I watched some of the videos of Muammar Gaddafi's last moments. First reaction is it's a messy way to go. I don't envy him. I would certainly have shit my pants if I were him.
More interesting, however, are the reactions of some of the viewers (distributed over the various comments of various such videos). "Barbaric" they call the treatment of the general by the rebels. Some say that they are no better than he for treating him in this way. They should be above such violence. They should have brought him to trial.
Now, I cannot claim I understand them. I think, nobody who has not lived as a native under his regime and fought in the rebellion can really understand their motives. But I could start by trying to comprehend that customs are rougher in that part of the world. More importantly, however, these people have a lot of rage against this dictator who brought war and violence and God knows what upon them. It may sound naive but I believe if I lost my family because of somebody like this - I have to admit - I would want him dead, too.
Another interesting reaction was how comments read that he was "paraded" around before his death showing off his bloodied face, how that was against anyone's dignity. It brought to my mind scenes from a few years back, December 2004 to be exact, when American soldiers pulled a dishevelled, aged dictator out of a "rat hole" in Iraq - Saddam Hussein. Soldiers took snap shots with him. In the news he was shown in a nice split screen - on one side the proud ruler of Iraq, on the other a shabby, distraught beggar being examined for parasites. Was that not also parading him around? With Gaddafi there was no CNN camera team on the scene. Hussein was not captured by furious rebels but by disciplined soldiers. The intent of what happened then was the same, however. The triumphant victors showing off the enemy they overcame. In ancient Rome captured enemies were paraded through the streets behind the emperor's chariot, in today's America they are presented on CNN and in Libya they are driven through the streets and recorded on mobile phones to be shown online. The American way is more high tech, more sanitary, but the thought is the same. I just don't like the wrong people getting judgemental.
Finally, before everyone hails the advent of democracy (tm) in Libya I think the rebels now have the extremely challenging task ahead of instituting a government that is better than their former leader. Let's recall that Iraq didn't just become better because it was declared democratic. These days you even hear opinions saying that at least during Hussein's regime people could live their lives without fear of bombs. Even the French Revolution in 1789 was not over after they had killed the king (in fact, the bloodshed was just getting started). I really hope they make wise choices - there's already too much killing going on.