The Libyan love of vendetta

Many Libyans enjoy gossip and vendetta.  I guess since Libyans were not able to pursue many of life's simple pleasures and hobbies they did what humans have done for thousands of years and enjoyed gossiping and backstabbing.  Now that access to media and new forms of entertainment will become more available, the Libyans will have more unfettered sources of western gossip and show business.  I hope the personalized, neighborhood, and local gossip tapers off now that people can focus on Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga. 

The second thing Libyans partake in, like many in the Middle East, is the love of vendetta.  Of the two, gossip and vendetta or feuds, vendetta is much more dangerous.  For us in the West, the state is supposed to mete out justice and punishment when someone kills our loved ones.  In Libya under Gaddafi, it was usually the state that was the one doing the murdering and stealing and to feud with Gaddafi or his clan was a suicidal path that almost no one took up.  Now that Libya is free, there are people who have decided to act as vigilantes or want revenge for the death or injury of their friends or family.  I understand that when someone has wronged you, naturally you want justice and punishment for the guilty party or parties. 

However, if everyone decided to take the law into their own hands we would have anarchy and chaos.  Do we want to live like the Hatfields and McCoys of American folklore?  Are we just Libyan Hillbillies who have no sense or rational thoughts in our heads?  All Libyans suffered under Gaddafi, even the ones who benefitted from his regime had to pay some sort of price for the power and wealth.  Now is the time to move on and build a new and better Libya.  A Libya where all of our children can grow up to be normal and rational people and free of violence is one of my goals.  We do not need to keep making the same mistakes and act like barbarians. 

My vendetta ended the day the rebels of Misratah killed Col. Gaddafi and I don't want or need a new vendetta to occupy my time. 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45791549/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/#.Tvv3PfKwUQu

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatfield%E2%80%93McCoy_feud

What's Old is New again...

Well, in today's news there was a mixed bag, the USA has released a further $30billion USD to the NTC but the disarming of the militias might take weeks longer.  A western writer has again shown that many of the newly minted revolutionaries are in fact people who worked closely to the old regime.

The Libyan people for years had no real idea of the vast amounts of wealth horded or spent by Gaddafi and his cronies.   Now that we have a better picture of the amount of resources all of Libyans have gained access to, we still don't really know where the money is going.  Of course we shouldn't expect the NTC to have their budget or accounts completely up to date yet but who is spending this money and what are they spending this money on?  The receipts from oil and gas sales should benefit all Libyans.  If Libyans don't see improvements to health care, education, security, entertainment, and other government services, the protests must start again in earnest.

Basic security is a primary responsibility of any government.  The NTC so far has shown a lack of effort or results in this area.  Maybe with time, they'll figure out how best to convince the men roaming the country showing off their weapons.  However, the children of Libya having been exposed to a horrific war can only begin to return to normalcy once they get a feeling of calm and peace from the adults.  As a Libyan and father, I cannot take my young children back to Libya until there is a minimum of stability and peace in the streets.

Finally, I give a lot of credit to the leaders of the NTC for finally seeing the light and rejecting Gaddafi after so many years of working with or for him.  I know that it was almost impossible to insulate yourself from the tentacles of the Gaddafi since he had his eyes and ears in all corners of the land.  But do we really need the new leadership of Libya to have at the highest levels these men?  Let the youth of the revolution have more influence and power since they are less likely to have been infected with the corruption and ethical lapses prevalent among the older generation.  Again, we need to forgive those who made simple or lower level sins during the Gaddafi era but we can't forget the crimes of those most guilty of harming the Libyan nation.

http://feb17.info/news/us-lifts-most-libyan-sanctions-frees-30-billion/

http://af.reuters.com/article/idAFJOE7BI06X20111219

http://www.redpepper.org.uk/libya-after-gaddafi/

Reconstructing Libya

Libya has gone from an almost hopeless situation to one with a much brighter future.  Under Gaddafi, most were hoping that his son Saif would introduce reforms and therefore improve the lives of Libyans.  This was of course a misguided attempt to mask the truth that Gaddafi was trying to reintroduce a monarchy. 

Thank God that wannabe King Gaddafi is dead and his princes are either dead, captured, or in hiding.  Now the really hard part has begun, creating a new nation of Libya out of the mess of 40+ years of mismanagement, corruption, ineptitude, and insanity.  The new government must pacify the country and should begin by training and arming a semi-professional and scarily armed force that can impose order out of the chaos of revolution.

I'm sure some well armed and disciplined troops with tanks and helicopter gunship support can show even the most suicidal hashish smoking boozed up malcontent the error of his ways.  The new government shouldn't even try to get all the small arms out of the people's hands.  Just tell them to keep the rifles and pistols at home but force the guys with grenades, rocket propelled grenades, and truck mounted heavy weapons to turn that stuff in to the federal government.  We don't need or want gangs of armed men strolling, driving, or manning ramshackle checkpoints. 

I intend to return to Libya as soon as it is stable enough to go.  I have been waiting for so many years for Gaddafi to either retire or die and now that Libya is free, I am pleased to see my people begin to change their lives.  However, the new government so far has not impressed me.  They are so far as amateurish as the revolutionary armies that got rid of Gaddafi.  I still don't know where the money is going that Libya is getting from either frozen funds or the oil and gas pumped daily. 

I found a nice article on Reuters about a revolutionary who wants to move on and get back to work in the family construction business.  This is what Libya needs, people who are rational and want to get to work repairing and building the new Libya.  We need more people like this.

My final questions today are related to the NTC.  Why doesn't the NTC televise their meetings?  Why are they not revealing all the names of the members?  Why is at least some of the recently appointed cabinet still hiding in anonymity?  Are they afraid of something?  Are there still some Gaddafi hit squads wandering the country?  Is that the reason?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/16/us-libya-future-khalq-idUSTRE7BF0MS20111216

Going to the bank in Libya can get you killed...

Well, one of the interesting things I read today was the story of Kalifa Hifter's son's ruined trip to make a cash withdrawal at his bank.  Apparently he got shot and/or abducted by amateur fighters from Zintan.  First, why did he go to the bank armed with a firearm and a grenade?  Does the grenade get you quicker service?  I would have thought that the fact that his dad is a well known generalissimo who served under Gaddafi would have been enough to get him VIP service.  I hope he survives his wounds and gets a free toaster from the bank for his troubles.

http://feb17.info/news/khalifa-hifters-son-injured-in-clash-with-rivals/

The Benghazi Mafia?

When I heard that the new "transitional" government had suddenly decided to decentralize the Federal Government, I almost lost my lunch. What happened to their statement that Tripoli is and always will be the capital of Libya? They have designated Benghazi as the new economic capital of Libya. So many of the most important departments in government will be based in Benghazi? This is totally unacceptable and will only lead to more strife among the Libyans.

Today the residents of Tripoli are in disarray and weak, but in the future, rest assured that they will turn things around and things will get very dicey if the People of Benghazi think they will run the show forever. Misratah has the weapons and the men to wield them. However, Tripoli has the numbers and once they get their act together, the rest of Libya will have to respect the fact that in a democracy, the majority rules.

I noticed a list of NTC members today and it was interesting that there were few, if any, members of the NTC from Tripoli. Why that's the case, I'm not sure but it bodes ill for the legitimacy of the NTC.

http://feb17.info/images/unnofficial-list-of-ntc-members/attachment/ntc-list/