considered a bit too “fringe” and “out of the mainstream” for their tastes. So I’m always interested to discover what these shows consider “mainstream.”
Yesterday the “Fareed Zakaria GPS” show hosted Paul Krugman of the New York Times. Professor Krugman, the Nobel Prize–winning economist, has spent the last couple of years arguing that World War Two is proof that Keynesian stimulus works. But, in our present economic crisis, he’s now decided that massive global conflagration between conventional nation states leading to tens of millions of deaths is nickel’n’diming it and we need to think big:
KRUGMAN: It’s very hard to get inflation in a depressed economy. But if you had a program of government spending plus an expansionary policy by the Fed, you could get that. So, if you think about using all of these things together, you could accomplish, you know, a great deal.
If we discovered that, you know, space aliens were planning to attack and we needed a massive buildup to counter the space alien threat and really inflation and budget deficits took secondary place to that, this slump would be over in 18 months. And then if we discovered, oops, we made a mistake, there aren’t any aliens, we’d be better –
ROGOFF: And we need Orson Welles, is what you’re saying.
KRUGMAN: No, there was a “Twilight Zone” episode like this in which scientists fake an alien threat in order to achieve world peace. Well, this time, we don’t need it, we need it in order to get some fiscal stimulus.
And, even when the lid gets blown off, the demand for “The Invasion From Planet Zongo Was An Inside Job” bumper stickers will stimulate a second economic boom!
Thank you, Big Daddy!!!
I preferred Steyn’s shaggy look to his clean cropped…
@@
August 22nd, 2011
3:48 pm
Oops! Last paragraph was stinging Steyn.
Dusty
August 22nd, 2011
3:52 pm
Well, whoeee, I think I will put a “bug ” in the ear of some hospital administrators. What they need is a “diagnostic machine” of the first order. It might do away with the magnificient laboratory medicine department But then, who will need it?
I can see it now. Dear Sir Patient, now lie back and relax. Here is your key. Now use your bellybutton ignition (patented) and turn it on. Press the gas pedal, and whammo! your diagnosis will come out on the tape in one minute.
Do not turn on your headlights. Or blow your horn. This is detrimental to the exam. If you need any oil during this procedure, please let us know. OK, here we go! Just check that mileage!!
I hope “diagnostic machines” are cheap. I understand that ObamaCare has already ordered thousands..
md
August 22nd, 2011
3:54 pm
“Now most mechanics can’t even tell you what’s wrong with your car until they put it on a diagnostic machine.”
If then……..many still have no clue………it can be anything from a-z, and they start with a…….and we pay for each until they stumble upon the answer…………..
During my last trip in, they wanted to replace a part for over 1300.00, but in the mean time, found some loose nuts that they tightened…….when I asked if the nuts could have been causing the problem, they said possibly, but it was more likely the 1300 part and they had to order it……I told them to hold off………..and never had the problem again……it’s been over a year.
josef
August 22nd, 2011
4:02 pm
Libya…so far, so good. Here is our chance to “get it right.” The western democracies “backed” the rebels, we didn’t go in an do it for them. Now, if we can keep that same perspective as the Libyans put together what they want and need for a governmental structure.
I am optimistic. The Libyans are a well educated people, especially the younger ones, and this is very much their revolution.
buck@gon
August 22nd, 2011
4:05 pm
GT,
Even I admit, because I went there too: they don’t have a very good English program.
But if you read say, Mark Steyn, National Review, Thomas Sowell, Kyle Wingfeld, George Will, etc., you can, on your own, improve your course of expression, vocab and all that.
There is hope for you.
What field? I’m CEE.
Dusty
August 22nd, 2011
4:08 pm
I hope so too, Josef
But I have read that politics in Libya are controlled mainly by a few family clans. Maybe fighting together will change that.
@@
August 22nd, 2011
4:14 pm
Report: Stunted Corn Crop Could Push Food Prices Even Higher
30% of the projected corn crop goes to ethanol.
Anybody got an ethanol recipe they’d like to share?
John Daly
August 22nd, 2011
4:17 pm
Jay, can you tell us exactly what the policy was that lead to the intervention in Libya, other than NATO asking us too?
AmVet
August 22nd, 2011
4:19 pm
So if the apparent collapse of the Gadhafi government is a major success for NATO and a vindication of President Barack Obama’s policy of multilateral humanitarian interventionism, does that mean that this is a victory for the United States, the rest of the international nations involved and another humiliating defeat for the Republicans?
It looks that way.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/08/22/cortright.obama.libya/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Common Cents
August 22nd, 2011
4:22 pm
This is either a good or bad thing.
If you hate Obama, it’s a bad thing.
Dusty
August 22nd, 2011
4:22 pm
@@,
The family declares that I have some ethanol recipes. . Maybe the corn caserole wasn’t so good but some people you can never please!! PIcky!! (Stunted corn maybe?)
By the way, how’s school going? Are they keeping you busy?
I’d better get busy doing what I should have been doing instead of goofin’ off.
josef
August 22nd, 2011
4:23 pm
DUSTY
I am hoping, and from what I’ve seen and heard from those there, the clan-tribal leaders who have played footsie with whoever has been in power from time immemorial, is being discredited by the younger people.
The positive slant is that Libya did not have the educational infrastructure necessary to bring it into the modern, technological world. Its young people had to go abroad for study and subsequently were exposed to western values. Secondly, Libya has historically looked to Tunisia intellectually and in so doing have had a much, much stronger continental influence there.
Again, a lot remains to be seen. In liberated Benghazi they got some experience in “pulling it all together” and the initial results are pretty good…now, if they can just grow with that,,,
Dusty
August 22nd, 2011
4:26 pm
AmVet 4:19
No, it has nothing to do with Republicans or Democrats. Neither party in congress voted on it.
@@
August 22nd, 2011
4:34 pm
Dusty:
By the way, how’s school going? Are they keeping you busy?
I spent most of last week there. I was always given the opportunity to evaluate the newest students. Nothing’s changed….the newbies come to me first. They don’t start until two weeks after the returning students, who only started this week. I’m getting my resources together here at home.
Corn? My good fortune allowed me to secure two bushels (120 ears) of the “highly coveted field corn”. ’twas beautiful! Scrumptuous! My produce lady got it from some grower in Dahlonega. I spent a total of 12 hours preparing it for the freezer.
Life is good!
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
August 22nd, 2011
4:37 pm
Well, my advise to AmVet is to get rid of his broken heart by buying a pickup. Don’t get no cheap car like a Chevy Cavalier or a Ford Fiesta. You’ll look like a cheap wimp. And even wimps are ashamed to be seen in a piece of junk like that. Get a pickup where you can ride high and look down on all the other drivers. And if you get a used car, make sure it ain’t been drove by some lead foot like @@. She’s been pulled over for speeding more times than a bank robber.
That’s my advise and I hope you follow it. I would sell you my Ford F-450, but it might could be too much truck for you. As a old codger you need something that’s a little slower and less fancy. Besides, I’m not even sure you could park one at the VA hospitle.
DawgDad
August 22nd, 2011
4:38 pm
AmVet and Common Sense:
So, I should be anticipating an Obama keynote address at the forthcoming Internationally sponsored Constitutional Convention for the Libyan elite?
With so much enlightenment on display surely their new constitution will be a model for the rest of the developing nations? I’m eagerly anticipating their Sharia-inspired Constitutional expressions and guarantees of liberty, freedom, and justice alike for each and every one of their citizens. Perhaps they can address sticky democratic thorns like “fair” taxation and “rights to privacy” and “free access to the Internet for all citizens”, or maybe “abortion rights”. “Redistricting” anyone?
Give me a break.
Joe the Plutocrat
August 22nd, 2011
4:41 pm
@@, here’s an idea; don’t buy corn (to eat) and don’t buy any foods containing high fructose corn syrup. you might pay a bit more, but it’s better for you and you’ll live longer.
Dusty
August 22nd, 2011
4:44 pm
@@
Sounds like you handle a difficult job with joy and professionalism. I have great admiration for your work.
And CORN! from Dahlonega!! I think I will be over for dinner! (But don’t wait!) Sounds wonderful!!
Really gone this time!!!
1811/0311
August 22nd, 2011
4:54 pm
Normal @ 9:34am
“Scout,
What sort of plan would you have President Obama impliment?”
…………. a plan that has an excellent chance of succeeding that ensures that an even more radical government than Quaddafi will not take over the country. He’s the president, he has the assets of our CIA, State Department and military and it’s up to him to implement it.
AmVet
August 22nd, 2011
4:57 pm
Thanks, RC. I’d have to drive around with my cowboy boots on the time if I had that Ford pick-em-truck.
Barry is sure putting a licking on the neo-cons in terms of foreign policy, huh?
First, he surges into Afghanistan. A move that I was adamantly opposed to. However, he beat the cons at their own “tough on defense” game.
Then he oversees the mission that kills Public Enema #1 (misspelled intentionally!) – Osama Bin Laden.
Now this, a true coalition of the willing, not just that bumper sticker nonsense of 2003, to end a massive genocide. An operation that the GOP leadership, and their lackeys in the blogosphere, bashed him for pretty much non-stop.
The respect of the United States throughout the world is going back up from the lows of our lost decade.
USA! USA! USA!
Mr_B
August 22nd, 2011
4:59 pm
@@: Preferred ethanol recipe as follows:
300 ml chilled neutral grain ethanol, diluted with water to a concentration of 40% by weight.
15 ml vermouth
two olives, preferrably stuffed with anchovies.
Shake spirits and vermouth over 500 ml very cold ice.
Pour into chilled glass container; and olives.
Consume.
Repeat.
Bosch
August 22nd, 2011
5:03 pm
It’s days like this what remind me why I do not live in Atlanta. The city of Tucker like most metro cities OTP have no character and remind me of big giant brownfields. And the traffic sucks, but I do think those King and Queen buildings off 285 are cool.
1811/0311
August 22nd, 2011
5:08 pm
“Libyan Draft Constitution: Sharia is ‘Principal Source of Legislation’ ”
We had better hope not.
1811/0311
August 22nd, 2011
5:10 pm
Headline: “Gaddafi whereabouts a mystery as rebels close in”
Has anyone checked Martha’s Vinyard ?
TruthBe
August 22nd, 2011
5:13 pm
Why is it America’s concern to pay for, fight for, feed, rebuild, or help Libya? First of all Libya isn’t an friend of America or a military ally. Libya is and will contiune to be a terrorist lawless Nation with a perverted muslim leadership kind of like the Obama Administration. Except not so dishonest. America needs to rebuild it’s own interstruture and roadways and stop being the Santa Claus Country and giving everything away to people who have an ideology that tells them to kill all people of different faiths. MUSLIMS ARE NOT OUR FRIENDS PERIOD.
AmVet
August 22nd, 2011
5:13 pm
Washington (CNN) — How do you score partisan points against a president who looks to have won a military victory in Libya at very low cost? Simple: Attack him for being away from Washington at a summer house when the victory was won.
The president of the United States never gets a vacation, not really. The nuclear football follows wherever the president goes. He receives the daily intelligence briefing every morning, including Christmas. The decisions never stop, the cares of state never lighten, the burden of responsibility is never lifted.
When a president goes “on vacation,” here’s what happens:
1) He or she is spared the ceremonial parts of the job: the state dinners, the meetings with the girl who sold the most Girl Scout cookies that year, that kind of thing;
2) The other members of the first family are liberated from living inside the White House, aptly described by Harry Truman as “the crown jewel of the federal prison system.”
http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/08/22/frum.president.vacation/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Silly Republican attack poodles…
1811/0311
August 22nd, 2011
5:14 pm
Headline: “Prosecutors File Motion to Drop DSK Charges, Saying Evidence Does Not Establish Her Claims”
Then she should be charged.
1811/0311
August 22nd, 2011
5:15 pm
AmVet:
The president sets the tone in time of crisis.
We are in an economic crisis.
He is setting a bad tone.
AmVet
August 22nd, 2011
5:16 pm
Yawn.
1811/0311
August 22nd, 2011
5:17 pm
Duke soccer team ! Duke soccer team ! Duke soccer team !
Jefferson
August 22nd, 2011
5:17 pm
The president’s tone is fine, you just hate the man.
1811/0311
August 22nd, 2011
5:18 pm
Exactly ………….. and that’s what he is doing also.
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
August 22nd, 2011
5:18 pm
Sharia Law, huh? Ain’t that the kind where if you steal from somebody they cut off your hand? Slander somebody and they cut off your tongue. Rape somebody and . . . well, you know.
Serves those towelheads right. Good thing they don’t have Sharia law down here. We’d have all kind of one-armed people with their tongue cut off and needing to squat to pee.
Have a good night everybody.
1811/0311
August 22nd, 2011
5:18 pm
Jefferson:
I hate his policies.