One of the more interesting aspects of the Libyan situation over the last few days has been the way that several Libyan government officials abroad have spoken out against the actions of the Gaddafi regime. Yesterday Libya's Deputy Ambassador to the UN spoke out.
Today Libya's ambassador to India resigned his post and spoke to AJE, claiming that fighter planes and helicopter gunships have been used against protesters, as staggering as that accusation may be. Remember, please, that this claim is still unsubstantiated at this point in time. None the less, if I may be forgiven for lapsing into the vernacular, Holy Shit, Batman!
Open Salon readers can view the video here.
I wonder how many intelligence services around the world are watching this nervously, knowing that their dirty little secret dealings with Libya over the years may be about to become public knowledge. There has been "something rotten in Denmark" about the Libyan regime for decades. If nothing else, the dealings between the USA and Libya prior to Reagan's attack on Tripoli in the early 1980's would be very interesting reading. If you think that's too far-fetched, reflect for a moment upon the manifest weirdness of the Iran-Contra affair. Remember that the Reagan administration sold weapons to Iran under the table, (while loudly proclaiming in public that Iran was the devil incarnate), and used the money to finance the Nicaraguan contras.
We live in interesting times, my friends, interesting times indeed. And these times are so "interesting" in large part because of crimes that were committed 30 years ago and never punished. Precedent is the relevant concept, precedent which is set when a government official commits a gross violation of law and escapes with his/her head intact. We allowed the rot to begin with Watergate, when Nixon got away not only with criminal actions, but with gross manipulation of the rules of succession. Not only was Nixon never punished, but in years after he was retroactively exonerated and allowed to assume the role of Elder Statesman that so often devolves upon former presidents, no matter how criminal, (or criminally incompetent), they may have been while in office.
Now stop and think about the precedent we have set by allowing Bush and Cheney to escape prosecution for their many and manifest war crimes. Stop and think what that may lead to, 37 years down the line.
If our nation survives that long.
If our species survives that long.
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