 I must say that I'm a little disappointed in some of the assertions you make in your article. I've been doing intensive research on Qadaffi and Libya, and what I've found is in stark contrast to what the main stream media is parroting, and from what you said about him being and oppressive dictator.
When Qadaffi came to power in 1969, Libya was fighting for the honor of being the worlds poorest nation. That's a fact. The post colonial monarchy that was in power at that time didn't provide the Libyan people with any public services whatsoever. King Irdis was quite simply corrupt. Qadaffi removed him from power in a bloodless coup. No murderous plots, or violence.
In a relatively short period of time, he brought public schools, with free schooling through high school, public hospitals, good roads, and a real infrastructure that provided for the needs of Libyans.
Of course in your article you don't mention the Great Man Made River project, which some claim is the largest public water project in the world. This provides clean, safe water to the dry desert, allowing the Libyan to grow food in places never before imagined.
Under Qadaffi, every Libyan gets free health care. If a Libyan wants to study abroad, the government will pay for it, and make it happen. There is no income tax in Libya. Basic food & gasoline is subsidized (.14 cents a gallon for gas). Electricity is FREE.
The government provides loans and grants for people who want to start a business. Qadaffi's government gives each newly married couple about 65,000 dollars, and provides a 7,000 bonus for each child they have.
Qadaffi made enemies by pushing for a radical program to redistribute ALL oil revenue, directly to the people. He was unable to pass this (which makes you wonder just how much of a dictator he is if he can't pass his own initiatives), and instead the money was invested in a soviergn wealth fund, which was seized by the US.
Qadaffi argued against putting the oil revenues in this S.wealth investment fund because he knew it would breed corruption in the officials who managed the fund & he knew it would create a tempting target for the west. He knew it could be used against him in the future in the exact way that money is currently being used against him. Now it's being given to the Rebels! He didn't want large amounts of money to aggregate in any one place, which is why he wanted to distribute it evenly amongst his people.
Libya has a prime minister and an elected government. Qadaffi doesn't have direct control over the government.
Under Qadaffi women enjoyed complete civil rights. Under the "rebels" they'll lose all these rights.
I'm an American, of Italian & English descent, so don't think I'm a Libyan with an axe to grind. I put a picture of Qadaffi up on my wall after I read about him for a few weeks.
The guy is a HERO.
Right now we are destroying what the Libyan people spent decades building. Their infrastructure is being systematically destroyed. After the dust clears, the IMF and World Bank will saddle Libya with debt & their prosperity will evaporate in interest payments. Right now Libya has NO DEBT.
This is an armed robbery by the U.S. and Nato, nothing less. No need to over analyze the situation with references to foreign policy agendas, or other esoteric implications. What's going on is a stick up, a brutal attack, and soon to be a ransacking and pillaging of the entire nation. Commented 4742 days ago |
| Beginning of the headline :
What’s going on in Libya? The answer in one sense is very simple: revolution.However, the long-term results are complex and unknown.
The U.S., Britain, and France are the main foreign principals attempting, among other deeper goals, to end the Gaddafi regime and replace it with a new state, a new constitution, and a new form of government... Read More |
