HE CAME as the self-styled "emancipator of women", the world's longest-serving leader who makes much of his all-female bodyguard squad and favourable views towards the opposite sex.
But to hundreds of baffled Italian women gathered for a rare audience with Muammar Gaddafi, if this was the king of women's rights then the movement still has a long way to go.
Colonel Gaddafi's request to meet 1000 prominent Italian women during his trip to Italy last week generated scepticism and amusement in equal measure.
An exotic assemblage filed in. There were leading figures from politics, culture and industry; ministers posed for cameras, lawyers talked earnestly in their seats and reality TV personalities blew kisses across the aisles.
Arriving on stage in flowing tie-dye robes, Colonel Gaddafi assumed his seat and placed copies of his little green book in front of him.
Mara Cafagna, a former topless model turned Minister of Equal Opportunities, started proceedings by describing the event as an "important day for relations between Italy and Libya".
Ms Cafagna, who once described her experiences as Miss Italy as "a competition that makes you as a woman", admirably espoused her new role as a figurehead of women's rights, addressing female mutilation and domestic violence and saying how much she hoped Colonel Gaddafi's presence would present "a strong clear message against the abuse of women".
Colonel Gaddafi drummed his fingers on the table, lounged back in his large leather chair and perused his little green book, occasionally beckoning one of his female bodyguards, who shuffled back and forth with drinks and boxes of tissues.
"I am curious to see, to understand his point of view," said Maria Gabriella, from Rome, "but with all these women working for him as semi slaves it seems a bit of a contradiction to call himself a liberator of women."
On stage, Luisa Todini, an entrepreneur, said: "It might be easy to ask, wonder why you have made this exclusive request to meet hundreds of Italian women." With gravelly tones, Colonel Gaddafi responded by describing the various philosophical positions that have historically elevated men as superior.
"Not my philosophy," he was quick to add.
But the colonel's philosophy was about as elusive as an oasis in a Libyan desert. "There is no difference between men and women on a human level," he exclaimed. "God made men and women, we must respect the differences between the sexes."
Then it all went a bit wrong. Using a peculiar example of a steam train driver, Colonel Gaddafi called for two systems in the professional forum "one suitable for men, the other for women".
With growing murmurs in the auditorium and a few noisy exits, Colonel Gaddafi tried to regain some credibility by denouncing the treatment of women in Arabic and Islamic societies.
"Why should these women have to apply to the head of state for the right to drive a car?" he asked. The audience applauded politely, but were soon laughing incredulously as he went on to add that this was a matter that "their husbands or brothers should decide".
Boos and hisses filled the auditorium; there were whispers in ears and Colonel Gaddafi wrapped up quickly, welcoming all the gathered to Libya whenever we wished.
"I'm not sure I'll take anything away from today," said Vera, 23, from Rome.
"It was out of this world," added Luisa Todini. "He really is on a different planet."
#1
(*sigh*) "I'm not sure I'll take anything away from today," said Vera, 23, from Rome.
"It was out of this world," added Luisa Todini. "He really is on a different planet."
The amount of DENIAL exhibited in these two statements would be astounding if it wasn't so depressingly familiar.
#2
But to hundreds of baffled Italian women gathered for a rare audience with Muammar Gaddafi, if this was the king of women's rights then the movement still has a long way to go.
#1
Pepper spray and tasers been banned for awhile, in too many places which is a sad state of affairs. I live in one of the states trifling enough to ban them (name of state withheld to protect the guilty). Hint: one of the "enlightened" left leaning East Coast States. That doesn't stop me though ;-p I'll be damned if some dude is going to mug me and stuff me in his car trunk because I wouldnt carry a little capsaicin infused water and a knife... I'd rather be convicted of carrying if and when I needed them than not carry them. Period.
#3
Come on out to Sunny AZ there GT. We carry weapons without permits, and CC is a 8 hour course.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/14/2009 21:17 Comments ||
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#4
Thats a bonus. Here its like conducting a 3 stage maneouver in B.S. paperworks, with an average turnaround taking anywhere up to 2 or 3 months and hefty fees.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/14/2009 22:12 Comments ||
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#6
CCW is $50 in Virginia (at least in my area).
(Plus the cost of the firearms class the first time only, if you don't already have proof of competency w/firearms, such as ex-military or police, etc.)
Virginia is a "shall-issue" state. Didn't used to be that way, but some judges blatently overstepped in their denials - and didn't even try to hide it - and the General Assembly reacted as they should have.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
06/14/2009 22:39 Comments ||
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#7
"I'd rather be convicted of carrying if and when I needed them than not carry them.'
It may sound trite, GT, but it is better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
06/14/2009 22:41 Comments ||
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#8
Remember Crocodile Dundee?
A knoif? THAT'S a knoif, mate!
Posted by: European Conservative ||
06/14/2009 22:47 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.