About those flowers.............

[bobbolink]

17:03 More on that pro-coalition rally in Benghazi, from AFP, as thousands of people march through the streets, gathering in the city's central square.

Men, women and children filled the streets of the rebel stronghold, carrying the red, green and black rebel flag and chanting "The people want the no-fly zone", the news agency reports. The march interrupted the unusual quiet that persists in the city, where most shops remain closed and fairly few people can be seen in the streets during the day.

Many demonstrators carried French flags and signs in French thanking President Nicolas Sarkozy for his efforts to secure a United Nations Security Council resolution authorising the no-fly zone and strikes on government forces.

"One, two, three, merci Sarkozy," protesters chanted as they walked towards the courthouse square that has become the gathering place for demonstrators in the coastal city.

18.37 The current EU president has claimed western air strikes have prevented a refugee crisis which could have seen Egypt flooded with hundreds of thousands of Libyan citizens. Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi said:

Had there been no air strikes... most probably now the number of refugees at the Egyptian-Libyan border would not be thousands but most probably hundreds of thousands.

That catastrophe was now avoided... we can safely say that at least this operation saved not only the lives of many, many people but also pre-empted the occurance of such a crisis situation with refugees.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html#

[dionysus]

1. kick

[thewiseguy]

2. I am very happy that they are doing better

[aquart]

3. I keep forgetting the refugees.

Many people refuse to sit still when their government tries to kill them. Or when there's any civil unrest. Italy still has the Tunisians, Tunisia is processing Egyptians running from Libya...it's been a bit busy for humanitarian aid organizations.

[thewiseguy]

4. Uh Oh the Unrecs are coming...

[Godhumor]

6. Let me get it back up to 5 n/t

[bobbolink]

16. Thanks.... and for the other 15. ^_^

[leftstreet]

5. Sarkozy could use that as a campaign photo

He's gotta be pleased

[Waiting For Everyman]

7. I think it's pretty cool that the people turned out to do this, to say thanks.

And thanks to you, bobbolink, for posting and for the pic along with it. Can't help but think though, about the cities that still can't safely go outside and express how they feel. Maybe soon.

I think all of the UN coalition did a good thing in saving this city.

[bobbolink]

17. From all I have been reading by them over the last month, I think this is their nature.

We have so much to learn from them!

[pinboy3niner]

8. K&R

Thousands of people marching in the streets and rallying to thank foreign governments is impressive!

[bobbolink]

9. I would prefer the choklits, myself, but the flowers are nice.

:hi:

Thanks for all you do, pinboy! It was thrilling to see this in your thread today!

:yourock:

[DevonRex]

10. Fantastic! The Libyan people deserve to be helped.

I'm glad we didn't turn our backs on them. KnR

[bobbolink]

11. Their bravery deserves our support!

They had a party for the flier they helped rescue, and they turned out in the thousands to thank the coalition.

These are wonderful people!

Maybe one day some people here will understand that this isn't Iraq.

[DevonRex]

13. That brought me happy tears.

So glad we are doing some good in his world and that the Libyan people had the guts to try to free themselves from dictatorial rule. All people deserve to have a say in their government. Otherwise it's akin to being enslaved.

:hi:

Keep up the good work. It's appreciated.

[bobbolink]

14. My tears are a mish-mash... Happy, frightened, grief-stricken.

And the anger at those who insist that we are just war mongers, and can't see the intense conflict coming to this conclusion has caused us.

None of us know the future, but we can now, thanks to technology, relate with our hearts to people in peril so far away. That is exciting, but it also brings heartbreak and fear and requires that we stretch our understanding beyond where we were comfortable.

Thanks to you, too! We need your voice! :pals:

[Bluerthanblue]

15. +100

None of us do know the future-

I'm glad that there is a future for these people, and hope it is a bright one.

:hi:

[bengalherder]

12. knr n/t

[joshcryer]

18. Benghazi, the al queda stronghold?

:rofl:

[bobbolink]

19. yup....thousands of them, roaming the streets and eating kitties.

:rofl:

[MedleyMisty]

20. I had a thought today

The American state media may be presenting it the way they are because they're terrified of showing us (yes, I know it's a UN action and that the focus is on the French - heard that a Libyan man named his newborn Sarkozy - but our media is US-centric) actually being greeted as liberators under Obama.

I personally don't care who our president is when it comes to my opinion on this - I care about the Libyans. But we can see from other threads here that a lot of people do see it in terms of US politics and US personalities. And if they show it the way it actually is, it might actually make Obama look good - especially compared to Bush.

It came up at dinner - my 16 year old sister-in-law told us that they talked about it in class today. Good thing I wasn't there - I would have been yelling at people. Apparently the topic was whether or not we were at war with Libya. Sigh. And then she said half the class was bored with it and didn't want to talk about it. Whatever, it's just people fighting and dying for freedom, let's watch Glee instead! Grrrrr.

But yeah - I then launched into everything that I've learned, and she was like "Whoa, wish you would have been there, no one in our class knew anything."

I wish people would inform themselves and then form an opinion, as opposed to forming an opinion based on pure ignorance.

[bobbolink]

22. You held your own Teach-In! Great job!

That is so cool.... actually, you know... if she was interested in what you had to say, maybe she could gather some friends together and you COULd do a mini-Teach In! That would be great!

I am with you completely about the president thing. When I called in to Sirota yesterday, he was trying to put me in the category of Obama cheerleader, and I immediately shut him down on that, for exactly the reason you cite.

Then I proceeded to go through what he wasn't even thinking of, and left him rather speechless and gasping for air. ^_^

You go, girl! :applause: :hi:

[Amonester]

27. I wish she learns (or already learned) about Marquis de Lafayette

and her classmates also:

Lafayette, Marquis de (1754-1834)

The American Declaration of Independence inspired Lafayette to buy a ship and sail to America without official permission from France in 1777. In America, he became an unpaid volunteer on George Washington's staff. He participated in the Battle of Brandywine in 1777 and soon became a major general.

While spending the winter in Valley Forge, he became close friends with Washington. He continued to have military commands in 1778, but in 1779 went back to France to advocate the American cause. He returned in 1780 bearing the news to Washington that the Comte de Rochambeau would bring French troops to assist him.

Lafayette next went to Virginia, where he battled Cornwallis until Cornwallis retreated to Yorktown. After Yorktown, Lafayette was the "diplomatic aide-de-camp" to Benjamin Franklin in Paris and continued to voice American interests to the French government. Lafayette had an illustrious and tumultuous political career in France during the French Revolution, the Reign of Terror, Napoleon, and the Restoration Era, throughout which he defended his concept of liberty.

I hope they have a chance to learn more details on who he was, how inexperienced, even 'goofy' he was upon his arrival, who Comte de Rochambeau was and how they teamed together to defeat the oppressors at the time, when the revolutionaries were in dire need of a helping hand (weapons) to battle, and ultimately defeat.... The British Empire (armed to the teeth thugs....)!!

Responsibility To Protect was in its infancy! ;)

[bobbolink]

28. What a wonderful post! All I knew about Lafayette was that was the name of the park where we held

a protest in D.C. :)

Responsibility To Protect was in its infancy!

Wonderful and illustrative story, Clearly, this is something we are going to have to learn about, discuss, and do a lot of growing with.

Thanks again for bringing this to our attention!

:yourock:

[Amonester]

34. How we wish collective memory could never forget! Alas....

History is too often viewed as (albeit, not by everyone, thanks to dedicated scholars) some kind of a burden, or just a dastardly BORING subject, at a time when it should be regarded as an immense 'pool' of knowledge that would help understand most contemporary events.

But the narrow-minded (to say the least) faux-neeeoooz kkkoch-$*ckers are bent on destroying education, instead of improving it using online encyclopedias and yes, physical 3D libraries, of course. Sad and dangerous aren't strong enough words...

Times are tough. But was there ever a period and a place when they were not? The truth is: no. It's just that today, if something tough happens on the opposite side of the earth, there is a big possibility that the whole world will know about it in less than one minute.

This revolt in Libya is rough and tough for many, and nobody can predict exactly what will happen, but more often than not the courageous bravery of a few can inspire and bring up the best in all peace-minded people, even when using violence to defend what is right cannot be completly avoided. Whether we like it or not, life itself is a risky venture.

[bobbolink]

35. The thing about history is that we already know the outcome.

When we are living through history, we don't know what is going to happen.

It is nins and peedles time.

The way history is taught in this country IS boring. I knew someone from another country, and although a chemist by profession, he had a life-long love of history, and kept up with it until the end; because it was TAUGHT interestingly in his country!

With all the machinations in teaching in this country, history will only get worse. :(

"even when using violence to defend what is right cannot be completly avoided."

That has been so painful for me. It has been a day-by-day grappling.

And being called "war monger" has not helped. But then, that was their purpose.

Thanks..... I appreciate the various thoughts you bring up!

[revolutionnow45]

21. Finally, we use our military for good. Finally something we can be proud of.

:applause:

[bobbolink]

23. YES!!

I'mm very sad that it comes to that, but at least it was something we could do!

Now, if we can get food, water and medical supplies to them!

[Iterate]

24. We could not abide the alternative.

Now the comes the tough part -reclaiming and rebuilding their nation, yet they look so happy to begin.

[bobbolink]

25. ABsolutely, it will be tough, Ups and downs for a long time to come,

But they deserve their chance just as much as the 13 colonies did.

AND, the colonies had help from "foreign" sources, also.

Maybe we can pay back some of that.

[readmoreoften]

26. Great. Now let's support the protestors in Bahrain and elsewhere.

Including Gaza.

[TBF]

30. I'm still waiting for them to notice Rwanda and Sudan. nt

[Scurrilous]

29. K & R

:thumbsup:

[bobbolink]

31. Thanks!

There is so much for us to take a new look at.... and its not easy to do so.

[uppityperson]

32. I don't understand the "flowers" reference. Thank you for clarifying anyone. nt

[Scurrilous]

33. Benghazi rally thanks coalition for air strikes

<snip>

"People in Benghazi have held a rally in support of the allied air campaign against Colonel Gaddafi’s forces.

Coalition air strikes are credited with stopping an advance by government forces in its tracks, and giving a huge morale boost to the rebels.

Among the crowds were banners expressing thanks – in English and French – to the countries involved, and plenty of pre-Gaddafi era Libyan flags."

<snip>

"Our correspondent in Benghazi, Mustafa Bağ, said:

"The Gaddafi-controlled Libyan media claimed that the people here didn’t support the no-fly zone. But today they reacted against that, as the gathering here in front of the law courts shows. There are plenty of women in the crowd which totals roughly 15,000."

http://www.euronews.net/2011/03/23/benghazi-rally-thanks-coalition-for-air-strikes/

(video at link)