Gerald Celente on Russia Today news talking about the war in Libya and the hypocrisy I wrote about a few weeks ago in a post titled “Why Libya and NOT DARFUR? Bahrain? Sierra Leone? Nigeria?”
Showing posts tagged Libya
Former CIA Analyst schools CNN host on U.S. led war in Libya
Former CIA analyst Michael Scheuer appeared on CNN and told his lovely blonde and brunette anchors the truth about what is really happening. The hilarious Stepford Wives reaction and the unprecedented cognitive dissonance the ensues is worth the price of admission.
It’s almost like he’s saying, if Libya’s major resource was broccoli we wouldn’t be getting involved. His smirks as the anchors play the standard lines are perfect.
Marines Gearing Up For Deployment Off Libyan Coast
Thousands of Marines from Camp Lejeune, Cherry Point and New River are preparing to head to waters off Libya.
Nearly 2,200 Marines and sailors with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit are preparing the ships they will be deploying with during their mission to the Mediterranean Sea. The USS Bataan is currently docked at the Morehead City State Port.
The 22nd MEU will relieve the 26th MEU which has been involved with Libyan air strikes and with the rescue mission of a downed Air Force pilot last week.
Colonel Eric Steidl, commander of the 22nd MEU, would not say if they will have any missions in Libya but the colonel says the 22nd MEU has the ability to perform a wide variety of missions.
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart takes on the hypocrisy of bombing Libya while ignoring all the other civil wars and protest crackdowns in the Middle East. It’s the “American Freedom Packages” - custom tailored approaches for your fucked up section of the world. :) I dearly love Jon.
Cost Of Operation Odyssey Dawn Already Above $100 Million
With U.N. coalition forces bombarding Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi from the sea and air, the United States’ part in the operation could ultimately hit several billion dollars — and require the Pentagon to request emergency funding from Congress to pay for it. The first day of Operation Odyssey Dawn had a price tag that was well over $100 million for the U.S. in missiles alone. And the U.S. military, which remains in the lead now in its third day, has pumped millions more into air- and sea-launched strikes targeting air-defense sites and ground-force positions along Libya’s coastline.
A First: Fully Armed Chinese Missile Frigate Spotted Off Libyan Coast
Mac Slavo over at SHTFPlan comments on the Chinese warship off the coast of Libya:
Though China abstained from a UN Security Council vote authorizing a no-fly-zone in Libya, and are not among the 16 nation coalition involved in Operation Odyssey Dawn, for the first time in modern day naval history, a Chinese warship sailed in the Mediterranean Sea. The 4000 ton Xuzhou missile frigate sailed to Libya after having been deployed of the coast of Yemen, on the other side of the Red Sea, a few days ago.
The missile frigate’s role is not exactly clear, but based on China’s position thus far it is not likely that the ship is part of the US, UK and French led attack. The People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s newspaper, earlier pointed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and criticized the US for launching a third attack “on a sovereign nation,” so the chances that China is providing assistance are slim. While China may be flexing some of its military might, they are more than likely in the area strictly to observe operations – for the time being.
Why Libya and NOT DARFUR? Bahrain? Sierra Leone? Nigeria?
I try to stay away from politics on this blog and just watch events and patterns, but I have to say this.
When the genocide in Darfur began in 2004, the UN and the US turned a blind eye to rape, genocide, and Sudanese planes bombing rebel villages. They actively stayed out of it. The Bush administration had a long record of avoiding the issue and ignoring it in any significant way as it was happening.
Now, perhaps it is the current administrations position to take issues such as this more seriously than the previous administration did, but we have Republicans such as John McCain advocating for military intervention in Libya. Others have advocated restraint.
Still yet, of all the civil wars with human rights atrocities at the center, why have we seen increasing rhetoric and pressure to intervene with military action?
Right now troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have entered Bahrain, at the invitation of the Bahrain government and enacted of martial law to control protesters there. The army is openly shooting protesters there.
Why would be care about Libya when the same thing is happening in numerous other places all over the globe? Why do we move so quickly in this instance and not the others?
Consider this:
Libya has the largest proven oil reserves in Africa but most analysts agree that the country is still underexplored.
There is a long list of pros and cons for intervention, and this cheat sheet for the main arguments bears reading, but I cannot see how it would be anything but detrimental for the US to over extend itself and enter yet another country in the Middle East.
Despite the sadness and suffering of the people there, this is their war. My heart breaks for those people. It really does. However, the fact remains, there are many others in which we have taken no action. Why set foot in another Muslim quagmire when it’s obvious we are at an impasse in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Say no to the no-fly zone. Say no to more American soldiers in Middle Eastern countries. It’s not about protecting civilians from Qadafi. The US government doesn’t give a shit about civilians. We care about controlling the oil supply.
Just. Say. No.
Oil soars to more than $100 on Libyan unrest
Crude oil prices climbed to a 29-month high in New York on Wednesday, settling at more than $100 for the first time since September 2008 as fighting near key oil ports in Libya fueled anxiety that instability there could be prolonged and might inspire unrest in another oil-exporting nation.
Many investors are worried about upheaval spreading to other oil exporters. In Algeria, the government has taken steps to protect its oil and gas infrastructure. On Wednesday, protesters blocked a road in Oman, two protesters were shot and killed in Yemen, and Web sites in Saudi Arabia called for national “day of rage” protests this month. In April, oil-rich Nigeria will hold presidential elections, often an occasion for sectarian and regional strife.
so far in Libya:
- protests have broken out in several parts of the country - here’s a map, via @abdallahsenussi
- libyan police are reportedly firing tear gas and water cannons. here’s al jazeera’s coverage.
- internet is reportedly down, by @cyrenaican has a list of ISP numbers and instructions for internet dial-up
- cell phones are reportedly still but land lines down.
- several government buildings have reportedly been burned down in benghazi and mesrata.
- here’s some video of the protests: here and here
- and some photos: here.
Unrest in the Middle East and North Africa -- country by country - CNN.com
This summary details all of the unrest as of 02/14/2011 - it’s pretty sobering to see laid out like this.
