A DECLARATION OF PURPOSE
(….or just rebellion without a cause)

The current struggle in Libya between Gadaffi and those who want to rid themselves of him and his regime continues to see-saw back and forth between Benghazi and Tripoli, with everyone just narrowly focused on the military disparity between them, instead of the real issue.

The issue is that despite UN sanctions of one kind or another imposed upon Gadaffi, token NATO air support for the rebels, and, of course, soto voce Arab League condemnation of him, there is still no declaration of purpose from those who want him gone. Not a coherent one at least. Their rebellion thus remains one without a cause. So long as that continues to be the case there can be no definitive resolution to the situation in Libya, and its people must continue to suffer from that.

In some respects there is an analogy here between what’s happening in Libya today, and what happened with our own revolution in 1776. Until we had made that formal declaration of independence from England, in which we listed all the king’s crimes and misdemeanors, our struggle against England went nowhere.

But the moment that declaration was finally signed, printed, and made public throughout the colonies….everything changed. First, and perhaps most importantly, it established a common purpose and goal for all of those colonies to rally to, despite having few common interests, and the motivation to create a unified effort. Second, it gave notice to the rest of the world that these colonies weren’t just a bunch of malcontents, but folks with a serious intent, thereby laying the foundation for foreign help and recognition as a new nation. Foreign help not only from individual volunteers, but from a major power’s open support (France) with money, arms, and even boots on the ground, to achieve that rebellion’s ultimate success.

Libya is in a similar situation today. Without such a declaration of purpose, it will continue to be just a rebellion without a cause. Western, NATO involvement will remain tepid, Arab League support will remain meaningless, but more importantly many of its tribal and other elements will not make common cause for it, and civil war will remain as their lot. To be blunt about it, it’s time that effort to gain freedom from Gadaffi’s regime gets organized so as to achieve some form of legitimacy.

When dealing with a mad-dog regime like Gadaffi’s the Joan Rivers approach (can we talk?) just doesn’t work. One simply shoots the rabid creature to put it out of its misery and to protect everyone else from it as well.

Such a declaration of purpose will do that.

CENTURION