# Libya too?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 16, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595 "2011-02-16T16:37:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 68
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1341 "2011-05-04T02:26:19Z")
> [@Commissar](#): > > With all due respect, I am doing no such thing. I have said nothing regarding **Bibliovore** ’s honesty, nor do I have any particular opinions on the subject. Perhaps you should look up the definition of “feigning” in the dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1342 "2011-05-04T02:34:13Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Perhaps you should look up the definition of “feigning” in the dictionary. Coming from someone who is disappointed that “Qaddaffi’s bitch” walked away from the bombing of a residential area, I shall give your criticism of **Commisar** all the consideration it deserves. You’re no different from him, you’re merely on an opposing side. ---
**Author:** ![Commissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@Commissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commissar)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1343 "2011-05-04T02:36:04Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Perhaps you should look up the definition of “feigning” in the dictionary. Perhaps you should look up the various meanings of “you.” 🙂 Since you likely need that explained: I’ve said before that English is unwieldy in that it, unlike Russian and many other languages, it uses the same word to refer to both the singular and the plural “you.” In the statement that you’re referring to, I used the word “you” in the plural sense: i.e. “you Libyan rebels and rebel sympathizers as a group.” Obviously, I did not use it to refer to **Bibliovore** alone. That is an absurd interpretation, given that I specifically said “You called the attack dogs on your own people,” and there is no indication that this poster was in any position to do anything like that in his individual capacity. In conclusion: I stand by my statement, which is not in any way an unwarranted accusation against **Bibliovore** as a person, but is, in my opinion, a warranted accusation against the people that he has chosen to represent on these boards. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1344 "2011-05-04T02:48:17Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Coming from someone who is disappointed that “Qaddaffi’s bitch” walked away from the bombing of a residential area, I shall give your criticism of **Commisar** all the consideration it deserves. > > You’re no different from him, you’re merely on an opposing side. Geez, get over it already. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1345 "2011-05-04T02:54:44Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Geez, get over it already. Why? I’ve seen no withdrawal from you of your statement that you wish Qaddaffi’s wife had been killed along with his (and presumably her) son and grandchildren in the bombing of a residential area. Said bombing being part of a campaign to protect civilians. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1346 "2011-05-04T02:54:50Z")
Actually, she does seem to be a bitch. Despite her, ahem, loyal subjects living with massive unemployment and health care so poor that its citizens need to travel to other countries, among other problems, she’s living quite well: [ > [@](#): > > Libya’s First Lady Safia Farkash al-Baraasi has amassed enormous wealth, including the airline company Buraq Air and 20 tonnes of gold, a media report said. ]([http://www.asianage.com/international/libyas-first-lady-owns-airline-company-20-tonnes-gold-910](http://www.asianage.com/international/libyas-first-lady-owns-airline-company-20-tonnes-gold-910)) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1347 "2011-05-04T03:00:49Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Why? I’ve seen no withdrawal from you of **your statement that you wish Qaddaffi’s wife had been killed** along with his (and presumably her) son and grandchildren in the bombing of a residential area. Said bombing being part of a campaign to protect civilians. My exact statement above was that a certain BBC reporter “can’t imagine how anyone could ‘walk away unscathed’ like the Libyan government claims Ka-Daffy and his bitch did.” If you want to twist that into “I wish Ka-Daffy’s bitch had been killed,” well that’s up to you. And earlier I posted “Oops! (For the grandchildren, not the bastard son.)”, which I meant as regret that the children, assuming they were children, were killed. And that’s my final word on it. I’m done discussing this with you. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1348 "2011-05-04T03:09:03Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > A BBC reporter at the villa that was bombed says that after viewing the damage, he can’t imagine how anyone could “walk away unscathed” like the Libyan government claims Ka-Daffy and his bitch did. > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > My exact statement above was that a certain BBC reporter “can’t imagine how anyone could ‘walk away unscathed’ like the Libyan government claims Ka-Daffy and his bitch did.” If you want to twist that into “I wish Ka-Daffy’s bitch had been killed,” well that’s up to you. “Kaddaffi’s bitch” comes from you, not the BBC. As regards his son, he recently returned from Germany and played no role in the regime. As regards his grandchildren, “Oops.” “Oops?” Yes, we’re definitely protecting civilians. ---
**Author:** ![Commissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@Commissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commissar)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1349 "2011-05-04T03:25:40Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > My exact statement above was that a certain BBC reporter “can’t imagine how anyone could ‘walk away unscathed’ like the Libyan government claims Ka-Daffy and his bitch did.” If you want to twist that into “I wish Ka-Daffy’s bitch had been killed,” well that’s up to you. > > And earlier I posted “Oops! (For the grandchildren, not the bastard son.)”, **which I meant as regret that the children, assuming they were children, were killed**. > > And that’s my final word on it. I’m done discussing this with you. Wait a minute there… What exactly do you mean by the statement that I took the liberty of bolding? Are you really saying that you feel sorry for the innocent people killed by the bombing, but only if they were minors when they died? That’s certainly what it looks like. If my reading is correct, how do you justify such a bizarre position? Do innocent people somehow forfeit their innocence upon reaching the age of majority? Assuming that you are an adult under the relevant laws of your current jurisdiction, is it now perfectly acceptable to kill you for something that you didn’t do? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1350 "2011-05-10T02:11:21Z")
BBC TV is reporting at least five waves of Nato air strikes – so far – on Tripoli overnight, including heavy bombing of Ka-Daffy’s compound. This after reports of Libyan aerial bombings of Misrata over the weekend. It was in the news yesterday that Italy said it would arm the rebels. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1351 "2011-05-10T02:17:35Z")
Something is happening in Tripoli. Reports that a local air base, the Mitiga Air Base, has had the Independent flag raised. It might be the “Mohamed Elmgariaf Brigade in Tripoli” that is doing it. Details sketchy. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1352 "2011-05-10T16:40:05Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Something is happening in Tripoli. Reports that a local air base, the Mitiga Air Base, has had the Independent flag raised. It might be the “Mohamed Elmgariaf Brigade in Tripoli” that is doing it. Details sketchy. I keep googling for news on this but can’t seem to find anything not Twitter-originated; what I find says what you say there. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1353 "2011-05-10T16:44:22Z")
Googling on “Mohamed Elmgariaf” brings up nothing more . . . However, it appears Muhammad Yusuf al-Magariaf was the founder (in 1981) of the [National Front for the Salvation of Libya.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Front_for_the_Salvation_of_Libya) ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1354 "2011-05-10T17:18:22Z")
[http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-0](http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-0) > [@](#): > > 2:00pm > > West Tripoli rebel fighters hoist the independence flag at Meaitiga airbase in Tripoli, and NATO bombards new sites, including Aziziya compound, Al Jazeera reports. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1355 "2011-05-10T17:51:30Z")
In any case, [Mitiga](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitiga) is a commercial airport, not an “airbase.” Using that word makes it sound like Gaddafi’s Air Force is defecting. (Unless there is more than one Mitiga airport – one civilian, one military? It’s not clear.) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1356 "2011-05-13T02:54:02Z")
[International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrant for Gaddafi within the month.](http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/05/20115123318113711.html) The Italian Foreign Minister who made the announcement stressed that this effectively rules out the possibility that he can go into exile free. So if there ever any was any hope of prizing him out without a fight to the finish, I guess it’s gone now. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1357 "2011-05-13T03:59:09Z")
Nato says it’s made 6000 strikes in Libya so far. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1358 "2011-05-16T16:21:30Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrant for Gaddafi within the month.](http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/05/20115123318113711.html) The Italian Foreign Minister who made the announcement stressed that this effectively rules out the possibility that he can go into exile free. So if there ever any was any hope of prizing him out without a fight to the finish, I guess it’s gone now. [Aaaannd they did it.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/international-prosecurots-seek-arrest-warrant-for-moammar-gaddafi/2011/05/16/AFjArn4G_story.html?wprss=rss_homepage) Say . . . Come to think of it . . . This means we really don’t need any casus belli or declaration of war, do we? Following the Noriega precedent, we can legitimately send an army into Libya just to **arrest** Gaddafi! 😃 Or . . . Well, **we,** the U.S., can’t (unless some U.S. court also issues a warrant). But any country that is signatory to the ICC Treaty could. ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1359 "2011-05-19T13:52:09Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Nato says it’s made 6000 strikes in Libya so far. I wonder what that actually means though. 6,000 missiles fired? 6,000 targets destroyed? 6,000 separate missions? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/1360 "2011-05-19T14:54:55Z")
[Gaddafi’s (second) wife and (who knows) daughter split for Tunisia.](http://www.smh.com.au/world/gaddafis-wife-and-daughter-flee-libya-20110519-1ev28.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595.md?page=67) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595.md?page=69)