Are civilians being killed?

[PhillySane]

If Operation Odyssey Dawn is killing more civilians, then, is this what we really wanted?

[Shagbark Hickory]

1. Does anyone really need to answer?

I'm sure they are.

[tabatha]

3. No reports so far.

In fact a mission was turned around because civilians would have been casualties.

[tabatha]

2. So far there have been no reports of civilians killed.

But 8,000+ have been killed (protesters + civilians) by Gaddafi's forces.

[Shagbark Hickory]

4. Because they refused to put down their machine guns and go home.

The same thing our dictator would have done if we went marching with machine- oh wait.
Nevermind.

[tabatha]

10. It started out with peaceful protests.

The protesters did not have machine guns at the start - they just had peaceful protests.

If you have not seen the carnage by Gaddafi, there are plenty of videos on Youtube.

[Shagbark Hickory]

15. Great but now it's a civil war and if they want to not be fired upon, all they had to do was go home

but they weren't going to do that. They wanted to fight.
OK, well. That's fine with me but that's none of our business.

[tabatha]

18. It is not a civil war.

It is a war by Gaddafi on his own people.

I don't know how many times I have seen that statement by the protesters that it is NOT a civil war. There are no Libyan civilian factions fighting each other. They are fighting Gaddafi.

[Shagbark Hickory]

21. The former CIA director called it a civil war. I'm going with his assessment.

[tabatha]

23. I am going with the assesemnt of the rebels, sorry.

CIA have been known to get it wrong - remember yellow cake.

[VermeerLives]

5. Gadaffi has already killed his own citizens

And unfortunately, civilians are killed in every military conflict. That is the nature of war.

[PhillySane]

7. So, then

its worth it, to kill a few more?

[VermeerLives]

9. What did Obama say?

Here's his statement from Brazil over the weekend justifying American action against Libya on the grounds that: "we can't stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people that there will be no mercy"."

[Shagbark Hickory]

17. There would be mercy if the armed "rebels" went the fuck home.

[VermeerLives]

12. Furthermore,

if Libya merits American military action, then the President needs to justify that action based on concrete arguments of national self-interest, not fuzzy "We are the World" tripe. Is there some kind of threshold for intervening where tyrants reign? Should the United States and its allies take action against Iran's mullahs, who undoubtedly kill innocents? Or Syria? Perhaps there's still something Obama can do in Darfur? And the President might as well check out Cuba; Fidel Castro has quite a record of murdering innocents, and still may be doing so.

And then there are our own soldiers. Obama needs to produce reasons why American treasure and, perhaps, blood are being spent in Libya as well.

[VermeerLives]

14. One more thought here, because your question really needs to be answered by the President

Congress needs to demand that the President explain to them and the American people what direct national interest is served by United States military intervention in Libya, no matter how "limited" that intervention is claimed to be in scope and duration. I don't think it's in our national interest to be engaged there at all, certainly not for a long time.

[diveguy]

6. Of course they are

you cant go firing off cruise missles and not expect to kill people around the target. They are just listed as " casulities"

[tabatha]

11. They are military personnel. Not civilians.

[PhillySane]

16. Just curious?

Can tanks fly?

[tabatha]

19. What kind of answer is that?

I have no idea what you are trying to say?

[VermeerLives]

20. Huh?? (n/t)

[PhillySane]

22. Reports indicate

that the no-fly zone, apparently, includes tanks and armored personnel. Didn't know they could fly.

[TBF]

8. I believe the term is "collateral damage". nt

[midnight]

13. Public radio just announced that the price of oil is up.

11.05am: Iran has joined in the fray. A missive from Tehran says Western attacks are a neo-colonial attempt to gain control over Libyan oil.

Although the Iranian has voiced support for the uprising against Gaddafi, in what it called an "Islamic awakening" in the Arab world, it says Libyans should not trust Western military intervention.

These countries enter usually with seductive slogans of supporting the people but they follow their own interests in ruling the countries and continuing colonialism in a new form," said Ramin Mehmanparast, a foreign ministry spokesman, according to the Isna, the students' news agency.


At a time when Washinton is balancing the deficit by taking food away from the most vulnerable, and generously giving pornographic sums to the already well taken care of, I don't think they care what we, the American taxer, want....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/19/libya-no-fly-zone-live-updates