Sunday, February 20, 2011

Fomenting People Power III

Libya's Day of Rage was on the 17th, where protesters in Benghazi, the second largest city, took to the streets. A reported 24 were killed. 5 days into the protests, over 200 have been killed so far.

Fun Facts

  • It is 1,759,540 square kilometers with a population of only 6.5 million
  • Almost half of the population live on 2 dollars a day
  • More than 95% of Libya is desert. Hello Sahara!
  • The flag is boring. It's just green
  • Libya imports 75% of its food due to its arid dry weather
  • There was only one king, Idris or somebody who was overthrown in 1969 by reigning Crackhead

Fun Facts about Crackhead
  • Claims his name is Muammar Gaddafi
  • He's the longest serving ruler in the world, with 42 years under his festering belt
  • Calls himself the king of kings in Africa
  • Official title is Revolutionary Leader
  • Rambles on inanely in UN meetings
  • Has virgin female bodyguards to protect him
  • Proposed once to resolve the Israeli occupation of Palestine by calling the country Isratin('tin' being the last 3 letters in filastin/Palestine)
Call for reform: Dude, he's been in power for 42 years. Plus the whole economic (30% are unemployed) and political limitations and censorship shtick.

Demure response: Gaddafi and his pro-government supporters shared the love publicly on Friday in Tripoli, as shown by state television. Then security forces were sent to Benghazi to crack down on dissenters, shooting them with snipers. 84 were killed and 1000 more injured. Facebook, Twitter, and Al Jazeera are banned, as are foreign correspondents.



The army is on the side of the protesters now, after witnessing the brutal tactics used by mercenaries from Chad and Niger on the peaceful protesters. Anti-aircraft missiles are one means used to kill them. Women and children jumped off the Giuliana Bridge in Benghazi to escape the murderers. They either drowned or were killed by the impact of water. This is definitely the most violent government response to demonstrators calling for reform. Hospitals were running out of supplies before today saw a change of fate as protesters took charge of military barracks and police stations, liberating the city of Benghazi from troops supporting the government and looking forward to liberating more cities in the direction of Tripoli. Protesters numbered in the hundreds of thousands after a 15 were killed during a funeral procession.

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