Neocolonialists Begin Bombing Africa

Former colonial power France has begun the assault on the north African nation of Libya today, sending its jets to attack government tanks approaching the dissident city of Benghazi. As of this writing it's being reported that American ships have launched a cruise missile attack against the country as well. American Secretary of State Clinton, an early supporter the American war in Iraq, attended a meeting of neocolonialists and Arab League stooges in France today to coordinate its assault on Libya. The French military attacks started before that meeting had resolved anything, annoying some of the diplomats in attendance since it clearly illustrated that some of them are there just for show.

Meanwhile, President Obama, after delivering a disgusting speech straight out of George Bush's mouth, flew off to South America. Obama says with utter neocolonial arrogance that yet another so-called international coalition of the willing (hello Iraq! hello Afghanistan!) is taking military action to "protect innocent civilians within Libya, and holding the Qaddafi regime accountable." Silence on (American ally) Yemen, where the government just assassinated forty protesters. Silence on (American ally) Bahrain where the government called in Saudi Arabian troops to stand behind it as it crushed a democracy movement, silence on Gaza, blockaded by (American ally) Israel and still recovering from the Israeli attack that killed an estimated 300 Palestinian children. Apparently the only time Obama opposed war was at the beginning of the war against Iraq, now a very long time ago. Since then he hasn't found a war he didn't love. Obama says there will be no ground troops, which will be cold comfort to any Libyans killed by remote-control button-pushers in their comfy chairs in the warrooms of the high-tech military death machine based here at home.

France was the colonial occupier of the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya between the time Italian fascist colonialists were defeated during the Second World War and the full independence of Libya in 1951. The US maintained an airbase in Libya that was closed by Qaddafi shortly after he came to power in 1969.

Moammar al-Qaddafi may be a dictator trying to protect his own power but he is absolutely 100% right when he says: “Libya is not yours. Libya is for all Libyans. This is injustice, it is clear aggression, and it is uncalculated risk for its consequences on the Mediterranean and Europe. You will regret it if you take a step toward intervening in our internal affairs.”

Let's close with a quote from Obama's speech. You tell me whether the appropriate response is laughter or tears: "This is just one more chapter in the change that is unfolding across the Middle East and North Africa. From the beginning of these protests, we have made it clear that we are opposed to violence. We have made clear our support for a set of universal values, and our support for the political and economic change that the people of the region deserve. But I want to be clear: the change in the region will not and cannot be imposed by the United States or any foreign power; ultimately, it will be driven by the people of the Arab World. It is their right and their responsibility to determine their own destiny." These are cruise missiles and fighter jets of love, people.

The war against Iraq was wrong and so is this one.