For the last couple of days I've been eagerly awaiting Colonel Gadaffi's speech at the UN. Yesterday I stayed up late to watch it on Cspan and I wasn't disappointed. Gadaffi really brought the crazy, but he also brought together a number of themes that this blog has been rattling on about in recent months: Accusing the UN delegates of being nothing more than murderers he nicely summarised my posts about the Hitchcock classic North By Northwest. He then complained about how impossible it was to get a good night's sleep because of noisy neighbours, which I can empathise with. Seemingly losing his marbles completely at one point Gadaffi turned to the assembled ambassadors and heads of state and demanded to know if any of them "had information about who killed JFK" which dovetailed nicely into my posts about James Ellroy's The Cold Six Thousand. The Libyan leader's speech was only the second longest in UN history; he was of course outlasted by Fidel Castro whose little brother Raul makes a cameo appearance in my novel Fifty Grand, which I've posted about here. (Nice plug, eh?) It was the speech of a true nutter and the only thing he forgot to talk about which I've covered was UFO's....
Anyway, you can read an excellent piece of reportage on Gadaffi's UN speech in The Guardian here and if you're a fan of the whole Chavez-Castro school of rhetoric you can watch the whole barmy thing on Cspan.
21 comments:
Gadaffi never fails to amuse. did you see the post reporter's crazy video about trying to make a citizen's arrest?
we do have one thing in common though, Gadaffi and me--we both like to sleep in tents, at least once a year, that is. i'm jealous of the international density of your Clustrmap, but i did notice a marked lack of visitors from Libya.
sorry, that's
citizen's arrest
HB
That's pretty funny. Good linkage.
I noticed that he was trying to pitch his tent not too far from one of my old stomping grounds of Shrub Oak in upstate NY. You have to get planning permission to put up a new mail box there so it wasnt a big surprise that the tent fell afoul of the local ordnances.
If the rain stays off I'll be sleeping in a tent this Sunday in the bush, but if its still pouring we may postpone it.
Going after Ghadaffi for zoning violations is a bit like getting Al Capone for tax evasion, isn't it?
Peter
Well except that it actually worked with Capone. Gadaffi will undoubtedly die in his bed or tent and his son will take over.
Yeah, Gadaffi went a little banana sandwich for sure. He's looking a bit rough these days, huh? Almost like the older long lost brother of George Jefferson on crank?
Here's what I don't get: he's been the supreme ruler there for about thirty years, answers to no one, and he's still a colonel. He should have made general years ago, which shows how dysfunctional Libya is.
Dana, that is a fascinating point. Why not Emperor, for that matter?
My parents met and married in Tripoli, and I've always wondered if Gadaffi was one of the Arab youth wandering around the streets about then. My mom seemed to know some of the Arab boys who worked on the base, but for some reason, they were all named Ali, and were distinguished by other characteristics, like Little Ali, etc.
Still trying to understand Trump's connection in all this. But your blog posts certainly show that you and Gadaffi are brothers under the skin. Wouldn't have thought it, but thanks for pointing it out.
Letterman called it! And glad to hear KoA is still around.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRJSdOJGXfo
Some boneheads in the personal responses, though.:(
Liam
I like the hat though. It just says madman right from the getgo. You've got to be impressed with that.
Seana
Thats cute. Met in Libya. I've always wanted to go there you know. I have a friend who went and visited what she said were the most amazing Roman ruins, completely unspoiled and with no tourists.
I suppose as the country opens up it'll be possible to go.
Dana
Yeah only a Colonel, it's ridiculous. Hitler at least promoted himself from Corporal to the equivalent of Field Marshal.
I like the fact that he and Ahmadinazhad and Chavez have bought into every single conspiracy theory going. And like I say I'm disappointed that none of them mentioned the Moon Landing or UFO's. Why not go for the trifecta: JFK, 9/11 and the Moon Landing.
I guess actually I feel a little disappointed that it really isn't the same place as it was when they were there. True, the Libyans may be happier to be rid of the Americans, but it would be nice to walk the streets they walked, etc. I'll have to ask my mom if she remembers Roman ruins. It's funny, but she has slides of her whole European tour, but not much on Libya that I recall. She liked the place a lot, though. My dad did not.
Matt
Letterman was right.
I knew it was going to be good, but I had no idea it was going to be this good. I loved the rant at the delegates sitting in front of him and the JFK stuff was priceless. I guess if you're supreme leader you are completely surrounded by yes men who agree with everything you say. Its only when you're out in public does these views get an external hearing.
Seana
I read the Joe Orton diaries a while ago (definitely worth it, for his mother's surreal funeral alone) and there's a really funny bit when they fly to Libya and are so freaked out that they get on a plane that same night and fly all the way back to London. The whole Libyan is very funny. I dont remember why its funny but I remember laughing out loud.
I'll have to try it. I really haven't read anything on Libya, now I come to think of it. Or maybe a National Geographic here or there.
Wonder if Tripoli is on Google Earth. I'll have to try it when I get my computer back.
Guy calls to mind Hitchcock and Ellroy, he can't be all bad.
A thought: Is Ghadaffi one of the five guys named Mo?
=================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Brought the crazy indeed. Camping in a tent, gee, pass on staying at the W Hotel or the Ritz...sign me up for lyme disease and dampness. FIFTY GRAND smoked, BTW. But I've never been disappointed by your books.
Seana
The Orton diaries are pretty good. I liked the film better with Gary Oldman.
Peter
Well, actually, I think he can be.
Kieran
Thanks man I appreciate that, now go tell 10,000 of your friends and I can quit the day job and write another one!
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