Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 77 - Current Affairs Ranting

Today, and I am sure you aren't aware of this is Current Affairs Rant Friday, a day greatly treasured by those of us who watch current events and then ponder then deeply and far too often. It's a legacy of years spent reading the Sydney Morning Herald as a child, and studying current affairs, especially pertaining to Asia, at university.

So what's the subject of today's rant you ask eagerly? (You may not eagerly want to know, but please do your best to fake it if you can).

Well, it's Libya and the world's shameful, lagging response to doing anything meaningful about it. It's almost as if they hoped that by dragging it out that Gaddafi would fight back (which he has done) and crush the rebels, thus saving them from doing anything meaningful to assist the rebels, apart from uttering platitudes about how these people are fighting for their freedom, truth, justice and democracy. Oddly though it's not like Gaddafi has been a favourite of the West, although in the last few years he has made the sort of concerted efforts to woo the US and it's allies that would make Julia's recent sucking up to the Americans look like a cold shoulder, but for some reason, the US especially, has chosen to sit back and fiddle while a people shackled for 42 years under an impressive dictatorship find their fight for the sorts of rights the West says they champion being lost.

This is how I imagine the conversations between the USA and it's shamefully gutless allies:

"You know, we should totally do something about Libya."
"Yeah, totally, maybe in like a week or two?"
"Hmm sounds doabale. Maybe we can hold a 'Help Libya Stay Free' conference at St Moritz...."
"....or the south of France? It is nice this time of year and Sarkozy says the croissants in St Tropez are to die for."
"Hmm an unfortunate choice of words don't you think?"
"Oh well, they're going to die anyway."
"Yes but if we do something they won't."
'But we are doing something, in, like a week or two or three which is like totally bitchin' fast in diplomatic circles."
"Please don't say 'bitchin' fast' again. You're like, a 60 year old man for god's sake."
"Right, sorry. Now what are we publicly furious about it but privately complacent?"
"Croissants?"
"Yeah that sounds right....wait, why are we unhappy about croissants?"

....and that my friends is how freedom in the world is supported and upheld by the good people of Europe and the USA! Pity the poor souls of Libya who will be condemned to fear, death and repression for god knows how long again because that beacon of democracy, the West, sees more value in playing power games, and observing diplomatic niceties, that it does in helping real people, facing real life and death situations, to achieve the right to be free and live lives free from fear.

For shame all of you for failing to do the right thing, and yes I think you know what that is! You just choose to ignore right, and real people die....