By Cynthia McKinney
I was just contacted by someone saying that yet another prominent Libyan--a nice man whom I met--had been tortured and killed by the "rebels" who are now recognized by the US and other governments as the legitimate government of Libya. I hope this information is not true. Upon reflecting on the sad news, I thought about all of the people who were so sure that the lies were true; that the US military response was appropriate; in short, they told us that war is peace. Many spouting the palaver were people who should have known better. Instead, they lapped up the imperial lies like Pavlov's dog, and proselytized war.
I recall those who were vociferous in their support of NATO's assault on Libya and those who were SILENT.
How many "Progressives" affirmatively backed the President's policy to unleash depleted uranium, helicopter gunships, bunker buster bombs, and these "allies" onto the Libyan population? Or worse yet, were silent? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
Mission accomplished: Libya is destroyed, rivers of blood now flow, and the momentous plans for African independence are over. Gone is the visionary and well-financed project for a United States of Africa, a one million-person Army for Africa to repel unwanted invasion and penetration, and the projects that had already been approved by the African Union: the African Central Bank (to be headquartered in Nigeria) to issue a gold-backed currency; the African Monetary Fund (to be headquartered in someplace in Central Africa); and the African Investment Bank (to be headquartered in Libya).
War is a crime and the aggression against Libya is criminal.
1. This video depicts clearly who was backed. The caption: Les rebelles sont racistes et n'arrètent pas de torturer et tuer des Libyens noirs. Un libyen de Taouerga est torturé. (The "rebels" are racists and do not stop torturing and killing black Libyans. One Libyan from Taouerga [that was the mostly Black Libyan city bombed to smithereens by NATO and that the "rebels" have vowed to wipe off the map of Libya] is tortured):
This video, entitled "Rebels torture a Libyan from Taouerga" is dated 7 November 2011:
2. Libya is in chaos, rebel now points arms at rebel. I passed through Zawiya on my way from Tunisia to Tripoli. This video is entitled Rebels attack the NTC of Zawiya and is dated 6 November 2011:
The caption in part reads a new kind of war begins--rebels killing rebels.
3. With Iraq, we have seen the decimation of an entire country. So, too, with Libya. From infrastructure to people, nothing was left unattacked. Many individuals whose hand I shook are now dead; many streets bombed, buildings reduced to rubble. This video, done by Russians, depicts Sirte before 20 October 2011 and after NATO's unrelenting bombardment:
4. Listen to the National Endowment for Democracy Libya representative Mahmoud Jibril say why he thinks Muammar Qaddafi was killed: "Too many things would have been revealed you know. This man was full of secrets, you know. He had too many contacts with too many leaders with too many countries . . . "
4. Then review this incredible video of Sliman Bouchiguir admitting that they just made up the numbers of dead, attributed the atrocities to the Jamahiriya government, while reporting to the world that the Libyan Jamahiriya was using a "scorched earth policy" against Libyan civilians and foreigners. It was all lies.
At 11 hours on 11/11/11, I am plenty sad.