The UN Resolution 1973 was passed in an emergency situation as Gaddafi forces were about to recapture Ben Ghazi from rebel forces and a mass killing was likely. Essentially, the resolution was to protect Libyan citizens. Instead, U.S., France, Britain and other wetern countries have launched air attacks on Libyan cities and towns, killing a large number of citizens of that country.
The gung ho wetsern powers it seems were hell bent on raiding Libya no matter what. Their actions are illegal and beyond the scope of UN resolution.
It is shameful that UN Secretary, General Ban ki Moon has played in the hands of western powers. Instead of bringing peace, he has brought death and destruction to Libya. UN's mandate is to make peace not war. He should have made his best efforts to bring warring tribes to the table to accomplish peace. Also, UN should have sent in peacekeeping forces to protect Ben Ghazi and other cities, not send in western troops to kill Libyan citizens through air and missile attacks. Ban ki Man has lost his mandate and should resign immediately.
The world has not forgotten France and Italy's reputation as colonial powers. Under their respective occupation of Algeria and Libya, tens of thousands of people were tortured to death. The killings in Algeria were so grotesque that a large number of French citizens staged massive rallies in Paris and called for an end to French occupation. How can the UN mandate these same countries to bomb and kill more citizens of their previous colonies?
US's role in all this also very dubious. While Obama campaigned against war, he seemed only too eagre to start an uncalled for war and bomb Libyan cities. According to General Wesley Clarke (no conspiray theorist), plans were finalized to invade Libya immediately after 9/11 (watch the entire interview below).
UN should call for an immediate cease fire in Libya, ground all NATO aircraft and replace bombings with peacekeeping troops and at the same time help negotiate a truce between the warring tribes. This is not West's fight, it is Libya's internal tribal fight.
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Monday, April 4, 2011
Monday, April 5, 2010
SHOULD POPE BENDICT ABDICATE?
Each day brings new allegations of sexual abuse of children within the Catholic church and it seems, all roads lead to Pope Benedict (then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) for his part in the cover up.
The actions of the priest in Wisconsin, Rev Lawrence Murphy who was involved in sexually abusing nearly two hundred boys at a school for the Deaf were outrageous and criminal. Even worse is the fact that a Bishop brought the abuse to the attention Cardinal Ratzinger (Vatican official in charge of disciplining priests at the time), but it appeared the Cardinal looked the other way. The Bishop also requested the Vatican that Rev. Murphy be defrocked, but that too went unheeded. An investigation started years later was also hushed up.
It now appears that nearly sixty boys were subjected to similar abuse in a school for the deaf in Italy and that too was covered up. The legals minds are far better at figuring out culpability, but to a layman like me, having knowledge of a crime and actively covering it up, may itself be a crime.
There is an active debate taking place in the U.K. that Pope Benedict should be arrested upon arrival on his forthcoming visit. Not that, that will happen, but a petition signed by 10,000 people and still gathering momentum is being readied to be handed to the British PM to cancel the invitation to Benedict.
Pope John Paul II worked so hard to build bridges across the world and to other faiths, as a result he was loved equally by Catholics and people of other faiths. Pope Benedict has wasted no time is destroying all that and then some. The best course for Benedict is to abdicate and let someone else take over, who can continue the good work started by John Paul II.
The actions of the priest in Wisconsin, Rev Lawrence Murphy who was involved in sexually abusing nearly two hundred boys at a school for the Deaf were outrageous and criminal. Even worse is the fact that a Bishop brought the abuse to the attention Cardinal Ratzinger (Vatican official in charge of disciplining priests at the time), but it appeared the Cardinal looked the other way. The Bishop also requested the Vatican that Rev. Murphy be defrocked, but that too went unheeded. An investigation started years later was also hushed up.
It now appears that nearly sixty boys were subjected to similar abuse in a school for the deaf in Italy and that too was covered up. The legals minds are far better at figuring out culpability, but to a layman like me, having knowledge of a crime and actively covering it up, may itself be a crime.
There is an active debate taking place in the U.K. that Pope Benedict should be arrested upon arrival on his forthcoming visit. Not that, that will happen, but a petition signed by 10,000 people and still gathering momentum is being readied to be handed to the British PM to cancel the invitation to Benedict.
Pope John Paul II worked so hard to build bridges across the world and to other faiths, as a result he was loved equally by Catholics and people of other faiths. Pope Benedict has wasted no time is destroying all that and then some. The best course for Benedict is to abdicate and let someone else take over, who can continue the good work started by John Paul II.
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