Benghazi

I did not approve either the war in Iraq or the War in Afghanistan (I protested and marched against each), however I do support the Spring uprisings across the Middle East. If we want to have any influence over these new countries (maybe encourage some equal rights for women, etc), we should be that beacon of democracy in the background ready to help these grassroots efforts.

It is hard to say what America can or should do for these countries or how best to support these nascent democracies. But I find kinship with the people of Benghazi and the cities of Libya. As a New Yorker, I see the Statue of Liberty from my office window and know I am blessed to have been born with rights - this is not something I should horde, but promote!

We cannot live in a vacuum, that being said, we must also help where we can best provide long-term stability: win the war not the batter. New York City is in a unique position to help, we have done so in the past in Iraq. We need to offer free police training to leaders in Benghazi. Fly them over in 2 week shifts for leadership training. At the end of the day, these new countries will need to be able to keep unified through a police force, not a military. This will also have the added benefit of creating trust between these new leaders and our nation. They will also see a successful diverse police force with both women in men in action - just being here will influence how they  choose to form a government, a society. We should not be outsourcing just our pop-music and guns to Libya, but instead our core values of equal rights and a respect for our fellow citizens.

NYC is blessed to have the best trained police force in the world. We specialize in combating urban violence and maintaining a sanctuary where local commerce can operate even under the most high stress environments. These are skill these insurgents need to topple Tripoli, win this war, and maintain peace once it ends. I don't see why we cannot lend this sort of aid.