To Killarney.

The Libya which Ghaddafi became the dictator of, was a country with massive oil reserves and a tiny population. Ghaddafi made himself popular by giving his people free everything, and doing what Arabs love in a leader, displaying his implacable hatred for the people of the West. You are one of those people.

Libya was part of the Barbary Coast, which for centuries preyed on European ships plying the Mediterranean. It contributed around two million European slaves to the slave markets of Algiers. It was even responsible for the creation of the US Navy. President Jefferson wondered why the US government was paying 10% of it's budget as Dane geld to Libyan pirates, a figure which kept rising every year. Especially since the Libyan pirates kept attacking US merchantmen and enslaving the crews and passengers anyway. He said that the US could use the money to build their own navy and marine corps, and sort the bastards out. It makes you wonder why colonialism had such a bad name.

Jefferson was the President who guaranteed Freedom of Religion in the USA, a concept which was entirely novel throughout the world. When he read the Koran he was absolutely horrified by this "religion", but he did not bother to violate his own belief in freedom of religion and ban it. That was probably because there were no Muslims in the US, and he probably thought that no US politician in the future would ever be stupid enough to import Muslims into the US anyway.

I had to laugh at your premise that the wimpy Euros are a bunch of evil bastards who are somehow responsible for the mess in Libya. The USA usually gets the blame for everything, but the Euros? The Euros stood by and did nothing during the Libyan civil war. It was only when Ghaddafi was winning and he said that he was going to massacre his enemies when he won, that they finally took sides. They probably had to have 100 "conferences" before they made that decision anyway.

LEGO

What on earth have Barbary Coast pirates got to do with anything? Where’s the Phantom when you need him?

And what has Thomas Jefferson got to do with anything? Who cares if he didn’t like the Koran! I don’t like the Koran either!

And, besides, Jefferson kept hundreds of slaves and fathered a few dozen of his own. I don’t see why a long-dead slave-raping dude’s views on Islam should be presented as a definitive opinion on anything.

Also, Ghaddafi did not make any massacre or genocide threats – that was a Western media distortion of his ‘rivers of blood’ speech, which was actually a desperate plea to his enemies to STOP massacring people.

Finally, it would be a great help, LEGO, if you stopped viewing every criticism of the West as blind hatred.

Rumi's answer to questions asked by a disciple -

What is Poison?
He replied with a beautiful answer - Anything which is more than our necessity is Poison. It may be Power, Wealth, Hunger, Ego, Greed, Laziness, Love, Ambition, Hate or anything

What is fear.....?
Non acceptance of uncertainty.
If we accept that uncertainty, it becomes adventure...!

What is envy ?
Non acceptance of good in others
If we accept that good, it becomes inspiration...!

What is Anger?
Non acceptance of things which are beyond our control.
If we accept, it becomes tolerance...!

What is hatred?
Non acceptance of person as he is.
If we accept person unconditionally, it becomes love...!