The good news:
Democracy Now, Feb. 28, 2011
Libyans Organize Citizen Councils to Run Cities Cities Liberated from Pro-Gaddafi Loyalists
In the liberated city of Benghazi, where pro-Gaddafi forces have been ousted, Libyan people are now organizing
a self-government structure to manage the city. One group calling itself the Coalition of the February 17 Revolution—
which is made up of doctors, lawyers, teachers, professors, workers, students—just established a city council to
manage the day-to-day activities of the city. Democracy Now! correspondent Anjali Kamat speaks with two female
Libyan attorneys who are very involved in the coalition. [includes rush transcript]
Filed under Libya, Rolling Rebellions, Anjali Kamat
The bad news:
Democracy Now, March 2, 2011
Gaddafi Forces Launch New Attacks
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/2/headlines
Forces loyal to Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi have launched new assaults to regain control of several towns that have been captured in a popular uprising over the past two weeks. Attacks have been reported today in Brega and the nearby city of Ajdabiya. At a hospital in the rebel-held town of Benghazi, a doctor said up to 250 people have been killed in fighting so far.
Doctor: "About 220 to 250 died. We say that from 220 to 250 because about 30 to 35 [bodies] are without names. And it’s taken from the records of the hospital. We are doctors, we just say the truth. We are responsible for every word we’re talking about."
And more really bad news:
Democracy Now, March 2, 2011
Two U.S. warships have moved through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea toward Libya under orders from U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. In Washington, D.C., U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States
has not ruled out a military intervention.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: "And we are taking no options off the table, so long as the Libyan government continues to turn its guns on its own people. The entire region is changing, and a strong and strategic American response is essential. In the years ahead, Libya could become a peaceful democracy, or it could face protracted civil war, or it could descend into chaos. The stakes are high."
