So...many of the rebels in Eastern Libya claim that Qaddafi's Jewish? Man, this is getting weird

This is what Richard Engel said on-air when reporting for Rachel Maddow: he had had many conversations with young, enthusiastic rebels who hated Qaddafi, and when asked why, one of the consistent responses was that he was Jewish.

Apparently his mother WAS born Jewish, but she converted to Islam at age nine.

What an amazing mess.

who knew propaganda could actually influence anything?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Libya#Gaddafi.27s_rule

to hate someone.


:sarcasm:

Not here, though, of course...

Because of course, if his mother was born Jewish, then - at least for many people that makes him Jewish.Wow indeed.

that attack us in the future?

Who could have guessed? I thought the world was filled with good guys and bad guys....

Oh, um... sarcasm.

I heard that A LOT, but then again, I was in Berkeley at the time...

"Other" is not always a good choice.

Besides just being a bit of a fuddy-duddy about National Sovereignty, there's something harmonic and honorable about seeing whether an uprising can truly sustain itself and prevail. With Egypt, there was obviously enough oomph to get it through. If those who would depose can't come to enough agreement about what they want the new state to be or that they hate the current despot enough to just roll the dice, maybe it's just not time.

Easy to say from my desk here, but it does give one a bit of pause...

Those on this board who have appointed themselves the pristine champions of all that's good and true, with puppies and apple pie, have often granted themselves a waiver when it comes to facts and manners, and that is most irritating, too.

So it was probably NBC Nightly News. Anyway, some spokesmonger for the war (may have been in the administration, may have been a military analyst) actually admitted that the situation in Libya was pretty chaotic. They didn't really have a good handle on the intrapopulation dynamics (many tribes in Libya), and it was difficult to distinguish sometimes just who was who. I thought, "Well, now there's a situation you just can't wait to rush into!"

There is a lot of racism and anti-Semitism.

My grandparents were (mom's side) and my mom was raised with Hannukah and Seders, but not serious or Kosher. She never converted, but essentially ignored her heritage when she came of age. We celebrated Christmas when i grew up because it was more fun. I've only ever been to a Temple service once (Bar mitzvah), consider myself deeply Pagan, and am pretty ignorant of Jewish principles... but Jewish people consider me a Jew. I guess Muslim people would too. Go figure.

:shrug:

I have to be funny sometimes or I'd be too darned depressed. ;)