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May 11, 2011
Qaddafi In The Cross-Hairs
A Guest Post by Dr. Harold Goldmeier
The debate waxing through the American press has to do with the targeted killing of Bin Laden. The President has even had to justify this targeted killing as legal and a legitimate tactic; now, is there enough stomach to target Qaddafi for death and not just exile? The recent killing of his son and other families has been chalked up to collateral damage from anonymous cruise missile strikes. No S.E.A.L. pointing a gun to their heads blowing out their brains.
The despotic leaders in Yemen, Bahrain, and Syria, where demonstrators continue to be slaughtered by roof-top snipers and tortured in soccer stadiums and prisons, are ignoring Presidents Obama and Sarkozy, Prime Minister Cameron, and the U.N. calls to cease and desist their atrocities. Little moral let alone material support is coming from Western leaders for Arab Spring revolutionaries in these countries. Meanwhile, The Saudis and three other nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council sent 1,000 troops to Bahrain to protect the monarchy, while Syria sent air force pilots to aid Qaddafi. The mendacious promises of aid and intervention to
assure the success of the democratic revolutions do nothing to protect the people from military attacks.
The two most potent actions taken against Qaddafi are the UN suspension of Libya from the Human Rights Council, and the freezing of $30 billion in assets of Qaddafi outside Libya. I forgot, Hillary Clinton graciously met with Libya’s opposition leader after she had a sumptuous dinner with the leaders of the G8. Libya as a member of the HRC is an obscenity to civilized people. Qaddafi ordered the bombing of a Pan Am civilian aircraft, imprisons and tortures political prisoners, and tore up the UN Charter when he spoke before the General Assembly. The UN could not even bring itself to boot Libya, and expel its ambassador. With the price of oil exceeding $100 per barrel, Qaddafi will replenish his wealth in less than two years. Worse, when he regains full control of his country, he will use oil as weapon to further strangle Western economies, and finance evermore terrorist plots.
Qaddafi built a web of sycophants spreading his money to give him cover. The Economist and some newspapers report how his son bought his degree from The London School of Economics. Professors at the University of Chicago and across the education landscape of America and Europe take Qaddafi donations. They then act as spokespeople for the anti-Israel movement lending intellectual credence to the boycott and divestment groups. Entertainers are paid millions for a few hours of work, and urged to encourage others to boycott performing in Israel. Politicians get access to power and money for their libraries, pet projects, and travel the world promoting Qaddafi’s anti-Western, anti-Israel messages.
The EU, the UN, and the Obama administration constantly reassure Israel and the Jews that they will protect Israel in the face of an Arab military threat to her existence. They encourage Israel to revert to 1967 borders, give up sole ownership of Jerusalem, and take in thousands of Palestinians as Israeli citizens, while threatening her with sanctions and selective boycotts. In return, Israel is promised she will have the good faith, trust, and protection from the rest of the world if ever threatened by an Arab army. Jews are a trusting people, the model immigrant community assimilating and acculturating more completely into their countries of exile more
than most others. No one has ever accused the Jews of being stupid, but now the freedom fighters in Libya and elsewhere in the Middle East know how it feels when the West forces you to act live like a mendicant.
Now the fighters for democracy suffering for so long in the Arab prison-states know how we feel. The world stood by during World War II with President Roosevelt refusing to even bomb the train tracks to Auschwitz; they watched massive Arab armies attack the new State of Israel within hours after the UN vote that created her and they did not come to her aid. They followed Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s to let the Jews bleed a little at the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War refusing to swiftly resupply her military arms lost in the first two days.
Does anyone really believe the Western leaders anymore? Do they believe Israeli leaders of for that matter ? Do Palestinian leaders trust their words when the West stands idly by watching democracy seekers slaughtered? The world has always failed the Jews, and now they are failing the Arab revolutionaries. I think Qaddafi is safe from a targeted killing, because Bin Laden knocked him out of the crosshairs.
The debate waxing through the American press has to do with the targeted killing of Bin Laden. The President has even had to justify this targeted killing as legal and a legitimate tactic; now, is there enough stomach to target Qaddafi for death and not just exile? The recent killing of his son and other families has been chalked up to collateral damage from anonymous cruise missile strikes. No S.E.A.L. pointing a gun to their heads blowing out their brains.
The despotic leaders in Yemen, Bahrain, and Syria, where demonstrators continue to be slaughtered by roof-top snipers and tortured in soccer stadiums and prisons, are ignoring Presidents Obama and Sarkozy, Prime Minister Cameron, and the U.N. calls to cease and desist their atrocities. Little moral let alone material support is coming from Western leaders for Arab Spring revolutionaries in these countries. Meanwhile, The Saudis and three other nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council sent 1,000 troops to Bahrain to protect the monarchy, while Syria sent air force pilots to aid Qaddafi. The mendacious promises of aid and intervention to
assure the success of the democratic revolutions do nothing to protect the people from military attacks.
The two most potent actions taken against Qaddafi are the UN suspension of Libya from the Human Rights Council, and the freezing of $30 billion in assets of Qaddafi outside Libya. I forgot, Hillary Clinton graciously met with Libya’s opposition leader after she had a sumptuous dinner with the leaders of the G8. Libya as a member of the HRC is an obscenity to civilized people. Qaddafi ordered the bombing of a Pan Am civilian aircraft, imprisons and tortures political prisoners, and tore up the UN Charter when he spoke before the General Assembly. The UN could not even bring itself to boot Libya, and expel its ambassador. With the price of oil exceeding $100 per barrel, Qaddafi will replenish his wealth in less than two years. Worse, when he regains full control of his country, he will use oil as weapon to further strangle Western economies, and finance evermore terrorist plots.
Qaddafi built a web of sycophants spreading his money to give him cover. The Economist and some newspapers report how his son bought his degree from The London School of Economics. Professors at the University of Chicago and across the education landscape of America and Europe take Qaddafi donations. They then act as spokespeople for the anti-Israel movement lending intellectual credence to the boycott and divestment groups. Entertainers are paid millions for a few hours of work, and urged to encourage others to boycott performing in Israel. Politicians get access to power and money for their libraries, pet projects, and travel the world promoting Qaddafi’s anti-Western, anti-Israel messages.
The EU, the UN, and the Obama administration constantly reassure Israel and the Jews that they will protect Israel in the face of an Arab military threat to her existence. They encourage Israel to revert to 1967 borders, give up sole ownership of Jerusalem, and take in thousands of Palestinians as Israeli citizens, while threatening her with sanctions and selective boycotts. In return, Israel is promised she will have the good faith, trust, and protection from the rest of the world if ever threatened by an Arab army. Jews are a trusting people, the model immigrant community assimilating and acculturating more completely into their countries of exile more
than most others. No one has ever accused the Jews of being stupid, but now the freedom fighters in Libya and elsewhere in the Middle East know how it feels when the West forces you to act live like a mendicant.
Now the fighters for democracy suffering for so long in the Arab prison-states know how we feel. The world stood by during World War II with President Roosevelt refusing to even bomb the train tracks to Auschwitz; they watched massive Arab armies attack the new State of Israel within hours after the UN vote that created her and they did not come to her aid. They followed Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s to let the Jews bleed a little at the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War refusing to swiftly resupply her military arms lost in the first two days.
Does anyone really believe the Western leaders anymore? Do they believe Israeli leaders of for that matter ? Do Palestinian leaders trust their words when the West stands idly by watching democracy seekers slaughtered? The world has always failed the Jews, and now they are failing the Arab revolutionaries. I think Qaddafi is safe from a targeted killing, because Bin Laden knocked him out of the crosshairs.
Dr. Harold Goldmeier Chicago, Ill. hgoldmeier@aol.com Dr. Goldmeier was a Chicago Public School teacher, a Research and Teaching Fellow at Harvard University earning a Doctorate in Education, and taught as an Assistant Professor at Tufts Medical School. He worked in government for three Governors, the U. S. Surgeon General, and in children and youth advocacy for nearly two decades. He recently sold his business after nearly three decades. He has been married more than forty years with children living in America and Israel, and a son who recently served with the Israel Defense Forces. He has published more than two-dozen articles in professional journals and popular magazines and newspapers. Dr. Goldmeier currently a writer, consultant to government agencies, and to small businesses on economic growth and marketing. His most recent articles appeared in The Jewish Press on terrorism, and in Haaretz of Israel and he writes a guest post for LifeinIsrael.blogspot.com., Open.Salon.com., and more.
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Gordon Brown has not been British Prime Minister since May 2010. The current PM is David Cameron.
ReplyDeletethanks for the correction
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone really think the US and the West care about "democracy" or "human rights". Its all nonsense. These people could care less about these higher moral aspirations. Money, access to oil and military power is where its at. The average "Joe" in America never supported Israel for reasons of "democratic ideals". It was because they enjoyed seeing the Israelis beat the crap out of the Arabs. Most Americans and Europeans are prone to like violence and are the ones who subjugated third world people. Who loves to water board prisoners? Who shot up Indians in the western U.S.? Didnt McArthur call the Shoa survivors "the lowest". The world likes winners and despises losers. The world admires strength and military power. Leaving Gush Katif, saying you are willing to compromise and making "conciliations" doesn't buy American love; if anything it buys American contempt.
ReplyDeleteRegretably, rambling moron #3 provides very few facts. The only thing even close is a comment allegedly from McArthur [sic].
ReplyDeleteIt is, of course, wrong. General Douglas MacArthur did fight in WW2, but on the Pacific front.
I presume our anonymous troll is attempting to refer to General George Patton, who is quoted as having said "We entered a synagogue which was packed with the greatest stinking bunch of humanity I have ever seen. Either these Displaced Persons never had any sense of decency or else they lost it all during their period of internment by the Germans. My personal opinion is that no people could have sunk to the level of degradation these have reached in the short space of four years."
This quote should probably be understood in context of other quotes from Old Blood and Guts himself, such as "I don't give a damn who the man is. He can be a nigger or a Jew, but if he has the stuff and does his duty, he can have anything I've got. By God! I love him."
As the first American general to overrun a concentration camp, Patton also forced over 2000 Germans who claimed ignorance of what had gone on to march through the camp, at gunpoint. Several committed suicide shortly after.
Yihkon L'vetach is right about who the current PM of Britan holds office, but it was Brown who brought Qaddafi "in from the cold" and to the 2009 G8 Summit seating him just 2 seats away from Obama. Brown and Blair forgave him for the Pan Am bombing. While Cameron has been harsh to Qaddafi and distant, it was Brown who took , as Ronald Regan called him "The Mad Dog of the Middle East," into polite society. Perhaps I should have made this more clear. It's all about the money, writes Par. But we already had Libyan oil except for what the Chinese and Europeans buy, and in larger quantities than the U.S. Perhaps we are bombing Libya to deny the Chinese access to this resource? Finally, my read is that Mikeage's implications are right on! Patton was not an anti-semite. He disliked everyone, especially victims. And he saw the Jews as victims without ever meeting any partisans who fought back.
ReplyDeletewith that being said, I edited it back to say former prime minister brown
ReplyDelete