Qaddafi's "opulent living" -- where is the proof?

Muammar Qaddafi's "opulent living" -- where is the proof?

Mainstream media fail to prove their claim that the Libyan leader "stole the wealth of the country" but on the contrary, show us that they think we are all stupid.

--
By E. Boder

The mainstream media want the world to believe that this man, Muammar Qaddafi, has been an evil tyrant who wallowed in opulence at the expense of his "impoverished" people. But when all fantasies are put to one side and the propagandists have ceased their foaming at the mouth, can anything actually be produced as evidence of these claims?

On the 10th of October I read an article by The Telegraph UK which title read "Libyan fighters seize Gaddafi's luxury cars in Sirte". On the self same page was a video purporting to show these so-called "luxury cars":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gfwmaO9PRwI



Now I am no expert on luxury cars, but when I hear the words "luxury" and "car" placed beside one another I think of the latest and greatest Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, Rolls Royce, etc... you know, the kind of cars that the UK, France and the USA have for their politicians... however as soon as my eyes gazed upon this video "evidence" I thought "these people at the Telegraph must think we are all complete morons!"

In the video there are two golf carts and two white cars which look like they are 40+ years old, with no labeling or branding to speak of. Then as the video comes to an end you almost let out a *yelp* as you see that all 4 "luxury cars" are being towed!? I would suggest that all four cars are probably worth about $2000 to $3000 - "Luxury"? - Are you kidding me!?

There are tens of thousands of cars in Libya which are worth many more times than a piece - and they are owned by the Libyan people! The most expensive car I have ever seen Muammar Qaddafi in was a Toyota Land Cruiser (2005, six years old), the type you see driving all across Libya and the entire region for that matter! I have never seen him in anything which could be remotely construed as being a "luxury car", even by Libyan standards!

But let's look at the other material which we are supposed to ingest as proof of Muammar Qaddafi's "lavish lifestyle".

On the 6th of October International Business Times reported again about the "opulent lifestyle once enjoyed by Gadhafi". This time it's a farm with ostriches, "several flocks of camels, cattle, sheep and other livestock." – A farm!? Is it just me or is this getting more and more ridiculous!? The leader of the most well-off nation in Africa has a farm and you want to hang him for having an "opulent lifestyle"???

But wait; there is more in this wealth of an article.

The article goes on to say that when the TNC rebels entered the Bab al-Azizya compound in Tripoli they "unearthed a genuine treasure trove, including ceremonial weapons, bejeweled ornaments, chandeliers and many, many portraits". Jewelry, fancy light fittings and pictures!? The things that visiting dignitaries and heads of state bestow upon those they are visiting - Indeed, what gluttony of wealth... oh, and don't forget the farm!

But, see the luxurious splendor of this lifestyle is not just something Muammar experiences, but his children too.

"His daughter Aisha lived in a gold-themed mansion complete with gilded mermaid sculptures and busts of her own likeness. Over the weekend, Libyan children visited the house to play in Aisha's indoor swimming pool."

*GASP* - Aisha had a "gold-themed mansion"!! For those of you who are wondering, a "gold-themed" anything is all about the lighting and colors emanating a gold hue... wow, how dare she! She also had some "sculptures" and a freakin' "indoor pool"!!!

Hannibal Qaddafi's home was found to have "bottles of expensive wine", "Cristal champagne", "labyrinthine pools and white grand pianos".

Yes, some expensive stuff there for sure. Le'’s not forget that this guy was in fact a business man as well – so yeah, he was good at what he did! So what? There are millionaires all over the world, many of them in very poor nations where the population is actually impoverished, unlike how things were in Libya. But really, you got the guy pegged on some alcohol, a swimming pool and musical instruments!?

Now, on to Saadi and Saif al-Islam... They both loved animals and Saadi "personally owned nine of the 18 lions in the Tripoli zoo", while Saif al-Islam "owned two albino lions... and also kept tigers, gazelles and other exotic pets at his farm".

Can you believe this? Can you actually fathom that the mainstream media is trying to legitimize the bombing of civilians, civilian infrastructure, a sovereign nations' non-aggressing army, and the attempted assassination of this nations leader on the grounds of swimming pools, wine, animals and farms!?

Are these western propagandists on meth!?

Here is another video by Reuters attempting to show the wealth that Muammar Qaddafi "stole" from the Libyan people.

Interesting isn't it that this video shows absolutely nothing, and I mean NOTHING, of value! It's a building surrounded by trees and shrubs, with pictures inside and what could have been a dried out swimming pool outside. If there was any "luxury" why do Reuters not show it!?

Article after article, report after report, video after video... all laying one accusation out after another – but they all have something in common: there is no evidence!

There is no evidence that Muammar Qaddafi treated the Libyan people poorly!

There is no evidence that Muammar Qaddafi stole the wealth of Libya!

There is no evidence that Muammar Qaddafi lived in any way unaccustomed to the way a leader of a proud and wealthy nation and people should or would live!

There is also no evidence that Muammar Qaddafi had, or was going to, kill or hurt the Libyan people!

And yet, without any evidence, NATO and its allies are in their 8th month of destroying this nation, its people, its culture and its truly democratic leadership!



http://www.mathaba.net/news/?x=629062?rss


...

 

Economically, oil-rich Libya should look more like Dubai than the poor, under-developed nation it has become.

Qaddafi's Libya produces 0.27 barrels per citizen per day; the United Arab Emirates (where Dubai is located) produces 0.34 barrels per citizen per day. Yet the average Emirati is three times as wealthy as the average Libyan, according to IMF data on gross domestic product at purchasing power parity per capita.

Why are Libyans poorer on average than Mexicans while Emiratis richer than Americans? The country's oil wealth financed Qaddafi's lavish lifestyle, true, but perhaps more than anything else the self-proclaimed Leader of the Revolution used the money to maintain his own unlikely rule.

It was more than just patronage, though Qaddafi often used high-paying jobs and contracts to buy off enemies and to turn alliances into bitter rivalries. He developed enormous projects to give people hope for the future and then cancel them at the last moment -- usually blaming some enemy, foreign or domestic. At times, he would knock down or rebuild the Libyan economy itself, secure that oil wealth would keep flowing.

http://www.theatlantic.com/internat...ow-qaddafi-fooled-libya-and-the-world/247078/

 

Portrait of the young Gaddafi: A nutcase who loathed the 'ugly British' and was so unworldly he drank water from a finger bowl

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ddafi-shows-nutcase-loathed-ugly-British.html

Excerpt:

By the mid-Seventies, Gaddafi was secretly authorising financial and military support for the IRA and was later accused of sanctioning atrocities including the bombing of the Pan Am jumbo jet over Lockerbie and the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher.

Gaddafi’s sudden rise to power took the West and other leaders by surprise. The documents from the National Archive files report that the Foreign Office discreetly asked ambassadors throughout North Africa and the Middle East to assess Libya’s new leader – and they came to a near unanimous conclusion when it came to his mental health.

A dispatch from the British Embassy in Tripoli stated: ‘The simplest conclusion to draw would be that in his vision of himself as a new Arab messiah, Gaddafi is bordering on the insane

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tcase-loathed-ugly-British.html#ixzz1bdlRqLZ2

 

According to the CIA World Factbook the UAE have the 9th highest GDP per capita in the world, $49,600 per person.

Libya however ranks 82nd with $14,000 per person which explains why people in the UAE are three times as wealthy as people in Libya.

Mexico is close to Libya, they are ranked 85th.

 

Yes.. and Libya pumps more oil than the UAE..

 

According to the CIA World Factbook the UAE produces 2,798,000 bbd while Libya produces 1,790,000 bbd.

 

wow, That's a great deal of wealth.

Looks like somebody wanted a piece of that.

 

Still NO evidence of Gaddafi having lived an "opulent" life style , WOT ?

 

Last I heard he was living in a tent.

 

Libya's population is around 6 million people.

 

That's pretense. He had many palaces.

 

6,355,000.

 

Dark side of the Dubai dream

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7985361.stm

Yeah, everyone should live like the people of Dubai.
Whenever there are extremly rich, there are people that are extremely poor.

The country would have been broke if everyone lived in the lifestyle you feel they should as if cost billions of dollars to care for 6 million people and provide such a lavish lifestyle.
The bad thing is that some people become so closed minded that they refuse to accept the positives no matter how obvious the information provided makes it.
Life is never about being rich.

 

There is no poverty in Dubai.

 

That is an astounding statement. You must have proof. Right?

 

There are poor people, but there are NO homeless people in Dubai. No one goes hungry or without healthcare.

 

So where is the housing for the working class or do they live in the big extravagant building on the lower floors.
Where do they eat and where is this great healthcare provided to the lower working class.
Read the article, you know there can't be that amount of wealth without taking a dump on the lower class. Just because you paint a pretty picture and keep it out of the public eye, the people still are living in extreme poverty.
The poor in Libya had it 1000 times better than being poor in Dubai and they had everything you listed. You are just a closed minded and very bias person in the way you are presenting yourself.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VWt7S_jUgw&feature=related"]Dubai workers video pt 2 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvtC2syfn2o&feature=related"]Dubai(THE OTHER SIDE) - YouTube[/ame]

 

Great thread Marlowe - you are one of the best writers on the board.

The LA Times was full of pro-war spin on this story, and a big graphic death photo. The perception management going on at corporate media literally jumping off the page at you.

Again and again, the corporate media has become a govmnt megaphone literally a branch of the Feds.

The NYT has suffered such a great defeat because the public got sick of pro-war lies and hogwash that the paper went bankrupt and had to take out a 250 million dollar mortgage on the building in order to stay afloat. I read Romenesko you see.

While we've got the morally and literally bankrupt corp. news media on the ropes, its time for Americans to deliver the knock out punch to these warmongers and government stenographers by cancelling subscriptions to any and all corp. news. We as Americans refuse to be brainwashed and will not submit to the slaughter.

Sometimes, you see, it is necessary to destroy something, before you attempt to rebuild it.

 

I believe Gaddafi spent most of the countries wealth on his army, his countries defences and weapons. I also believe he spent a significant amount on the nations healthcare and education system, and national projects. I believe it's also highly likely Gaddafi used some of his wealth to pay towards the stability of Libya, paying off some tribes or bribing them, to keep them happy instead of becoming disgruntled with Gaddafi, in order to prop his regime up.

Although there must have been some form of stagnation in Libya, which sparked the protests wish evolved quickly into an armed uprising and then civil war, stagnation amongst the youth, some involved in Islamist politics and linked with Islamist groups, such groups which may have had a hand in stirring the youth into open rebellion against Gaddafi, but not just Islamist elements, tribal ones too. I don't believe Libya has a stable future now, I believe there will be further civil war in the future, not linked with the Gaddafi's, conflict drawn from religious vs secular and tribal divisions.

 

Libya has great possibilities because they have a small population, oil assets with good contracts in place, beautiful beaches, easy access to European tourism, an interesting heritage and 19 years experience with a well written constitution.

 

He also spent a lot of it on food and fuel subsidies to keep the cost of living down for the poor.

When we invaded petrol was costing 15p a litre.

 

excellent analysis

No doubt lots of the cash went to corrupt politicians and leaders and their projects. Lots on personal military to defend himself like Mubarak.

You just have to look back at his videos of his home life and you see a very simple way of living. The furniture, the dinner ware, the clothing, his shoes he was wearing when he was captured even. They are the shoes a poor bowab would wear here in Egypt.
The table setting for the family lunch was not anything luxurious at all!

 

Dark side of the Dubai dream

 

Where is Mathaba being hosted now? Libyia still? If one has an issue with propoganda one whould have a problem with Mathaba, the stronghold of the pro.Ghadaffi regime - still busy I see.

1.
"There are tens of thousands of cars in Libya which are worth many more times than a piece - and they are owned by the Libyan people". Which people? Blogger makes a statment on these lines but provides no evidence of his claims.

2.
"I have never seen him in anything which could be remotely construed as being a "luxury car", even by Libyan standards!"Well if said blogger hasn't personally seen him in any great cars, he doesn't have them

3.
"Jewelry, fancy light fittings and pictures!? The things that visiting dignitaries and heads of state bestow upon those they are visiting "
Jewelry bestowed on him by visitors...now there is a novel way to justify wealth. Foreigners gave him "gifts", no strings attached I am sure. Ever heard of bribes being illegal by politicians in other countries? No conflict of interest there? No way....Blogger doesn't even realise that bribe taking is criminal and corrupt but uses it as a justification for his riches.

4.
Blogger finally admits :"Yes, some expensive stuff there for sure. Le'’s not forget that this guy was in fact a business man as well – so yeah, he was good at what he did!" but now it is OK because the family were all good at their jobs! All of them, without any help from papa LOL

5.
"Can you believe this? Can you actually fathom that the mainstream media is trying to legitimize the bombing of civilians, civilian infrastructure, a sovereign nations' non-aggressing army, and the attempted assassination of this nations leader on the grounds of swimming pools, wine, animals and farms!?"Thing is, NATO acted based on his attacks of his people and at the bequest of the Arab league, and the agreement of the world community, not because of his wealth. If he had continued to take bribes and collect animals, no one would have bothered him.

There is pently of evidence that he was wealthy and western countries are having to provide his personally amassed fortunes to the people finally (or do you think, dear Blogger, that they are doing so although he had no funds)?.


There is plenty of evidence that he treated his people badly - many a murdered political dissenter, many an unmarked grave.

Mataba should keep up propagandising for a dead dictator.:

 

A scathing article that reveals the underbelly of Dubai appeared recently in the Melbourne Age (and several other papers) written by Eric Ellis, the South-East Asia correspondent for Fortune magazine.

On a recent visit to Dubai Ellis visited Sonapur, the slum area of Dubai and what he calls a Middle Eastern Soweto. He said these were “the most depressing conditions I’ve witnessed.”

Why haven’t people heard of this? Although it is one of the largest communities in the UAE it doesn’t officially exist and it is not on any maps. It is hidden away in the dunes between Dubai and Sharjah.

In this community are migrant workers who are hired to build the skyscrapers in Dubai, men who work for $8 a day and are crowded into primitive conditions by night.