Colonel Gaddafi

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by ahi

How unusual! If you ever write about your father/your childhood, you can count on having me as a curious reader.

- Ahi

Nobody would believe my upbringing was anything but 'fiction'. My father's heroes were people like Che Guevera, Fidel Castro, Gadaffi, Mandela, and a whole group of revolutionaries. My father, and also his father before him were rabid anti-american (not the people, the government/imperial state, before anybody gets upset), and I also had a lot of relatives who fought against the fascist Franco during the Spanish Civil War too -- I come from a line of communists/socialists Laying around my house were copies of the communist manifesto, biographies of Castro and battered copies of Solzhenitsyn. This along with my mothers Catholicism made it all very strange, but a good kind of strange

Maybe I'll write about it one day

[ahi]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

Nobody would believe my upbringing was anything but 'fiction'. My father's heroes were people like Che Guevera, Fidel Castro, Gadaffi, Mandela, and a whole group of revolutionaries. My father, and also his father before him were rabid anti-american (not the people, the government/imperial state, before anybody gets upset), and I also had a lot of relatives who fought against the fascist Franco during the Spanish Civil War too -- I come from a line of communists/socialists Laying around my house were copies of the communist manifesto, biographies of Castro and battered copies of Solzhenitsyn. This along with my mothers Catholicism made it all very strange, but a good kind of strange

Maybe I'll write about it one day

I very much hope you will.

It sounds like it would be a remarkable story, and I even think that--with the right approach/title/tone--it might be nicely marketable to a wide enough audience.

- Ahi

[sirbruce]

Gadaffi is an interesting leader, to be sure. At one time, he was easy to caricature, and there's no doubt he did a lot of bad things. But he may not have been as crazy as he seemed; he played that role during the Cold War because he thought it would be to his advantage, but decades of isolation worked on Libya where it didn't work on Cuba, Iran, or North Korea. He finally "saw the light" post 9/11 and is changing his ways, one of the few success stories of the Bush Administration. Plus he's managed to remain in power and relatively popular, no small feat in any third world country.

Still, the US "party line" is still factual, and there's nothing wrong with it except in what it leaves *out*. But any non-Western biography of the man undoubtedly leaves out other things as well. So you need to be widely read if you truly want a complete picture.

Still, there are other, dare I say, more "admirable" dictators that are worth reading about than Gadaffi.

[desertgrandma]

DixieGal, I am so sorry I wasn't here to back you up........thats what I get for going shopping.

Originally Posted by ahi

Anybody can recommend me some good books on Colonel Gaddafi? Written by somebody not slavishly devoted to the US party line, ideally.



- Ahi

Originally Posted by ahi

As Zelda said.

It is my personal view that North American media (the largest television news sources and the largest newspapers) on certain subjects frighteningly approaches in quality that of the former Soviet Union.
- Ahi

What are you reading?

Originally Posted by ahi

Forgive my saying so, but this is just a slightly less inarticulate way of saying, "No, I have no useful knowledge on this subject whatsoever." than DesertGrandma's own posts.

- Ahi

No disprespect meant there, of course.

Originally Posted by Sparrow

I think he's an interesting character; and he's ruled Libya through an interesting period of world history.

The truth probably lies somewhere in the spectrum between the various stereotypes - it usually does.

Hitler was an "interesting " character, and ruled HIS country thru an interesting period of world history. Papa Doc was an "interesting" character. Need more names?

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

hey, hey, hey. let's all calm down a bit, okay ? dg and DG, please, there is no need to interpret someone's interest in a historical figure who has, regardless of your political alliances, indiscutably played a major role in world politics, as any form of disrespect or aggression. there's no reason to get overheated. i am sure ahi is not trying to insult anyone ; i don't think it's necessary to take his reading matter to heart.

Ahi has shown a complete disregard and lack of respect for my country starting with her/his first post. People need to keep their personal opinions of other countries out of this board.

Originally Posted by ahi

Very right.

Although I would add, that I have been insulted several times in this thread already and, despite it, have remained fairly civil.

- Ahi

Are you kidding me?? The fact that you've managed to insult my country repeatedly, without foaming at the mouth does does not constitute civility.

Originally Posted by ahi

Ah! The delight of never having one's preconceptions challenged by the same person more than once.

Crap is crap regardelss of how many times its spewed.

Originally Posted by DixieGal

That doesn't excuse what he said about the US, dg, and me. I'm flabbergasted that someone who cites wikipedia as a source would dare to call me ignorant. And I'm sick and tired of people thinking it is OK to denigrate my country. Our city is mourning right now for a soldier and young dad who was killed in the wars, fighting to take down terrorists long enough for some semblence of freedom to take root. It is not a good day for Ahi to spout that kind of crap.

I'm sick also of the "the US is evil" out of the mouths of those who at the same time hold their hands out for our money, food, and help.

My condolences to your soldiers family.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Ahi has shown a complete disregard and lack of respect for my country starting with her/his first post. People need to keep their personal opinions of other countries out of this board. [/COLOR]

.
.
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I'm sick also of the "the US is evil" out of the mouths of those who at the same time hold their hands out for our money, food, and help.

So why do you not keep your personal opinions abut other countries out of this board. Your personal opinion about "holding hands out for money" is just destroying the mood on the board. And your personal opinion about that other people thinks US is evil does not belong here either according yo your criteria.

[ahi]

Originally Posted by sirbruce

Gadaffi is an interesting leader, to be sure. At one time, he was easy to caricature, and there's no doubt he did a lot of bad things. But he may not have been as crazy as he seemed; he played that role during the Cold War because he thought it would be to his advantage, but decades of isolation worked on Libya where it didn't work on Cuba, Iran, or North Korea. He finally "saw the light" post 9/11 and is changing his ways, one of the few success stories of the Bush Administration. Plus he's managed to remain in power and relatively popular, no small feat in any third world country.

Still, the US "party line" is still factual, and there's nothing wrong with it except in what it leaves *out*. But any non-Western biography of the man undoubtedly leaves out other things as well. So you need to be widely read if you truly want a complete picture.

Still, there are other, dare I say, more "admirable" dictators that are worth reading about than Gadaffi.

Your thoughtful and moderate points* notwithstanding, until the UN decrees that non-US nationals need to have their reading lists approved by the likes of desertgrandma, I will suffer the consequences of my substandard book selection ability.

- Ahi

* Genuinely meant--it's mostly your final sentence that irks me.

[ahi]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

...

There is no sensible civilized response to this lunatic rant.

- Ahi

[Nate the great]

This thread is going no where.