Obama: ‘We cannot stand idly by’

[faz]

Source: rawstory.com


"Despite the hollow words of his government, he has ignored that opportunity. The attacks on his own people continue," Obama said.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/19/developing-missile-strikes-on-libya-begin/

---

Wow! triviality like that can cause a country to be bombed!



Mr. President, President Lincoln attacked his own people too!

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. "He gassed his own folks!"

[meow mix]

2. +Rec for our President... Unrec for your unsupportive comments

glad the world is more sane than DU

[Arctic Dave]

3. We cannot let that oil idly sit in the ground while they fight each other.

We must liberate it from high taxes.

[RZM]

6. I'm starting to wonder if the anti-interventionists here worship oil more than the oil companies do

Everything's about oil, all the time. This isn't Dune and oil isn't the spice.

[GliderGuider]

8. Gaddafi was counting on our lust for oil to make us turn a blind eye to his atrocities.

For once it didn't work.

I was utterly opposed to intervention in Iraq, but I'm utterly in favour of this one.

[Arctic Dave]

14. I often wonder why our interventions happen to be in oil producing countries.

Strange how other countries are still waiting for our help.

[RZM]

16. I'm not saying oil doesn't matter

It does. But it's not everything, all the time. Some people here seem to think they are winning arguments by just saying the word 'oil.'

The US intervened in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Somalia in the 1990s. None have much oil.

[OnyxCollie]

36. "The US intervened in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Somalia in the 1990s. None have much oil."

Pre-Dubya.

It's a whole new world now, with warrantless eavesdropping and a politicized DoJ.

Imperialist adventures (Happy Eighth Anniversary!) to benefit oil companies are paid for with taxpayer dollars, while the poor go without heat.

All decisions made are to benefit big oil.

[redixdoragon]

44. I'd check to see how the locations relate to the transport of oil

Or other goods and services. Check to see if oil pipelines run through them. Somalia certainly has a history of piracy which interrupts trade.

If energy isn't invovled, money certainly is.

And we can probably relate oil to Dune's spice quite closely. The spice must flow, oil must flow. Spice was the cornerstone of evolution and most importantly TRAVEL in the Dune universe. We need oil for its use as a transportation fuel.

[RZM]

47. LOL good point

Spice was important for travel, particularly with those aliens that used it to bend the universe (i forget their name).

Still, my point is that the world does not necessarily revolve around oil. That being said, oil is extremely important. As we know, WWII was in many ways about oil, but it's not the only factor that impels international action -- and I think that's the point that many people are missing. Other things, such as political ideology, and cultural conflict, are motivating what is going on in Libya. It's partly about oil, but not entirely.

[wordpix]

19. +1000

[Confusious]

33. Bosnia nt

[Arctic Dave]

50. Bosnia was also to close to home and didn't want to spread to Europe

That was one of the reasons for bombing them. It was one of the talking points of the day.

[Imagevision]

39. If Kosovo had Oil? well then of course Clinton would have provided protection...

[meow mix]

57. Excellent point. they are obsessed in a way i havent seen anywhere else.

its sick to watch now that you mention it

[dflprincess]

4. But we can stand idly by as more Americans slide into poverty

and more American children go hungry and homeless.

Well, not really idly because we have wars to pay for and the money that might have helped at home must be used to protect the interests of the oil companies.

[emilyg]

23. You got it.

[IsItJustMe]

26. Yep. We can cut energy assistance for the elderly and nutritional programs for women and infants

and yet when there is a war on, we are there. I know where I would rather have my tax dollars going.

But then again, we are a nation of arm chair warriors. Since WWI over 60 million people have died in wars and the United States has been involved in most of them.

That does not make me proud.

[Stumbler]

37. True.

Although, I don't think we're standing idly by. We've spent over a decade working hard to push those Americans into poverty. How else are we gonna staff our military?

[plumbob]

42. Yep, and bankrupt the schools, and destroy pensions and steal the

SS trust fund.

Hard work getting all that done!

Whew!

I was against the war in Iraq and still am.
I was against the war in Afghanistan and still am.
I am against this war.

Just want to make sure that nobody accuses me of waffling or not taking a stand.

I've been taking them for a while now.

I am for the American people, young and old. I want healthcare, jobs, housing, and education for them all. That's all.

[Jamastiene]

45. Exactly.

There is never enough money to run the country, but there is ALWAYS more than enough money for war.

[area51]

49. +1

This is insanity; we have 100,000 people dying in the U.S. per year due to lack of health care, 30½% unemployment, our infrastructure is crumbling, and we're in the 2nd Great Depression. We're not the world's rent-a-cop anymore. People are dying here, we've got to stop the slaughter here first!

[GliderGuider]

5. Lincoln did not turn Shilkas on women and children, or execute his own generals by flame-thrower.

Your apologetics for this subhuman piece of filth are to no avail.

Unrec.

[faz]

15. How many Americans died in Civil War?

Go read some history

[GliderGuider]

18. I've been on the side of the rebels since day one.

They have been calling for a no-fly zone continuously since the beginning. The UN, Obama and the Europeans are doing the right things for the right reasons this time.

[IsItJustMe]

28. Who makes up these so called "rebels". I have heard that one segment of them are made up of

Al-Qaeda. Yes, the same SOB's that bombed the World Trade Centers. Be carefull of who you support with these folks, because it might very well come back to bite you in the a@@.

[wordpix]

31. no one knows who they are. Even Hilary doesn't know

[wordpix]

32. no one's apologizing for Ghadaffi - but OIL is rearing its ugly head---and where are your links?

[GliderGuider]

40. Links

http://theglobalherald.com/video-libyan-air-force-officers-burned-to-death/11653/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2011_Libyan_uprising
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=libya+protester+killed

[TheLastMohican]

53. No, general Sherman just plowed through that

southern land leaving nothing behind and lots of people just starved to death. I don't see much difference.

[KurtNYC]

7. WOW- Obama is really going after Walker with this! Finally!

.
.
.
oh wait... never mind

[Angry Dragon]

9. ...............

:hide:

[snappyturtle]

10. Take heart faz and read the comments on Raw Story following the

article. Others should do the same...just sayin'

[faz]

12. I know I know

DU today compares to the others it looks more and more like a conservative site.

[wordpix]

11. looks like it's all about OIL again. Read these articles:

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9M2AD7O0.htm

The Associated Press March 19, 2011, 8:50AM ET

Libya oil chief says country still honoring deals

TRIPOLI, Libya

The head of Libya's national oil company says the country is honoring all its commitments and trying to recover from a huge drop in production due to a rebel uprising against ruler Moammar Gadhafi.

Shukri Ghanim told a press conference in Tripoli Saturday that production had dropped because foreign experts had left oil fields, which were then looted.

He said most of the oil fields had been "restored," but asked foreign companies to send their laborers back to Libya. Thousands fled the country following the outbreak of the uprising last month.

Gadhafi has violently repressed all signs of dissent and sent forces to capture rebel-held towns and oil fields. Regime forces were striking the rebel stronghold of Benghazi Saturday.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/oil-companies-turn-off-taps-in-libya/article1933139/

Oil companies turn off taps in Libya

SHAWN McCARTHY — GLOBAL ENERGY REPORTER

Published Monday, Mar. 07, 2011 7:26PM EST
Last updated Monday, Mar. 14, 2011 6:43PM EDT

Global energy markets are facing the lengthy shutdown of Libya’s oil exports as international companies retreat under the weight of sanctions and political chaos.

The violence in Libya comes amid escalating concerns about the political turmoil spreading to the oil-rich Persian Gulf region.

Crude prices climbed further Monday as forces loyal to PresidentMoammar Gadhafi attacked rebel positions at the Ras Lanouf oil port, and companies such as Morgan Stanley, Exxon Mobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips Co. have halted trading with the country.

As much as two-thirds of Libya’s 1.6-million-barrel-a-day capacity had already been shut down, and analysts said it will be difficult to maintain any export capacity as political and security conditions deteriorate.

“You have an uncertain physical capacity because even you if can export 750,000 barrels today, the situation remains so chaotic that you’re not really sure what you’re going to get tomorrow,” said David Kirsch, an analyst with PFC Energy, a Washington-based political risk firm. snip

:puke:

Summary, putting this together: the uprising in Libya caused laborers and experts to leave the oil fields, and production plummeted. Corporations mentioned above have supplies disrupted and are losing oil money. They want this uprising ended to get back to business and have called in the cops to get rid of Ghaddafi. Obama says we won't be the only cop on this beat so they get the UN to agree to be the collective cops but the US will lead the way. Another oil war, again.

[Poll_Blind]

13. +1

Read those both, thanks!

PB

[wordpix]

17. AND we didn't rush in to defend the Darfour people getting slaughtered, did we?

I guess they don't have oil

[Poll_Blind]

22. No of course not and just like Bahrain or Yemen, all you have to do is pose the...

...question as to why there's a disparity to be greeted with a billion bullshit answers about why the disparity isn't one at all.

But, no, they don't have oil. And it is so difficult to push back the reality of the simple economic motivation that most will just let your hypothetical questioning thread drop rather than keep it afloat with their feeble explanations- if they don't just call you a Gaddafi supporter.

PB

[SpartanDem]

29. Sudan is loaded with oil

[SpartanDem]

27. And Gaddafi was crushing that uprising

it'd been quicker to let him off the rebels and go back to business as usual. Try using logic next time

[wordpix]

30. that is a good point BUT you don't know who's IN with the oil corps. and apparently,

Gaddafi is OUT. Just like Saddam was.

[SpartanDem]

34. What's to gain at this point

unlike Iraq western oil corps are already in Libya. If I'm a CEO my attutide is the devil you know it better than the one you don't the rebels are an unknow quanity. This conflict will now drag on for months shutting down production and if the fields get torched like they did in the first Gulf War that's billions down the drain. And the effort could fail and you end up with this stalemate. I make no illusion about what the oil corps would do for a profit, but by my calculation there is a lot to lose and little to gain.

[bowens43]

20. ‘We cannot stand idly by’

We have to kill, kill, Kill kill,KILLLLLLLLL


Obama loves playing with soldiers..........

[Zynx]

21. Lincoln was popularly elected and fought against a regime that oppressed a huge number

of its own citizens. Kind of different than what's going on in Libya.

[truthisfreedom]

24. God, I just don't see this ending well. Who's protecting the pipelines?

My thought is, he's got them booby-trapped and can blow them at any time, wrecking his country's ability to deliver oil, polluting the Mediterranean horribly... this is not exactly a contained situation.

[faz]

25. We cannot stand idly by IF that place has OIL!

Otherwise, the hell with it

[Turborama]

46. Self delete

Can't be bothered with obvious SPs.

[ProgressIn2008]

35. Comes off as cynical hypocrisy. Clearly, we can sit aside and do, all the time. nt

[GliderGuider]

41. Not to me.

I'm very clued in to the global oil situation, and IMO this intervention has little to do with oil. The only people really jumpy about Libyan oil have been the pusillanimous Italians under Burlesque-oni, and they were all about keeping Gaddafi in power until the videos began to come out of his forces machine-gunning unarmed protesters with 12.7, 14.5, and 23mm MG and autocannons. Regardless of the oil, this piece of subhuman filth needs to be taken out. The casus belli in this case was not manufactured as it was with Saddam, which makes all the difference. The opposition has been asking for a no-fly zone since Gadaffi began gunning them down. Now it's in place, and we'll see what happens.

I support the Libyan opposition, and I support the UN, Obama and the Europeans in this action.

[Nossida]

38. How about

Defending the Human Rights of the people of Bahrain,
from those Saudi's you sent in to Kill them.

This selective morality is disgusting. Oil always more important.

no Good will come from this farce.

[teabaghater]

43. WTF Obama?

3 fucking wars and the economy in the shitter? WTF is with this DINOCON?

[Maat]

48. There's no excuse for attacks done under humanitarian cover.

Just like there wasn't any excuse for illegal attacks performed under anti-terrorist cover.

[ixion]

51. blah blah blah

just as much a lying-warmonger-thug-sleaze as his predecessors.

[Catherina]

52. But we can stand idly by for Bahrain, Yemen, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, Palestine,

"Bahrain, Yemen, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, Palestine, Afghanistan, Honduras, Haiti and any other country where we are already intervening, but on the wrong side."
Heck in Yemen's case, we'll even do the bombing for them and have a good laugh over it "We'll continue saying the bombs are ours, not yours,"

I disagree with your use of the word triviality but the West's hypocrisy is breathtaking and your main point stands. Chris Floyd rightfully pointed out that

"Gadafy is doing exactly what the United States government would do if an armed faction took over whole swathes of its territory -- respond with furious, murderous force --"

Yes sir, the hypocrisy is breathtaking.

The West’s noble mission: stop worrying and love US power
MICHAEL BRULL

When asking what should the West do, it seems to skirt over what it can and ought to do. A no-fly zone in Libya is a drastic step, with dubious popular support at best, and little evidence has been presented that it would help anyone in Libya. On the other hand, there are places where we could more easily impose a no-fly zone. For example, Hamid Karzai has been begging us to stop bombing Afghanistan for years. We could impose a no-fly zone by ending our bombardment, which would also stop us from killing more civilians.

We could also stop bombing Yemen, which WikiLeaks reveals we’d been doing, and lying about. We could end the drone attacks on Pakistan. WikiLeaks shows that president Zardari thinks “Collateral damage worries you Americans. It doesn’t worry me”. Plainly, it doesn’t worry us either. Over a thousand people have been killed, primarily civilians. Yet again, in this case, the evil isn’t so bad that the West is called upon to intervene. The reason is straightforward: intervening would mean stopping our crimes, and it is considered far more morally courageous in the West to call for an end to their crimes. ....

The point of all this: we in the West should not be wringing our hands over what to do. There is plenty of good we can do. We could withdraw support for dictatorships in the Middle East, end support for repression in Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, end our occupation of Afghanistan, stop drone attacks in Pakistan, and withdraw military support from Israel, which is used to brutalise and oppress the Palestinians.

...

Just be sure to avert your gaze from Bahrain, Yemen, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, Palestine, Afghanistan, Honduras, Haiti and any other country where we are already intervening, but on the wrong side.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/45190.html

[bvar22]

54. More False Choices and Binary thinking (SPIN) from Obama.

Either Start raining down BOMBS,
or we are "standing idly by".

BULLSHIT.
There is a vast range of options.

Obama does that False Choice thing a lot.

[TBF]

55. "‘We cannot stand idly by - when oil is involved"

fixed it for you.

[mmonk]

56. Like Rwanda and Darfur.

[Le Taz Hot]

58. Somebody's probably already said this but,

"Despite the hollow words of his government, he has ignored that opportunity. The attacks on his own people continue," could be said by us about Obama.

Can't find money for Head Start but we can always find money for devices to kill people. People who HATE US I might add.

[teabaghater]

59. "IF", if, Obama

was genuine at the beginning(campaign) they(Cheney Inc.) sure got to him fast. Kind of like Clinton, no matter how many knives there were in his back he still wanted to be "bi-partisan". Why? Obama is the most hated president by repukes ever, more than Clinton. And still he does their bidding? Why not step into Palestine then? Those people are truly being oppressed. Shoved RTF off their land. Lots of UN resolutions on Israel, no action.