# Gaddafi is dead, as Sirte falls to Libyan troops **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 20, 2011, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237 "2011-10-20T12:30:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/21 "2011-10-20T15:38:26Z")
OK, he was hiding in a drainage pipe? Classy. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/22 "2011-10-20T15:46:55Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > OK, he was hiding in a drainage pipe? > > Classy. CBS this morning said he was shot as he tried to escape. NPR said he was killed in a NATO bombing – killed while hiding in a ditch. How appropriate. But which story is true? ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/23 "2011-10-20T15:47:09Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > OK, he was hiding in a drainage pipe? > > Classy. There were early reports that he was riding in a convoy that came under fire (possibly NATO strikes, but a Libyan official denied that) and he was injured and fled the vehicle. Other early reports are that his last words were “Don’t shoot!” ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/24 "2011-10-20T16:14:16Z")
I bet that many of the great and the good will sleep more easily tonight, knowing that this reduces the chances that any complicity of theirs in the abuses of Gaddafi’s regime will come out. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/25 "2011-10-20T16:32:58Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Other early reports are that his last words were “Don’t shoot!” Ah, then you can’t say he didn’t live in the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/26 "2011-10-20T16:38:47Z")
First Osama, now Gaddafi. Bad year for dictators. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/27 "2011-10-20T16:43:12Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > First Osama, now Gaddafi. Bad year for dictators. Osama was a dictator? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/28 "2011-10-20T16:46:51Z")
By the way, excellent username/thread subject for the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/29 "2011-10-20T16:49:23Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Osama was a dictator? De Facto, yeah! ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/30 "2011-10-20T16:55:17Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > CBS this morning said he was shot as he tried to escape. NPR said he was killed in a NATO bombing – killed while hiding in a ditch. How appropriate. But which story is true? Early reports said that he was captured after being wounded in both legs. My guess as to the truth: He was captured, and then someone decided that they didn’t want to risk him escaping (at least two or three of his sons have been captured, and then escaped again), so Gaddafi was “shot while trying to escape.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/31 "2011-10-20T17:20:25Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Early reports said that he was captured after being wounded in both legs. My guess as to the truth: He was captured, and then someone decided that they didn’t want to risk him escaping (at least two or three of his sons have been captured, and then escaped again), so Gaddafi was “shot while trying to escape.” My thought was “kneecapping gone wrong.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/32 "2011-10-20T17:24:22Z")
It’s very good news for Libya that he’s out of the picture, but the bad news is that [it sounds like he was captured after a battle and then executed](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_LIBYA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-10-20-12-09-44). It’s still probably better than a lot of Libyans received, but not what you want to see. Another one of Gaddafi’s sons is now being reported as dead, and a third was wounded and captured. > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > First Osama, now Gaddafi. Bad year for dictators. The leaders of Tunisia and Egypt were forced out earlier this year. They belong on that list a lot more than Bin Laden does. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/33 "2011-10-20T17:40:44Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Osama was a dictator? A stateless dictator. A would-be dictator. A dictator _in potentia_. A dictator _in posse_ but not _in esse_, ese. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/34 "2011-10-20T17:52:09Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > A stateless dictator. A would-be dictator. A dictator _in potentia_. A dictator _in posse_ but not _in esse_, ese. Isee. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/35 "2011-10-20T18:01:12Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > First Osama, now Gaddafi. Bad year for dictators. But this is great news for the McCain campaign, right? ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/36 "2011-10-20T18:30:11Z")
Shame. He was \>this\< close to finally making Brigadier General. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/37 "2011-10-20T18:36:22Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > First Osama, now Gaddafi. Don’t forget Awlaki. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/38 "2011-10-20T19:20:49Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > It’s very good news for Libya that he’s out of the picture, but the bad news is that [it sounds like he was captured after a battle and then executed](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_LIBYA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-10-20-12-09-44). You misspelled “Shot While Trying to Escape.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Crawlspace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crawlspace)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/39 "2011-10-20T19:24:08Z")
Has anyone else been thinking about the **Family Guy** episode where they form Petoria and a bunch of dictators visit? First Slobodan dies, then Saddam, now Muammar with Castro circling the drain. You do not want to mess with Seth MacFarlane. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237/40 "2011-10-20T19:42:23Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > You misspelled “Shot While Trying to Escape.” 🙂 Right. Anyway there’s also video of Gaddafi arguing with his captors before he was “shot while trying to escape.” This is not the kind of thing the new government needs. > [@Crawlspace](#): > > Has anyone else been thinking about the **Family Guy** episode where they form Petoria and a bunch of dictators visit? First Slobodan dies, then Saddam, now Muammar with Castro circling the drain. You do not want to mess with Seth MacFarlane. Yes, only MacFarlane could have predicted that a bunch of middle-aged to elderly dictators would die over the course of a decade or so. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaddafi-is-dead-as-sirte-falls-to-libyan-troops/600237.md?page=3)