Mob sets fire to US consulate in Benghazi: witness

[Bosonic]

Source: AFP

BENGHAZI, Libya — An armed mob protesting over a film they said offended Islam, attacked the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi on Tuesday and set fire to the building, witnesses reported.

The attack happened on the same day as a similar group of hardliners waving black banners attacked the US embassy in Cairo and tore down the US flag, but it was not immediately clear if the two incidents were coordinated.

The protests came on the eleventh anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, when US cities were targeted by hijacked planes.

"Demonstrators attacked the US consulate in Benghazi. They fired shots in the air before entering the building," Libya's deputy interior minister, Wanis al-Sharif Sharif, who is in charge of the country's eastern region, told AFP.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j6DacmYa1ZQojLmahnf_JisGWVjg?docId=CNG.fa3469febe41919ad806e34a5f19827b.4b1

[cheapdate]

1. President Obama made the difficult decision,

regardless of the political cost, to act to cut off Muammar Gadafi's army which was advancing in strength towards the city of Benghazi. Gadafi's intention was to completely destroy the rebel city and everyone in it. The president only had a couple of days to decide before Gadafi arrived with his his army, tanks, heavy guns, and artillery. He decided to act to prevent a likely mass slaughter.

I would expect many of the people of Benghazi are grateful and that these religious fanatics don't represent most of the people.

[a geek named Bob]

2. Come to Libya

Meet the friendly people, and interact with their folk festivals...

[joshcryer]

15. Not just Libya, Egypt is protesting the movie as well.

As another poster noted it's as if the movie was designed to invoke outrage.

[rachel1]

3. What is the name of that film that supposedly sparked this attack?

In addition, maybe this will also cause some people to question the interventionist US foreign policy?

[Bosonic]

5. see link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=225998

[bloomington-lib]

4. I guess I don't get all the latest film news under my rock. What's the film?

[Bosonic]

6. see link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=225998

[McCamy Taylor]

9. Predicted this months ago. The GOP wants to recreate 1980 down to the embassy crisis

and so their pals the Bin ladens aka Al Qaeda are helping them out. If a mob can take over an embassy, this will make Obama Jimmy Carter and Romney Ronald Reagan. At least, that is the plan.

[maxsolomon]

38. Enjoy your stay

Your comments are absurd.

[Earth_First]

11. Gee, who would have thought that some Muslims may be pissed at the United States...

It's not as though there isn't a laundry list of issues from 10 years worth of Occupying the Middle East.

[disidoro01]

13. More than 10 years

Here is some whacky stuff and you can dismiss me but here it goes. The US created both Al-qaeda and the Taliban. We've been meddling for decades. We funneled money through Pakistan to help create and fund the Taliban. We helped create and fund AQ to fight the Soviets, we've always loved (and still do) a proxy war. We create these "freedom fighters" and are stunned when they turn out to have their own agendas that do not mesh with US policy. It doesn't matter if it's Reagan, Clinton Bush or Obama, we foment dissent and rebellion throughout the middle east and we will continue to do so as long as the cheap oil flows our way.
The reason why we put up with pakistans crap and why they put up with is is just this...They know where our skeletons are and we will continue to give them a ton of money. For clarification, AQ was created first, to directly fight the Soviets, then after the Collapse of Soviet influence, the Taliban was created to try and seize control of Afghanistan. But, what I don't understand is why we care so much about Afghanistan.

[AntiFascist]

24. Heroin production?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_production_in_Afghanistan

Opium production in Afghanistan has been on the rise since U.S. occupation started in 2001.

Opium has kept much of the population pacified in the Middle East and beyond.

According to EU agencies, Afghanistan has been Europe’s main heroin supplier for more than 10 years.[28] Heroin enters Europe primarily by two major land routes: the long-standing ‘Balkan route’ through Turkey; and, since the mid-1990s, the ‘northern route’, which leaves northern Afghanistan through Central Asia and on to Russia (and is sometimes colloquially referred to as the ‘silk route’). Estimated number of problem opioids users in EU: 1.5 million (1.3–1.7 million), average prevalence between 4 and 5 cases per 1,000 adult population (aged 15–64).[28] In 2005 there were around 7,000 acute drug deaths, with opioids being found in around 70 % of them.[28] There was a minimum of 49,000 seizures resulting in the interception of an estimated 19.4 tonnes of heroin. Countries reporting the largest number of seizures (descending order): UK (2005), Spain, Germany, Greece, France. Countries reporting the largest quantities of heroin seized in 2005 (descending order): Turkey, UK, Italy, France, the Netherlands.[28]

In 2010, Russia accused United States of supporting the opium production in Afghanistan.[29] Presently with resurgence of high output production of opium and heroin in post-Taliban Afghanistan, there is an ongoing heroin addiction epidemic in Russia which is claiming 30,000 lives each year, mostly among young people. There were two and half million heroin addicts in Russia by 2009.[30]

It also provides budgets for black projects, allegedly, and of course an enormous amount of corruption.

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. The Movie So Offensive That Egyptians Just Stormed the U.S. Embassy Over It

What exactly does the film say? It's still not clear, but it appears to compare Mohammed to a goat and Muslims, according to one translation, to "child-lovers." The New York Times' Liam Stack, offering some offhand translations of the scene shown above, called it a "doozy." The man in the scene says of his goat, "This is the first Muslim animal." He asks the goat if it likes girls; when it doesn't answer, he bursts into laughter and says, "He doesn't like girls," according to Stack. Other scenes in the above clip seem to portray Muslim Egyptian characters, who for some reason all have strong New York accents, as immoral and violent, particularly toward the Christians whom they pursue with near-genocidal fervor. A number of Islam's founding figures, including the prophet, are accused of homosexuality and child molestation.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/09/the-movie-so-offensive-that-egyptians-just-stormed-the-us-embassy-over-it/262225/

It sounds as if the makers were trying to provoke riots.

[disidoro01]

14. Firefox is unstable tonight, kicking me off

My point was that we are doing the same things in Egypt (and Libya), We supported the "rebels" with training, money, logistics and some military support and the same thing is going to wind up happening. We need to back off and let these countries create there own rules of law. Those rebels, some of whom are extremists still have our training, money and weaponry and they will turn it not only on us but their countryfolk.

[Historic NY]

16. If Americans are involved then they should face justice...

[glacierbay]

17. Involved in what?

[Skittles]

18. failure to respect religion

it can also get your posts hidden

[glacierbay]

19. So if Americans were involved in making that film

they should face justice? I hope I'm reading this wrong. I don't agree with anyone belittling another persons religion, but there is a First Amendment right in this country that does allow for it.

[Historic NY]

20. What was it purpose? To inflame an already unstable country....

"The Wall Street Journal reported that the film, "Innocence of Muslims," was made by Israeli-American Sam Bacile, a 52-year-old real-estate developer from southern California who says Islam is a hateful religion.

"Islam is a cancer," Bacile told the newspaper.

The film is being promoted by controversial Florida pastor Terry Jones, who has drawn protests in the past for burning the Koran and vehemently opposing the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero in New York.

Arab League deputy secretary general, Ahmed Ben Helli, has condemned the film saying it "contained insults against the prophet Mohammed" and "was denounced by Christians and Muslims" across the Arab world."

[Skittles]

22. you're reading it wrong

Last edited Wed Sep 12, 2012, 02:21 AM - Edit history (1)

I'm just stating what is, not that I necessarily agree with it

[Angry Dragon]

23. Just that the people that made the film don't have the spine to take

the film to those countries and explain why they made it
If one does something stupid in this country and someone dies because of it then they can be charged with manslaughter. Would that be okay with you??

[PavePusher]

25. I had no idea that a film was justification for riot, arson and murder.

Can you enlighten me on what legal principal or precedent your allegation derives from?

[Angry Dragon]

27. No one said it was justification

Not all speech is protected
Speech can be used to incite violence
The makers knew the possibility of incitement existed
So manslaughter charges are justified

[Confusious]

29. The riot didn't happen here

So big clog in the plan there.

Besides which, they should be able to control themselves.

[Angry Dragon]

30. But an American was killed

and embassies and consulates are considered as American soil

if people could always control themselves then there would not be a need for laws

Religious people over the years have shown that they are not always able to control themselves
The film took advantage of this fact

[Confusious]

32. No actually that is false

An embassies soil is not considered territory of a foreign state.

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070110055033AArqDLB

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomatic_mission

if people could always control themselves then there would not be a need for laws

Right. And if someone calls you a dick, the onerous is on YOU to not punch the person, but to control yourself, else you're likely to be charged with assault.

[Angry Dragon]

33. I did not say the people that did the killing should not stand trial

I was just making a case for the inciters to also stand trial

I thank you bringing the embassy territory to my attention

[Confusious]

34. NP

I found that just a few weeks ago myself.

Yes, you're right, they probably did it to incite the Muslims. But the Muslims should be able to control themselves.

The inciters can't be charged, because of freedom of speech, and the aforementioned case law.

If someone ever was, that would be the beginning of the end for freedom of speech in this country.

[slackmaster]

37. Failure to respect religion is not a crime

[Skittles]

40. I KNOW!!!

I never said I agreed with it

[Confusious]

28. Justice for what?

Freedom of speech?

If someone calls you a dick, you have two choices. Resort to violence, or don't.

Resorting to violence in the US will get you changed with assault.

It's up to you to control yourself, not the person calling you a dick.

[Odin2005]

35. So you support censorship?

[jzodda]

21. I have seen the film

Its offensive and purposefully so.

It's also a poorly made film, with bad acting, props and sound.

I am sure the guy who they attacked and killed at the consulate had no idea about the film and had never heard of it nor seen it. He probably had no idea why he was being killed by the angry mob.

I feel bad whenever somebody dies for nothing and in this case to be killed for a film somebody around the world made that doesn't even have a distributor is terrible. Why is it that whenever somebody insults Islam there is violence? I often wonder because other religions get made fun of all the time. I watched Caddyshack tonight and they were poking fun at religion with the Bishop character so insulting or making jokes at religion is all over.

[PavePusher]

26. "Dogma" should have resulted in thousands, if not millions, dead world-wide.

[Summer Hathaway]

31. So you've seen the movie?

Did you think it was a comedy of the "Caddyshack" genre?

[gkhouston]

36. Am I the only one wondering if this "mob" was armed by Xe, or whatever the hell Blackwater is

calling itself these days?

[arewenotdemo]

39. I love the irony.

Killed by the very people he helped put in power.

Maybe this will make Obama think a little deeper about finishing any more of the neocon projects....such as Syria.