o In his speech, Beyond Vietnam, Martin Luther King Jr. criticized the US concerning their involvement in the Vietnam War on April 4, 1967. The most powerful part of that speech was when King said, “… And I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today, my own government.” That statement has resonated with me since I heard it; furthermore, I feel the statement is extremely appropriate for describing America’s military campaigns of the last 10 years. Under the Bush Administration, the US military had been engaged in the killing thousands of innocent men, women, and children in Afghanistan. An offensive and unprovoked war against Iraq leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of people. Torture carried out in overt and covert prisons. None of that changed under the Obama Administration, contrary to what he promised. The numbers of troops were increased in Afghanistan, and only now have there been talks of a complete withdrawal from Iraq by Christmas. The number of illegal drone attacks in Pakistan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Libya, and Somalia, killing innocents has been frightening to say the least. Now a leader of a sovereign nation had been basically fired by NATO; furthermore, they allowed him to be murdered in cold blood with a gunshot to the head. Muammar Gaddafi died on October 20, 2011.Gaddafi was then paraded down the street as if he was a prized animal trophy. Does Islam Law permit this? Does the Geneva Convention allow this? I was not a fan of Gaddafi. I followed the opinion that a secular humanist should not be the ruler of a Mooslem country (which Gaddafi was). Gaddafi was a murderous tyrant. The just thing to do would have been to put him on trial for his crimes. Animals have received better treatment than what was afforded Gaddafi. If killing protesters is justification to remove a sovereign leader, then why didn't the UN remove the Prime minster of Israel (every last one of them), Bashar Al-Assad, and President Richard Nixon? If America had kept her nose out of World affairs after World War II, the current strife would not exist. America is the axis of war. How long will America continue her bloody massacre marathon? This anonymous quote seems most appropriate after the murder of President Gaddafi:
I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
