The world watches in anticipation as the people of Libya, led by rebels, attempts to free itself from 42 years of tyranny. They have had 42 years to endure a dictator, Gaddafi, who did not care if the people had peaceful lives, proper homes to live in or good health. The people lived in a constant sphere of fear and hopelessness because they never knew when one of their loved ones would be arrested or would just disappear. In addition, the oil rich country’s money was being taken by the dictator and his family while the rest of the country lived in poverty. What do the people have to lose since getting fed up with Gaddafi? They have nothing to lose, but their freedom to gain.
The week of August 21-27th , 2011 will long be remembered, in the history books of this North African nation, as the week when they took freedom at any cost. Both youth and their elders took to the streets, armed with guns, to let their dictator know that ‘enough is enough’. Most people are against violence, but history has proven that to gain freedom, it takes more than a made up mind. Real revolutionary change, in any country, sometimes calls for bloodshed. In our own country, we have had to fight in order to gain the freedom of choice that is now being taken for granted by many Americans.
Gaddafi took power at the age of 27. Somehow he managed to maintain control of the nation for 4 decades. Many nations, including the U.S., complained about him over the years. As with other dictators, he ignored the call from other nations to improve the conditions of the lives of his people. He had the worst track record for crimes against humanity. When asked to step down by President Obama and other world leaders, he chose to slaughter some of his own citizens. This behavior caused an uproar around the world. The NATO forces chose to assist the rebels by utilizing gunfire from planes to bomb key sites. This gave the rebels the courage that they needed to fight and continue fighting. It seems as if the fight will go on for another day or two, but eventually the people of Libya will be victorious.
The people of Libya should be applauded for taking back their country. Although it seems as if everything is in disarray right now; hopefully, the right people will assemble a government that will give a voice to the ordinary citizen. Libya deserves freedom. Although it is coming at a very high cost, freedom is worth it. For every American veteran that is remembered on Memorial Day and for all those that we remember on 9/11, we recognize that the cost of freedom comes at a very high price. Consequently, Americans stand with the people of Libya to acknowledge that we are praying for them to gain what is already treasured by many countries- Freedom!