So apparently Libya wants to change its ways and join "the community of nations." I think this is great! I understand the complaints of the families of the Pan Am 103 victims, but I think when we live in a world with SO MUCH history of violence and bad, bad choices, we really need to learn how to forgive and move on. Or else we will just propagate violence like that committed in 1988, allegedly supported by Col. Moammar Gadhafi (I really don't know the evidence of this claim too well, so I won't make any claims of guilt. I only know that Gadhafi eventually paid reparations demanded of him. If you have more information about his involvement, please let me know.)

I really do believe that people can change. Even people that may have been forever cast into many minds as evil, such as Saddam Hussein, or Osama bin Laden, can change and contribute positively to the world.

My favorite example of a person changing their ways is the story of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Jean Valjean was a proven criminal, but the Bishop of Digne takes him in and trusts him. Valjean quickly betrayed this trust and stole from the sleeping Bishop. When Valjean was caught, the Bishop gave nothing but forgiveness and mercy. Jean Valjean went on to be an outstanding mayor, loving father of an orphan girl, and beloved hero of this beautiful story. (It's a great book, and I hope everyone reads it at some point, though I recommend the abridged version the first time around.)

People in the United States and in the allies in this "community of nations" need to remember that it wasn't too long ago that countries like Russia, Germany, and Japan were enemies and considered by many to be evil. Now they are clearly members of the community of nations to which Bush refers. Even some of the United States' closest allies (England for example) were once bitter enemies of ours! (Don't get me started about England though. I still think the United Kingdom should cede Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland.)

So I welcome the news of Libya wanting to change its ways and give up weapons. Maybe it will even help us to reduce the great number of weapons we have to buy each year to make ourselves feel safe (You spend over $1000, on average, for these weapons every year.) The fewer "rogue states" in the world, the better off we are, and each of those countries that we have once considered "rogue states" should be candidates for our friendship. Let's hope others, such as North Korea, Iran, and Cuba follow Libya's lead in joining the world community of nations whose trust we all depend on for peace.

thank goodness!

~rob guinness

N. B. This assumes that Libya is genuine in its claims. We, of course, should be vigilant in making sure Libya sticks to its promise of giving up so-called "weapons of mass destruction"