In the early days of the insurrection in Libya, rebels took control of large swaths of western territory at what seemed like the blink of an eye.  But as the days and weeks wore on it became clear that they lacked the necessary  manpower and weaponry to take down Colonel Qaddafi’s militias without U.S. or NATO enforcement of a no-fly zone.

In recent weeks the press has protrayed the rebels as ragtag, diffuse and lacking a communications and command structure. Questions have arisen about what the rebels, and the Transitional National Council headquartered in Benghazi, stand for. Khaled M is a Libyan-American recording artist and activist based in Chicago with many contacts in Libya. He tells us why he thinks the rebels are getting an unfair wrap.