All right, this does it! I now support our action in Libya.

[Brigid]

We must help NATO in every way we can, within the laws of our country and the treaties we have signed, to remove Ghaddfi from power. This says it all:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/26/libya.beaten.woman/index.html?hpt=T2

[PeaceNikki]

1. wow

:(

[NightWatcher]

2. one woman raped and you're ready to enter into war?

were no women raped in Darfur, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, China......?

[Brigid]

3. Of course there were.

But obviously it is impossible to go to war against every repressive regime on the planet. But we are a member of NATO, and as such we should support NATO's efforts in Libya. I had been undecided before. But this was the last straw.

[spanone]

10. bet there were more than 1

[HEyHEY]

4. Welcome to the enlightened side

[Tx4obama]

5. When Gaddafi had 8,000+ protesters killed, that didn't move you over the line?

If you didn't know that there have been other women raped and killed in Misarata, Benghanzi, etc. before the No Fly Zone then you've probably not been paying close enough attention.

[Brigid]

6. Now I know how Obama so often feels.

Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

[Xicano]

7. Remember this?

If this is legit then of course its a terrible crime. However, before I make a decision to support the use of military force I need to know this isn't just another version of something like this video link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmfVs3WaE9Y#t=2m0s

[Brigid]

8. Ask the CNN crew which had its camera smashed . . .

if they think this recent incident was faked.

[Xicano]

11. I am only saying

Who is this lady? Where did she come from? As I have said, if this lady was assaulted, then, yes it is terrible. But we have no more details then this unknown women approaching these cameras and launching the accusations that she is. Again, it may very well be 100% true. But sorry if I need more verification. This is what happens when we have a government and news media who have a history of lying and committing stagecraft to manipulate public opinion.

[spanone]

9. nbc showed this story..ghaddfi's men took her off in a car

it was horrific...the car sped off with her between two men.....fuck ghaddfi

[cali]

12. Do you know how many women have been raped in the Congo?

yes, it's awful. I'm still opposed to the military action in Libya.

[Forkboy]

13. While this may indeed be a true story, I can't help but be reminded of this.

Wikileaks: CIA recommends France use Afghan women's rights to boost war

http://www.rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/derrick/2010/04/wikileaks-cia-recommends-france-use-afghan-womens-rights-boost-war

[Xicano]

14. Exactly

This lady in the news today might be a true story and if indeed it is, yes its terrible. However, there's been waaaay too many times where incidences similar to this ended up being stagecraft to manipulate people's support.

Sorry to have to say it, but, because of stories like Forkboy posted we have to be careful before we commit the use of military force which will unavoidably end up killing a lot of innocent people.

[Forkboy]

15. Many people, even here on DU, took this bait hook, line and sinker.

I'm very wary of the same tactic, and I hope others are as well. By no means do I wish to cast doubt on the OP's genuine concern for women, but this is an aspect we need to be aware of. The Left is an easy target for compassion based propaganda. I don't know if this is a case of that or not, but I can't help but think of this story, and the ones about babies and incubators during the first Gulf War. It sucks, because this may very well be a true story, but I can't get behind it fully because of our own government's actions.

[Obamanaut]

16. Then by all means, find some way to get to a recruiting office to join up. If

not eligible, find one of your relatives who is. Otherwise, there are too many of our husbands, wives, parents, children, siblings going to various wars in multiple countries for anyone to support yet another one - from afar.

[Ramulux]

17. You are pretty easily swayed

If we are gonna invade every country with a disgusting corrupt military we are never not gonna be at war.

[Brigid]

18. I don't see this as manipulation.

Do you see the Obama administration trumpeting this incident the way the Bush administration trumpeted the "babies in incubators" story? Do you see Obamsa practically jumping up and down with glee at the prospect of war, as I so often had the impression Bush was doing? Is Obama going into this without thinking, and without international support? Do you see the kind of "bring 'em on" bravado we saw out of Bush and company? Does he have personal unfinished business with Ghadaffi, as Bush did with Saddam? No, on all counts. If that were not so, I would be more suspicious. Let others decide for themselves; that's fine. But I'm with Obama on this one. Yes, we've been burned before. But this isn't the Bush administratkion.

[LynneSin]

19. Seriously, I'm giving it a month then we need out of there

Quick and simple, just like Kosovo. We don't have the manpower for another long-drawn war and technically we aren't the leaders of this one (I think it's France and the UN).

after that I will get pissed. I will understand if we have troops that might help with the clean up, get food to the towns but that's about it.

[Brigid]

20. Our role must be limited, of course.

And that is what Obama wants.

[LynneSin]

21. If he stays with that then I think we did good. If not it could be my breaking point

I mean I will always vote democrat no matter what but I would find it alot harder to campaign for him if he drug us into another long-term war.

One thing I have learned from my 40+ years on this earth is that sometimes war is a necessary evil. But when a country recognizes that force must be used I would hope for the following:

1. Enough co-operation from the majority of the world including UN Support.
2. Fair participation from most of the major allies
3. A fricking strategy of how to fix the mess as soon as possible
4. A damn exit strategy including a 'Plan B' should the war not work - get our troops out and go with the sanctions.

[doc03]

22. I am not condoning it but didn't we see the same thing

in the run up to Bosnia, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan?

[Iterate]

23. So many times a more personal connection is the last straw.

That's not to say that it's the sole justification, or that a whole host of ideas don't get integrated into an opinion.

For me it was his treatment of this group:
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/110311/prison-massacre-2-years-ago-sparked-current-uprising-libya

Somehow, they reminded me of people I have known. Even then it was just a puzzle, because hitting a small group like that so hard is a sign of weakness, not strength. And someone that weak with that kind of a military is a danger to everyone. Even then though, there was no intervention to support and no thought that Libyans would revolt so universally, no thought that he could or couldn't be thrown him out.

Now I wonder if that what you are describing is akin to what Libyan people have felt. He had been intolerable for thirty years, but them there comes that last straw.

[Brigid]

24. Thank you.

This is exactly what the term "last straw" is for. I was so unnerved after seeing that video, I hardly knew how to say it.