We must take Gaddafi out

I remember Dec. 21, 1988 very well. I started routinely, working in my yard that morning, before riding my motorcycle to work at Pan Am at the Los Angeles International Airport that afternoon. The moment I walked into the office a colleague told me Pan Am had just lost an aircraft over Lockerbie, Scotland. Later I learned that an acquaintance, a beautiful young flight attendant, Stacie Franklin, from San Diego, was killed in the bombing of PA 103. For me, that was the day the war began against Col. Mommar Gaddafi, who masterminded the bombing of our Clipper Maid of the Seas, killing all 243 passengers and 16 Pan Am crew members.

I agree with President Obama: “Mommar Gaddafi must go.” All it will take is one Tomahawk Missile to take out him and his son, Saif. So far we have fired over 150 Tomahawks, each costing $750,000. That’s $112 million dollars well spent, perhaps, but all we really needed was just one Tomahawk targeting Gaddafi. So why has Congress been yammering and squawking for weeks about saving a few $ million by defunding National Public Radio. Seems Congress is million-wise, but billion-foolish.

We sought approval of the Arab league, African Union, U.N. Security Council and Congress for a “no-fly” over Libya, when all we needed was one bunker buster to take out Gaddafi. Many lives would have been saved, and the world would long have forgotten and benefited - especially the Libyan people.

Joe Howard Crews