Thoughts on the Uprisings in North Africa and Middle East?
- Thread starter 2-0-Sixx
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You don't get it either.
A few things to note:
- I don't think religion is evil or good. Nothing is good or evil because good and evil are artificial human constructs with little meaning in the real world. What I say is that religion endangers the survival of the species
- I don't think religion endangers the survival of the species just because I have decided that's the case, I have thought about it and have come to that conclusion through observation and logical thinking. See next
- I would very much appreciate it if instead of parroting the old creationist canard that atheism is just another form of religion, you actually provide some arguments to refute my position. You haven't done that so far. This is the argument:
1. Humanity is in drastic ecological overshoot
2. Even though scientists have been warning about that for decades, there is fierce opposition to the very idea that this is possible and nothing is being done about it. The question is why?
3. Two observations provide two separate lines of explanation, which are not only not mutually exclusive but complement each other quite nicely:
3.1. The first and trivial one is that humans are not very good at scientific thinking and the vast majority of them are illiterate, and often aggressively anti-intellectual dimwits that are unable and/or unwilling to understand a scientific argument, therefore all that gibberish about ecosystems, carrying capacities, overshoot etc. flies past them.
3.2 The more fundamental and more interesting observation is that to understand the basics principles of population dynamics and the ecological overshoot and population collapse cycle, and to appreciate that all of that applies to humans, one has to see humans as part of the ecosystem, to whom the same rules that apply to other organisms apply too. It turns out that many people are very averse to that idea, even when they have been exposed to enough education to understand it, and this is directly related to religion. Otherwise you would not be seeing statements like these:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/16/mike-beard-natural-resources-god_n_824312.html
http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Science-Religion/2005/03/Natural-Resources-And-Gods-Bounty.aspx
And this attitude didn't become prevalent recently, the American West, a region that was unsuitable for agriculture, is unsuitable for agriculture today and will be even more unsuitable for agriculture in the future, was settled under the "The rain will follow the plow" slogan.
And the list goes on.
The world view of people living in religious societies (which is mot people) is fundamentally and primarily shaped by the basic tenets of the dominant religion in that society. And religion in the vast majority of the forms it is practiced today, especially the ones of Abrahamic lineage, does teach that humans are separate from the ecosystem and the rules don't apply to them. Not explicitly, since the very concept of ecosystem is nowhere to be found in any of those texts, but that's the dominant attitude.
If you want to show me that I am wrong, you need to show that the critical portions of the above argument are false. If you can't do that, shut up. If you don't want to do that, and you are just posting for the sake of accusing me in scientism, your post is pointless
A few things to note:
- I don't think religion is evil or good. Nothing is good or evil because good and evil are artificial human constructs with little meaning in the real world. What I say is that religion endangers the survival of the species
- I don't think religion endangers the survival of the species just because I have decided that's the case, I have thought about it and have come to that conclusion through observation and logical thinking. See next
- I would very much appreciate it if instead of parroting the old creationist canard that atheism is just another form of religion, you actually provide some arguments to refute my position. You haven't done that so far. This is the argument:
1. Humanity is in drastic ecological overshoot
2. Even though scientists have been warning about that for decades, there is fierce opposition to the very idea that this is possible and nothing is being done about it. The question is why?
3. Two observations provide two separate lines of explanation, which are not only not mutually exclusive but complement each other quite nicely:
3.1. The first and trivial one is that humans are not very good at scientific thinking and the vast majority of them are illiterate, and often aggressively anti-intellectual dimwits that are unable and/or unwilling to understand a scientific argument, therefore all that gibberish about ecosystems, carrying capacities, overshoot etc. flies past them.
3.2 The more fundamental and more interesting observation is that to understand the basics principles of population dynamics and the ecological overshoot and population collapse cycle, and to appreciate that all of that applies to humans, one has to see humans as part of the ecosystem, to whom the same rules that apply to other organisms apply too. It turns out that many people are very averse to that idea, even when they have been exposed to enough education to understand it, and this is directly related to religion. Otherwise you would not be seeing statements like these:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/16/mike-beard-natural-resources-god_n_824312.html
http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Science-Religion/2005/03/Natural-Resources-And-Gods-Bounty.aspx
And this attitude didn't become prevalent recently, the American West, a region that was unsuitable for agriculture, is unsuitable for agriculture today and will be even more unsuitable for agriculture in the future, was settled under the "The rain will follow the plow" slogan.
And the list goes on.
The world view of people living in religious societies (which is mot people) is fundamentally and primarily shaped by the basic tenets of the dominant religion in that society. And religion in the vast majority of the forms it is practiced today, especially the ones of Abrahamic lineage, does teach that humans are separate from the ecosystem and the rules don't apply to them. Not explicitly, since the very concept of ecosystem is nowhere to be found in any of those texts, but that's the dominant attitude.
If you want to show me that I am wrong, you need to show that the critical portions of the above argument are false. If you can't do that, shut up. If you don't want to do that, and you are just posting for the sake of accusing me in scientism, your post is pointless
That statement is your opinion of my opinion, both being "artificial human constructs with little meaning in the real world" as you stated below.
Rightly so, but why fixate on religion when countless other manmade institutions endanger the species just the same. Not to mention destructive forces of nature beyond humanity's control.
So... you do think religion endangers the survival of the species because you decided that's the case. Stating that you came to that conclusion through observation and logical thinking is just an eloquent way of saying you decided thats the case. The act of deciding that is the case is the point of interest... how you came to the conclusion and/or evidence you feel is valid to back up your conclusion is only valid because you feel it is. It's your opinion... which is your own. The process of the species doing anything is an objective occurrence to you as an organism. You've subjectively pieced together certain objective happenings by means of observation and logical thinking (as you stated above) and translated/interpreted them into a subjective conclusion that doesn't exist objectively. If the subjective conclusion has no objective existence, then how can it be mistaken for anything other than an opinion or belief? It is only opinion or belief. From there the opinion or belief creates a point of reference (or point of view) that you were not born with but which has been acquired or adopted. And with that adopted subjective point of view you then witness other objective occurrences and then judge those objective occurrences against the adopted subjective point of view(which has no existence in reality or little meaning in the real world as you stated). You stated yourself above that good and evil are artificial human constructs with little meaning in the real world, but the artificiality of human constructs does not stop at good and evil. You obviously understand that good and evil are dualistic concepts (that naturally complement each other) which are used to subjectively label objective happenings. No thing or event is inherently good or bad, murder for example is a happening the same as the closing of a car door, the raw cognitive witnessing of a happening through the sense fields suggests no translation. Only thought-based labeling makes distinctions. So if you've admitted that good and bad are concepts completely arbitrary in nature then why does it stop with those concepts? If you negate the validity of applying these subjective labels to objective reality then you cannot stop there. Seeing manmade labels using language as empty of inherent existence the entire house of cards falls. What you take to be true is a relative subjective ideation. So thinking that religion endangers the survival of the species is an artificial human construct as well.
Religion endangering the survival of the species is a subjective conclusion creating a point of view. Other individuals have come to the opposite conclusion and have an opposing point of view. Both points of view are empty of inherent existence just as good and bad are. They are subjective points of view about an objective institution called religion which only exist in thought or language. In short everything is opinion, translation, belief. Even whatever i am saying. What is true and right, or false and wrong are unreal labels and all relative knowledge formed of language and thought has no true or practical application in objective reality.
But you see if I state that the whole house of cards falls upon admitting that thought-based labels using language are empty of inherent existence. Then it has to be taken all the way to the ground. Even formulating my arguments that there is objective and subjective traits to reality is a mental construct. What begins to happen with honest enquiry unimpeded by points of view or agendas is that everything begins to fall apart.
Ultimately nothing can be said to be true or false, or right or wrong... nothing can be said. Or everything can be said... life is free to express itself in whatever form it takes. Who am i to interfere? That's your job... clearly.
You're assuming that i've taken a position. No position has been taken by me, i'm only addressing your position. But to draw out a hint of a position i'll say that no old creationist canard religious filth has come from my mouth.
So be it. Let the species destroy itself... humanity will be eradicated one way or another eventually. Mankind surviving is only important or unimportant if you say it is. Why coat your personal experience with stressing about that which you have no control over. You'll make your life a living hell.
Any conclusion one could come to would be speculation.
Religion is not the sole culprit. Religion is only one of numerous vessels and means for humanity's insecurities and ignorance you speak of to flourish.
It will also be unsuitable for agriculture when the sun becomes a red giant and swallows mercury and venus and turns the earth into a blazing inferno... or in antarctica, those penguins can't plant shit, no turnips for them, they've never had an apple, the micro-organisms and bioluminescent deep sea fish in the epipelagic/hadopelagic zones can't plant asparagus or broccoli.. fuck they're so dumb.
Who's to tell them they're wrong for believing that. You?
You're still approaching this discussion to propagate your own beliefs and prove them to be true so you can feel validated. You've labeled religion as the scapegoat and root of the problem. What i'm addressing is a fundamental view of where the problem actually begins(in my opinion of course), which is basic human characteristics and emotions. The fact of religion being an instrument for these issues to express themselves is all that religion is.
Moreover, how could i possibly show you that you are wrong when you believe that you're right? You don't know that you're right, you believe it to be true. That is why you are fighting so valiantly to prove yourself to be right. Because right and wrong... like good and bad, have no actual tangible existence as i said before. So you actually have to continually convince yourself that you're right and a good way to do that is to engage in discussions where you can list evidence you feel to be valid to back up your claims in a sort of intellectual stand-off of sorts. And hopefully derive the feeling that you've won the discussion, because why not, it makes you feel good and supports your ego. This is born from the fact that "you" can only be right if someone else is wrong. So to be right you have to actively label something or someone else as wrong. They are mutually interdependent dualistic positions that arise in unison. By thinking you're right you in fact create the other who is wrong. No one is inherently right or wrong. If you're right only because someone else is wrong, and they're wrong only because you're right, then you are not right and they are not wrong. The entire world as we think about it and feel it is constructed of these opposing concepts and contrasting expressions of phenomena. Hot and cold, light and dark, up and down, here and there, you and me, pain and pleasure, life and death.... every aspect of reality has an opposite. The problem of life arises when one becomes ignorant of this fact and seeks to have only one side of the pair. Wanting all pleasure and no pain, wanting all good and no bad. You can't have one without the other. To separate them and actively seek one side and push away the other side is where the problems of life begin. And this is why religions like christianity for example don't work and lead to hypocrisy and conflict. A belief system is attachment to one aspect of the interdependent opposites.. christianity focuses on good... all good things.. wanting to be happy and loved.... not understanding that with the good comes the bad, with the happiness comes sadness, love is paired with hate. Both will always be and it's a losing battle to fight for one side and against the other. Much like it's a losing battle for you to fight against religion when there's others who fight for it. Never ending conflict. See that everything is in perfect balance and harmony. Reality expresses itself in these pairs of opposites and complement and create each other. Seeking a why or how is speculation. You don't need a why or how to experience.
Bottom line, no one can show you you're wrong. Because you believe you're right. You'll only change your mind if you discover a more attractive position to attach to. I have taken no position, it's all good to me. There can be endless argumentation over these ideas just as there is endless war over positions in the world. So I can't tell you you're wrong... or right... or say i'm wrong... or right. If you told me to shut up in person i'd probably run your jaw down your throat and choke your ass out. Yeeewbitch. And i'm posting for the sake of nothing. Because you're fine just how you are. There are no problems and i wouldn't want you to be any different than you are... you can't be. Yes of course the post is pointless... if you say it is.... all these posts are pointless if you say they are. I find them intriguing and interesting. Life IS and I AM.. or am i? Wheres the problem... life is good... smile now cry later.. Don't worry, be happy.
Rightly so, but why fixate on religion when countless other manmade institutions endanger the species just the same. Not to mention destructive forces of nature beyond humanity's control.
So... you do think religion endangers the survival of the species because you decided that's the case. Stating that you came to that conclusion through observation and logical thinking is just an eloquent way of saying you decided thats the case. The act of deciding that is the case is the point of interest... how you came to the conclusion and/or evidence you feel is valid to back up your conclusion is only valid because you feel it is. It's your opinion... which is your own. The process of the species doing anything is an objective occurrence to you as an organism. You've subjectively pieced together certain objective happenings by means of observation and logical thinking (as you stated above) and translated/interpreted them into a subjective conclusion that doesn't exist objectively. If the subjective conclusion has no objective existence, then how can it be mistaken for anything other than an opinion or belief? It is only opinion or belief. From there the opinion or belief creates a point of reference (or point of view) that you were not born with but which has been acquired or adopted. And with that adopted subjective point of view you then witness other objective occurrences and then judge those objective occurrences against the adopted subjective point of view(which has no existence in reality or little meaning in the real world as you stated). You stated yourself above that good and evil are artificial human constructs with little meaning in the real world, but the artificiality of human constructs does not stop at good and evil. You obviously understand that good and evil are dualistic concepts (that naturally complement each other) which are used to subjectively label objective happenings. No thing or event is inherently good or bad, murder for example is a happening the same as the closing of a car door, the raw cognitive witnessing of a happening through the sense fields suggests no translation. Only thought-based labeling makes distinctions. So if you've admitted that good and bad are concepts completely arbitrary in nature then why does it stop with those concepts? If you negate the validity of applying these subjective labels to objective reality then you cannot stop there. Seeing manmade labels using language as empty of inherent existence the entire house of cards falls. What you take to be true is a relative subjective ideation. So thinking that religion endangers the survival of the species is an artificial human construct as well.
Religion endangering the survival of the species is a subjective conclusion creating a point of view. Other individuals have come to the opposite conclusion and have an opposing point of view. Both points of view are empty of inherent existence just as good and bad are. They are subjective points of view about an objective institution called religion which only exist in thought or language. In short everything is opinion, translation, belief. Even whatever i am saying. What is true and right, or false and wrong are unreal labels and all relative knowledge formed of language and thought has no true or practical application in objective reality.
But you see if I state that the whole house of cards falls upon admitting that thought-based labels using language are empty of inherent existence. Then it has to be taken all the way to the ground. Even formulating my arguments that there is objective and subjective traits to reality is a mental construct. What begins to happen with honest enquiry unimpeded by points of view or agendas is that everything begins to fall apart.
Ultimately nothing can be said to be true or false, or right or wrong... nothing can be said. Or everything can be said... life is free to express itself in whatever form it takes. Who am i to interfere? That's your job... clearly.
You're assuming that i've taken a position. No position has been taken by me, i'm only addressing your position. But to draw out a hint of a position i'll say that no old creationist canard religious filth has come from my mouth.
So be it. Let the species destroy itself... humanity will be eradicated one way or another eventually. Mankind surviving is only important or unimportant if you say it is. Why coat your personal experience with stressing about that which you have no control over. You'll make your life a living hell.
Any conclusion one could come to would be speculation.
Religion is not the sole culprit. Religion is only one of numerous vessels and means for humanity's insecurities and ignorance you speak of to flourish.
It will also be unsuitable for agriculture when the sun becomes a red giant and swallows mercury and venus and turns the earth into a blazing inferno... or in antarctica, those penguins can't plant shit, no turnips for them, they've never had an apple, the micro-organisms and bioluminescent deep sea fish in the epipelagic/hadopelagic zones can't plant asparagus or broccoli.. fuck they're so dumb.
Who's to tell them they're wrong for believing that. You?
You're still approaching this discussion to propagate your own beliefs and prove them to be true so you can feel validated. You've labeled religion as the scapegoat and root of the problem. What i'm addressing is a fundamental view of where the problem actually begins(in my opinion of course), which is basic human characteristics and emotions. The fact of religion being an instrument for these issues to express themselves is all that religion is.
Moreover, how could i possibly show you that you are wrong when you believe that you're right? You don't know that you're right, you believe it to be true. That is why you are fighting so valiantly to prove yourself to be right. Because right and wrong... like good and bad, have no actual tangible existence as i said before. So you actually have to continually convince yourself that you're right and a good way to do that is to engage in discussions where you can list evidence you feel to be valid to back up your claims in a sort of intellectual stand-off of sorts. And hopefully derive the feeling that you've won the discussion, because why not, it makes you feel good and supports your ego. This is born from the fact that "you" can only be right if someone else is wrong. So to be right you have to actively label something or someone else as wrong. They are mutually interdependent dualistic positions that arise in unison. By thinking you're right you in fact create the other who is wrong. No one is inherently right or wrong. If you're right only because someone else is wrong, and they're wrong only because you're right, then you are not right and they are not wrong. The entire world as we think about it and feel it is constructed of these opposing concepts and contrasting expressions of phenomena. Hot and cold, light and dark, up and down, here and there, you and me, pain and pleasure, life and death.... every aspect of reality has an opposite. The problem of life arises when one becomes ignorant of this fact and seeks to have only one side of the pair. Wanting all pleasure and no pain, wanting all good and no bad. You can't have one without the other. To separate them and actively seek one side and push away the other side is where the problems of life begin. And this is why religions like christianity for example don't work and lead to hypocrisy and conflict. A belief system is attachment to one aspect of the interdependent opposites.. christianity focuses on good... all good things.. wanting to be happy and loved.... not understanding that with the good comes the bad, with the happiness comes sadness, love is paired with hate. Both will always be and it's a losing battle to fight for one side and against the other. Much like it's a losing battle for you to fight against religion when there's others who fight for it. Never ending conflict. See that everything is in perfect balance and harmony. Reality expresses itself in these pairs of opposites and complement and create each other. Seeking a why or how is speculation. You don't need a why or how to experience.
Bottom line, no one can show you you're wrong. Because you believe you're right. You'll only change your mind if you discover a more attractive position to attach to. I have taken no position, it's all good to me. There can be endless argumentation over these ideas just as there is endless war over positions in the world. So I can't tell you you're wrong... or right... or say i'm wrong... or right. If you told me to shut up in person i'd probably run your jaw down your throat and choke your ass out. Yeeewbitch. And i'm posting for the sake of nothing. Because you're fine just how you are. There are no problems and i wouldn't want you to be any different than you are... you can't be. Yes of course the post is pointless... if you say it is.... all these posts are pointless if you say they are. I find them intriguing and interesting. Life IS and I AM.. or am i? Wheres the problem... life is good... smile now cry later.. Don't worry, be happy.
You are missing one crucial point - subjective labels are nothing more than that, subjective labels. Understanding of causal relationships is a completely different matter, because it allows you to make predictions about the course of events. The laws of physics are not a "relative subjective ideation" and we know that because we can repeatedly and precisely calculate and predict the behavior of the world around us based on those laws.
Well the laws of physics is a relative subjective ideation.. There is no laws in nature. The idea of a law is a notion created in society and culture for control. What we call "laws" of nature are merely happenings in nature that repeatedly occur.. and based on those repeated occurrences we say that they are laws. There is aspects of quantum theory and other physics that don't adhere to these "laws" and completely baffle scientists. But yes subjective labels are subjective labels. So if the understanding of causal relationships allows you to make predictions about the course of events unfolding it really doesn't do shit other than allow you to formulate more subjective ideation. Because the events will unfold however they do in reality... separate from your predictions... of course you can make the argument that you can statistically weigh probabilities and so on so try and prepare for said happenings. But in truth that doesn't do shit either.. say you have a coin and you flip it 1,000 times, and so far you've ended up flipping it heads 472 times and tales 350 times... on your next flip you'll say the statistics show that the probability that you flip heads will most likely be the case.. but in actual fact the truth of the matter is that it's a 50/50 chance still. Predictions and laws of nature are ideas that of course are helpful for allowing us to function in life.. i'm not in any way saying that ideas and subjective labels are bad... they're completely necessary to life and a beautiful thing. What i was saying is that your belief that religion is whatever you think it is, is completely your own opinion so you're no more right or wrong than someone who is a religious person and buys into a belief system. And that your list of evidence supporting your claims is itself a belief system. So you're no better than the religion you fight against.
You're missing the crucial point that several of us have told you so far. This point has nothing to do with being wrong, religion being this, religion being that, etc. The most crucial point in all of this is that if you stay fixated on this path, the obsession will make your life a living hell and you will have problems.
You either think about what people are telling you or you sweep it under the rug like you've done post after post.
Live life man. Live it freely.
You either think about what people are telling you or you sweep it under the rug like you've done post after post.
Live life man. Live it freely.
It's like this: You're a sentient organism living on a planet floating through infinite space and this is your life. The fact that you have life is a completely fucking amazing thing it's astoundingly beautiful, unique and special. These institutions that have been erected on top of these collective lives are merely institutions! Because of our brain power as human beings and the appearance of self-consciousness... or being aware that we are aware, we have like ThaG proposed been able to formulate ideas and scheme to make things better or worse for each other within the confines of the establishments or institutions. But the life that is there, is still prior to these so called "problems" created by trying to get what you think will make you happy(because you're led to believe it will make you happy) and is still prior to the establishments themselves. The empires rise and fall, species exist and are extinct. That was my point with the penguins and deep sea fish comment, those organisms don't scheme at the expense of others to get what they think will make themselves happy, and they don't exploit their environment or fight against changes either. They not having self-consciousness(i speculate) adapt or are annihilated. If human beings cannot adapt to this blessing/curse of self-consciousness and learn to live in harmony with the planet and others, we will be annihilated... and so be it... good riddance. The bottom line is that people spend their singular lives fighting against these collective establishments. The collective nature of the establishment is a mirror of the collective mind-state of the people that make up that establishment. And if you have a differing opinion of that establishment then you've created an unsolvable problem. People involve themselves in these institutions or establishments through indoctrination and conditioning and/or because they think it will make their life better somehow. So they BELIEVE that what they are doing is right for them because they get some sort of satisfaction from it. So to them, you're fighting against their happiness or trying to disrupt their life... and you feel that they're disrupting your life or the planet or what have you.
Bottom line the interest in fighting a fight that can have no solution or end makes your life a hell. You take the weight of the world upon your shoulders by choice. And you'll fight until you are dead because the institution will most likely outlive you. YES there are some cases where the collective oppression explodes like we're seeing in the middle east right now and changes are made. But in most cases the desire to have a institution be different will only ever be a desire.. and it may be a burning desire but thats all the more stress you put upon yourself.
So if you're an organism living on this planet, involving and exposing the structure of your body, nervous system, organs etc.. to this stress, stress over something that you can do nothing about. Then you're only hurting yourself. If you step back from actively involving yourself with fighting against an institution and see that it JUST IS, and you walk outside and see the life happening everywhere.. it is beautiful... and the funny thing is, that it's a beautiful thing that these institutions have been made and exist too... they've been created by some organisms living on a planet floating through infinite space.. as an expression of the sheer magnitude of the creative power behind their intellects. If the organisms cannot adapt they will die. Us as humans fighting over whatever it is we fight over is like mice fighting over a crumb of cheese... it is no more important than that. The world spun before us and will spin after we are gone.. and there will be no one to ever know we existed. This is your time on this planet now, love your experience, live your life, create meaningful relationships, create art, express yourself, live it to the fullest and be content. I don't remember who said it but to paraphrase "the most important thing you can do in your life is to look around and realize that everyone you look at will soon be dead in a relatively small span of time" We are a flash of life in the vast expanse of time and space. Don't spend your time in the sun killing yourself worrying about stupid human idiocy.
Bottom line the interest in fighting a fight that can have no solution or end makes your life a hell. You take the weight of the world upon your shoulders by choice. And you'll fight until you are dead because the institution will most likely outlive you. YES there are some cases where the collective oppression explodes like we're seeing in the middle east right now and changes are made. But in most cases the desire to have a institution be different will only ever be a desire.. and it may be a burning desire but thats all the more stress you put upon yourself.
So if you're an organism living on this planet, involving and exposing the structure of your body, nervous system, organs etc.. to this stress, stress over something that you can do nothing about. Then you're only hurting yourself. If you step back from actively involving yourself with fighting against an institution and see that it JUST IS, and you walk outside and see the life happening everywhere.. it is beautiful... and the funny thing is, that it's a beautiful thing that these institutions have been made and exist too... they've been created by some organisms living on a planet floating through infinite space.. as an expression of the sheer magnitude of the creative power behind their intellects. If the organisms cannot adapt they will die. Us as humans fighting over whatever it is we fight over is like mice fighting over a crumb of cheese... it is no more important than that. The world spun before us and will spin after we are gone.. and there will be no one to ever know we existed. This is your time on this planet now, love your experience, live your life, create meaningful relationships, create art, express yourself, live it to the fullest and be content. I don't remember who said it but to paraphrase "the most important thing you can do in your life is to look around and realize that everyone you look at will soon be dead in a relatively small span of time" We are a flash of life in the vast expanse of time and space. Don't spend your time in the sun killing yourself worrying about stupid human idiocy.
Human Rights Watch: No mercenaries in eastern Libya
Human Rights Watch says it has seen no evidence of mercenaries being used in eastern Libya. This contradicts widespread earlier reports in the international media that African soldiers had been flown in to fight rebels in the region as Muammar Gaddafi sought to keep control.
In an interview with Radio Netherlands Worldwide in Libya, Peter Bouckaert from Human Rights Watch said he had conducted research and found no proof of mercenaries being used. Investigator Bouckaert, who has been in the region for two weeks, told RNW that he had been to Al Bayda after receiving reports that 156 mercenaries had been arrested there.
Black Libyans
The town is to the east of the city Benghazi and is also in the hands of the anti-Gaddafi protesters.
The rights investigator said that what he found there were, in fact, 156 soldiers from the south of Libya and not from another African country. After talking to them he found out that they were all black Libyans of African descent. The soldiers have since been released by the protesters.
According to Bouckaert, the support of the black southern Libyans for the Gaddafi regime is explicable as Gaddafi fought to counter discrimination against this group in Libyan society.
In the west
RNW's Mohammed Abdulrahman, who interviewed Bouckaert in Benghazi, says that the fact that there are few economic opportunities in the south also leads to southern Libyans joining the army.
HRW has so far only conducted research in the east of the country which is under the control of the protesters, but it says it could well be the case that reports of mercenaries being used in the areas still under government control in the west are also inaccurate.
Unverified
International media report that the mercenaries are gathering in the central southern town of Sabha, known to be loyal to Gaddafi, and are being sent out from there.
Our reporter says the southern location of the town means it is possible that the soldiers here are also from the south of the country and not African mercenaries as claimed in the international media. As the area is under control of Gaddafi's forces this cannot be verified.
Human Rights Watch says it has seen no evidence of mercenaries being used in eastern Libya. This contradicts widespread earlier reports in the international media that African soldiers had been flown in to fight rebels in the region as Muammar Gaddafi sought to keep control.
In an interview with Radio Netherlands Worldwide in Libya, Peter Bouckaert from Human Rights Watch said he had conducted research and found no proof of mercenaries being used. Investigator Bouckaert, who has been in the region for two weeks, told RNW that he had been to Al Bayda after receiving reports that 156 mercenaries had been arrested there.
Black Libyans
The town is to the east of the city Benghazi and is also in the hands of the anti-Gaddafi protesters.
The rights investigator said that what he found there were, in fact, 156 soldiers from the south of Libya and not from another African country. After talking to them he found out that they were all black Libyans of African descent. The soldiers have since been released by the protesters.
According to Bouckaert, the support of the black southern Libyans for the Gaddafi regime is explicable as Gaddafi fought to counter discrimination against this group in Libyan society.
In the west
RNW's Mohammed Abdulrahman, who interviewed Bouckaert in Benghazi, says that the fact that there are few economic opportunities in the south also leads to southern Libyans joining the army.
HRW has so far only conducted research in the east of the country which is under the control of the protesters, but it says it could well be the case that reports of mercenaries being used in the areas still under government control in the west are also inaccurate.
Unverified
International media report that the mercenaries are gathering in the central southern town of Sabha, known to be loyal to Gaddafi, and are being sent out from there.
Our reporter says the southern location of the town means it is possible that the soldiers here are also from the south of the country and not African mercenaries as claimed in the international media. As the area is under control of Gaddafi's forces this cannot be verified.
LIBYA: Rebels execute black immigrants while forces kidnap others
http://somalilandpress.com/libya-rebels-execute-black-immigrants-while-forces-kidnap-others-20586
Comments (5)
ADDIS ABABA — While much of the world’s attention is focusing on crude oil prices and the Libyan pipelines in the east of the country– human right groups say rebels are committing crimes against humanity.
In east Libya, African hunt began as towns and cities began fall under the control of Libyan rebels, mobs and gangs. They started to detain, insult, rape and even executing black immigrants, students and refugees.
In the past two weeks, more than 100 Africans from various Sub-Sahara states are believed to have been killed by Libyan rebels and their supporters.
According to Somali refugees in Libya, at least five Somalis from Somaliland and Somalia were executed in Tripoli and Benghazi by anti-Gaddafi mobs. Dozens of refugees and immigrants workers from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Ghana, Nigeria, Chad, Mali and Niger have been killed, some of them were led into the desert and stabbed to death. Black Libyan men receiving medical care in hospitals in Benghazi were reportedly abducted by armed rebels. They are part of more than 200 African immigrants held in secret locations by the rebels.
In many disputes involving Libyan residents and black Africans, the Libyans are turning in the Africans as mercenaries.
Thousands more Africans caught up in this mercenary hysteria are terrified. Some barricaded themselves in their homes, while others hid in the desert. Insulted, threatened, beaten, chased and robbed. Their only crime was being black and therefore treated as “mercenaries” of Gaddafi.
While the airing of Gaddafi’s so called “black mercenaries” by Western media has ignited the issue, some say an xenophobic attitude towards these refugees and labourers has existed for years. They say the current attacks are racially motivated because the rebels have released many actual Libyan mercenaries and soldiers under a tribal agreement. They believe many Arabs felt their Libyan leader was abandoning them for black Africans ever since he became a “pan-Africanist”. Many immigrants were regularly victims of racism.
In many situations, Gaddafi and his inner circle preferred black Africans and Libyans from the south over Libyans from the east. Now the angry mobs using the revolutionary movement across Arabia and North Africa are hunting down black people.
Mohamed Abdillahi, Somaliland, 25, was sleeping at his home in Zouara, when the mobs arrived. “They knocked on the door around 1 o’clock in the morning. They said get out, we’ll kill you, you are blacks, foreigners, clear.”
The testimonials and are very similar among the thousands of Africans that saw the ugly side of Libya in the past weeks. “They have attacked us, they took everything from us,” said Ali Farah, Somali labourer 29 years.
“They wanted to kill civilians, they beat many of us. To me, they are animals,” says Jamal Hussein, 25 years Sudanese worker.
Many of the fleeing Africans are terrified to tell their stories. At the checkpoint, they do not mingle with others. When asked about their ordeal, they just freeze, “they stopped us many times and said not tell what has happened here, say there are no problems,” Elias Nour from Ethiopia said.
“For the past seven days, my whole family has been holed up at home without any food, running water or electricity, we appeal for urgent intervention,” Mohamed Abdi from Somaliland told local reporters by cellphone.
In the latest reports reaching Somalilandpress from Tripoli, forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi have reportedly began kidnapping African and Libyan youths from their homes and universities. They are said to be preparing them for a showdown against the rebels. The kidnapped youths include five teenagers from Somaliland.
Many Africans have virtually nothing after years in Libya, many have been looted, robbed, while others saw their living quarters and apartments go in flames. Now they are praying to God to send them home.
While the international leaders are busy drafting resolutions to dismantle Muammar Gaddafi, the African Union has not yet commented on the situation in Libya.
Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court is said to have started a formal inquiry into possible crimes against humanity in Libya that will investigate the Libyan regime.
http://somalilandpress.com/libya-rebels-execute-black-immigrants-while-forces-kidnap-others-20586
Comments (5)
ADDIS ABABA — While much of the world’s attention is focusing on crude oil prices and the Libyan pipelines in the east of the country– human right groups say rebels are committing crimes against humanity.
In east Libya, African hunt began as towns and cities began fall under the control of Libyan rebels, mobs and gangs. They started to detain, insult, rape and even executing black immigrants, students and refugees.
In the past two weeks, more than 100 Africans from various Sub-Sahara states are believed to have been killed by Libyan rebels and their supporters.
According to Somali refugees in Libya, at least five Somalis from Somaliland and Somalia were executed in Tripoli and Benghazi by anti-Gaddafi mobs. Dozens of refugees and immigrants workers from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Ghana, Nigeria, Chad, Mali and Niger have been killed, some of them were led into the desert and stabbed to death. Black Libyan men receiving medical care in hospitals in Benghazi were reportedly abducted by armed rebels. They are part of more than 200 African immigrants held in secret locations by the rebels.
In many disputes involving Libyan residents and black Africans, the Libyans are turning in the Africans as mercenaries.
Thousands more Africans caught up in this mercenary hysteria are terrified. Some barricaded themselves in their homes, while others hid in the desert. Insulted, threatened, beaten, chased and robbed. Their only crime was being black and therefore treated as “mercenaries” of Gaddafi.
While the airing of Gaddafi’s so called “black mercenaries” by Western media has ignited the issue, some say an xenophobic attitude towards these refugees and labourers has existed for years. They say the current attacks are racially motivated because the rebels have released many actual Libyan mercenaries and soldiers under a tribal agreement. They believe many Arabs felt their Libyan leader was abandoning them for black Africans ever since he became a “pan-Africanist”. Many immigrants were regularly victims of racism.
In many situations, Gaddafi and his inner circle preferred black Africans and Libyans from the south over Libyans from the east. Now the angry mobs using the revolutionary movement across Arabia and North Africa are hunting down black people.
Mohamed Abdillahi, Somaliland, 25, was sleeping at his home in Zouara, when the mobs arrived. “They knocked on the door around 1 o’clock in the morning. They said get out, we’ll kill you, you are blacks, foreigners, clear.”
The testimonials and are very similar among the thousands of Africans that saw the ugly side of Libya in the past weeks. “They have attacked us, they took everything from us,” said Ali Farah, Somali labourer 29 years.
“They wanted to kill civilians, they beat many of us. To me, they are animals,” says Jamal Hussein, 25 years Sudanese worker.
Many of the fleeing Africans are terrified to tell their stories. At the checkpoint, they do not mingle with others. When asked about their ordeal, they just freeze, “they stopped us many times and said not tell what has happened here, say there are no problems,” Elias Nour from Ethiopia said.
“For the past seven days, my whole family has been holed up at home without any food, running water or electricity, we appeal for urgent intervention,” Mohamed Abdi from Somaliland told local reporters by cellphone.
In the latest reports reaching Somalilandpress from Tripoli, forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi have reportedly began kidnapping African and Libyan youths from their homes and universities. They are said to be preparing them for a showdown against the rebels. The kidnapped youths include five teenagers from Somaliland.
Many Africans have virtually nothing after years in Libya, many have been looted, robbed, while others saw their living quarters and apartments go in flames. Now they are praying to God to send them home.
While the international leaders are busy drafting resolutions to dismantle Muammar Gaddafi, the African Union has not yet commented on the situation in Libya.
Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court is said to have started a formal inquiry into possible crimes against humanity in Libya that will investigate the Libyan regime.
For Gaddafi, Against Imperialism
By Husayn Al-Kurdi. Ephemeris 360
Ephemeris 360
Friday, Mar 4, 2011
http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_62427.shtml
People who do not learn from the lessons of past human tragedies are bound to witness their repetition and ultimately learn those lessons the hard way. Mesmerized by the media monopoly mouthpieces, bamboozled by politician and policy-wonk doubletalk and led astray by their own conditioned foolishness, some people in Libya, Arabs and others are now being herded into support for the destruction of a popular and unique socialist society in Libya.
Using time-dishonored techniques of mass manipulation pioneered by the promulgators of “Public Relations” and commercial advertising, the USA-Zionist imperialist conglomerate is going all out to enlist or at least neutralize and confound onlookers as they drive to oust Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and dismantle socialism and the progress of the Arab people of Libya.
The intruders and their mercenaries, along with their gullible supporters in Libya, are spreading the same type of lies that were used against Saddam Hussein and Iraq before their invasion and occupation of that country in 2003. Jeff Archer detailed the concatenation of lies which were played by the media orchestra in his groundbreaking book “The Mother of All Battles”. The same pattern of outrageous fantasies, personal slanders, inflated exaggerations, concocted lies and ridicule has been deployed to demonize Qaddafi that were used against Saddam, and with the same objective.
In the Libyan case, it is even easier for the international malefactors to get away with their prevarications because so very little is generally known about Libya. Also, the dumbing down of the world population in terms of true knowledge has gone hand-in-hand with the reliance on the cyberspace, media and telecommunications facilities which are owned and operated by the very complex which promotes war and conquest. On the ground, the revival of obscurantist religious trends has helped infantilize all and sundry and facilitate the advances of the crusading capitalist conquerors. Many who ostensibly should know better are swept up in the roundup of support for the imminent invasion of Libya, including leftists, progressives and even many Arab nationalists, in spite of the fact that the Arab nation is a primary target for division, decimation, enslavement and destruction.
Black resister Steven Biko remarked at his trial by the South African authorities shortly before his murder in jail that “The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.” We see Libyans, Arabs and others around the world proving this by their adoption of the false-flag notions of “freedom” and “democracy” being pushed by the money-driven hucksters of imperialism. The people are subsequently fooled into turning against each other and against their own best interests. Often they realize the tragic consequences of their mistake, but only after it is too late. Then they pine for the lost days and failed opportunities, as many Iraqis are doing for the days when Saddam and the Ba’ath were in charge there.
It is no coincidence that Iraq and Libya were both embarked on socialist experiments in which their oil resources were used to feed, house, clothe, educate and otherwise care for their people. It is not just access to oil but to the proceeds accruing from oil and the manner in which they are invested and distributed which determines the fate of oil-producing countries in the calculations of the multinational corporation/ financial capitalist complex. Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is being targeted due to his admirable stand on behalf of his people and his efforts to build a people-friendly socialist society there. Chavez, Cuba’s Fidel Castro and a few others see what is on the horizon for Libya and have spoken out accordingly. They in turn are castigated and vilified by the “PR” mills.
Muammar Qaddafi led a group of junior officers in overthrowing a corrupt, decadent US-puppet monarchy on September 1st, 1969. At the time, over half of Libya’s sparse population of 4 million covering an area 2 ½ times the size of Texas and including much of the Sahara Desert lived in hovels, shacks and make-shift lean-to housing. Illiteracy, poverty and almost total lack of health-care or education was the lot of virtually the entire population. Since then, the situation has been reversed. All are housed and education is now free for all through the university level, a situation which compares favorably to the indebtedness forced on U.S. college students by the American Banking/Government extortion ring. Social services and medical attention were made available to the Libyans and the prosperity derived from petroleum and gas became a source of happiness and contentment for a people which had been forced to endure abject misery.
Qaddafi also assisted a wide range of liberation movements, especially on the African continent but also in Ireland, Latin America and elsewhere. This inevitably aroused the ire of the USA-led imperialists, who imposed sanctions on Libya, launched military raids and attempted coups to impose their will. Some of the elements involved in the counter-revolution in Libya have been among those developed and prepared by the U.S. military-intelligence complex for over four decades. Others have been egged on by reactionary “fundamentalist” religious forces operating under the banner of Islam. Some of the Benghazi mob which initiated recent hostilities there by violently attacking government buildings were and are spouting “Al-Qaeda”-type phraseology while others belong to the Muslim Brotherhood, long a harbinger of ignorance and obscurantism under cover of religious piety. The imperialists and Zionists have a long history of turning to the MB as a counter-force against Arab nationalism and indigenous socialist movements, most notably in Egypt and Palestine as well as currently in Libya.
Imperialism is clearly preparing for an armed intervention in order to “stabilize” the situation. Fidel Castro has sagaciously noted that an invasion is in the offing. Wonk tanks on the Potomac such as the Council on Foreign Relations are openly discussing it. Obama and Hillary Clinton are espousing it in plain terms. There is an increasing awareness of the Muslim Brotherhood’s role in the “stabilizing” process. Their help in Indonesia has been duly noted and Egypt is being discussed as the next testing-ground for their cooperation in that country. The MB and its step-child Hamas were used by Israel for decades to take the sting out of the old PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization), helping to ultimately grind it down into a collaborationist shell of its former self. Ostensibly oppositional and even revolutionary movements have a long history of being co-opted into restoring the status quo, with the Provisional IRA (Irish Republican Army) and the ANC (African National Congress in South Africa) serving as prototypical examples in recent times.
In the age of Facebook, Google and Twitter, the media manipulators are able to conjure up popular movements, often focusing on the removal of individual leaders who have disobeyed orders and served the needs of their people or otherwise worn out their welcome. The application of economic blockades (“sanctions”) have facilitated the process of misdirecting people’s anger into fixating on individuals or groups whom the imperialists find troublesome or inefficient. Marcos of the Philippines, Mobutu in the Congo and Egypt’s Mubarak had to go because they could no longer do their jobs as repressive, self-indulgent collaborators and had to be replaced by more suitable personnel. Fidel Castro’s Cuba has had to withstand over 50 years of hell as the heavy price for its remarkable achievements in building a socialist society.
The USA, the pathetic rubber-stamp UN Security Council and NATO are preparing to teach an uppity Arab people the usual lesson. The Arabs have been dealt many heavy blows on the road to their ultimate resuscitation. They will have to endure many more. Now it is Libya’s turn to take a hit.
Meanwhile, the usual nit-picking and temporizing is going on in what is called the “progressive community” in America. All sorts of excuses are bandied about for not doing the right thing and supporting Qaddafi in Libya’s moment of peril. Many Arabs are “waiting to see what happens” and assuming a posture of studied neutrality. Some insist on always supporting any “popular uprising” against any government at any time, regardless of the circumstances. Even some who defended Saddam and Iraq are now clambering on the anti-Qaddafi invasion bandwagon. Alleged mistakes and shortcomings are being highlighted while the stupendous achievements of the revolution in Libya are ignored. “Qaddafi-baiting” is the order of the day as arm-chair sectarian leftists pronounce anathema on yet another Arab revolutionary leader while ostracizing those who object to their ridiculous ridicule and expose their cowardly adaptation to a system which they falsely claim to oppose.
As the invasion force assembles and the media lynch mob questions Qaddafi’s sanity and criticizes his attire, Qaddafi vows to stand firm. His son has stated that “Plan A is to live and die in Libya. Plan B is to live and die in Libya. Plan C is to live and die in Libya.” Some are waking up to the prospect of another invasion and occupation of an Arab land and haltingly raising objections. Israel and the Zionists are gleefully anticipating the prospect of Arabs killing Arabs on command, of further divisions being sown among the
Arabs and of the destruction of yet another Arab country. The multi-national corporate plunderers are licking their chops at seizing choice Libyan petroleum assets and the proceeds thereof.
I am not waiting to say “I told you so” until after another calamity has befallen. I have told you so before the fact, joining the distinguished company of Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez and Jeff Archer in so doing. As someone with a deep attachment to Libya, the land where I was raised and whose people I love and care deeply for, I re-affirm my support for Qaddafi and the Libyan revolution and my unwavering opposition to imperialism and its invasion bandwagon. I urge all people of good conscience of whatever political stripe, color, creed or nationality to join me in resisting imperialism and its designs on Libya, the Arabs and all others.
Husayn Al-Kurdi was raised in Libya. His mother was a well-known Egyptian citizen and his grandparents are buried in Tripoli, Libya and Cairo, Egypt.
Source: Ephemeris 360.org
© Copyright 2011 by Ephemeris 360.org
This page may be republished for non-commercial purposes as long as reprints include a verbatim copy of the article in its entirety, respecting its integrity and cite the author and Ephemeris 360.org as the source including a live link to the article.
By Husayn Al-Kurdi. Ephemeris 360
Ephemeris 360
Friday, Mar 4, 2011
http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_62427.shtml
People who do not learn from the lessons of past human tragedies are bound to witness their repetition and ultimately learn those lessons the hard way. Mesmerized by the media monopoly mouthpieces, bamboozled by politician and policy-wonk doubletalk and led astray by their own conditioned foolishness, some people in Libya, Arabs and others are now being herded into support for the destruction of a popular and unique socialist society in Libya.
Using time-dishonored techniques of mass manipulation pioneered by the promulgators of “Public Relations” and commercial advertising, the USA-Zionist imperialist conglomerate is going all out to enlist or at least neutralize and confound onlookers as they drive to oust Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and dismantle socialism and the progress of the Arab people of Libya.
The intruders and their mercenaries, along with their gullible supporters in Libya, are spreading the same type of lies that were used against Saddam Hussein and Iraq before their invasion and occupation of that country in 2003. Jeff Archer detailed the concatenation of lies which were played by the media orchestra in his groundbreaking book “The Mother of All Battles”. The same pattern of outrageous fantasies, personal slanders, inflated exaggerations, concocted lies and ridicule has been deployed to demonize Qaddafi that were used against Saddam, and with the same objective.
In the Libyan case, it is even easier for the international malefactors to get away with their prevarications because so very little is generally known about Libya. Also, the dumbing down of the world population in terms of true knowledge has gone hand-in-hand with the reliance on the cyberspace, media and telecommunications facilities which are owned and operated by the very complex which promotes war and conquest. On the ground, the revival of obscurantist religious trends has helped infantilize all and sundry and facilitate the advances of the crusading capitalist conquerors. Many who ostensibly should know better are swept up in the roundup of support for the imminent invasion of Libya, including leftists, progressives and even many Arab nationalists, in spite of the fact that the Arab nation is a primary target for division, decimation, enslavement and destruction.
Black resister Steven Biko remarked at his trial by the South African authorities shortly before his murder in jail that “The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.” We see Libyans, Arabs and others around the world proving this by their adoption of the false-flag notions of “freedom” and “democracy” being pushed by the money-driven hucksters of imperialism. The people are subsequently fooled into turning against each other and against their own best interests. Often they realize the tragic consequences of their mistake, but only after it is too late. Then they pine for the lost days and failed opportunities, as many Iraqis are doing for the days when Saddam and the Ba’ath were in charge there.
It is no coincidence that Iraq and Libya were both embarked on socialist experiments in which their oil resources were used to feed, house, clothe, educate and otherwise care for their people. It is not just access to oil but to the proceeds accruing from oil and the manner in which they are invested and distributed which determines the fate of oil-producing countries in the calculations of the multinational corporation/ financial capitalist complex. Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is being targeted due to his admirable stand on behalf of his people and his efforts to build a people-friendly socialist society there. Chavez, Cuba’s Fidel Castro and a few others see what is on the horizon for Libya and have spoken out accordingly. They in turn are castigated and vilified by the “PR” mills.
Muammar Qaddafi led a group of junior officers in overthrowing a corrupt, decadent US-puppet monarchy on September 1st, 1969. At the time, over half of Libya’s sparse population of 4 million covering an area 2 ½ times the size of Texas and including much of the Sahara Desert lived in hovels, shacks and make-shift lean-to housing. Illiteracy, poverty and almost total lack of health-care or education was the lot of virtually the entire population. Since then, the situation has been reversed. All are housed and education is now free for all through the university level, a situation which compares favorably to the indebtedness forced on U.S. college students by the American Banking/Government extortion ring. Social services and medical attention were made available to the Libyans and the prosperity derived from petroleum and gas became a source of happiness and contentment for a people which had been forced to endure abject misery.
Qaddafi also assisted a wide range of liberation movements, especially on the African continent but also in Ireland, Latin America and elsewhere. This inevitably aroused the ire of the USA-led imperialists, who imposed sanctions on Libya, launched military raids and attempted coups to impose their will. Some of the elements involved in the counter-revolution in Libya have been among those developed and prepared by the U.S. military-intelligence complex for over four decades. Others have been egged on by reactionary “fundamentalist” religious forces operating under the banner of Islam. Some of the Benghazi mob which initiated recent hostilities there by violently attacking government buildings were and are spouting “Al-Qaeda”-type phraseology while others belong to the Muslim Brotherhood, long a harbinger of ignorance and obscurantism under cover of religious piety. The imperialists and Zionists have a long history of turning to the MB as a counter-force against Arab nationalism and indigenous socialist movements, most notably in Egypt and Palestine as well as currently in Libya.
Imperialism is clearly preparing for an armed intervention in order to “stabilize” the situation. Fidel Castro has sagaciously noted that an invasion is in the offing. Wonk tanks on the Potomac such as the Council on Foreign Relations are openly discussing it. Obama and Hillary Clinton are espousing it in plain terms. There is an increasing awareness of the Muslim Brotherhood’s role in the “stabilizing” process. Their help in Indonesia has been duly noted and Egypt is being discussed as the next testing-ground for their cooperation in that country. The MB and its step-child Hamas were used by Israel for decades to take the sting out of the old PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization), helping to ultimately grind it down into a collaborationist shell of its former self. Ostensibly oppositional and even revolutionary movements have a long history of being co-opted into restoring the status quo, with the Provisional IRA (Irish Republican Army) and the ANC (African National Congress in South Africa) serving as prototypical examples in recent times.
In the age of Facebook, Google and Twitter, the media manipulators are able to conjure up popular movements, often focusing on the removal of individual leaders who have disobeyed orders and served the needs of their people or otherwise worn out their welcome. The application of economic blockades (“sanctions”) have facilitated the process of misdirecting people’s anger into fixating on individuals or groups whom the imperialists find troublesome or inefficient. Marcos of the Philippines, Mobutu in the Congo and Egypt’s Mubarak had to go because they could no longer do their jobs as repressive, self-indulgent collaborators and had to be replaced by more suitable personnel. Fidel Castro’s Cuba has had to withstand over 50 years of hell as the heavy price for its remarkable achievements in building a socialist society.
The USA, the pathetic rubber-stamp UN Security Council and NATO are preparing to teach an uppity Arab people the usual lesson. The Arabs have been dealt many heavy blows on the road to their ultimate resuscitation. They will have to endure many more. Now it is Libya’s turn to take a hit.
Meanwhile, the usual nit-picking and temporizing is going on in what is called the “progressive community” in America. All sorts of excuses are bandied about for not doing the right thing and supporting Qaddafi in Libya’s moment of peril. Many Arabs are “waiting to see what happens” and assuming a posture of studied neutrality. Some insist on always supporting any “popular uprising” against any government at any time, regardless of the circumstances. Even some who defended Saddam and Iraq are now clambering on the anti-Qaddafi invasion bandwagon. Alleged mistakes and shortcomings are being highlighted while the stupendous achievements of the revolution in Libya are ignored. “Qaddafi-baiting” is the order of the day as arm-chair sectarian leftists pronounce anathema on yet another Arab revolutionary leader while ostracizing those who object to their ridiculous ridicule and expose their cowardly adaptation to a system which they falsely claim to oppose.
As the invasion force assembles and the media lynch mob questions Qaddafi’s sanity and criticizes his attire, Qaddafi vows to stand firm. His son has stated that “Plan A is to live and die in Libya. Plan B is to live and die in Libya. Plan C is to live and die in Libya.” Some are waking up to the prospect of another invasion and occupation of an Arab land and haltingly raising objections. Israel and the Zionists are gleefully anticipating the prospect of Arabs killing Arabs on command, of further divisions being sown among the
Arabs and of the destruction of yet another Arab country. The multi-national corporate plunderers are licking their chops at seizing choice Libyan petroleum assets and the proceeds thereof.
I am not waiting to say “I told you so” until after another calamity has befallen. I have told you so before the fact, joining the distinguished company of Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez and Jeff Archer in so doing. As someone with a deep attachment to Libya, the land where I was raised and whose people I love and care deeply for, I re-affirm my support for Qaddafi and the Libyan revolution and my unwavering opposition to imperialism and its invasion bandwagon. I urge all people of good conscience of whatever political stripe, color, creed or nationality to join me in resisting imperialism and its designs on Libya, the Arabs and all others.
Husayn Al-Kurdi was raised in Libya. His mother was a well-known Egyptian citizen and his grandparents are buried in Tripoli, Libya and Cairo, Egypt.
Source: Ephemeris 360.org
© Copyright 2011 by Ephemeris 360.org
This page may be republished for non-commercial purposes as long as reprints include a verbatim copy of the article in its entirety, respecting its integrity and cite the author and Ephemeris 360.org as the source including a live link to the article.
You're missing the crucial point that several of us have told you so far. This point has nothing to do with being wrong, the thread being this, the thread being that, etc. The most crucial point in all of this is that if you stay fixated on this path, the obsession will make your life a living hell and you will have problems.
Live life man. Live it freely.
Just say no.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Elr5K2Vuo
BTW, You're missing the crucial point that several of us have told you so far. This point has nothing to do with being wrong, the thread being this, the thread being that, derailed etc. The most crucial point in all of this is that if you stay fixated on this path, the obsession will make your life a living hell and you will have problems.
Live life man. Live it freely.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Elr5K2Vuo
BTW, You're missing the crucial point that several of us have told you so far. This point has nothing to do with being wrong, the thread being this, the thread being that, derailed etc. The most crucial point in all of this is that if you stay fixated on this path, the obsession will make your life a living hell and you will have problems.
Live life man. Live it freely.
