Women Answer Qaddafi's Call for Volunteers

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CNN is reporting that embattled Libyan dictator Col. Muammar Qaddafi is calling for new volunteers to fight against rebels attempting to bring about an end to his 42-year rule — and women of all ages are responding to the call. Women from in and around Qaddafi's stronghold of Tripoli have been traveling south to a training facility in Bani Walid to practice with weapons, a common sight in a country where young girls receive military training in schools.

As NATO's airstrikes crossed the 100-day mark and rebels continue to fight to oust Qaddafi, he is tapping everything and everyone in his arsenal to hold on to power. At the training facility in Bani Walid, women are training to "defend Muammar and the country," said Sgt. Faraj Ramadan, a woman who is training other women to properly handle weapons.

The article reports that women enjoy the training and are happy to join Qaddafi's fight to maintain control over Libya. David McKenzie reports that one woman said, "Do not underestimate any woman in Libya, whether old or young … The woman is still able to perform more than you think."

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We don't doubt the abilities of women — just the fight to continue fighting for a dictator who is alleged to have ordered the rape of of hundreds of women to spread fear of his regime and curb dissent. We're all for women fighting, but what are they fighting for — continued oppression? Women volunteers for Qaddafi in Libya aren't so different from the rest of us — the U.S. is filled with women complicit in their own oppression — but we have to ask, is it really worth it?

Read more at CNN.

In other news: Obama's Health Care Law Clears Federal Hurdle.