March 22, 2011
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On Libya and I (With Edit)
When I was a little bit younger, I really had a hard time with spreading myself too thin. Ask me to do something and I would’ve done it with no question. I liked being that person that wasn’t afraid to take anything on. It absolutely exhausted me though and eventually I realized that I can’t do everything and that it was okay to not be able to do everything. I also realized that I could say no, a very hard won lesson that certainly did not come easily. There are only so many hours in a day and only so much that I could take on while ensuring that I did everything fully and well.
Even though I’ve gotten a lot better at saying no and keeping what I do to a manageable level, I still feel incredibly guilty when I have to use that word, no, because I know that really I could take that extra thing on if I really wanted to or needed to. I have to step back and remind myself that if I want to do things well, I need to have enough focus and attention for the task at hand. If I said yes to everything, I’d lose that focus and do things half-arsed, which I don’t want to do. It does not benefit me and it does not benefit anyone else.
What the country is doing now in Libya with the air strikes kind of reminds me of me back when I’d say yes to everything. Our military is stretched thin already between fighting two full fledged wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We could be using the resources that have now been set aside for Libya in one of the two wars that we are already fighting. Sometimes we have to say no. This should have been one of those times, I think.
What do you think about the situation in Libya?
Edit: Let me be clear. I think that the UN resolution is fine. What I take issue with is that there does not seem to be an exit strategy for the US to hand over reign of this operation and that is what makes me nervous about our involvement.
Comments (21)
The first two paragraphs you wrote could well describe me! As for the Libya question, while I think Qadafi is a quack, the world has no shortage of despots. The Libyans who are revolting will only appreciate the sweetness of freedom if they have won it themselves. Outside interference is only going to turn out badly. If we learned from our history, we would stop repeating it.
Regarding the larger budget debate, I’d like to suggest we cut the defense department’s budget by 30%. 10% is redirected to the state department so we can start engaging other countries diplomatically and humanitarianally (is that a word?). 10% is redirected to domestic infrastructure needs to get us back up to speed. 10% is used to pay down the debt.
@christao408 - Qadafi is definitely out there but really, I think he’s pretty harmless in the scheme of things.
On your assessment of the budget, I fully agree with cutting defense to boost some of the areas that need to be boosted. I think that the State Dept is a great place to spend more money. I also think that money directed domestically could be used to improve infrastructure like President Obama promised during his campaign. I’m not sure if you had seen it but I found a list of programs to be cut in the latest Continuing Resolution and none of them really make that big of an impact on lessening the debt. It’s time for more tough decisions, I think.
Thank you for the rec!
I haven’t watched any news just heard we were supporting other countries by sending support missiles. Personally I think we need to fix the problems on the boarder before any other. To me that would be the priority.
I don’t know Meg; it is too bad that the US is involved with yet another war, and when I first heard that Obama was going to send the missiles, I was skeptical also. But Qadafi is a nut case. He has killed so many people and his madness is so harmful to the innocent people of the land.
The Pres says that hopefully the war planes will be pulled back in few days. May be by then the raving mad man of Libya would have seen some light light.
Our interest in Afghanistan was to flush out the perpetrator of 9/11. The Iraq engagement was based on WMD’s that didn’t exist. In both cases there was no internal revolution brewing from within.
When Iraq was defeated the 1st time in the 90′s, the Kurds revolted and we did nothing and allowed Saddam to crush the rebellion. The general consensus was that was a mistake. Some speculate that the Iraq War part II was to take care of that unfinished business – which came at a high cost and many lives.
Libya is the one case where people are fighting from within in a fight for democracy that sweeping through the Mid East. Qadaffi is using his armed forces to crush his own people and stay in power. Without outside intervention, the uprising would have been squashed just as in Iraq. I believe UN intervention is justified in this situation.
I’d like to think that this is what the UN is all about- to promote to rights of the people over the rights of a particular leader, and especially a despot.
I always jumped into things both feet too and was always the first one to volunteer. I wore myself out and learned that there is only so much I can do.
I agree that UN intervention is justified. Someone has to stop this monster.
I believe them when they say we’re acting only within the UN resolution. Setting up a no-fly zone takes a lot of resources that the US happens to have available. I hope that after it’s set up, France and UK will do the daily stuff and we can GTFO.
@TheCheshireGrins - Oh, the whole CR debate was such a charade. They slash funding for things hlike Head Start and Planned Parenthood – go after the women and children since they are easy targets! – as if that’s going to have ANY impact on our budget woes.
@ZSA_MD - @tymedancer - @tjordanm - I do think that the UN resolution was a good thing. I have more of an issue with us taking the lead especially when it doesn’t seem like there is any strategy for who is supposed to take the lead once this initial phase is over. It’s really the indefinite-ness that bugs me. I realize that we have unique military capabilities that make us very useful for this particular mission but I would be more comfortable with the whole thing if there was a definite scope for what the US is supposed to be doing.
@SoullFire - Looking over history, I think we need to be very careful with involvement in other countries when it comes to determining or at least swaying what form of government other countries have. It has bit us before.
@christao408 - Yeah, I guess we’ll see what happens when the CR deadline rolls around. My guess is that we have a few more CRs to go before a budget is set for the year, if a budget is set at all. Maybe eventually we’ll get to substantial cuts?
@tymedancer - I absolutely agree with you on that one.
@christao408 - @TheCheshireGrins - Vehemently disagree. Ghaddafi is not a quack or crazy. He’s a completely sane man feigning madness as one of his strategies to keep power and reign terror on his populace. Anyone who thinks he is certifiable isn’t pay enough attention he’s perfectly good at executing the orders of his special interests, oil companies, european governments, etc. As to your comment Christa that outside interference is only going to turn out badly, have you already forgotten the genocide in the former Yugslovia? To CheshireGrins:”he’s pretty harmless in the scheme of things” SERIOUSLY?!! It’s obvious to me you know nothing about the last 40 years in Libya or Qaddafi and I really, really suggest you go do some reading or watching. Before you ask why am I so angry. Little kids are being shot through the head by Qaddafi forces, one of his many atrocities and you just described him as harmless. Qaddafi is not harmless he is one of the most evil people alive. I am really sorry that you got that impression and I’m really not sure where….
@gargantuangirl - Thank you for attacking my intellect as that usually goes over quite well when making an argument. I am well aware of the history of Libya. Is Qaddafi harming his people? Yes, it would be silly to say that he’s not. Is he a despot? Most definitely. He is an evil person. Harmless may be the wrong word and I apologize for offending your sensitivities. What it comes down to is that he is a rational actor and I mean that in the Political Science sense of the term.
@TheCheshireGrins - I am sure you are intelligent. And if you don’t think that the US should intervene in Libya, or that they need an exit strategy if they do intervene that’s fine, that is your opinion, I respect it. I guess it was the word choice that kind of shook me up as I know people in Libya. But I also want to point out that he has been responsible for other acts of terrorism that have took the lives of not just Libyans, even some Americans. Unfortunately his destruction of innocent lives knows no borders and for that yes I think he needs to be stopped. An exit strategy would definitely be good. I hope this intervention ends quickly.
I don’t know if I agree with the US and other countries meddling with Libya’s affairs… but I think Qaddafi is a madman.
wow..this is really thought out well girl..here is my anger..I am sick of all the people who were like “YAY Bush” go War and are now bashing Obama for getting into this…I personally don’t like getting into either..but it is like politics at it’s best..or worst…ick
@SoullFire - I agree about the UN intervention part, but somehow the burden always ends up falling on the US. We do the heavy lifting AND get the blame.
I think I look at this as a case where the U.S. is really in a no win situation (at least in regards to the Libyan situation), especially domestically.
If the U.S. had not intervened and let Ghaddafi wipe the floor with the rebels, there would have been criticism that the U.S. stood by and did nothing.
Conversely, if the U.S. intervened, we would have been criticized for stretching our already thin resources even further. (Which, by the way, we are already seeing.)
I think that the decision to intervene in Libya was easier because the country has been run by a man who has been hostile to the United States in the past to the point of ordering terrorist attacks against U.S. Civilians. (As opposed to Egypt where the leadership was on Friendly terms with the U.S.)
An impasse, a stalemate, is the best-case scenario. The rebels are not well organized. Libya will be in chaos when Qaddafi is gone.
@gargantuangirl - With all due respect, a person can be crazy and still be able to take deliberate and considered action. These are not mutually exclusive. Witness the man who shot Rep. Giffords.
With regards to American involvement in the former Yugoslavia, our larger history of involvement in the internal affairs of other countries has not worked out so well. There are exceptions, but generally we end up spending our treasure, sacrificing American lives, earning the enmity of much of the world’s population, all to end up with a government in place that is little better than the one that preceded it.
I realize that Qaddafi has terrorized his people, but he is just one on a long list of brutal strongmen out there. I don’t think it is the role of the US to continually militarily interfere in other countries. We can use sanctions and diplomatic efforts and we can support truly multilateral humanitarian missions, but getting our military involved like we’re doing right now in Libya is not the right use of our resources.
Which country shall we attack next in the name of saving those who die at the hand of their oppressive government? Bahrain? North Korea? Myanmar? Iran? Saudi Arabia? China?
@christao408 - I understand argument and can see your side.
Sometimes there IS an exit strategy, but they can’t tell the public. We had that with Iraq, but all the knuckleheads wanted it made public. Bad strategy, to say the least.
I am reading a great book that gives the run down and the thought behind such national events and how we got into the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s called Decision Points. I wish all citizens could read it, and I wish we’d been given this good of a summary and explanation of what the administration is thinking. When I watch the news on Libya, I get details but I don’t know how we got to the details, so I don’t feel like I can have an opinion. I do know people there right now and pray for their safety.
Spread thin…you’re so right. So so so much going on that’s a big deal…Japan, Libya, and so much more. I’m sure the President’s daily briefings are rough!