The nascent democracies of Egypt and Libya reached important milestones in recent weeks by holding parliamentary and presidential elections.
To see free, fair elections replace corrupt dictatorships in two nations should be a welcome sight to all who oppose tyranny. Egypt's military junta faced strong international pressure to recognize Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi's runoff victory over ex-Hosni Mubarak crony Ahmed Shafiq. In Libya, the party of moderate Mahmoud Jibril scored what Reuters described as a "landslide victory" over its hardline Islamist opponent with a majority of votes tallied Thursday.
Both transitions so far have defied the direst predictions. Morsi pledged to be "a president for all Egyptians" and has reached out to liberals and minorities, promising to appoint a woman and a Coptic Christian as vice presidents. His newly appointed United Nations ambassador allayed concerns of renewed tension with Israel, saying Monday that Egypt would continue "respecting our international obligations and all treaties we are a part of" _ including the 1979 Camp David accords.
Jibril, the Libyan opposition's interim prime minister during last year's uprising, is a former doctoral student and professor who has promised a government "that does not differentiate between a man and a woman, sects or ethnicities."
Both nations still face significant challenges. The discontent that led to Mubarak's ouster was due in part to Egypt's stagnant economy, and unemployment remains high. Libya's militias remain reluctant to disarm, and local rivalries persist. Regional autonomy and the equitable distribution of Libya's vast oil wealth are contentious matters that remain unsolved.
But it's unreasonable to second-guess U.S. acquiescence in Egypt's revolution and democratic transition, and U.S. intervention in Libya may have prevented the sort of grueling, drawn-out turmoil that has plagued Syria for more than a year, as many as 17,000 lives.
Former GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum said last year that President Barack Obama "threw Mubarak under the bus," a sentiment that was echoed by former U.N. ambassador John Bolton, now one of Mitt Romney's advisers.
One can't help detect a hint of schadenfreude in those who use every skirmish or squabble in Libya as a "told-ya-so" moment, perhaps in hopes of landing egg on Obama's face. Bear in mind that for years after the American Revolution was won, the U.S. was plagued by the armed insurrections known as Shay's Rebellion (1786-1787) and the Whiskey Rebellion (1791-1794).
Many who liberated Egypt and Libya paid the cost with their lives, and everyone who values freedom should salute both their sacrifice and the change it effected.
Opinion
The sky isn't falling in Egypt, Libya
- Opinion
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Fed ammo theories show who is gullible
Ask 10 people for their thoughts on the National Rifle Association, and you'll likely get a broad range of responses. But on one point, we can all agree - if a threat to the Second Amendment appears, the NRA will find out about it and quickly spread the word. That's why it was nice to see the NRA last summer shoot down one of the more absurd rumors that's been making the rounds: that the federal Department of Homeland Security and other agencies are hoarding massive stockpiles of ammunition for secret, nefarious purposes.
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Natural gas boom is a false promise
Support for the Constitution and Leatherstocking Pipelines is based primarily on the false promise of affordable shale gas. False, since the price of this gas is too volatile to make it a reliable energy source in the future.
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Locally led baseball team deserves support
Springtime has finally come to us in the greater Oneonta area, with its warmth, sunshine, emerging shrubs, green lawns, with more smiles than frowns, and how we relish it!
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Schools must find ways to deal with threats
Anonymous threats to schools are nothing new. Through the years, they have consisted -- among other messages -- of anonymous phone calls, magazine or newspaper lettering glued to a letter, and scrawled warnings on a bathroom mirror.
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City should improve access to river
Many cities make the river running through it a focal point for its scenic qualities. By doing this, they attract more people to their city to spend some time there and also utilize the stores, restaurants and hotels.
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Otsego County veteran's director is top-notch
The veterans of Otsego County are being well-served by Jack Henson, director. I feel he is the best director that has ever served in this county.
- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
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On our Opinion: Cheers
To the DEP's "The Watershed Experience," the Oneonta High School Envirothon team, and to ROPS rebate funding.
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Make sure Blodgett project holds water
Many thanks to Dennis Finn and the Planning Commission for allowing unrestricted public comment on the Blodgett Drive housing project at the commission’s May 15 meeting. Most who spoke are residents of the area who know the safety and drainage issues well.
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We need a law against Google Glass
It’s a technological marvel; a product ahead of its time, or at least ahead of the law for the time being, that is.
- Monday, May 20, 2013
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Make sure you vote in school tax election
School superintendents have it anything but easy in these challenging economic times. In addition to dealing with myriad day-to-day and semester-to-semester issues, they have to have Solomon-like political acumen and management skills.
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No foreign aid until our needs are met
I couldn't agree more with Sal Furnari's letter published in the Weekend edition. I would also like to add that when I was growing up I was taught to "take care of my own first" and then share with others.
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THIS WEEK'S POLL
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It's sad to see Rich Murphy retire
It was a sad day for Otsego County when Rich Murphy announced his intention to retire from the county board at the end of his current term.
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Liberal media only care about themselves
Sounds like it all depends on 'whose ox is being gored' when it comes to the illegal phone tappings of reporters.
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Street Talk: May 20, 2013
Do you think that recent high school graduates have a harder time finding a job than previous generations?
- Saturday, May 18, 2013
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Casino in our area worth talking about
If Gov. Andrew Cuomo has his way, casinos will be awarded to three upstate locations.
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Public financing could cure pols' paranoia
Paranoia is an irrational fear of persons, places or events that have no basis in reality.
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Resort proposal is just too big
Belleayre Mountain Ski Center is a New York state taxpayer-owned recreational area. People who have paid for BMSC with their hard-earned dollars should not have to also pay for the infrastructure necessary to assure an enjoyable ski experience for the visitors to a private developer's monster mega-mall/spa resort on a mountaintop.
- Friday, May 17, 2013
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Take precautions to prevent kidnappings
It has been nearly two weeks since the arrest of Ariel Castro in Cleveland on rape and kidnapping charges for acts that should send a chill through the spines of everyone in America.
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Redistributing wealth just isn't fair
Yesterday a dozen of us were eating lunch in the break room where I work, most of us complaining that all we could afford was peanut butter and jelly and bologna ... except for Rob.
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Fed ammo theories show who is gullible
