Libyan Revolution Day 34 (dedicated to the Libyan Youth)

[joshcryer]

Links to sites with updates: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-23">AJE Live Blog March 23 (today) http://blogs.aljazeera.net/twitter-dashboard">AJE Twitter Dashboard http://feb17.info/">feb17.info http://www.livestream.com/libya17feb?utm_source=lsplayer&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=footerlinks">Libya Alhurra (live video webcast from Benghazi) http://www.libyafeb17.com/">libyafeb17.com

Twitter links: http://twitter.com/#!/aymanm">Ayman Mohyeldin, with AJE http://twitter.com/#!/bencnn">Ben Wedeman, with CNN http://twitter.com/#!/tripolitanian">tripolitanian, a Libyan from Tripoli http://twitter.com/#!/BaghdadBrian">Brian Conley, reporter in Libya http://twitter.com/#!/freelibyanyouth">FreeLibyanYouth, Libyan advocate http://twitter.com/#!/LibyaFeb17_com">LibyaFeb17.com twitter account http://twitter.com/#!/ChangeInLibya">ChangeInLibya, Libyan advocate

Useful links: http://audioboo.fm/feb17voices">feb17voices http://www.google.com/search?q=time+in+libya">Current time in Libya http://www.islamicfinder.org/cityPrayerNew.php?country=libya">Prayer times in Libya

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x713840">Day 33 part 2 here.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/21/libyan-rebellion-chaos-civilians-war">Libya's rebel youth: a ragtag, highly enthusiastic but highly undisciplined force (PHOTO BLOG)
Ryan Lucas of AP reports from Zwitina, Libya: Coalition forces bombarded Libya for a third straight night Monday, targeting the air defenses and forces of Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi, stopping his advances and handing some momentum back to the rebels, who were on the verge of defeat just last week.

But the rebellion's more organized military units were still not ready, and the opposition disarray underscored U.S. warnings that a long stalemate could emerge.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/world/africa/22tripoli.html">A Libyan Fight for Democracy, or a Civil War?
TRIPOLI — The question has hovered over the Libyan uprising from the moment the first tank commander defected to join his cousins protesting in the streets of Benghazi: Is the battle for Libya the clash of a brutal dictator against a democratic opposition, or is it fundamentally a tribal civil war?

The answer could determine the course of both the Libyan uprising and the results of the Western intervention. In the West’s preferred chain of events, airstrikes enable the rebels to unite with the currently passive residents of the western region around Tripoli, under the banner of an essentially democratic revolution that topples Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.

He, however, has predicted the opposite: that the revolt is a tribal war of eastern Libya against the west that ends in either his triumph or a prolonged period of chaos.

“It is a very important question that is terribly near impossible to answer,” said Paul Sullivan, a political scientist at Georgetown University who has studied Libya. “It could be a very big surprise when Qaddafi leaves and we find out who we are really dealing with.”

Videos to bring the Libyan Revolution into context:

The Battle of Benghazi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0vChMDuNd0

BBC Panorama on Libya Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyaPnMnpCAA

BBC Panorama on Libya Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMzwQvcx62s

Latest indiscriminate shelling in Misurata: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wop3C4zrPXI


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x677397">Text of the resolution.

How will a no fly zone work? AJE reports: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWEwehTtK2k

Canada:

http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110317/cf-libya-canada/20110317/?hub=WinnipegHome">Canada to send six CF-18s for Libya 'no-fly' mission
Canada will contribute six CF-18 fighter jets to help enforce a no-fly zone in Libya, sources have told CTV News.

Norway:

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFOSN00509220110318">Norway to join military intervention in Libya
OSLO, March 18 (Reuters) - Norway will join the international military action against Muammar Gaddafi's forces in Libya, a Norwegian daily quoted the defence minister as saying on its website on Friday.

"We will contribute to the operation," Grete Faremo told the daily Verdens Gang. "But it is too early to say exactly in what way. Sending air capabilities would be natural."

Belgium:

http://www.lesoir.be/actualite/monde/2011-03-18/la-belgique-prete-a-une-operation-militaire-en-libye-828970.php">Belgium ready for a military operation in Libya
Our country is available to take part in a military operation in Libya, following the UN vote authorizing the use of force against Gaddafi. The government has observed, in Parliament yesterday, a broad consensus in the Belgian political class on the need to prevent the Libyan leader to crush the rebellion in Benghazi.

Qatar and the UAE:

http://www.defpro.com/daily/details/776/?SID=e80884adc09a37d26904578a9b5978cb">Run-up for Western world’s next military commitment ... with unusual support
France and the United Kingdom, which spearheaded the diplomatic push in the Security Council for the implementation of a no-fly zone, received unusual but certainly very welcome support. According to a further unnamed AFP source, the Council confirmed that Qatar and the UAE will join the international effort.

Denmark:

http://www.cphpost.dk/news/international/89-international/51229-denmark-ready-for-action-against-gaddafi.html">Denmark ready for action against Gaddafi
Espersen will discuss the resolution “as soon as possible” with the other political parties.

“We’re ready to take action immediately, and that includes ensuring prompt treatment of the resolution in parliament, so that Denmark can deploy its four F-16 fighter jets,” she said.

France:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/19/world/africa/19libya.html?src=twrhp">Following U.N. Vote, France Vows Libya Action ‘Soon’
UNITED NATIONS — Only hours after the United Nations Security Council voted to authorize military action, including airstrikes against Libyan tanks and heavy artillery and impose a no-flight zone to try to avert a rout of rebels by forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. French officials said on Friday that military action would start “within a few hours” and news reports said British and French warplanes would spearhead the attack.

Italy:

http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFLDE72G2HE20110317">Italy to make bases available for Libya no-fly zone-source
TUNIS, March 17 (Reuters) - Italy is ready to make its military bases available to enforce a U.N. Security Counci resolution imposing a no-fly zone on Libya, an Italian government source told Reuters on Thursday.

United Kingdom:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12770467">Libya: UK forces prepare after UN no-fly zone vote
UK forces are preparing to help enforce a no-fly zone over Libya after the UN backed "all necessary measures", short of an invasion, to protect civilians.

United States:

http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/nations-draw-up-plans-for-no-fly-zone-over-libya-1.2765122">Nations draw up plans for no-fly zone over Libya
The United States, France and Britain were making plans Friday to prevent Moammar Gadhafi's forces from attacking Libyans after the U.N. Security Council authorized a no-fly zone over Libya and "all necessary measures" to protect civilians.

Jordan:

http://www.smh.com.au/world/military-strikes-on-libya-within-hours-20110318-1bzii.html?from=smh_sb">Military strikes on Libya 'within hours'
Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will join international forces ready to enforce the no-fly zone, US Congress and UN diplomatic sources say.

Spain:

http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/03/19/2801s627320.htm">Spain Expected to Join NATO No-fly Zone Enforcement over Libya Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is expected to confirm Spain's contribution of two air force bases at a summit in Paris to discuss the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya Saturday.

"One month ago (Western countries) were sooo nice, so nice like pussycats," Saif says in a contemptuous sing-song tone."Now they want to be really aggressive like tigers. (But) soon they will come back, and cut oil deals, contracts. We know this game." - http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2058389,00.html">Saif Gaddafi

(Yeah, Saif, as if you weren't "cutting oil deals, contracts" with western states. Who are the 'tigers' now? Bombing your own people.)

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-10-0">March 10 7:28pm Saif al Islam Gaddafi says "the time has come for full-scale military action" against Libyan rebels. He goes on to say that Libyan forces loyal to his family "will never surrender, even if western powers intervene".

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/25/world/middleeast/map-of-how-the-protests-unfolded-in-libya.html">Click here for updated map

Military Installations



Oil Map



http://bit.ly/fe3P">Google Earth DL here to see positions of army and patrolling route of mercenaries

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=212059469427545728757.00049c4df2474b6543347&ll=31.203405,30.058594&spn=96.173452,183.867188&z=3">MAP of Protests across the Middle East

Mohammed Nabbous, killed by Gaddafi's forces while trying to report on the massacre in Benghazi

"I'm not afraid to die, I'm afraid to lose the battle" -Mohammed Nabbous, a month ago when all this began

I'm struggling to come up with something to say about this man. I was not aware of the Libyan uprising until I saw Mo's first report, begging for help, posted here on DU. I was stricken. Here was a man giving everything he had to explain a situation that clearly terrified him, I would not call him a coward in that moment, but you could see the fear in his eyes, and desperation in his voice. For 30 days Nabbous would spend many hours covering the uprising in Benghazi. For many nights I would go to sleep with the webcast of Benghazi live on my computer screen, looking to it occasionally to be sure it was still 'there.' Mo treated the chat room as if we were his friends, and in some way, we were. I never signed up to LiveStream to thank him for all his work and it seems somewhat shallow to do so now, given that I was a lurker for so long. Ever since I took over posting these threads "Libya Alhurra" has been linked as a source of information. It wasn't until last night, when I posted, and twitter posted on Mo's adventures out into Benghazi to try to determine the truth of the situation, that Mo's webchannel became a hit, over 2000 people were watching him stream live. This was curious to him because he'd done many reports like this in the past but he appeared somewhat bemused that the view count exploded as it did. Last night Mo became a star. This is a man who first started out with a webcast replete with fear and desperation finally overcoming that aspect of himself and losing that fear, to become someone who was a fighter for the resistance just as much as those who held the guns. Reporting on the front lines of Benghazi became his final act, and for that he should never, ever be forgotten. I'm so sorry Mo that I never got to know you better.

Mo leaves behind a wife who is with child.

Mo's first report, which many of you may remember, begging for help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38EXALI60hg

Mo's last report, a fallen hero trying to spread the word to the world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecu_iWLn-rg

[joshcryer]

1. Current time in Libya, 4:44am Wednesday, March 23

[tabatha]

2. NPR: Remembering Mo Nabbous, 'The Face Of Libyan Citizen Journalism'

A reporter who lost his life trying to tell the world about what Moammar Gadhafi's forces were doing to the people of Libya is remembered today on All Things Considered.

NPR's Andy Carvin talks about Mohammed Nabbous, a man he came to know via the Web in the past month as Nabbous used his Libya al Hurra ("freedom") Livestream news channel to record some remarkable accounts of what was happening in Benghazi and elsewhere in eastern Libya.

As Andy tells ATC's Melissa Block, "all of a sudden, as Benghazi was trying to free itself from Gadhafi, you started hearing voices coming over the Internet and one of those first voices to come out was Mo."

Nabbous, Andy says, used Libya al Hurra to become "their local equivalent of Radio Free Europe or Voice of America, where he was trying to get the world to hear their point of view of what was going on. And as he did that, he basically became a reporter or even an anchor."

Then, Saturday night, Nabbous was killed. He was out reporting and it's thought that he was shot by a sniper loyal to Gadhafi.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/03/22/134770586/remembering-mo-nabbous-the-face-of-libyan-citizen-journalism

[joshcryer]

3. Who are the Libyan rebels? U.S. tries to figure out

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theenvoy/20110322/ts_yblog_theenvoy/who-are-the-libyan-rebels-u-s-tries-to-figure-out">Who are the Libyan rebels? U.S. tries to figure out
When a U.S. Air Force pilot ejected from his crashing F-15 Eagle fighter jet and landed in rebel-held eastern Libya overnight Tuesday, he soon found to his relief that he was in friendly hands.

"He was a very nice guy," Libyan businessman Ibrahim Ismail told Newsweek of the initially quite anxious American pilot. "He came to free the Libyan people." Rebel officials dispatched a doctor to attend to the pilot and presented him with a bouquet of flowers, according to Newsweek.

But the U.S. government, now engaged in a fourth day of air strikes against Libyan regime military targets, does not know very much about the rebels who now see it as a friendly ally in their fight to overthrow Muammar Gadhafi.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held a 45-minute, closed-door meeting with Mahmoud Jibril, a leader of the newly formed Libyan opposition Interim National Council in a luxury Paris hotel earlier this month. But in a clear signal of America's wariness about all the unknowns, Clinton gave no public statement after their meeting and did not appear in photographs with the rebel leader. (By contrast, a week earlier French President Nicholas Sarkozy bestowed formal diplomatic recognition on the Council and was photographed shaking hands with its emissaries Jibril and Ali Essawi on the steps of the Elysee Palace.)

[joshcryer]

4. A lack of diplomacy at the UN?

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/americas/2011/03/22/lack-diplomacy-un">A lack of diplomacy at the UN?
It was an unusually undiplomatic moment outside the UN security council chamber, and a sign of tension within. The Council had just decided not to hold an emergency meeting on Libya.

Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin was on his way out the door when he publically chastised the spokesperson of another country for speaking to a group of reporters. (I can't tell you which country because conversations at this stake-out are supposed to be off the record, but Western diplomats routinely brief reporters in this informal setting).

"Double check with your ambassador," Churkin shouted at the spokesperson. "It's really impolite and rude. It's the president (of the security council) who is supposed to brief the media."

According to the spokesperson, Churkin was "fuming" because Russia wanted the emergency meeting, which was requested over the weekend in a letter from Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa. In the letter Koussa said the security council's two recent resolutions on Libya, 1970 and 1973, had paved the way for "military aggression" against Libya, and he accused France and the United States of bombing unspecified civilian targets.

Russia wants its arm deals back.

[tabatha]

5. WFP Bolsters Food And Logistics Support On Libyan Borders

WFP is stepping up provision of food to hungry people crossing Libya's borders, while at the same time working to coordinate and strengthen logistics and telecoms for the humanitarian community as a whole.

CAIRO – WFP has stepped up provision of food to hungry people crossing Libya’s borders, while bringing in portable warehouses and office equipment in order to be ready should greater needs emerge in the region. Read operational update

So far, WFP has moved more than 1,500 metric tons of food into Eastern Libya – enough to feed more than 100,000 people for a month -- and pre-positioned more than 6,000 metric tons of food in emergency supplies.

The UN food agency is leading the provision of hot meals in Choucha camp on the Tunisian-Libyan border with two full kitchens operational and the capacity to provide up to 25,000 meals daily.

[joshcryer]

7. Link:

http://www.wfp.org/stories/wfp-bolsters-food-and-logistics-support-libyan-borders

No worries Tab, just trying to be helpful. :D

[tabatha]

8. Darn, I thought I had posted the link. I usually do.

[joshcryer]

10. I think the img you posted made you forget to get the primary link.

I've done that before. :hi:

[tabatha]

12. mind reader

[joshcryer]

6. Gaddafi's associates have been reaching out to their contacts to see how they can "get out of this."

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-23#update-18561">12:21am Gaddafi's associates have been reaching out to their contacts worldwide to see how they can "get out of this," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told ABC News on Tuesday.

"We've heard about... people close to him reaching out to people that they know around the world - Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America, beyond - saying what do we do? How do we get out of this?" Clinton said.

[tabatha]

9. Gaddafi's brutality has united Libya

I am almost the same age as Gaddafi's regime. I was born in 1968, a year before Gaddafi came to power.

The regime in Libya is built on the safety and security of Gaddafi himself. Every aspect of Libyans' lives revolves around him and no one dares to question his orders.

Living in that sort of situation for so long you tend to go with the flow just to be able to achieve basic goals in your life. I joined the Libyan foreign ministry since it included opportunities for self-development: the chance of being posted abroad, of being exposed to other cultures and societies, and of trying to change some stereotypes about Libyans.

But once the uprising occurred, the scene changed and mixed emotions and feelings emerged; feelings of anxiety, doubt, fear and even hope. We weren't sure what to think or expect until the day Gaddafi's son, Saif, appeared on Libyan TV and made his historic speech to the Libyan people and the world.

I call the speech historic because it made it clear to me and my colleagues in the Libyan mission to the United Nations in New York – and in other parts of the world too – that this man was as crazy and brutal as his father. Call us naive if you wish, but certainly a lot of Libyans were fooled by Saif's previous speeches on reform in Libya and were hopeful that a better future might be possible under his leadership.


A speech by Gaddafi's son, Saif, made it clear 'that this man was as crazy and brutal as his father'. Photograph: Reuters Tv/Reuters

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/22/gaddafi-brutality-libya-libyan-mission

[bobbolink]

13. That is a very powerful piece. Thank you!

[tabatha]

14. Thanks, I think I should post it in GD.

[bobbolink]

15. WEll, be prepared for some very UNpeaceful shit, but yeah...

[Amonester]

11. K&R

[joshcryer]

16. Nato to take control in Libya after US, UK and France reach agreement

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/22/libya-nato-us-france-uk">Nato to take control in Libya after US, UK and France reach agreement
Britain, France and the US have agreed that Nato will take over the military command of the no-fly zone over Libya in a move that represents a setback for Nicolas Sarkozy, who had hoped to diminish the role of the alliance.

Barack Obama agreed in separate phone calls with Sarkozy and David Cameron that political oversight would be handed to a separate body made up of members of the coalition, including Arab countries such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which are outside Nato.

The agreement, which will have to be put be to all 28 members of Nato, indicates the alliance is on course to resolve one of its most serious disagreements. The alliance had been starting to splinter as it tried to comply with Obama's demand that Washington be quickly relieved of command of the air campaign.

The Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi criticised the air strikes which he said breached the UN charter and were "by a bunch of fascists". In a televised address he promised victory over the coalition: "In the short term, we'll beat them, in the long term, we'll beat them."

[bobbolink]

17. Let it be so!

[joshcryer]

18. Mixed feelings on this one. Looks like the main coalition contols things still though.

Political oversight will be provided by members of the coalition and not by Nato.

[joshcryer]

19. At least two large explosions were heard in Tripoli, Libya's capital, before dawn

5:47am At least two large explosions were heard in Tripoli, Libya's capital, before dawn, witnesses tell Reuters. No anti-aircraft fire was heard.

[joshcryer]

20. Yemeni president Saleh threatens civil war, calls for dialogue

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/yemeni-president-saleh-threatens-civil-war/2011/03/22/ABa89xEB_story.html">Yemeni president Saleh threatens civil war, calls for dialogue
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Tuesday threatened government opponents with civil war and appealed to them to begin a national dialogue in conflicting statements that did not stop calls for his immediate resignation.

The mood in the capital, Sanaa, was tense amid reports that opposing military units, some supporting Saleh and some backing recently defected military commanders, had faced off in skirmishes around the country.

The United States and Saudi Arabia, with strong vested interests in Yemen’s ongoing counterterrorism cooperation, worked behind the scenes to promote a solution, but made no public expressions of support for Saleh, who has been in power for 32 years.

“We continue to consult with our regional partners, including Saudi Arabia, about the situation in Yemen,” an Obama administration official said, declining to comment further. The White House has had no direct contact with Saleh since a call made Sunday by John O. Brennan, President Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser.

[tabatha]

21. Humanitarian situation resulting from the Libyan crisis

Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah: Unrest Situation Report No. 15
Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Date: 22 Mar 2011

I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES
- On 22 March, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya briefed Member States in Geneva on the humanitarian situation resulting from the Libyan crisis.

- To date, more than 335,658 people have left fled Libya since the beginning of the crisis. Some 9,000 remain stranded along Libya's borders with Tunisia and Egypt.

- As of 21 March, IOM and UNHCR have provided evacuation assistance for more than 60,000 people who have left Libya.

- The Regional Flash Appeal for the Libyan Crisis, which requested US$160.3 million, is 63 per cent funded, with $101 million received and $624, 581 pledged.


http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/KKAA-8F834D?OpenDocument

[tabatha]

22. Why Libya Matters To The Middle East's Future

Allied forces carried out a third night of airstrikes in Libya Monday, enforcing the U.N.-sanctioned no-fly zone to stop the advancement of forces loyal to Libyan leader Mohammar Gadhafi.

On today's Fresh Air, George Washington University political scientist Marc Lynch explains how the future of Libya has become a key part in the rapidly changing transformation of the Arab world — and why the United States and its allies decided to intervene.

"I think you see that an intervention ... could have really positive, regionwide effects — but if it goes wrong, it could actually bring all of this to a crashing halt," he says. "I think for the Arab world, you have one of these moments where there's a possibility of fundamental change."

In Egypt and Tunisia, the army's decision to not shoot on their own people emboldened the uprisings there, says Lynch. In Libya, where Gadhafi used brutal force in an attempt to quell dissent, the stakes are somewhat different.

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/22/134760674/why-libya-matters-to-the-middle-easts-future?sc=tw&cc=share

(This seems very similar to another article posted - hope it is not the same one.)

[joshcryer]

23. Obama hopes resurgent Libyan opposition can topple Gadhafi

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/03/22/obama.cnn.interview/index.html?hpt=T1">Obama hopes resurgent Libyan opposition can topple Gadhafi
San Salvador, El Salvador (CNN) -- President Barack Obama on Tuesday expressed hope that Libya's opposition movement, given new protection by a U.S.-led military mission, can organize itself to revive broad enthusiasm for political change and oust Moammar Gadhafi from power.

In a 13-minute interview with CNN's Spanish-language network, Obama said the immediate goal of the U.N.-sanctioned military mission that began Saturday was to prevent an onslaught of the rebel stronghold of Benghazi by Gadhafi's military.

"Because the international community rallied, his troops have now pulled back from Benghazi," Obama said.

Now the United States and its coalition partners, including NATO allies and Arab states, are establishing a no-fly zone over Libya, with U.S. forces taking out Gadhafi's air defense systems, Obama said.

He conceded that Gadhafi could "hunker down and wait it out even in the face of a no-fly zone, even though his forces have been degraded."

[tabatha]

24. LPC #Misrata: Bravery of the youth; how peaceful protests became armed.

http://audioboo.fm/boos/310042-lpc-misrata-bravery-of-the-youth-how-peaceful-protests-became-armed-english-audio-libya-feb17

[joshcryer]

25. Obama says Gaddafi may wait out military assault

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/23/obama-gaddafi-military-mission-libya">Obama says Gaddafi may wait out military assault
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi may try to hang on to power despite the US-military backed mission in Libya, president Barack Obama said in an interview on Tuesday. But Obama hopes the military action will create enough space for rebels to "create a legitimate government."

Speaking to CNN during his trip to south America the president said he hoped the military intervention would help the Libyan opposition start organising for change. Obama said it might not be "military might" but a belief among the Libyan people that it is time for a change that ends with "ultimately sweeping Gaddafi out of power."

"I think - our hope is - that the first thing that can happen once we've cleared the space is that the rebels are able to start discussing how they organise themselves, how they articulate their aspirations for the Libyan people and create a legitimate government," he told CNN.

Obama said the immediate goal of the mission that began Saturday was to prevent Gaddafi's military from conducting an onslaught on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. "Because the international community rallied, his troops have now pulled back from Benghazi," Obama said.

[bobbolink]

78. I hope Obama is finally right on this one.

The revolutionaries have amazed me, and I have faith that they are giving it everything they have.

Its a stupid cliche, but I am with them in spirit.

[joshcryer]

26. Arab revolution is an unstoppable force

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/23/arab-revolution-unstoppable-force">Arab revolution is an unstoppable force
Just six weeks after Bashar al-Assad declared that Syria was stable ("Why? Because you have to be very closely linked to the beliefs of the people. This is the core issue," he told the Wall Street Journal), it emerges that it is anything but. When police fired on protesters in a provincial town and killed three of them, 20,000 turned out angrily for the burial of the victims. Yemen's dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, is probably on his way out, after senior generals, ambassadors and some tribes deserted him in the wake of the massacre that took place on Friday. Egypt voted overwhelmingly for constitutional amendments which pave the way for early parliamentary elections. While the world's attention is focused on Libya, the Arab revolution is continuing, its momentum unstoppable.

Its consequences will be neither uniform nor predictable. It affects both the pro-western dictators and an autocracy like Syria, which backs movements such as Hezbollah and Hamas. It could lead to the breakup of nations but may also produce new alliances. It is ironic that a fate worse than death is being predicted for Yemen, where the west conscripted Saleh in its fight against al-Qaida, and which could divide three ways, but not for Libya, where it is backing the insurgents with air strikes, hoping against hope that the country will remain whole. Nor will independence from America and its dwindling collection of client regimes buy Assad insurance against some of the issues his people have with him and his family: political repression and crony capitalism.

In this revolutionary chaos, it is easy to miss the more significant events, some of which are purely political. Egypt is continuing to be guided by popular will, even though divisions are emerging among those who brought Mubarak's regime down about what that will lead to. Campaigning for last Saturday's referendum on constitutional reform produced some unlikely alliances: the Muslim Brotherhood, Salafists and the remnants of Mubarak's NDP all pushed for a yes vote, arguing that the military should be out of politics, and parliamentary elections held as soon as possible. If not, they argued, 2011 could yet prove to be a rerun of 1952, when the army seized power and kept it.

[Alamuti Lotus]

27. Qatar and UAE also work to suppress the revolutionaries in Bahrain -- please ignore the hypocrisy

[joshcryer]

28. Libya: air strikes move from 'static' to 'dynamic' targets

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/22/libya-air-strikes-dynamic-targets">Libya: air strikes move from 'static' to 'dynamic' targets
Every day so far of the coalition mission in Libya, the US commander responsible for command and control, Admiral Samuel Locklear, has sent a list of potential targets to Air Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, Britain's chief of joint operations based in Northwood, northwest London. Locklear does the same for the US and French operational commanders with a copy to others who have sent aircraft to Operation Odyssey Dawn – the Danes, Belgians, Italians and Spanish.

Peach will then send the target list to the Ministry of Defence in London, where it is vetted by the chiefs of staff and ministers in the company of lawyers. They will discuss the feasibility of attacking the chosen targets and the potential legal implications against the background of rules of engagement set by the British government.

They choose the type of weapons considered most suitable for each target, and the risk of civilian casualties ("collateral damage" in military speak). The green light (or, occasionally, a red one) will be shown to Northwood, who will pass it back to Locklear.

The crew of a Tornado aborted an attack on Sunday night when it was close to its target after civilians, including western journalists, were reported to be in the area. It is unclear who alerted the aircrew.

[Waiting For Everyman]

29. Good article in NYT - detail on NFZ attacks psychologically emboldening ppl in Tripoli

Amid Rubble in Capital From Attacks, Hints of a Changed Atmosphere,
3/22/11 by David Kirkpatrick

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/world/africa/23tripoli.html?ref=africa

[joshcryer]

31. This was predicted by several observers.

[bobbolink]

79. Thank you for rhe article. It will be a long struggle to create a nation, just like it was here in

in the US.

Somehow, I have faith in the LIbyan people, that they will overcome, that they will come together and figure out ways to iron out their differences. I won't be surprised if they do that better than we do.

[joshcryer]

30. Misrata: The day starts with heavy shelling

0521: Saadoun, a resident of Misrata, tells the BBC that there has been a daily pattern to the attacks by government forces. "The day starts with heavy shelling, and artillery fire through the city centre, and the residential areas," he says. "The tanks will then pave the way for snipers to climb on the top of tall buildings in the city centre, and provide a good cover for the artillery, and for the tanks to enter, or to try to enter into the city centre."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

[joshcryer]

32. Libyan government responds to allied air strikes- video (VIDEO):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2011/mar/22/libya-allied-air-strikes-video

[joshcryer]

33. You know, when a spokesman mentions "al-Qaeda" you can tell they know they're full of it.

[joshcryer]

34. Watching BBC and they showed Libyan army guys talking. "No casualties." "None?" "None."

A moment of truth from a Libyan army guy.

[joshcryer]

35. Look at all the people who showed for Gaddafi's speech:

:rofl:

[joshcryer]

48. BTW, this speech was apparently recorded, not live, which is why he didn't get a bomb...

...to his head.

[joshcryer]

36. Romania, Dutch send troops to enforce Libya embargo

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/03/22/uk-libya-romania-idUKTRE72L80T20110322">Romania, Dutch send troops to enforce Libya embargo
(Reuters) - Romania will contribute 207 troops to NATO efforts to enforce an arms embargo on Libya, as requested by the alliance, President Traian Basescu said on Tuesday.

Ambassadors of the 28 NATO states meeting in Brussels on Tuesday decided to activate a plan for alliance warships and aircraft to implement the U.N.-decreed arms embargo on Libya.

The Dutch government later said it would also contribute about 200 soldiers, including six F-16 jet fighters and one mine hunter ship.

"There was a NATO request for a frigate and two officers from the naval forces' general staff," Romania's Basescu said after a meeting of the country's Supreme Defence Council.

[joshcryer]

37. Qatari jets make emergency landing (March 22, didn't see it posted before)

http://www.news24.com/World/News/Qatari-jets-make-emergency-landing-20110322">Qatari jets make emergency landing
Larnaca - Cyprus said on Tuesday it had refused permission to Qatari air force jets to land at Larnaca Airport and only changed tack when they reported they were running out of fuel.

"Cyprus Republic authorities did not give permission , subsequently they asked for permission for an emergency landing due to lack of fuel," said Cyprus government spokesperson Stefanos Stefanou in a written statement.

"Civil Aviation acting under international rules had to give permission for landing and refuelling."

He said three aircraft landed at Larnaca, the main civil airport in Cyprus, two Mirage jet fighters and a C-17 transport plane.

[joshcryer]

38. Syria unrest: 'Five protesters killed' in Deraa

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12827542">Syria unrest: 'Five protesters killed' in Deraa
At least five people have died after security forces fired on protesters outside a mosque in the Syrian city of Deraa, human rights activists say.

Hundreds of people had earlier gathered in the streets outside the Omari mosque to prevent troops from storming it.

Officials have blamed the violence on an "armed gang".

The mosque has been the focus of anti-government demonstrations since Friday. At least 10 people have now been killed in clashes with police and soldiers.

[joshcryer]

39. Sweden is the latest country to freeze assets belonging to Muammar Gaddafi's administration.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-23#update-18746">9:56am Sweden is the latest country to freeze assets belonging to Muammar Gaddafi's administration.

The Scandanavian country has seized 10 billion kronor (US$1.6 billion), it says, but officials say "it's not impossible'' there could be more hidden.

[bobbolink]

80. I thought Sweden had frozen his assets before... I must be terminally confused.

Or I dreamed it.

[joshcryer]

40. One of the US airmen who ejected from his fighter jet thanked by locals

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-23#update-18711">8:15am One of the US airmen who ejected from his fighter jet that crashed in eastern Libya apparently found himself "surrounded by curious locals" who served him juice and thanked his country for bombing Gaddafi's forces, says US military authorities - themselves keen to stave off insinuations about their involvement in the conflict.

[joshcryer]

41. Anti-Gaddafi fighters have found themselves outgunned on the road from Benghazi to Ajdabiya

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-23#update-18706">7:39am Anti-Gaddafi fighters have found themselves outgunned on the road from Benghazi to Ajdabiya. With no communication facilities and little structure to their forces, they are left to run sporadic raids against Gaddafi's troops, before coming under fire and returning.

Al Jazeera's James Bays reports from the front line and comes under fire himself to describe the scene on the road to Ajdabiya.

[joshcryer]

42. Gaddafi "took martyrs from morgue so he can claim that they were killed by coalition attacks"

Video, Tripoli Man: Gaddafi "took martyrs from morgue so he can claim to the media, that they were killed by coalition attacks."

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=164339100288520

[bobbolink]

81. I don't do facebook... is there confirmation of this?

This is VERY important, and if there is reliable confirmation, this needs to be spread far and wide!

Again, thank you!

[joshcryer]

43. Read the eye-witness' account bombardment of Benghazi by Gaddafi forces, on Mar19, here .

http://www.tweetdeck.com/twitter/FreeBenghazi/~aRS3v

[joshcryer]

58. I just discovered this was written by Mo's wife (well, said, in the video chat, and then translated)

[joshcryer]

44. Misrata is suffering, CNN Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNEaFgOj4oU

[joshcryer]

45. 4 Times Journalists Held Captive in Libya Faced Days of Brutality (must read)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/world/africa/23times.html">4 Times Journalists Held Captive in Libya Faced Days of Brutality
As the four of us headed toward the eastern gate of Ajdabiya, the front line of a desperate rebel stand against the advancing forces of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, a car pulled up alongside.

“They’re in the city!” the driver shouted at us. “They’re in the city!” Lynsey and Steve had worried that government soldiers might encircle the town, trapping us, but Tyler and Anthony discounted it. We had covered the fall of two other rebel-held towns — Ras Lanuf and Brega — and each time, the government had bombed and shelled the towns for days before making a frontal, methodical assault.

When they did, rebels and journalists fled in a headlong retreat. If Ajdabiya fell, Colonel Qaddafi’s forces would be on the doorstep of Benghazi, the opposition capital, and perched on a highway to the Egyptian border, from where we had entered Libya without visas.

No one really knows the script for days like these, and neither did we.

[joshcryer]

46. Meanwhile: Four Al Jazeera journalists and crew are still being held in Libya.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-23#update-18686">6:35am AFP reporter Dave Clark (left), photographer Roberto Schmidt (right) and Getty Images photographer Joe Raedle(centre) arrive at the Rixos hotel in Tripoli, after they were released by the Libyan authorities earlier today. Four Al Jazeera journalists and crew are still being held in Libya.

Wanna know why? 'cause Al Jazeera is a puppet of the west.

[joshcryer]

47. Gaddafi's ranting "dustbin" quote in full, so much win:

0901: Here's a the dustbin quote from Col Gaddafi in full: "This assault... is by a bunch of fascists who will end up in the dustbin of history." And some characteristic rhetorical flourish from the end his address: "I do not fear storms that sweep the horizon, nor do I fear the planes that throw black destruction. I am resistant, my house is here in my tent... I am the rightful owner, and the creator of tomorrow. I am here. I am here. I am here."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

[joshcryer]

49. Unarmed revolutionaries fighting a tank in Misrata:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfGM3S8a7qU

[Waiting For Everyman]

53. They need some stingers!

[joshcryer]

50. Tunisia freeze the assets of Gaddafi and his family (translated)

http://www.africanmanager.com/articles/132554.html?pmv_nid=1&sms_ss=twitter&at_xt=4d89afdd2f9eb4dd,0">Tunisia freeze the assets of Gaddafi and his family
Tunisia has just decided to freeze assets of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and his family pursuant to resolutions adopted by the Security Council that the UN has recently passed unanimously a battery of sanctions against the Libyan regime, including measures including freezing assets and blocking the movement of Muammar Gaddafi and his family and friends.

[joshcryer]

51. Clinton On Libya: Gaddafi Is 'Game Playing' But Could Be Looking For Exit Strategy (video)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/22/clinton-libya-gaddafi-exit-strategy_n_839298.html">Clinton On Libya: Gaddafi Is 'Game Playing' But Could Be Looking For Exit Strategy
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking with ABC's Diane Sawyer, said that Gaddafi was engaged in "theater" and "game playing," but that he might be looking for an exit strategy.

After claiming that allies have allegedly been reaching out on Gaddafi's behalf, Clinton acknowledged that a lot of the Libyan leader's actions were "theater." However, she then added that "some of it, we think, is exploring. You know, what are my options, where could I go, what could I do. And we would encourage that."

[joshcryer]

52. Egypt's stock exchange has plunged by about 10% on reopening

0910: Egypt's stock exchange has plunged by about 10% on reopening (see 0744 entry). Analysts expected sharp losses, with investors worried about economic turmoil and investigations into those suspected of ties with the Mubarak regime.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

[joshcryer]

54. A Nato official says the alliance's warships will begin patrolling off Libya on Wednesday

0925: A Nato official says the alliance's warships will begin patrolling off Libya on Wednesday, AP reports. And diplomats say agreement is gradually emerging about how Nato can assume responsibility for enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

[joshcryer]

55. Libya Dispatch: Rebel Twinkies fuel the struggle

http://www.arabist.net/blog/2011/3/22/libya-dispatch-rebel-twinkies-fuel-the-struggle.html">Libya Dispatch: Rebel Twinkies fuel the struggle
Napoleon famously said an army marches on its stomach, and in the case of Libya's rebel forces, that would be tuna sandwiches, fava beans and a lot of junk food.

As Western air strikes are restarting once thoroughly defeated rebel advance, the once weirdly successful aspect of their rag tag forces should be gearing up again -- their food supply lines.

Like everything else about the uprising in eastern Libya seeking to challenge Moammar Gadhafi's four decade hammerlock on power, the fighters' food supply was an ad hoc affair of entreprising individuals and local charities with official sanction that somehow seemed to work -- even when nothing else really did.

Rebel checkpoints always featured cases of bottled water, juice, piles of bread and plenty of junk food such as biscuits and packaged cupcakes that fighters can grab and throw into their pick up truck before taking off for the front.

[joshcryer]

56. Why is it called ‘Operation Odyssey Dawn’?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/why-is-it-called-operation-odyssey-dawn/2011/03/22/ABLaaFDB_blog.html?hpid=z3">Why is it called ‘Operation Odyssey Dawn’?
Significant military operations in Libya are expected to wind down in the coming days, marking the end of “Operation Odyssey Dawn.”

The name assigned to the U.S.-led airstrikes might sound like the title of a rock album, video game or — as some have suggested — the name of a pornographic movie star. But the monicker has no specific meaning and has nothing to do with Libya, Libyans or the country’s leader, Moammar Gaddafi, according to Eric Elliott, a spokesman for U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).

“You have operational names like Desert Storm or Iraqi Freedom that convey a message” and are chosen by the White House or senior Pentagon officials, Elliott said in an interview. “Others, like Operation African Lion, are symbolic of the location. Odyssey Dawn is neither of those.”

The Pentagon permits military commanders to assign two-word nicknames to military exercises or operations by following instructions laid out in a carefully-crafted Defense Department naming policy. The instructions assign each military command with a certain range of words that must be used to select the nickname’s first word.

[joshcryer]

57. Dang, I liked the rumor that it had something to do with Homer's Odyssey.

[pinboy3niner]

77. Here's a better story on it

My username actually is an Army radio callsign I once had--one based on random words and numbers, which my unit had just changed to from the old, static system (my old callsign as 1st plt ldr was Itchy Klick One-Six, 2nd plt ldr was Itchy Klick Two-Six, company commander was Itchy Klick Six-Six, etc.--the words were random, but the numbers gave away the size of the unit and command level).

This story explains how NICKA works and why certain words are avoided:

Libya no fly zone: Operation Gibberish Name Generator

BY Joanna Sloame
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, March 22nd 2011, 11:32 AM

...


The modern naming system - the Code Word, Nickname and Exercise Term Generator dubbed NICKA - was created in 1975.

The Pentagon turned to technology after names selected randomly by commanders, such as Operation Killer during the Korean War and Vietnam's Operation Masher, sparked media firestorms.

...


It's programmed to churn out the two initials of the operation's nickname. Commanders then consult a pre-approved list of about 60 code names to make the final decision.

For the current Libya mission, NICKA gave the U.S. Africa Command several options. The two-word name could begin with an N, with the second starting with an S through a Z.

...



The Pentagon forbids the use of "well-known commercial trademarks," "exotic" or "trite" terms, as well as words that carry "a degree of aggression inconsistent with traditional American ideals or current foreign policy."



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2011/03/22/2011-03-22_libya_no_fly_zone_operation_gibberish_name_generator.html#ixzz1HQJECUVG

[joshcryer]

59. Libya Air War: Pilots Struggle to Avoid Civilian Casualties

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/21/libya-air-war-pilots-civilians_n_838733.html">Libya Air War: Pilots Struggle to Avoid Civilian Casualties
WASHINGTON -- The new phase of the war in Libya, a kind of armed aerial peacekeeping, puts a heavy responsibility on U.S. and allied air crews whose simple-sounding mission -- to protect civilians -- could easily turn deadly and disastrous.

While the military strategy likely seems clear in the White House Situation Room, analysts said, it may be difficult or impossible to execute flawlessly while avoiding unintended consequences.

Amid the chaos in Libya, with armed civilians and ragtag government forces clustering on city street corners or careening down desert roads in civilian SUVs, trying to distinguish Gaddafi hardliners from rebels and armed opposition civilians from refugees can be nightmarishly difficult for a pilot at night, barreling along at 500 knots 20,000 feet over a city with his finger on the trigger.

Pilots have been issued very restrictive rules of engagement and instructed to make "conservative'' decisions, a senior defense official told The Huffington Post. "We just cannot afford to take the chance of striking the kind of people we are there to protect,'' the official said.

[joshcryer]

60. Nato to enforce Libya arms embargo - video

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2011/mar/23/nato-libya-arms-embargo-video

[joshcryer]

61. Al Jazeera‘s report on the battle near Ajdabiya - video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJj1AKa11r8

[joshcryer]

62. This video is awesome, btw. "They are heros to the point of being suicidal." referring to youths.

[joshcryer]

63. they're fucking rebels, there's a revolution, they're just average joes fighting for their life

YouTube comment that was awesome.

[joshcryer]

64. Coalition aircraft have launched two strikes against pro-Gaddafi forces in Misrata

1040: Coalition aircraft have launched two strikes against pro-Gaddafi forces in Misrata, Reuters reports.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

About fucking time, but Misrata will still be cut off for days if not weeks. Sirte stands in the way.

[joshcryer]

65. Snipers, shells terrorise key Libyan city

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/snipers-shells-terrorise-key-libyan-city/story-e6frfku0-1226026967690">Snipers, shells terrorise key Libyan city
MUAMMAR Gaddafi's snipers and tanks are terrorising civilians in the coastal city of Misrata, a resident said, and the US military warned it was "considering all options" in response to dire conditions there that have left people cowering in darkened homes and scrounging for food and rainwater.

President Barack Obama said the US is days away from turning over control of the air assault on Libya to other countries. Just how that will be accomplished remains in dispute: Obama spoke on Tuesday with British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy in hopes of quickly resolving the squabble over the transition.

"When this transition takes place, it is not going to be our planes that are maintaining the no-fly zone. It is not going to be our ships that are necessarily enforcing the arms embargo. That's precisely what the other nations are going to do," the president said at a news conference in El Salvador as he neared the end of a Latin American trip overshadowed by events in Libya.

Gaddafi, meanwhile, made his first public appearance in a week, promising enthusiastic supporters at his residential compound in Tripoli, "In the short term, we'll beat them, in the long term, we'll beat them."

[joshcryer]

66. PBS reports: Libya's Gadhafi Vows to Fight On; U.S. Jet Crashes, but Crew Survives

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/world/jan-june11/libya1_03-22.html

[joshcryer]

67. there was a large death toll in Misurata overnight, with 14 killed and 23 injured

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-23#update-18776">12:18pm Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from Benghazi, says two developments have happened there. Firstly, there was a large death toll in Misurata overnight, with 14 killed and 23 injured - according to anti-Gaddafi fighters. He says they told him that:

Gaddafi's forces now taken over hospital in the town, and have positioned snipers on the roof and tanks outside. The rebels are calling for a hospital ship to be sent in, as they still control the port, and say that would save many lives, as they now have nowhere to take their injured.

More civilian deaths have been reported in Ajdabiya and elsewhere, and they calling on international powers to interpret the UN resolution more widely to support them.

Secondly, the Libyan transitional council has taken the step of calling themselves an "interim government". They had been wary of using the words before, as it would seem to signify a split in the country. "But they remain committed to one Libya," James says. "They want the people of Libya to remain united, just without Gaddafi."

[joshcryer]

68. coalition warplanes just conducted an air strike against Gaddafi forces stationed at Ajdabiya

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-23#update-18796">12:41pm International coalition warplanes just conducted an air strike against Gaddafi forces stationed at the eastern entrance of Ajdabiya, reports Al Jazeera Arabic.

About fucking time, damn. Shelling every 20-30 minutes. INDISCRIMINATE SHELLING. That's a fucking goddamn war crime.

[joshcryer]

69. Further coalition airstrikes target Gaddafi forces in Misurata

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-23#update-18801">12:44pm Further coalition airstrikes target Gaddafi forces in Misurata, a resident tells Reuters.

Artillery and tanks stopped shooting in the city moments later, the agency says.

[joshcryer]

70. They (pro-Gaddafi forces) haven't fired a single artillery round since the air strike.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-23#update-18806">12:50pm "The allied planes bombed twice so far. At 12:45 this morning and then again less than two hours ago," a resident named Saadoun told Reuters by telephone from Misurata.

They (pro-Gaddafi forces) haven't fired a single artillery round since the air strike.

HOW DOES IT FEEL ASSHOLES? I bet people in Misurata feel like they can breath now. Now to round up the snipers in the city.

[joshcryer]

71. Current humanitarian situation in Libya (UN OCHA, re people leaving Libya)

http://ochaonline.un.org/OCHAHome/InFocus/Libya/tabid/7396/language/en-US/Default.aspx

[joshcryer]

72. Limited American Role Encourages Gaddafi

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=42430">Limited American Role Encourages Gaddafi
President Barack Obama’s pre-war comments about the Libyan crisis convinced Muammar al-Gaddafi that he can survive.

Obama’s March 18 White House remarks came fewer than 24 hours after the United Nations Security Council voted to authorize military action—including a no-fly zone over Libya—to prevent the killing of civilians by Gaddafi’s forces.

Then on Saturday, coalition forces launched Operation Odyssey Dawn by raining more than 110 mostly American Tomahawk missiles on Libya??s critical nodes. That opening salvo followed Gaddafi’s declaration of a unilateral cease-fire that proved to be a tactical feign. The dictator called for a cease-fire to buy time to reposition his forces for the assault on Benghazi, the rebel-held eastern city.

But Gaddafi’s announcement was also meant to confuse the war-weary British and French publics that are skeptical about their governments' campaign for U.N.-authorized military action against Libya .

[joshcryer]

73. hoped-for post-Gaddafi government will be "secular and democratic"

1124: Representatives of the rebel's interim council have told a meeting of reporters, intellectuals and sympathisers in Paris that the hoped-for post-Gaddafi government will be "secular and democratic". Mansour Saif Al-Nasr, a representative of the Benghazi-based council, said Libyans "are a moderate people, and the state will not be led by clerics".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

Oh no, those scary brown people could never have a secular state. edit: :sarcasm: :puke:

[joshcryer]

74. airstrikes have reduced the governments advantages and have been a psychological boost to the rebels

1129: The BBC's defence and security correspondent Nick Childs says the air strikes have reduced some of the government's military advantages and have clearly been a psychological boost to the rebels. "However, rebel forces in the east clearly remain badly organised," he says. "There were many military defections to the rebels early on, but they were mainly individuals rather than formed units."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

[joshcryer]

75. reports of air strikes against pro-Gaddafi forces around the city may suggest a new phase of ops

1130: The increasing focus on Misrata has highlighted some of the limitations of a no-fly zone, says our corresponent, namely how to protect civilians in a confused city, rather than in the open desert. "One US commander acknowledged that international forces have been looking at options for Misrata, and reports of air strikes against Libyan government forces around the city may suggest a possible new phase of operations."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

[joshcryer]

76. Day 34 part 2 here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x722527