Independent journalist Lizzie Phelan says the reports are an effort by NATO to create panic. – RT
August 21st, 2011 (VOD: western news media are reporting Aug. 22 that Tripoli has been overrun by CIA-backed rebels; however, this report from Tripoli yesterday gives reason for doubt.)
Heavy gunfire and explosions have been reported in the Libyan capital, and according to rebel commanders, the firing signals the start of a final onslaught on Muammar Gadaffi’s stronghold.
Earlier NATO-backed rebels in Libya said that a battle for the capital Tripoli could unfold by the end of the month, as they had taken key cities around the Gaddafi stronghold. However, rounds have been fired close to a hotel where foreign journalists are staying on Saturday evening. Explosions were heard in the area as NATO aircraft carried out heavy bombing runs after nightfall, the Associated Press reported.
Rebels were reported to be fighting in the city’s Tajoura neighborhood, as well as near Tripoli’s international airport. There have been reports that fighting also broke out in the neighborhoods of Soug Jomaa and Arada in the east.
But eyewitnesses say the gunfire is sporadic and the explosions heard are victory celebrations of Gaddafi loyalists.
Independent journalist Lizzie Phelan says the reports are an effort by NATO to create panic.
“The only gunfire that we are hearing is celebratory gunfire,” she said. “And the only explosions that we are hearing are NATO air strikes or NATO sound bombs, which are clearly designed to create a sense of panic in the capital city of Tripoli.”
Phelan said that the Libyan rebels created fake footage of themselves in Zawiya and Tripoli, and were aided in disseminating the footage by, among other media outlets, Al Jazeera. The Qatar-based satellite television station, she argued, has been at the center of the media conspiracy against Libya. The Western mainstream media, she continued, in turn picked up these reports and repeated them, creating a sense of panic among the Libyan people.
Obama: Gadhafi’s regime has reached a tipping point
President Barack Obama has released a statement on the rebel advances in Libya:
August 21, 2011 (VOD: note this is same day as Phelan’s report above.)
Commander-in-Chief President Barack Obama; "from the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli" (Marine Corps fight song)
Tonight, the momentum against the Qadhafi regime has reached a tipping point. Tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant. The Qadhafi regime is showing signs of collapsing. The people of Libya are showing that the universal pursuit of dignity and freedom is far stronger than the iron fist of a dictator.
The surest way for the bloodshed to end is simple: Moammar Qadhafi and his regime need to recognize that their rule has come to an end. Qadhafi needs to acknowledge the reality that he no longer controls Libya. He needs to relinquish power once and for all. Meanwhile, the United States has recognized the Transitional National Council as the legitimate governing authority in Libya. At this pivotal and historic time, the TNC should continue to demonstrate the leadership that is necessary to steer the country through a transition by respecting the rights of the people of Libya, avoiding civilian casualties, protecting the institutions of the Libyan state, and pursuing a transition to democracy that is just and inclusive for all of the people of Libya. A season of conflict must lead to one of peace.
The future of Libya is now in the hands of the Libyan people. Going forward, the United States will continue to stay in close coordination with the TNC. We will continue to insist that the basic rights of the Libyan people are respected. And we will continue to work with our allies and partners in the international community to protect the people of Libya, and to support a peaceful transition to democracy.
Osama Bin Laden Is Dead, But One NBA Player Asks: What Are We Celebrating?
CDR: Chris Douglas-Roberts
by Andrew Sharp • May 2, 2011 9:12 AM EDT
Osama Bin Laden is dead, President Barack Obama told America on Sunday night. But not everyone’s celebrating the occasion. Take Milwaukee Bucks forward Chris Douglas-Roberts, for instance. (VOD ed.: CDR is a proud Detroiter.)
Sunday night, while most of America celebrated, Douglas-Roberts tweeted, “It took 919,967 deaths to kill that one guy. … It took 10 years & 2 Wars to kill that…guy. It cost us (USA) roughly $1,188,263,000,000 to kill that guy. But we #winning though. Haaaa. (Sarcasm).”
