Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and the US have had a spotty relationship for decades. During the Cold War, when the US was at the bayonet point of Western Democracy in Berlin, Gaddafi, Libya’s East Berlin Embassy planned, financed and executed and a bombing at the LaBelle Disco in Berlin on April 5th, 1986. They succeeded in killing two American Army sergeants, a Turkish woman and injuring scores more, some permanently. <\/p>\n
Ten days later, on April 15th, 1986, an American air strike attacked barracks, palaces and airfields in Libya with F-111F fighters, killing at least 60 Libyans. Two American pilots were killed over the Gulf of Sidra, one of whom, CPT Paul F. Lorence, has never been returned to the US.<\/p>\n
In response, Libya then participated in the bombing of Pan AM flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. 259 passengers and crew were killed. 189 were Americans.<\/p>\n
After watching the US easily topple the Hussein regime in Iraq, Qaddafi decided that this war on terror was hitting a little close to home, so he volunteered to dismantle his weapons of mass destruction programs. After turning all of his weapons over to the UN, he discovered that it was still cool to oppose the US and endeared himself to the US left by attacking George Bush at every opportunity.<\/p>\n
Now Gaddafi’s ass is in an industrial strength sling with his own people. According to some sources, he’s sponsored the murder of 200 – 1000 protesters. His family is squabbling over his assets<\/a>, Time rumors<\/a> that he plans on torching gas and oil pipelines. And Gaddafi is defiant<\/a>;<\/p>\n “I am not going to leave this land. I will die here as a martyr … I shall remain here defiant,” Gaddafi said in a speech on state television.<\/p>\n “Muammar Gaddafi is the leader of the revolution, I am not a president to step down … This is my country. Muammar is not a president to leave his post, Muammar is leader of the revolution until the end of time.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n