Gaddaffi -- TOO FAR OUT

THE ABSURD TIMES:
TOO FAR OUT


I'm including the lllustration I wanted to use last time.

To tell you the truth, he is so far out that I'm not sure that even I fully understand him, but I'm doing my best here.

Let's start with his speech that left the western media terminally puzzled and angry, but they really didn't know why they were angry except that it was a long speech with no break for commercial interruptions, Reagen said he was a bad guy and bombed him, killing his daughter and perhaps other children, and he let the tribe of the convicted Lockerbie bomber be greeted by his family and tribe and gave him a traditional getting himself. Other than that, they understand very little, but they really don't feel comfortable with him.

The speech was essentially about the United Nations itself. The Preamble is fine, he says, but the articles of incorporation make it clumbsy and onerous. Actually, he is not alone in this. For different reasons, one of George Bush's appointee's felt that the top 10 floors should be bombed. Yet Georgie put him there as our ambassador. The general consensus about him was that he was insane, but not dangerous. That was John Boulton.

He then talks to the General Assembly about that other part of the UN, the Security Council. He pointed out that the entire operation was designed in reaction to Germany (he didn't seem to think Japan had much to do with it since we nuked it) and is essentally a Western European organization. It's structure is out of date for today's situations. [It might be added that the five nations with the veto power once included Taiwan, of all places.]

Many leaders had difficulty getting there. One co-pilot could not get a Visa, the doctor for another leader could not get a visa, etc. We complain that we have such a burden in hosting these nations and who knows where a terrorist could be, eh?

There have been votes of about 188 for and 2 against on certain resolutions. Since the states were the United States and Israel, the resolution failed.

He decided the hell with the nuclear weapon. So we took him off our "terrorist" list. Seriously, if he had one, what would he do with it? Israel said it feared an attack. Does anyone really think he is that stupid? Or that Israel is really in such danger with a mere 200 to 300 nuclear weapons or bombs to use in retaliation? He figured he didn't need it.

Well, Gadaffi suggests that the entire General Assembly say "Thank you," very politely to the United States, "we appreciate your sacrifice and hospitality, and so on," and then move to a time zone closer to GMT, Switzerland, for example, or why not Malta?

He is not that popular with many Arab Countries either. He walked out of a meeting of the Arab League considering them just talkers and went to work trying to organize with Africa instead. During the reign of Bush I, I asked a leading Arab Ambassador what he thought of him. He said, "We wish the U.S. would stop paying so much attention to him."

Then it hit me. Gadaffi just freaks out uptight western Republican types. On top of it, he doesn't wear a tie! Add the tent bit and it's ballistic time.

People get upset at the tent. What's with the tent? What the hell difference does it make? He likes tents. He has his own security or bodyguards -- all women, highly skilled in martial arts. I've seen them and can assure you that it would not be wise to mess with them. He is an equal opportunity employer and feminist.

People think he is still running Lybia. He really isn't. He only leads the revolution. He set up this system of committees and councils and, frankly, they are not very unified on anything. This has been the case since about 1980.

People wonder why he is only a Colonel. Well, he could have made himself a general any time he wanted, but why bother? He's leading a revolution. His GREEN BOOK reads very much like something by the Fabian Society written by H.G. Wells, Sidney Webb, or Bernard Shaw.

Oh yes, what about Bin Laden. Well, he says, Al Quada is in New York, not Pakistan. And it wasn't Bin Laden who flew an airplane into a building in New York. Frankly, why pay him so much attention? Get on with your life.

Well, I can't think of any other things about him that puzzle people, so I'll end here.