CNN makes me want to barf. This is nothing new, of course but Jesus H! Imagine for a second there was 1/100000000000th of the scrutiny of the Iraq War as old Wolf up there every day pondering the cost of the Libya thing. Andy Cooper just posted up the actual cost of firing a single cruise missile! Hot shit! You guys can actually do that stuff??? This is like Heaven: an envigorated press corp asking all the questions we ever want asked about a war! "Yes, Mr. President, but what precisely is the exit strategy? How long and how much?" Who are these rebels we're arming? And why hasn't he asked permission from the lightning fast Congress for it? What about process, man?!? How long, how much, who, what, where, when and even (wonder of wonders) the all-important why! If you didn't know better (which you do) you'd almost mistake them for an actual news organization! But probably not for long.
Obama got it right. Had a girlfriend of mine come over as I watched the Egypt thing a few weeks back and her response was about what I would expect. "What do these people want now?" You ever get that from somebody? It's like a such a pain for them to not even really pay attention to something. I don't even really judge on it. It's hard work paying attention. Finding that ever smaller nugget of Truth amongst the raw tonnage of bullshit. I wish American Idol did it for me, I really do.
No, I don't.
But they see the violence on the teevee and who can blame them? It looks like it's just all mindless violence all the time and who needs that shit on their minds? All our lives the Middle East has been this totally insane, gore-filled drama-fest. And, like, now it's Egypt? Or Libya? Boo. I'm bored. Let's fuck. Okay.
These days I actually bother explaining it to folks because I think it matters, which is I guess what I'm doing here. So let's do it: The People of Egypt, young and old, got themselves organized and they took the city center and kept it and they didn't leave until the Dictator stepped down, which he eventually had no choice but to do. Turns out you don't accomplish a lot of Commerce when your Citizens take your Square and don't ever leave. Took 17 days to depose a Tyrant. Revolution through Peace. Do you get that maybe, just maybe this might actually be a beautiful, wonderful thing?
Thing is, it's not just Egypt. Before that it was Tunisia, they kicked out their asshole in 28 days. Syrian leader just dissolved his cabinet. Another High Chief Head Asshole looking like he's going down in Yemen. Iranians tried to free themselves a couple years back and they're at it again and they'll have a rough go of it but they'll fight that fight. In more and more countries throughout the Middle East, the People are deciding they don't want that very same totally insane, gore-filled drama-fest that the rest of us can just barely pay attention to.
All of which brings us to Libya. The same demands that went out through all those other countries went out in Libya and their High Chief Head Asshole responded to these calls for change with wholesale slaughter in the form of missiles, tanks and bullets. His tanks were approaching a major city center that he would certainly raze to the ground if it would finally silence opposition to his depraved, corrupt and bloody rule.
And the Mideast expert hitting all the news shows? Mona Eltahwy? I utterly adore her. I would make her a really nice dinner. Tell her jokes over my shoulder as I cook it for her. Witty banter, a little flirty. Hmmm. Where was I? Libya? Libya.
Now, I like to think I don't believe in War. I certainly hate it. But I didn't want to see those people get crushed like that. I don't want all the other High Chief Head Assholes thinking they can do that too when the Winds of Change inevitably reach their own ugly little fiefdoms. I think if we are going to claim to be a Civilization than we, all of us, have an obligation to stop the Grand Wazoo of any country anywhere from slaughtering whole sections of his populace. Blowing up his own hospitals. The young and old alike. I don't want to see it happen. Do you? Not if we're having a Civilization, you know?
If I hadn't won the Geographic Lottery and been born right here in Calgary, Alberta and I was born in one of those Far Off Muslim Lands, well you can bet yer ass I'd be out there with those guys, fighting for my freedom. If you doubt it then you don't know me very well. What would you do?
Anyways, Obama and America got it right this time and in the best way possible: rather than America going in alone with guns a blazing into another MidEastern country and giving a huge propaganda victory to the other High Chief Head Assholes, it has an offical request for help from the Arab League, a desperate plea for help from the Libyan people and it has a lawful resolution from the United Nations. It is a multinational force. There is consensus. It is the right thing. Unless you watch the news.
-iSC
p.s. By the way, "Arab Awakening" or not I'm not at all saying that the Middle East can't still easily burst into open flame at any point or that the UN Resolution will prevent leaders in Iran, say or Saudi Arabia from slaughtering their own people. Might make a couple of 'em think twice though and sometimes that's all the cookies in the cookie jar. Thanks, and have a GREAT day.