Weekend Open Thread: Salwa Bugaighis Assassinated on Eve of Ramadan

Salwa Bugaighis

Salwa Bugaighis, a good example to us all.

Here’s a horrible story to darken your last weekend of the first half of 2014.  (Sorry to do this, but OJB just wants to keep you informed.)  Libyan lawyer and human rights activist Salwa Bugaighis has been shot dead by unknown assailants at her home in Benghazi on the day of the country’s general election.

“Unknown hooded men wearing military uniforms attacked Mrs Bugaighis in her home and opened fire on her,” said a security official, who did not wish to be named.

Bugaighis, a lawyer, played an active part in Libya’s 2011 revolution, which overthrew the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. A former member of the National Transitional Council, the rebellion’s political wing, she was vice-president of a preparatory committee for national dialogue in Libya.

The US ambassador to Libya, Deborah Jones called the news “heartbreaking”, and on her Twitter account denounced “a cowardly, despicable, shameful act against a courageous woman and true Libyan patriot”.

Every once in a while, you’ll see an article entitled something like “What You Should Do With Your Law Degree.”  That, what Salwa Bugaighis did — that is what you should do with your law degree.  She made the most of it and served her people.  It is left to the rest of us to remember her with gratitude and respect.

And now, apologies for an abrupt juxtaposition, which is not intended to signify anything.

The most challenging Ramadan (judging by the number of daylight fasting hours) in decades for observant Muslims begins tonight; if you’d like, you can read OJB’s story on the topic from 2012, which from search results appears to be becoming a perennial.  Ramadan Mubarek to our friends of the Muslim faith.

This is your Weekend Open Thread.  Talk about that, or anything else you’d like, within reasonable bounds of decency and decorum.

This weekend or next, we may have an OC Register Dearthwatch.


About Greg Diamond

Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that. Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too. He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.) His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)