Thoughts on Libya

I heard Dennis Kucinich call for the impeachment of the President for authorizing US participation in the military operation in Libya, while John McCain -- President Obama's opponent in the 2008 elections is calling for a more robust engagement (I'm assuming that's boots on the ground).  That's quite a wide divergence of opinion.  My friends and colleagues are of various minds on this issue as well.  I would guess that as usual I will fall somewhere in between.

Like many of the World's people I have been watching closely the events unfolding in a region stretching from Tunisia to Iran.  We are seeing popular uprisings, people taking their lives into their own hands, refusing to simply follow the dictates of the powers that be.  I've found it interesting that many here in America are dismissive of these aspirations, suggesting that Arabs and Muslims aren't capable of democracy -- but were we ready for it in 1776?  Some will say that we're already involved in two other wars, why enter a third?   Personally, I wouldn't call this entering a war.  We're participating in an action protecting people seeking to determine their own future.  Yes, that might seem like splitting hairs, but I think the hairs need splitting at this point. 

Whether you agree with the actions taken by Western Governments as authorized by the UN and called for by the Arab League, I would hope that you would sympathize and even empathize with the people of Libya, who have lived under the iron fist of a megalomaniac for decades.  Libya has lots of money, but it has gone to the few and not the many.  We are seeing this unfold in Yemen and Bahrain as well.  The times are changing and we must get ready for what comes next.  It may be messy, but that is the way of revolutionary moments.  It was true for this country, and the concerns that led to revolution in America were not nearly as dire as those experienced in these countries today. 

Do I have a word from the Lord on this?  No, I just have my own gut sense that we are at a tipping point in history and it would be good if we all got on the right side of history!

Comments

Brian said…
I'm cautiously hopeful about the international coalition actions taking place in Libya. This is about the closest to an international police force that I can think of. I'm proud that President Obama took his time and appears to hate this war. Again, I'm cautiously hopeful.

You are right. History is in an interesting period. I think future generations will be talking about the stuff that is soon to come. [Somebody stop me. I'm starting to sound like Jack Van Impe!] The actions of workers in Wisconsin show that the spirit of revolution is in the atmosphere all around the globe. I'm cautiously hopeful.
David said…
Jack Van Impe? I love that guy, and his wife Rexella Awesome!

I wish we wouldn't shoot the people who rescue our downed pilots. That gives an example of how our military values the people there.

You're right, if they didn't have what we want, they wouldn't get the time of day from the US.

I emphasize with them. They're helpless to stop their governments violence, just as we are.
Brian said…
David - Just for laughs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox5Y9q6zBho
David said…
Thanks Brian. It made me shudder.

They're so, so, Charismatic. Right Bob?
Robert Cornwall said…
Brian thanks for the link.

David, well that's one kind of Charismatic!

I remember hearing back in the 70s that everything was in place. Remember bar codes? Soon we would have bar codes on our foreheads and hands so that the Anti-Christ could keep track of us.

But in every generation someone has read these same texts and tried to figure it all out. William Miller created quite a stir in the 1840s, but Jesus didn't come back on the assigned date in 1844 and it all fell apart.

These prophecy hounds they're pretty funny! They think they've got it all figured out.

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