The Tripoli Six Have Been Freed
They've left Libya and are in Bulgaria. Allegedly no money changed hands for their release, but I'm not buying it.
Their plight is over. The plight of AIDS victims in the developing world continues to overwhelm aid efforts, which now feel the chill of the possibility of false accusations, long and injust imprisonment, and tortured confessions - all for the sake of conspiracy theories that have no basis in fact.
Science is the greatest gift that we have. It isn't perfect - nothing is - there is no such thing as perfection - but until we learn to look at the world as it is, we don't have the right to just have faith that the world is as it should be. We need to work for that kind of world.
(Shimmies to Pharyngula)
Previous posts on this subject:
Free the Tripoli Six!
Remember the Tripoli Six
The Tripoli Six May Be Freed Soon
Their plight is over. The plight of AIDS victims in the developing world continues to overwhelm aid efforts, which now feel the chill of the possibility of false accusations, long and injust imprisonment, and tortured confessions - all for the sake of conspiracy theories that have no basis in fact.
Science is the greatest gift that we have. It isn't perfect - nothing is - there is no such thing as perfection - but until we learn to look at the world as it is, we don't have the right to just have faith that the world is as it should be. We need to work for that kind of world.
(Shimmies to Pharyngula)
Previous posts on this subject:
Free the Tripoli Six!
Remember the Tripoli Six
The Tripoli Six May Be Freed Soon
Labels: civil rights, HIV/AIDS, long memory, science
posted by Kristine | Tuesday, July 24, 2007
12 Comments:
I've been thinking of volunteering my engineering skills to some organizations that help third world countries develop water filtration systems and the like. However, I would NEVER go to Libya after hearing about this.
I would not advise you to go to Libya at this time.
K,
Why - all the Libyans do is consider killing medical workers - it obviously isn't very important. Why? Simple, see:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html
See, it is perfectly safe according to the State Department - Libya doesn't even make the list of bad places....
According to NPR, Bulgaria forgave an undisclosed amount of debt, other countries are alleged to have done the same but deny it, and the Libyan Government is handong over 1 mil per child to the families (read, "fathers") of the infected children.
Hostage taking and ransom works again.
"handong?" Don't go where I know you can, I meant "handing"!
See, it is perfectly safe
1. We're talking aid work. That is almost never safe, but the U.S. has no embassy in Libya, as it does not in Iran.
2. Are you a woman? That compounds things.
I'm aware of the improvements that Quaddafyi has made, just like what Mussolini and Hitler did to jazz up their respective nations so that tourists would flock to them. I'd go to Libya for a visit, not to work there.
Hostage taking and ransom works again.
Yep.
The release of these workers is good PR for M. Qadaffi. He really is a shithook to the shithook power, but he'd rather the world not think so.
Scotius
Agreed. Let's hope that the world doesn't "forget" for the sake of money to be made.
Saddam, Q'daffi whatnot - these dictators are a product of their culture. With no tradition of democracy or empowerment and Theoracy as a base model, these ruthless people emerge and come out on top because they are the cruelest and that seems to work for them.
Meanwhile we are trying to bestow "democracy" upon them. That's just a cover story though to hide the fact that we are trying to control their resources.
What kind of gov't can you give a people that kidnap dozens of young men from another sect and dump their bodies in a ditch with there genitals stuffed in their mouths.
Sadly, it can make one wonder what we are we are doing with our ICBMs.
I wonder if the US government would make any attempt to save Americans in the same circumstances...
Right on, Rev. Barky. The U.S. has unfortunately placed itself in a bad position to advocate for "democracy" now.
Keith, of course they would. They do; there are many women and children who are U.S. citizens being held hostage by husbands or fathers in other countries, and the State Department does what it can. Much must be done silently; and remember the Christian aid workers being held in Afghanistan, who were freed after the Northern Alliance took Kabul. (I was scared for them, I tell ya - wondering if they were being raped, etc.)
""handong?" Don't go where I know you can, I meant "handing"!"
partypooper.
Thanks for the heads up, Kristine. My blog rounds are a bit scattered and intermittant of late, and I hadn't visited Dr. PZ yet.
Kisses
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