As people all over America mourned those lost on 9/11 yesterday, they were also faced with another tragedy: the death of Ambassador Chris Stevens, during an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya. A native Californian, Stevens took the position of Ambassador to Libya in May of this year. The attack also killed diplomat Sean Smith, an Air Force veteran, as well as two other diplomats whose identities have not been released, pending notification of their families. The mob that attacked the Consulate has been said to have attacked because of anger over an anti-muslim film.
Stevens had dedicated his recent years to helping improve Libya’s climate. Time Magazine notes that, “It’s telling that less than three hours after Stevens’ death in Benghazi, Libyans had started an Arabic-language Facebook tribute page for him. On it they shared photos of the ambassador, for example, slouching down with Libyans eating local food with his hand. They also posted pictures of themselves holding candles lit in his memory.”
Stevens, who was 52, will be mourned by people all over the world and his contributions to the world as a U.S. diplomat will not be forgotten.
2 comments:
While new reports of violence in Libya certainly shouldn't be any surprise, I did not expect to be reading about the death of U.S. ambassador when I originally heard of the attack. It turns out, no U.S. ambassador has been killed by a violent attack such as this one since 1979.
Since the attack, Obama has reacted by condemning the attack,advocating the removal of American civilians from Libya,and stationing 50 U.S. Marines in the embassy. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time we've had U.S. official troops on the ground in Libya (undercover troops have likely had a presence). Clearly, Obama is not taking this situation lightly and has responded with necessary precautions.
I found Romney's reaction to Obama's condemnation to be very disturbing. Last night, Romney stated, "It’s disgraceful that the Obama administration’s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks."
Romney's message is inflammatory and largely false. It has yet to be seen how the media will cover this statement. It took me a while to find the article where I originally read it.
This unfortunate news also has a greater impact locally; Stevens grew up in the Bay Area.
I find it heartening to read that Libyan civilians did not support the attack. It's important to remember that the actions of a few do not reflect the opinions of the many. In the face of increasing criticism, fear, and anger towards Muslims, our politicians would do well to keep that fact in mind.
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