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July 17, 2002
Enough with the Belly lyrics already
So, there was a Plastic discussion about Libya and Qadaffi a couple weeks back, and another discussion just a few days ago about Qadaffi's security detail, role in creating the African Union and work paying off debts of other African nations.
Unsurprisingly, most of the comments start with the principle that Qadaffi and Libya are Bad and Evil. Because, y'know, Reagan said so, so it must be true.
Don't talk to me about supporting terrorism, there's more than enough blame to go around for that.
Interestingly, no one (that I noticed, correct me if I'm wrong) mentions a minor, insignificant detail:
After the 1986 discotheque bombing in West Berlin, the United States bombed Libya, killing three dozen civilians, including a girl who Qaddafi said was his adopted daughter, and wounding at least two of the Libyan leader's sons.
From Terrorism: Q & A | Libya. The cute code-name for our response was "Operation El Dorado Canyon".
Here's the official, state of Nevada description of El Dorado Canyon:
Toward the Colorado River from this point runs El Dorado Canyon where occurred one of the biggest mining booms in Nevada history. Gold and silver were discovered here about 1859, and soon rich mines were developed. In the 1860's the canyon was bursting with a rowdy population of nearly 500 men, many of these said to be deserters from the Civil War.
The river was navigable at the time, making it possible to bring in food and supplies by boat.
Notorious for its feuds and shootings, the canyon was equally well known for its three largest mines, The Techatticup, Wall Street and Savage, which yielded $5,000,000 during 40 years of operations.
Determining what's up with the Spanish name, and if there were any wild animals like coyotes or Indians that had to be removed from the area, is left as an exercise for the student.
You'll be happy to know that those responsible for the Berlin bombing were finally convicted in November, 2001, according to CNN.com:
A Libyan diplomat and two Palestinians were convicted of aiding in murder, while one of the Palestinians' former German wife was convicted of murder. They were given sentences of 12 to 14 years in prison.
The bombing was blamed by the U.S. on Libya and retaliatory airstrikes were launched against the country.
The court said all four defendants plotted the attack, but it found only Verena Channa, a 42-year-old German, guilty of murder. She was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
The story also notes:
But the presiding judge Peter Marhofer said he could not clear up whether Gadhafi or Libyan intelligence had actually ordered the attack, though there were "indications" they had.
He said the matter could not be cleared up -- though it might have been if German and U.S. intelligence been more forthcoming with testimony.
You may be wondering how we could bomb someone based on evidence that doesn't stand up in a court of law.
You might also think that most countries would have the common decency to remember killing or injuring the children of another country's leader.
Know what your problem is? You're Unamerican.
Posted by Aaron at July 17, 2002 08:07 AM
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