I'm deeply saddened by the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi that resulted in the death of the American ambassador, and other staff members as well as ten Libyans. My condolances to all their family members and friends. All of Libya is grieving. Dismay just isn't a strong enough word to describe how I felt upon hearing the news.
We spent the day watching the news, keeping up with twitter and facebook, and listening to the sound of drones overhead. In the evening my husband and I took a long walk around the farm, about five kilometres. Drones buzzed above us while in the distance we could hear gunfire from time to time - possibly a wedding?
When we came inside we watched the vote count for the new prime minister. At one point they stopped because someone had put two names on the ballot instead of one. After an argument they started the count over. Exciting to watch, it was a close count! Mustafa Abushagour, Libya's first democratically elected prime minister won by only two votes.
What a day! It was a day full of emotions; dismay, anger, sadness, disbelief, followed by hope for a better future.
Finally,
we went to bed,
only to toss and turn,
the sound of drones continued
all night long.
When I heard the news, I immediately thought of you and wondered about the safety of all Americans in Libya. I would like to say, along with us, the whole world is deeply saddened by the deaths but I know there are some who are cheering. Here in Cairo, protesters stormed the embassy but didn't hurt anyone, thank God. What is this world coming to? We can but pray.
ReplyDeleteGlad that you and your family are safe!
Stacy
Terrible and tragic news about the consulate deaths - a needless waste of life. I am at the other end of things. I live in Gainesville, Florida, home of the extremist pastor, Terry Jones and his Dove Church, who have a habit of burning korans and promoting offensive videos to stir up trouble in the muslim world.
ReplyDeleteWe are pulling for Libya, for this nascent democracy-what happened at the embassy is tragic on so many levels, but I do believe that good will prevail and Libyans will get the free & democratic country they deserve. I for one hope to someday go visit this country, which looks like such a beautiful, fascinating place. I know that it's full of great people, who have just finally shed the shackles of a horrible dictator.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your blog, and for sharing your experiences with us.