Children of War

Today I was talking to a friend via Facebook and she brought up a very important issue that many over look whenever adults go to war. There are times when war is necessary, to change a regime from abusive dictatorship, end a mass slaughter or to defend against aggression and each case needs to be judged on its own merits. Many times those who make the decisions do so for personal or country agendas. This may be to promote what is in the country's best interests but may not necessarily be in the best interest of the country involved.

The point is there a 1000 and one reasons to go to war but how many reasons not to oppress a people to threaten mass slaughter or to retain power for the express purpose of the need for power. What is this teaching our children? What is the ultimate effect on the children, who witness killing, suffer through shelling and bombings? What will be their view on life when it is over? Perhaps we can use those in Vietnam and Rwanda and even Sudan as an example of the children of war.

I remember seeing the pictures of Vietnam of the children half starved, begging for food and suffering what unknown atrocities at the hands of the adults. Being made to carry a gun as was seen in a recent picture on Al Jazeerah as pro Gadahfi supporter held his son on his shoulder and the child held a gun. What is the consequence to the children when adults act worse than children for the express purpose of staying in power? Then what is the consequence to the child who is shot, or loses a family member in the pursuit of war and power? These are questions that all of those in power need to answer what of the innocent victims, those who are to young to understand the reasons adults often act worse than a two year old throwing a fit. At least a two year old does not usually have to power to kill where as an adult does and many times without regard to the innocent lives they are destroying.

In this case, both those who are fighting to retain power and those who are fighting to aid those in need are both guilty of putting the psychological and personal safety of the innocent victims at risk. The questions is how do you protect the children of war?

There is no simple answer to this question as children have been the victims of war since the beginning of time and each war has claimed its share of child victims. In ancient times children were trained from the time they were old enough to hold a weapon in the art of war. It was a necessity then as all were needed to protect a village or a country from attack. In modern times we look at this with a sense of outrage that young children be taught the art of war and in modern societies this is often the case. In the US for example the age of 18 is considered the age of majority but there are still military academies which children mostly boys are sent to learn discipline and the art of war. In this respect, modern societies are not that much different than those of ancient times.

This does bring us back to the question what of the innocent victims, the children of war? As stated before there is no easy answer, it is up to those who can to support the children and to try and help them understand what is happening. Their safety cannot be guaranteed but the adults need to try and make the children's environment as normal as possible but in the end, the children will survive. Children are resilient and they can overcome whatever atrocities they have seen, they need the support of those around them to cope with life.

War is Hell

Pray for the children of Libya.

Armchair Quarterbacks - Freedom of Speech

America is a land of democracy and people have the right to speak their minds. This is what Americans believe and many around the world would like for there own rights. The ability to say they do not agree with the powers in government, to say they think a president or a senator is an idiot without fear of being imprisoned or shot. In the west we can more or less say what we want without undue fear of retaliation. The only time those in the west need to be worried is when we threaten a leader or a person with harm.

This brings me to my topic tonight, the armchair quarterback. For those who do not know what an armchair quarterback is, it is an individual who sits at home watching American football and yelling what the coach should do during the game. Easy enough to do when there is nothing on the line or a consequence. With the conflict going on in Libya, there are many in the US, and around the world who are expressing their ideas of what should be done. Comments are stop the war, the US should not be involved, President Obama should have consulted congress first, President Obama committed an impeachable offense and the list goes on. My question to each of these individuals whether government official or the man on the street is if it were you that was in the line of fire, if it were you who was being shot at by your government what would you do and how would you feel if you were on the receiving end of a bullet or a missile. If you were an unarmed civilian where would you turn. Senators such as Luger and Kinzinger have been very vocal on their feelings about the involvement of the United States in the war between the people of Libya against Gadhafi. Neither of these individuals have an idea of what it is like to live under a dictator who will shoot you or make you disappear just for saying you do not agree with him.The typical armchair quarterback quite willing to yell at the coach and tell him what to do from the sidelines. My challenge to any of these individuals is go to the country and put yourself in the place of a Libyan who is being shot at by heavy artillery from the government and take the rifle and fight back. Take your place on the front lines in Yemen or Syria or any other country where you are the unarmed protester and then give your opinion of what should be done. When a person is safe and out of harms way it is very easy to be the Armchair Quarterback.

Anytime a country is involved in a conflict\war in the defense of those who may not have the ability to defend themselves or the interests of the country, it is expensive. Weapons cost money and in today's economy this is the millions and could be in the billions. The question is if Gadhafi had been left unchecked what would have been the cost? A question I have asked many times what is the price of one life? Perhaps one of those individuals Gadhafi has killed with his weapons was the next Einstein or the one who found the cure for cancer or aids. What is the cost of a life?

Allah determines the length of our life but we determine the way we lead our life. I feel that the world and humanity are being tested. How long will mankind stand on the sidelines while Shaitan al Jinns (evil ones), commit crimes against their fellow people. Possessions, money, worldly goods can be replaced but a human life is priceless. Any government leader or individual who takes a life without just cause has committed the worst of sins whether the leader be Christian, Jew, Muslim or any other belief system.

To all Armchair Quarterbacks, let the coach make the plays. You have the right to make suggestions or express your opinion as this is what Freedom of Speech grants to you but do not second guess the coach. Your time will come when you can make the plays just not today.

PRAYING FOR WHEN ALL OF LIBYA IS FREE!!

The Arab League, China and Russia

One thing those who fight against Gadhifi's forces need to remember even though they are being persecuted, tortured and killed is that to be a true Muslim they must not act the same way. As Omar Mukhtar stated when defending two Italian soldiers during his fight against the Italian Occupation.
Omar Mukhtar: We do not kill *prisoners*!
Arab Warrior: *They* do it to *us*!
Omar Mukhtar "They" are not our *teachers!*
No matter how evil our oppressors are we must never sink to their level and this is the message I wish to pass on to the people of Libya.

Now, to the issues arising since the passing of UN Resolution 1973, and that is the recent statements from China, Russia and the Arab League. Over the last couple of days the Russians and the Chinese have come out expressing their regret over the "bombing of civilians" by coalition forces. Where were they when G. was bombing his people and brutalizing his citizens? Oh, we must remember that China is still a dictatorship and Russia even though they went through a revolution of sorts with the stepping down of Gorbachev, they are still not a true democracy. They both have economic ties to G. and when pockets are involved money can speak louder than morality. Then we have the Arab League, many of which are dictatorships in their own rights and yet they came to the world community after voting to ask the United Nations for the implementation of a no fly zone. If we look at the deeper reasons behind this request we see there were ulterior motives. The western world looked on and were reluctant to act when the tide turned and the rebels were losing the battle. The Arab League suddenly found themselves facing a humanitarian crisis beyond anything they imagined. Egypt and Tunisia were inundated with thousands upon thousands of refugees. The Arab League faced a dilemma; allow a murderous dictator to continue and commit possible genocide or ask the international community to issue a no fly zone. Secretary of Defense Gates stated explicitly that the implementation of a no fly zone entailed attacks on command and control targets. The first attacks were launched, and suddenly Russia, China and The Arab League started to back pedal and have "regrets". Politics pure and simple, meanwhile the Libyan people paid the price.

Repeatedly, we have heard G state his people love him and would die for him. First, let's look at this statement. There are many who support G. but what are the reasons for this. Two main ones come to mind, money and fear. The first is money, it is easy to support someone when you are being paid sums of money to be a yes person. Although no hard facts exist, the question comes to mind how much do you pay someone to say yes to whatever you want. Everyone has their price. The second is fear. It is easy to support someone when you have a gun to your back or your family is threatened. His security forces watch everything and if you say anything contradictory, as said yesterday the proof is in the pudding.

Then there is the statement as mentioned before reportedly by Saif Al Islam, "I will take One Million Libyan Lives." Then the statement by G himself, "I will show no mercy." What does this show of the mindset of the mentality of these people.

The question is being raised who are the rebels, the issue being raised is are they Al Qaeda? The rebels are like anyone they want freedom, as to Al Qaeda, young people only turn to extremism when they feel they have no other choice, we must not let this happen in Libya.

What is the final role for the coalition? This needs to be a Libyan decision, made by the majority of the Libyan people but with respect for the minority.

UN Resolution 1973

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable" (John F. Kennedy)

On March 17, 2011, the UN Security Council with a vote of five abstentions and ten yes votes with none against approved a no fly zone over Libya. The wording of the resolution states that:

"Authorizes Member States that have notified the Secretary-General, acting nationally or through regional organizations or arrangements, and acting in cooperation with the Secretary-General, to take all necessary measures, notwithstanding paragraph 9 of resolution 1970 (2011), to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory, and requests the Member States concerned to inform the Secretary-General immediately of the measures they take pursuant to the authorization conferred by this paragraph which shall be immediately reported to the Security Council;"

With the passage of this resolution, the US, Britain  and France, initiated strikes against the Gadhafi regime. This came just before G. as I refer to him was prepared to attack Benghazi and show no mercy to the people there. He made it very plain he was prepared to murder any who had stood against him. Previously he had attacked Zawiyyah, Misrata, Brega, Ras Lanouf and Adjabiya, in which many had died or were injured.

How did this all start? What was the catalyst that moved from peaceful protests to revolt? Simple, when a government turns on its people and begins to shoot them with live ammunition and terrorize them because the people do not agree with the leader, this is when protests turn violent.

When will the leaders of the world realize that when you try to repress a group of people that after so long the people will rise? History has repeatedly shown this as the truth. It happened in the time of Nero and down through history, more recently, the US against King George, the French against King Louis, The world against Hitler and Mussolini. Recently we witnessed the fall of the Berlin wall and the break up of Russia, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. Today we see the fight for Libya take a new turn as just when the freedom fighters were close to being defeated the world community decided to intervene.

There are those who will criticize what is being done and if a person follows twitter, it is imperialism again. Even G. has stated the west is trying to colonize Libya and take the oil from the people. Granted the international coalition has an ulterior motive as many countries do not embark on something of this magnitude with out a reason and we may never know all the facts. There is one fact that is clear though and that is G. has committed murder, he is a dictator, and he vows to stay in power. His son Saif al Islam stated he would take the lives of "ONE MILLION" Libyans to keep his power. ONE MILLION LIBYAN LIVES are Saif;s and G.'s price for power.

There is a name for these type of people in Arabic it is Shaitin al Jinn (The Evil Satan) because only an evil person could state they would take one million lives to stay in power. G. has had a reputation for terrorism, crimes against his own people and playing groups against each other to maintain his power. He has taught his sons what it is to be a despot and so now they follow in his footsteps most notably Saif Al Islam which means (Sword of Islam), and yet Islam in no way condones these actions. It is a very harsh thing for one Muslim to say to another you are not Muslim but actions speak louder than words.

Going back to the resolution, many critics are out there saying they regret the military actions being taken and they feel we should not get involved in another war, because it is war pure and simple and we should hide our heads in the sand while countries around the world abuse their people for the benefit of a few, well the question to be asked is what if the shoe was on the other foot and these same people who are criticizing and regretting were the ones being shot at by their leaders what would they say then? The truth is if any of the leaders and those in power were the average person of their countries such as China, Russia and others and they were on the receiving end of the bullets and bombs, they would be screaming at the top of their lungs for someone to save them. But of course many despots have no morals or if you believe in a soul to begin with that they would think they are loved by those trying to kill them, "My people love me and they will die for me" as G said many times and yet the majority of the people want him gone.

In 1996, the was an act of brutality the regime denies to this day but many Libyans know about because they were affected.
Abu Salim Prison

The ultimate motives of the coalition can be questioned but there is no doubt about the fact that G and his cohorts which include his family, are only concerned about staying in power regardless the cost in human lives. Can Libya survive and become better? It is said that steel must be tempered by fire and the Libyan people are being tempered by their fire of revolution. May LIBYA LIVE LONG AND FREE!!

The Fight Continues

Today there were news reports of more fighting between the freedom fighters and pro G forces. State TV for G states they had taken back the cities of Tobruk, Misurata and Ben Jawad, yet the freedom fighters state they continue to hold on. There was more fighting in the City of Zawiyyah and yet the rebel forces continue to hold on.

Meanwhile in the city of Benghazi, the Council for the Interim Government continued to establish more functions as they elected individuals from around the country to serve on the behalf of the Libyan people until such a time as G. is forced out of power as this is what it is going to take force to remove the cancer that continues to infest the country and the town of Tripoli. Just as in the times of former dictators and tyrants, there remain the few who will not give up till the bitter end. Hitler, Mussolini, Idi Amin for those who remember the leader of Uganda and others fail to realize when the time for them to leave has arrived. They insist on taking their people and their countries down with them as they bring destruction on their countries in the name to maintain their power.

Saddam Hussein almost brought his country to ruin as he fought against those who deemed it was time for him to go. He had a record of atrocities against his people with the use of chemical weapons on the Kurdish people in the north. The reason for the comparison between Hussein and G. is they both have the same psychopathic pathologies. Killing those who do not agree with them and the precedents from the past are there for us to see. We can go back to the beginning of time and the historical records speak of those rulers who perpetrated on their people what is being perpetrated on those today.

We have seen Tunisia, Egypt, protests in Yemen, Bahrain and even rumors of protests in Saudi Arabia. The wave has started and only when leaders in these and other countries realize that the time for going back has passed and now it is the time for change.

The freedom fighters continue to make advancements event though they are poorly trained and have limited arms, they continue to win skirmishes. Looking back at our own past what the freedom fighters of Libya are doing is fighting guerrilla warfare. They are not a formally organized army but yet they continue to stand against a murderous tyrant. The sad thing is women and children are being caught in the cross fire. Today on the news a 10 year old boy heard shooting and went out and was caught in the crossfire. No word on if the child will survive or how extensive his injuries, yet the freedom fighters continue on.

G. needs to realize that the more he attacks his people the more angry he makes them and the more they will fight back. The freedom fighters need to realize they have the numbers and their best defense is a good offense. They need to spread G. forces as thin as possible as G. does not have the resources to sustain a multi-front war for any length of time. This is going to be a war of attrition and the freedom fighters must stay till the end because if G. regains power of the country the consequences will be catastrophic.

May Allah protect the innocent and may the freedom fighters win the war.

Ras Lanuf - The Fight Continues

The oil town of Ras Lanuf appears to be under the control of the freedom fighters which is how I will refer to the rebels in Libya as this is what they are fighting for their freedom of choice. The freedom to choose their leader, their freedom to speak plainly.

The battle for Zawiyyah continues with a continued loss of life. Those of us who are safe and out of the way of harm, sit and watch and shake our heads. Yet, if we look into our past many of the things that are going on now in the Middle East and North Africa are the same things our country went through. The revolutionary war, when we fought for our freedom from King George, the civil war where brother fought against brother for the rights they believed in which were economics to which slavery was attached. As a country we have been and are involved in several wars. WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, The Gulf War, and now Afghanistan to name the ones many are are familiar. The question the world faces do we get involved in another conflict? Do we interfere again in another country's affairs? The answer is where do we as compassionate, conscientious humans draw the line of what is right or wrong.

Is there an answer that addresses all the problems associated with getting involved? The answer is no there is not an answer that satisfies everyone. What the world needs to consider is what is morally right. Ambiguity in the face of obvious misuse of power only sends the wrong message. There are going to be those in the world who do not agree with what some consider right and wrong. These are countries who also limit the freedoms of their populace and these countries know that if they support a response to the Libyan situation, they are supporting what they are denying their own citizens.

Where do the Libyan people go from here, they have made the choice and that is freedom. The question is what will the world do to assist those who only want what others consider their right. As was stated yesterday by a Libyan freedom fighter "we will fight or we will die."

War or Unrest: What is it for Libya - Historical Precedent

The news states the situation in Libya is unrest the people who are fighting against the status quo rebels.

The definition of unrest below.

1. lack of rest; a restless, troubled, or uneasy state; disquiet: the unrest within himself. 

2. disturbance or turmoil; agitation: political unrest. 

One definition of War by Merriam Webster online

 a : a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism

So which is it? In my opinion when a leader uses air strikes, mortars and heavy weapons, this elevates the conflict from unrest to a state of war. All the U.S. needs to do is go back in our history when we fought for our freedom from the tyrannical reign of King George. A famous American now considered a hero of the revolutionary war Patrick Henry stated "Give me liberty or give me death." A rebel in Libya was caught on TV saying "we will fight or we will die."Is this not what the people of Libya are fighting for or in other countries such as Egypt, Bahrain and other countries. Right now the news is reporting over 17 countries are experiencing protests. In each people have lost their lives for wanting the right to freedom. They do not want  the west to tell them what to do but they do want the freedoms we take for granted. The freedom to choose, the freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protests. In each of these instances things only turned violent when the government used violence. The old adage violence begets violence has shown to be true when governments attack their people.

The Libyan people are in the middle of the most violent conflict so far in the area and many innocent people are being killed. It is known by those who know the regime that if they are left in power and regain control of the country; those who have stood in protest will be killed or disappear. This is the only way dictatorial regimes can maintain control. In the case of Libya the number of people this could happen to would be in the hundreds or thousands. Can the world stand by and let this happen? Only time will tell as the world has done so in the past with the genocide in Rawanda, and other situations around the world.

Please pray for the people of Libya and please do not stand on the sidelines while innocents die.

Zawiyah

Reports are that the city of Zawiyah is back in the hands of G. The telegraph reported.

Zawiyah

CNN reports:

Zawiyah

There are innocent people dying at the hands of G. The claims by the government that these are terrorists, that it is Al Qaeda are so far off the mark that it makes me want to cry for the people. The time of talk is at an end. G and his sons have proved time and again they do not care for their people, all they want is the power and the money. The longer the west and the world waits the more people die. They only want what we in the many countries take for granted, free speech, the right of petition. The right not have someone looking over your shoulder and the fear if you say something against the leadership you will disappear or die.

People in their countries have the right to chose who they want to be their leadership and the first amendment although for the US is a guide that can apply to all.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." (FindLaw).

This should be the right of all people. The question now is will the world stand by as they have done in other places and allow the murder of people who only want what many of us accept as our right.

The U.S. should not be the police force of the world but the world should be the police force for the world and stand for what is right and end the abuse of power by any government who uses violence against its citizens just to stay in power and steal from the people what is rightfully theirs.

Family Safe - Brega in Anti Gadhafi Forces Control - For Now?

Yesterday we received word our family was safe for now. The description given was one of anger and terror as the leader Gadhafi ordered planes to drop bombs on the town of Brega. Brega is an oil port city of approximately 13,000 people. It is a strategic site due to the fact it refines oil and is the source of the gas line which runs to Benghazi. As stated in the news Benghazi was the first major city to fall to the opposition forces.

The international community stated on numerous occasions they could not prove that G. was using military force but in a report by CNN correspondent Bill Wedeman who witnessed the dropping of the bombs and stated on TV of how close one of those bombs came to hitting them, they now have proof. Video even showed the cloud of smoke and dust from one of the bombs and the crater left afterward. Watching what was happening yesterday and being worried sick about family members has changed my opinion on what should be done. When someone threatens my family with actions such as these I feel they need to be brought to justice swiftly.

Witnesses: Fresh air strikes hit eastern Libyan towns

In the report by CNN a government spokesman, Musa Ibrahim, states the protesters are armed and attacking police stations and they have arrested people who can confirm their allegations. Read the full report from the link above. Anyone who knows the regime knows that any statements by those under arrest cannot be trusted as they are either paid to say so or are doing so under duress. G. is infamous on his tactics to get people to say what he wants. If you are Libyan and you say anything against the government, you disappear and may not be heard from again.

It is amazing how people such as Gadhafi, Hitler, Mussolini, even going back to Nero have this twisted idea they are loved by everyone and they can do no wrong. They say absolute power corrupts absolutely and this is seen whenever humans gain control. Why is that people such as these do not get the concept if you treat your people with dignity and take care of them so they are healthy, happy and taken care of then they will appreciate you. Granted you cannot please all the people all the time but in the case of a well fed, well housed, free thinking society, rebellion is the farthest from the minds of the majority of the people.

G. quoted from the Quran about not rebelling against your leaders. Yet when a leader is unjust it is the right of the people to change the leadership. Allah does not give unilateral rights to a leader to abuse their power and if G. truly followed the strictures of the Quran as revealed by the Prophet Mohammad (saaws). He would know he is facing the fires of hell for his actions. May Allah protect the innocent.

Getting back to the fight for Libya, as I stated previously the people of Libya need to decide their path but it is the mandate of the world as conscientious human beings to support the fight against tyranny and murderers. There are other countries such as Russia which went through its own revolution not too long ago and China which is beginning to feel the effects of a people who have had enough of dictatorial rule, who need to take heed of the tide that has started where people want freedom of thought, speech and action, as once the wave starts it continues until it hits a solid mass then it either crushes the mass or wears it down.

I will continue to update my blog as often as I can please pray for those who are in harms way no matter where they are.

Brega Bombed More Die, How Long Before Justice is Done

I have not written for a few days due to watching the news. Watching, waiting and worrying about what would happen next. Today Gadhafi  launched air strikes and dropped bombs on the port oil city of Brega. 

Airstrikes against Brega

Brega is a port city where oil is located. I have visited the town once several years ago and it is a quiet city but with the oil being there it is a strategic point. I do not know if my family is safe as they are reporting four dead and many injured. My heart is breaking as I wait for news on whether any of my family has been injured or worse. Up until today, I was ambiguous about what needed to be done. I felt strongly the citizens needed to decide what they want and I still feel this way but after today, the time for the west to sit on their hands and do nothing is ended. It has been clear the majority of the citizens want G. gone and now so do I.

I pray my family is safe and not among the injured or worse dead. I am not a person who wants death and destruction and I am a person who believes in free will. How many more must pay the price for the basic right of deciding what they want? How many more must die before the west and the UN including Russia and China decide to get off their proverbial butts and do what is right. I am at the point right now that the I feel we need to do what is right and the rest of the world be damned.

I understand countries have the right to control their land but when the people are saying enough is enough then the government of that country has lost their legitimacy to lead the people. 42 years is long enough as a leader and if the people are in control of the country as G. keeps saying then he has lost touch. The only reason he and his family does not want to give up control is because they do not to lose control of all the money associated with the oil.

I pray that Allah will help the Libyan people to gain their freedom and I pray that the Al Saif and G. and the rest of his family suffer the same fate as those they have condemned to death. I may never be able to visit the country again where my heart also lies but I am with my family and the people of Libya in spirit and pray justice will be done.

Libya oh Libya do not give up the brave fight for what is just and right.