The sounds of silence

Ah. Spring is here. The snow is gone. Spring training games are happening. Another Arab country is getting a cruise missile barrage.

This time it's Libya. I tell you, I'm getting weary of George W. Bush, Cheney, et al. interfering in the affairs of other nations.

Oh, wait. Bush and Cheney aren't in power anymore. Haven't been in two years. I thought the election of Barack Obama was going to eliminate the need for foreign adventures like this. Hmm. Amazing that the usual suspects around the world aren't raising a hue and cry that President Obama should be impeached, or sent to the Netherlands to be charged with war crimes.

It appears that France and the UK pushed the UN for a no-fly zone and possible air combat operations over Libya. So I expect that soon I'll be hearing the call for Prime Minister Cameron and Premier Sarkozy to be removed from power and charged with war crimes. Killing civilians mercilessly, interfering with the affairs of a sovereign nation, and all that.

What, nothing? Anybody?

What about the humanitarian crises that will arise with the disruption of normal life in Libya? Surely that rates a impassioned denunciation of France, Britain, Denmark, Canada, and Norway?

No? Still quiet?

Well, I expect there have been massive antiwar demonstrations in Paris, London, and the other European capitals, with plenty of anti-government slogans and signs, to show to the world how bad their nations and leaders are. After all, Libya has proven not to be a threat to the rest of the world.

Nup. Not a sausage.

Of course! Someone will bring it up for debate somewhere in cyberspace. Boy howdy, we'll see some verbal beatdowns and anti-European rhetoric flying then!

(crickets chirping)

I know! Someone will point out that France and Britain are pushing for a regime change in Libya so they can gain control of Libya's oil! Clever!

Nadie. Nol.

C'mon, people. Where are you? It's awful quiet.

Kind of what I thought. Wasn't a United States-instigated affair, and not a Republican president authorizing the action. So it's OK.

Of the rest of the world, I ask only one thing from now on.

Shut. Fuck. Up.

There's a lot of hypocrisy going on here. If Bush had been president during this recent action, there'd be hell raised from here to Zamboanga (that's in the Philippines, for those curious). We'd be treated to the same old tired anti-American rhetoric, the same old tired calls for trials for crimes against humanity, and the same old tired hippies out in the streets.

Keep it. Nobody wants to hear you anymore. You've been exposed not as people who want to make the world better, just hateful old relics who haven't had an original thought since Vietnam was in full bloom and the worker's paradise that was the Soviet Union was still in business. Not worth paying attention to.

I personally have no great love for Colonel Qaddafi. The sooner he breathes his last, the better. However, I was in no great hurry to get in another adventure in that part of the world. I figure if France, Britain, and Italy want to play at power projection, have at it. Leave us out of this one. I happen to think that President Obama handled events over there correctly-stay out of their internal affairs, since we can't win no matter what we do-until he let himself get talked into dipping into our stock of cruise missiles by the powers-that-be in Western Europe. The best thing we can do now is bring our fleet home or deploy them to where they were headed before all of this blew up, and let Europe do the heavy work.

There. 'Nuff said.

Oh, and as for those of you who picked NCAA bracket teams in the last post:

Bangar-I don't know how you manage to pick that one team every year. Richmond is in the Sweet Sixteen! Pitt was a good pick. The Pitt/Butler game was the biggest upset so far in the tournament, with Butler pulling off the one-point win. Washington left early. Cincinnati got past the first round to lose to UConn. Not surprised.

Therbs-Uh, Radar's home state was Iowa, which wasn't in the tournament. If you're taking Ohio State, you're still in. The Jayhawks of Kansas beat Illinois to make the Sweet Sixteen. All the Texas teams went home this weekend. Memphis is usually a good pick come March-except for this year.

DocY-I think just pulling for the winner. And for a Guinness. OK in my book.

yankeedog out.