Where are the Libyan heroes?!?

It has been a year since Kaddafi finally met his demise and the New Libya is teetering on the edge of the abyss.  The old men and probably remnants of the Old Guard of the former regime are trying their best to destroy the New Libya because of their petty self-interest or just plain stupidity. 

One of the problems with the revolution was the fact that we didn't have a true hero to rally around.  We didn't have an Omar Mukhtar type of personality or someone with true charisma or excellent leadership qualities, what we got were a few possibly well intentioned guys who switched sides as soon as they knew that Kaddafi was on the way out and some really sincere rebels who wanted to rid themselves of the tyrant Kaddafi and his clan.

In a way the lack of a hero or Mahdi type is beneficial because anyone can turn to the path of oppression, greed, and injustice.  So by now we Libyans should have realized that Libya will have to find true patriots who will honestly work and fight for the benefit of the majority of Libyans and not just for their own family or tribe. 

Abushagur was tossed out as the supposed Prime Minister and the new guy, Zidan from Switzerland is doing his best to organize a new government.  However today after reading some of the people he has selected, I believe he has made another grave error.  I don't recognize any of the names that I have read so far except one; Ali Aujali.  I have met Mr. Aujali a couple of times and I don't really know too much about him but he struck me as a long term Kaddafi flunky who fled the sinking ship.  I give him credit for switching sides so early and helping to foster the revolution.  Mr. Aujali has been an ambassador for the Kaddafi regime for many years and was kept on in his last Kaddafi Inc. position, namely the Libyan Ambassador to the U.S. of A.

He is not now, nor ever will be, qualified to be the Foreign Minister of the new Libya.  Why do the old men of Libya think that they have the right or deserve to rule the new Libya?  They were not on the front lines of the revolution, they did play an important role but the old men are too tainted by the evil and corruption of the past generations of Libyans to properly and justly set up the new system.  The younger generations must be given a bigger role and have more influence on the new system and nation being forged in the Libyan desert and cities.

The new Libyan government has primarily focused on two things: 

1. Making sure they and their family get paid

2. Showing the Libyans and the world that they don't know what they are doing.

I will always keep my faith in God and hope that my fellow Libyans eventually realize the error of their ways before it's too late. 

Reuters article about protests at Libyan Congress and Zidan cabinet picks

The Libyan Revolution, second chapter rebooted

As the weeks go by and the new guys running the show in Libya continue to show their ineptitude, the risk of an internal counter-revolution or invasion of Libya grows. Do I think the remaining Gaddafi boys will round up some mercenaries and foolish Libyans and try and retake the country for House Gaddafi? There's a chance that Khamis is still alive and laying low so he can figure out a way back into power. Mohamed Gaddafi, Hannibal, and Saadi are probably better suited to tearing up the dance floor than taking over Libya so I don't think there's much threat from those three. 

 

However, there's also a chance that Egypt will create a pretext so it can roll in and steal the wealth of the Libyans in order to fund the revived Caliphate of the Mamelukes or Fatimids.  Egypt is the biggest threat to Libya at this point due to their location, large and impoverished population, and ability to quickly and easily overpower the current government of Libya.  Hell, at this point, even the Knights of Malta could probably overwhelm the Libyan government and at least have a night of drunken revelry to celebrate their conquest of the New Libya. 

 

The citizens of Libya either don't realize or don't care that the longer the new government takes to stabilize the country will only make the task of rebuilding the country that much more difficult and expensive.  The cost to Libyans of getting rid of House Gaddafi in terms of lives lost, lives irreparably damaged, destruction of property, and untold billions of dollars stolen by foreigners or even by Libyans can never be truly calculated.  We Libyans owe other Arab countries, the West, and especially America a lot for their help in liberating Libya.  Libya has to honor its debts and obligations or we will surely suffer more and I think Libyans are tired of suffering. 

 

Finally, the Americans are making a list, and it's not for Santa Claus, of Libyans who will soon either die or be captured for their role in killing the four Americans on September 11, 2012.  I think most of those targeted will be the hard core Islamists who are now coming out of the woodwork in Libya and across the Muslim world.  Salafists who peacefully practice their version of Islam should be welcomed in the new Libya.  However, anybody who thinks they can impose their will either through violence or the threat of violence must be stopped because both the tyranny of the majority is as wrong as the tyranny of the minority.  And by that I mean that House Gaddafi with all its corruption and stupidity had to be stopped and the imposition of a supposed theocracy in Libya must be stopped. 


The following are a couple of links to give you some references to the ideas I have written about above:
will Egypt take Libya for lunch?
America's list of bad Libyans

The shocking deaths in the Libyan east

Yesterday I was saddened to hear that ignorant Libyans took it upon themselves to attack the US consulate and burn it.  Then I heard the shocking news that four Americans, including the US ambassador, were killed by Libyans during an anti-American protest.  This was supposedly in response to a movie made by some American idiots insulting my religion and prophet.  Of course this film was made with at least two audiences in mind, first American zealots who fear and loathe Islam and second, those legions of Muslims who are quick to act without reason or rationality. 

I will not waste my time watching this so called movie but I will also not join those ignorant fools who want to ban or censor such trivial things.  For centuries there have been jokes written and told about my prophet and other prophets.  There have been books and movies insulting Jesus and probably other prophets or religions.  The three great religions have withstood torture, oppression, executions, insults, and ridicule and none of them will be destroyed by the likes of the furtive and insolent scoundrels who have produced this movie.

My Libyan brothers and sisters, before Islam came to the Arabs and enlightened us, the Bedouin was reputed to be hospitable to his guests.  After Islam, God told us many things, among them I think is to protect guests and to treat all people with dignity and respect.  The deaths of my fellow Americans in Benghazi was a terrible incident and those guilty will probably be punished in this life and the hereafter. 

America helped us to rid the world of Gadaffi and I for one will always owe the US a debt of gratitude because I know that God first and foremost ended Gadaffi, but NATO's involvement surely helped facilitate the end of the House of Kaddafi.  My father was a religious man, but had he lived to see this day, I'm sure he would have been against the attack on the American consulate.  I will never give up hope for the Libyan nation, 42 years of Kaddafi didn't make me forget the land of my forebears, and neither will a ragtag bunch or salafists or thieving bastards running the show back home make me forget Libya. 

The new government now has another black eye due to their ineptitude and apparently they are too busy living it up and figuring out what new house or car to buy with their new found wealth.  But they better remember what happened to Kaddafi and wake up before it's too late for them.  Peace out.

The first law passed by the new Libyan Congress did what?!?

I read recently of the interesting events happening in Libya: kidnappings, murders, torture, theft, rape, pillage, drowning, car bombings, no trash pickup, missing kids, and other things that happen in any country.  However, it appears as though dual citizenship and Libyans marrying foreigners is at the top of the Libyan agenda at least when it comes to the new congress.

You have got to be kidding me.  The new speaker of the Congress probably was or is a dual national or at least was a legal resident of the USA.  This fixation on having more than one passport or being married to a foreigner is rather archaic and narrow minded at best.  Do they really think that people who were forced to flee Libya due to Gaddafi and therefore had to seek refuge in another country want to go back to Libya and take over? 

The honeymoon period for the new government is still in effect but as the recent bombings show, time is going to run out sooner or later and if the new regime doesn't improve things quick, there is going to be further problems in Libya.  I really do hope things get sorted out before too long so I can really enjoy my first trip back in twenty years. 

I want to go to Libya and visit my relatives and friends without having to worry about my womenfolk being harassed.  I want to stroll the boardwalk and streets without having to pack heat and without having to draw a weapon on some fool who thinks he knows what time it is.  The time in Libya is now the time to grow up and act like a proper nation and not be a paranoid nut house as it was under Gadaffi.  I know it will take time, but let's get going people.

first law passed by Libyan Congress

Elections, the Libyan struggle, and the Gadaffi Parties

Playboy and Partyboy Saadi Gadaffi

Mahmoud Gerbil, I mean Jibril, has been selected by the majority of voters in Libya as the biggest powerbroker for the next generation.  I think democracy is the best system of government humans have invented but picking an ex-Gadaffi flunky as the puppet master might not be the best choice.  Only time will tell of course and I do give Mr.Jibril some credit for leaving the sinking ship of Gadaffi Inc. well before the Jamahiriya finally collapsed with the death of Gadaffi. 

All my life, I've waited for Libya to change, and it has and with these changes comes risk and opportunity for my beloved Libya.  What the people of Libya have done is amazing and God willing, we will accomplish amazing improvement for the vast majority of Libyans.  However, now that these first round of elections are coming to a conclusion, the Libyans must work together to clean up the corruption, disease, and ignorance among all of us Libyans.  Now we don't have the easy excuse of pointing to Gadaffi and saying:

"Gadaffi is the reason our lives are hell and our country is the laughing stock of most of the world!"

Finally, I read an interesting article about one of the remaining living sons of Gadaffi, Saadi, who is in hiding in Africa.  He still doesn't realize that his party is over but sooner or later, just like his father, he'll get what's coming to him.  The link is at the top of this post and at the bottom if you'd like to read it.

Saadi Gadaffi is a foolish party boy

The death of Shukri Ghanem, the failure of the NTC...

What prompted me to write today wasn't some heartfelt nostalgia for the sands of North Africa; instead it was something that happened in Austria. One of Gaddafi's old lackeys, Shukri Ghanem, died recently under mysterious circumstances. Some may think he committed suicide, others might think that he fell down by accident and drowned, while I tend to think somebody helped him take a swim to the hereafter.
What is puzzling to me is why a rich man wouldn't have bodyguards to help keep him safe or why he would kill himself by drowning? If he was murdered or simply had an accident, all Libyans should realize that a lot of Gaddafi family secrets and information about the Libyan Oil sector has disappeared with him. I hope the police in Austria really do a thorough investigation to find out what happened to Mr. Ghanem.

Why is the NTC so wishy-washy? One week they announce they want to ban religious political parties and the next they announce they will not ban them. Please NTC, get your act together and show Libya and the world that you are not simply riff raff and amateurs. Improve security in the country, improve education, and improve the lives of the Libyans as much as possible. We need Libya to improve rapidly and successfully.

Finally, I want to share a YouTube.com video with anyone who cares to see it. I must warn you that this video has graphic violence, bloodshed, barbarity, and I really hope it wasn't from Libya. I think it is from Libya but my limited fluency in spoken Libyan Arabic keeps me from fully understanding what the men in the video are saying. I don't know if it was filmed prior to the revolution but it is probably from the time of the revolution. I don't know who the killers are or why they decided to kill the victim in the video. AGAIN, I REPEAT, THIS VIDEO IS NOT FOR CHILDREN OR ANYONE WHO CANNOT STOMACH THE SIGHT OF EXTREME VIOLENCE.

I am posting this video simply to raise awareness that all sane and rational Libyans or humans in general, must work harder to stop this kind of behavior. No human being deserves to be treated this way, no matter what the supposed crime or offense they have committed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne5edyh7wsQ

violent beating of a libyan man who probably dies from his injuries

Sedition, secession, and the Senussi

O Libyans, why are you repeating the mistakes of the past?  Why give your allegiance to the Senussi who probably didn't create Kaddafi, but did certainly create the conditions which fostered his rise to power.  They had their chance to rule Libya and they squandered it.  Do not give the house of Senussi another chance to destroy generations of Libyans.  I will never submit to the Senussi simply because of their supposed birthright.

Benghazi, why do you use your suffering under the House of Kaddafi to try and split up my homeland?  Simply because you have most of the oil is not reason enough to try and divide our nation.  If the Libyan people can't even put aside their regional and tribal differences to work together for a better future, the Middle East is doomed.  All Libyans must be rational, intelligent, and pragmatic in order to make the Libyan state successful.  If Libya fails, the Arab Spring will usher in a new age of anarchy and petty fiefdoms in Libya instead of a Golden Age.

I must implore my Libyan brothers and sisters to put the weapons aside and peacefully work together to improve the situation of all Libyans.  If Benghazi and others such as Misratah or Zintan keep trying to impose their will on the whole of Libyan society, only pain and suffering will follow.  I will finally be forced to return to Libya and try and talk some sense into those who stubbornly refuse to recognize that Libya must always stay united and secessionists among us are gravely mistaken.

Libyan coup d'état, 2012 style

The draft election law recently put out as a trial balloon by the NTC should be dead on arrival. It has many errors and omissions but one of the most glaring is the seemingly arbitrary selection of 20 reserved seats for women. How and why did they choose 20? Why not 50 or for that matter 100? In addition, to force dual nationals to give up their non-Libyan citizenship in order to run for office is draconian and silly.

I don't want a parliamentary system in Libya but that's probably what we'll end up with. The European style parliament is one of the worst forms of democracy. It is too unstable and fosters coalition building which sounds good until the coalition starts to fall apart and a snap election is called. I think Libya might become a place of yearly elections if all the tribes and power players can't work things out and the Prime Minister's party loses a vote of confidence or loses its majority if some small group of parliament decide to break away from the ruling coalition.

One of the good, and in a way bad, things about how Libya gained its freedom from the House of Gaddafi is the fact that there is currently no leader in Libya with charisma or a lot of street cred. There is certainly a need for a person with leadership, vision, and charisma but they often end up wanting to become a permanent fixture in the throne. I believe, although with no concrete proof, that there are likely people and groups who are waiting for the opportunity to kick out the NTC or manipulate the NTC to their own ends and take over power in Libya. All freedom loving and rational Libyans have to be on guard against anyone or any group who will try to impose a malevolent and self centered agenda on the Libyan people.

After 42 years of insanity, we must ask God for help and look at ourselves to find people of good character who will faithfully and honestly work to better the lives of the Libyan nation.

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL6E8CF09420120115?sp=true   

War and Peace

The future of Libya is in a precarious state right now. There are those ignorant fools who think that by force of arms, they will impose their will on Libya. By following this path, all of these armed groups will move inexorably towards civil war to finish what Gaddafi started. Gaddafi never turned Libya into a rational functioning state; he kept the people paranoid and ignorant. My family was among the lucky to have escaped to the West and could only look back and hope for change in Libya. Now that the change has arrived and indeed the whirlwind has changed the world and not just Libya, the Libyan people must show that they can overcome the stereotype of Arabs. We must use words and not bullets.  We must use our heads and not simply give in to our desire for revenge or war booty.

We Libyans should not cut off our nose to spite our face or fight each other tooth and nail to get the spoils of the revolution.

If Libya does indeed degenerate into a free for all, my brothers and I will be more inclined than ever to return to help our relatives survive the coming storm. I hope and pray that further fighting does not break out. Libya is a rich country and needs all of us working together to create a better future for Libya and indeed the region and the whole Muslim world.

The Economist is predicting that Libya will have the most economic growth this year. I know this to be true but the sad fact is Gaddafi  stifled the growth of the country and the revolution destroyed what little infrastructure and much of the investments Gaddafi  and crew made in weapons and hurt too many good Libyans. The end of Gaddafi is something that all good Libyans have been waiting for. Now we must bury the hatchet and forge ahead to improve our lives and those who have suffered due to the former regime.


http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2012/01/daily-chart

The NTC is a mess

Today I found out that there was hours of fighting in Tripoli between Misratah rebels and Tripoli rebels.  This is insane.  Why are Misratah guys in Tripoli shooting it out?  What is the NTC doing to defuse tensions and stop people from dying for no good reason?  The people of Libya must demand that the un-elected members of the NTC change their ways before things get out of hand and a civil war develops. 

In addition, the NTC is trying to rig up the elections so that those of us with dual citizenship are barred from elections?  Why are we going to be treated as second class citizens?  We helped to foster and nurture the revolution.  In fact some dual nationals died during the war or were injured.  Why is the NTC treating us in the same manner as Gaddafi loyalists and saying both groups can't run for elected office?  Does the NTC not want dual nationals to return home to help in the reconstruction of Libya?