#Gaddafi Speaks for 3 Hours As He Orders Air Raids

Al Jazeera #Libya Blog (3/2/2011) has a running commentary of his speech as he spoke earlier today for THREE hours. (I hope his audience was paid well.) Read from 1:54PM to 4:09PM.

As he spoke of his patriotism and his determination to fight the colonial powers (the West), his air force started to bomb cities. (Mubarak Redux, isn't it? Mubarak didn't have the military on his side though.)

Right on cue, Mr. Gaddafi, you've just given the opening for the West (particularly Washington, where neocons have been agitating) to rally the gullible populace for imposing a no-fly zone.

For what? So that he can die a hero's death, defending his country against foreign aggressors.

Again, reminder: Imposing a no-fly zone in Libya will involve the US and whoever allies of the US bombing Libya's airfields and taking out planes, patrolling 24/7 over Libya to enforce the no-fly zone, setting up bases near and probably inside Libya to support the bombing and patrolling.

From Al Jazeera Libya Blog 3/2/2011 on airstrikes:

4:14pm

Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley was just on the phone with us - 10km away from the oil-rich town of Brega. As we spoke, he was watching a Libyan airforce jet bombing the area.

It’s now an air attack. We just watched an air force jet from the Libyan air force fly over Brega and drop at least one bomb - and huge plumes of smoke are now coming out over Brega. Another bombed near our position, where anti-Gaddafi forces have gathered.

All the fighters here are massing. We understand that something like 250-300 pro-Gaddafi fighters inside Brega and they are being surrounded. 
Gaddafi is still a force to be reckoned with, he is not giving up.

The population here want an air exclusion zone to prevent this sort of attack - but they don'twant foreign troops on the ground.

All major oil and gas installations in the town are in thehands of the opposition. We believe this is the main reason for the attack.

4:04pm

Airstrikes also reported in city of Ajdabiya, just northeast of Brega, Casualty count not yet known.

3:55pm

We're hearing from our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic that four people have been killed and ten injured in an air raid on the town of Brega.

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