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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 23-Feb-2011
23-Feb-11 News -- Libya's Muammar Gaddafi gives a psychopathic speech to his people

Web Log - February, 2011

23-Feb-11 News -- Libya's Muammar Gaddafi gives a psychopathic speech to his people

Germany's Merkel calls the speech 'very, very frightening'

Libya's Muammar Gaddafi gives a psychopathic speech to his people

It's fashionable these days for anyone to compare his political enemies to Hitler. But as I watched Libya's Muammar Gaddafi give his 75 minute speech on Tuesday on Al-Jazeera, all I could think was that Hitler had been resurrected. Gaddafi is truly a psychopath, and feels no guilt for the atrocities that he's launched against his own people.

Muammar Gaddafi on Tuesday

Muammar Gaddafi on Tuesday

I assume that comparison also crossed the mind of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom Reuters quotes as saying, "The news we've had from Libya yesterday and today is worrying and the speech by Colonel Gaddafi this afternoon was very, very frightening, especially because he virtually declared war on his own people."

Gaddafi spent half an hour bragging about his exploits. He had created Libya. He had fought in this battle or that battle. He had killed this and that enemy. He had brought safety, security and propserity to the Libyan people. So why aren't you people grateful? We are still building Libya. Why are young people burning it down? If young people don't follow me, then who will they follow? Someone with a beard?

He blamed the media, he blamed the Islamists. He said that he would never surrender. He said that drugged young people are acting against the constitution, threatening the military, threatening the country -- when they're caught, they will be begging for mercy, "and we will not be merciful." He said that he's leader of the revolution, and he'll always be leader of the revolution, and he'll die a martyr.

He was very bitter about the sycophants who used to kiss his hand, but have now turned against him. He was bitter and threatening.

Libya, showing the three historic divisions: Tripolitania, Fezzan and Cyrenaica

Libya, showing the three historic divisions: Tripolitania, Fezzan and Cyrenaica

Here are some more quotes from the Al-Jazeera live blog.

"Muammar Gaddafi is not the president, he is the leader of the revolution. He has nothing to lose. Revolution means sacrifice until the very end of your life
We challenge America with its mighty power, we challenge even the superpower
Muammar Gaddafi is not a normal person that you can poison.. or lead a revolution against
I will fight until the last drop of blood with the people behind me
I haven't even started giving the orders to use bullets - any use of force against authority of state will be sentenced to death
They are just imitating Egypt and Tunisia
Protesters want to turn Libya into an Islamic state
If you love Muammar Gaddafi you will go out and secure Libya's streets"

Here's one more quote from the speech, where he referred to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre by the Chinese: "People in front of tanks were crushed. The unity of China was more important than those people in Tiananmen Square. ... When Tiananmen Square happened, tanks were sent in to deal with them. It's not a joke. I will do whatever it takes to make sure part of the country isn't taken away."

This is the first time, as far as I can recall, that I've ever heard anyone, even the Chinese, speak of the Tiananmen Square massacre in a positive, approving manner.

I wish I could convey in words the screaming, ranting man that I saw. This is a guy who is capable of anything, without remorse. He's already using outside mercenaries to kill protesters, since he can't count on his own police to kill their fellow Libyans. Some commentators said that they feared that he might turn to poison gas to stop the protesters. The best thing that can happen is for someone close to him to put a bullet in his head.

Besides Hitler, Gaddafi also reminds me of Saddam Hussein. When Iraq annexed Kuwait in 1990, President Bush warned him months in advance that an invasion is coming. Up until the last day, Saddam could have stopped the 1991 Iraq war by retreating from Kuwait, but he refused to do so.

During the Clinton administration, Saddam was constantly blocking the U.N. from conducting WMD inspections, with the result that the Clinton administration was bombing Iraq on almost a daily basis. This eventually led to the ground invasion of Iraq in 2003. Once again, Saddam could have stopped the invasion instantly, by fully permitting inspections.

Even when he was captured and put on trial, there were news stories indicating that he was convinced that the people would save him.

Like Gaddafi and Hitler, Saddam never felt any remorse for the atrocities that he committed.

By the way, Gaddafi's name is spelled in many different ways in different media: Gaddafi, Kadafi, Qaddafi, Khadafi, and so forth. For now, I'm using the spelling that al-Jazeera uses.

Al-Jazeera's anchors and commentators were very critical and contemptuous of the United States for not intervening militarily to stop the Libya massacre. I guess they temporarily forgot how critical and contemptuous of the United States they've been for intervening militarily in Iraq and Afghanistan.

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 23-Feb-11 News -- Libya's Muammar Gaddafi gives a psychopathic speech to his people thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (23-Feb-2011) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 23-Feb-2011 23-Feb-11 News -- Libya's Muammar Gaddafi gives a psychopathic speech to his people

Libya's Muammar Gaddafi gives a psychopathic speech to his people

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 23-Feb-2011
23-Feb-11 News -- Libya's Muammar Gaddafi gives a psychopathic speech to his people