I think I learned more humorous tidbits about former Libyan dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi this year since the downfall of his 42-year regime began last March than I ever did in decades past.
It all ended with his much-publicized bloody death at the hands of his own people in his hometown of Sirte Oct. 20.
I suppose I should thank a friend of mine who posted a blog link on Facebook last March about the dictator's "All-Female Virgin Bodyguard Retinue" which was reposted again as part of an ABC News story recently titled "The Seven Weirdest Things About Moammar Gadhafi."
Apparently, the Mad Dog of the Middle East, a name President Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) called him back then, surrounded himself with female bodyguards who were called "Amazons," took vows of chastity and wore battalion type uniforms and high-heeled boots.
Up until an interview last March, the only Gadhafi quote which proved to me that the leader was having delusions of grandeur was his comment to "ABC News' This Week" host Christiane Amanpour, at the height of the unrest going on in Libya.
"They love me, all my people. They love me all. They will die to protect me, my people."
When the Chicago Tribune came out with a who-said-it quiz in March with quotes from Gadhafi and Charlie Sheen, who at the time was also going through some much-publicized delusions of grandeur of his own, I failed the test.
Reading such quotes from the quiz as "I am like the Queen of England," "I'm dealing with fools and trolls. I'm dealing with soft targets," and "If you love with violence and you hate with violence, there's nothing that can be questioned," I honestly figured both could have said such comments at one time or another.
The Snoopy hat and leather bomber jacket he wore in December 2007 at the Palace of Versailles, for example.
"Where does this extraordinary individual get the ideas for his wardrobe? Does he have a team of designers back in Tripoli, working up the hundreds of bizarre looks required of a world leader on official business?" said a caption that came with that magazine photo.
"He was without question the strangest foreign leader I had ever interviewed," said CNN host, columnist and author Fareed Zakaria when he interviewed the leader in 2009.
"Gadhafi seemed like he was on drugs – completely out of it. He was bizarre, constantly quoted from his own Green Book and was unaware of what was going on around him. Interviewing Gadhafi was like interviewing Yoda."
I won't speak for the Libyan people who suffered at the hands of Gadhafi's oppressive government or the families who lost loved ones when Pan Am flight 103 fell from the skies in December 1988, the result of a bombing, which he allegedly authorized.
Just don't mistake Gadhafi's end as reasons to back slap and give each other high fives something that was apparently going on at the White House the day after he was killed.
I agree with Lt. Col. Oliver North when he was interviewed by conservative radio host Sean Hannity Oct. 21, that the celebrations going on in Libya could be premature.
"There are at least six armed militias who are part of this Transitional National Council — and not part of it as well — there is no agreement as to who is going to lead the country," North said.
"On top of all of that, you have friction between Arabs and Berbers, and in the southern part of the country between North Africans and all the rest of them. And you've still got 20,000 — perhaps even more — surface-to-air, man-portable missiles that are missing from the ordinance depots that Gadhafi had, all of which make a major threat to the United States. This could actually be much worse than what's already happening in Egypt."
Call me a pessimist or Glum, the Lilliputian from "Gulliver's Travels" whose trademark line from that novel was "We're doomed," but I believe it's still too early to tell with Gadhafi gone whether or not this will actually be a good thing for Libya, the United States and the world.
©11/8/11
It all ended with his much-publicized bloody death at the hands of his own people in his hometown of Sirte Oct. 20.
I suppose I should thank a friend of mine who posted a blog link on Facebook last March about the dictator's "All-Female Virgin Bodyguard Retinue" which was reposted again as part of an ABC News story recently titled "The Seven Weirdest Things About Moammar Gadhafi."
Apparently, the Mad Dog of the Middle East, a name President Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) called him back then, surrounded himself with female bodyguards who were called "Amazons," took vows of chastity and wore battalion type uniforms and high-heeled boots.
Up until an interview last March, the only Gadhafi quote which proved to me that the leader was having delusions of grandeur was his comment to "ABC News' This Week" host Christiane Amanpour, at the height of the unrest going on in Libya.
"They love me, all my people. They love me all. They will die to protect me, my people."
When the Chicago Tribune came out with a who-said-it quiz in March with quotes from Gadhafi and Charlie Sheen, who at the time was also going through some much-publicized delusions of grandeur of his own, I failed the test.
Reading such quotes from the quiz as "I am like the Queen of England," "I'm dealing with fools and trolls. I'm dealing with soft targets," and "If you love with violence and you hate with violence, there's nothing that can be questioned," I honestly figured both could have said such comments at one time or another.
Today, however, I can add a couple of other quotes to my useless knowledge of Gadhafi trivia that include "Were it not for electricity we would have to watch television in the dark" and "I am not such a dictator that I would shut down Facebook. I'll merely imprison anyone who logs into it."Then there's the wealth of pictures showing the dictator in his many multi-colored wardrobes at various political functions profiled in an Aug. 12, 2009 issue of Vanity Fair.
The Snoopy hat and leather bomber jacket he wore in December 2007 at the Palace of Versailles, for example.
"Where does this extraordinary individual get the ideas for his wardrobe? Does he have a team of designers back in Tripoli, working up the hundreds of bizarre looks required of a world leader on official business?" said a caption that came with that magazine photo.
"He was without question the strangest foreign leader I had ever interviewed," said CNN host, columnist and author Fareed Zakaria when he interviewed the leader in 2009.
"Gadhafi seemed like he was on drugs – completely out of it. He was bizarre, constantly quoted from his own Green Book and was unaware of what was going on around him. Interviewing Gadhafi was like interviewing Yoda."
I won't speak for the Libyan people who suffered at the hands of Gadhafi's oppressive government or the families who lost loved ones when Pan Am flight 103 fell from the skies in December 1988, the result of a bombing, which he allegedly authorized.
I know I probably won't be far off in my assumption that most if not all of them will agree with me when I say I seriously won't miss the guy.To quote the line from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (1982), "Revenge is a dish best served cold" and I am Catholic, though I only attend church services at Easter and Christmas.
Just don't mistake Gadhafi's end as reasons to back slap and give each other high fives something that was apparently going on at the White House the day after he was killed.
I agree with Lt. Col. Oliver North when he was interviewed by conservative radio host Sean Hannity Oct. 21, that the celebrations going on in Libya could be premature.
"There are at least six armed militias who are part of this Transitional National Council — and not part of it as well — there is no agreement as to who is going to lead the country," North said.
"On top of all of that, you have friction between Arabs and Berbers, and in the southern part of the country between North Africans and all the rest of them. And you've still got 20,000 — perhaps even more — surface-to-air, man-portable missiles that are missing from the ordinance depots that Gadhafi had, all of which make a major threat to the United States. This could actually be much worse than what's already happening in Egypt."
Call me a pessimist or Glum, the Lilliputian from "Gulliver's Travels" whose trademark line from that novel was "We're doomed," but I believe it's still too early to tell with Gadhafi gone whether or not this will actually be a good thing for Libya, the United States and the world.
©11/8/11
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