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January 28, 2011 at 8:05 pm #597771
JiggersMemberThe bubble finally burst. I wonder what country is going to give him asylum now.
January 28, 2011 at 9:43 pm #715432
transplantellaParticipantCrazy blowout.
Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon in grassroots uprisings, it’s all moving like wildfire.
Power to the people.
January 28, 2011 at 9:53 pm #715433
transplantellaParticipantMubarek rumored to have left the country, headed to Switzerland. Posted just minutes ago.
January 28, 2011 at 10:09 pm #715434
transplantellaParticipant5 Ways to Get Live Info about Egypt Protests Online
“The Egyptian government shut down access to the Internet early Friday morning, affecting about 88 percent of the country’s online networks. While blackouts of selected sites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Google are common in countries with autocratic and totalitarian governments, this appears to be the first time a government tried to shut down all Internet access.”
“….Even though Internet access in Egypt is blacked out, you can still find a fair amount of live information about the protests online. Here are five ways to still find out what’s going on in Egypt from people who are close to the action:…”
http://www.pcworld.com/article/218048/5_ways_to_get_live_info_about_egypt_protests_online.html
January 28, 2011 at 10:55 pm #715435
KBearParticipant“Mubarek rumored to have left the country, headed to Switzerland.”
Couldn’t he just hide out in BFE? Or are they rioting there, too?
January 28, 2011 at 11:53 pm #715436
SmittyParticipantJanuary 29, 2011 at 5:55 am #715437
JiggersMemberHow come we never protested like that when Bush was president?
January 29, 2011 at 6:14 am #715438
cjboffoliParticipantBBC News, Reuters and Al Jazeera are reporting that the CABINET has been dismissed. But so far no one is reporting that Mubarek has departed.
January 29, 2011 at 8:33 am #715439
JanSParticipantMubarek has said that he’s not going to leave..but…one gets the feeling that he’s not gonna be around for the duration…
January 29, 2011 at 8:49 am #715440
cjboffoliParticipantI dunno Jan. A billion and a half dollars a year from the USA in public and military aid gives one a surprising amount of staying power.
January 29, 2011 at 8:51 am #715441
JanSParticipantthat’s very true, Christopher, very true…I nearly shat when I saw that on the news earlier….that’s a huge amount…and most of it for the military, I understand? Only a fraction of it for things that aren’t military?
January 29, 2011 at 2:51 pm #715442
TDeParticipantI was startled to hear the amount of aid provided as well. And, I cringed when the reporter picked up one of the tear gas canisters from the street and it had a Pennsylvania manufacturer’s address on it. I know it’s just free enterprise in this country selling their products overseas, but the irony of a people fighting for democracy being pelted by gas manufactured in the United States is overwhelmingly ironic and maddening at the same time. The outcome of this attempt at revolution is still up in the air. I really hope it turns out well for the people of Egypt.
January 29, 2011 at 4:53 pm #715443
valvashonParticipantI’m surprised by how surprised some of the posters in this thread are about the relationship between the Egyptian government and ours. Mubarak is one of “our” dictators and has been for a very long time.
Witness the recent statement by Hillary Clinton on Wednesday: “…our assessment is that the Egyptian government is stable and is looking for ways to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people.” She has since changed her stance, but that gives you an idea of her worldview, and why she fits into Washington so well.
Being one of “our” dictators means Mubarak is given tons of money, buys lots of our weapons, tortures for us and is guaranteed our support (until things really get out of hand, at which point we abandon him). We love democracy being brought to the Middle East, but only when it is brought there at the point of our guns.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end up here in the states, facing no punishment whatsoever (I’m lookin’ at you, Luis Posada Carriles).
If you aren’t watching/listening to the fantastic program Democracy Now, it is time to start. Amy Goodman and staff will keep you informed on what is really going on in the world.
January 29, 2011 at 4:56 pm #715444
JoBParticipanthow soon we forget
Saddam was one of “our” dictators too
until he got all uppity and started attacking the wrong neighbor
January 29, 2011 at 4:56 pm #715445
JiggersMemberThe tear gas business is making a fortune now.
January 29, 2011 at 5:55 pm #715446
valvashonParticipantJoB-
Don’t forget that April Glaspie told Saddam that the U.S. essentially had no opinion on the matter of him invading Kuwait. There are many reasons that Saddam wanted to do this, from erasing debt (Kuwait was a major funder of Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war) to disputes over slant drilling to reclaiming territory carved off due to British imperialism.
I found this article interesting:
http://rationalrevolution.net/war/invasion_of_kuwait.htm
Found that during a quick search but haven’t been able to verify all of the claims made there. It mostly does fit with what I know about the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. As always, do your own research.
It is true that Saddam was another one of “ours”; that picture of him shaking hands with Donald Rumsfeld in 1983 is priceless.
Val
January 29, 2011 at 6:35 pm #715447
SmittyParticipant“It is true that Saddam was another one of “ours”; that picture of him shaking hands with Donald Rumsfeld in 1983 is priceless.”
Why? Things change, you know. 1983 does not equal 2003.
January 29, 2011 at 7:13 pm #715448
charlabobParticipantWhy, Smitty — you’re absolutely right — undoubtedly we’re much more in control of Egypt now than we were before. As evidenced by long conversation between Mubarak and Obama yesterday, followed by Mubarak’s naming a vice president for the first time during his reign: Omar Sulieman, his trusted ally and intelligence chief.
Meantime, Biden issued a press release saying Mubarak should NOT step down. He’s the token mouth, able to say what Obama and Clinton think and then be disavowed as “you know how joe talks,” if it backfires.
We support the democratic aspirations of everyone in the world, as long as they check with us first about who they like.
Can’t wait to see what we do to/in Yemen. Same thing is happening there.
January 29, 2011 at 7:15 pm #715449
charlabobParticipantJan, we did protest when Bush was president — different people (I suspect Smitty wasn’t on the front lines). Less positive press coverage of the protest.
January 29, 2011 at 8:50 pm #715450
valvashonParticipant“Why? Things change, you know. 1983 does not equal 2003.”
What changed as far as Saddam being a brutal dictator between 1983 and 2003? Not much as far as I know. More importantly, what changed between 1983 and the start of the first Gulf War? We tossed him aside, like that crappy friend who tossed you aside for no particular reason (it’s happened to all of us).
The way that the U.S. “uses” dictators around the world and then tosses them aside is maddening, but it’s the price they pay for cozying up to us. It will stop if we ever have a foreign policy built around human rights and democracy instead of imperialism and terror.
Val
January 30, 2011 at 6:05 pm #715451
JoBParticipantthere is a lesson in all of this…
first they shut down cell phones.
then they shut down the internet
now they have stifled the free press (Al Jazeera)
yes.. in Egypt Al Jazeera is the free press…
and yet.. the demonstrations persevere
yesterday there was talk of where Mubarak could go into exhile…
it seems Israel will take him..
I am reminded of a world gathered around radios in World War II
I hope America is listening
January 30, 2011 at 6:38 pm #715452
WSMomParticipantVideo of Egypt uprising
January 30, 2011 at 7:21 pm #715453
valvashonParticipantJoB- you’ve probably never had a chance to watch Al Jazeera (English) but it’s actually quite good. Very stylish with lots of in-depth investigating and reporting from around the world. It’s a shame that it’s not on cable systems here in the U.S.- it’s just another news channel. Why not bring us english speaking news channels from around the world- BBC and NHK come to mind. My dream is to win the lotto, buy up KUSE LD-46, and put several english speaking news feeds on there that aren’t carried anywhere else, including Al Jazeera.
Anyway, Al Jazeera is available free-to-air on the Galaxy 25 satellite (I think) Ku-band (you could tune it in with any cheap FTA satellite receiver, not a Direct-TV type) and some shows are carried on MHZ Worldview which is on KBTC-28.2.
Val
January 30, 2011 at 7:38 pm #715454
JoBParticipantvalvashon…
i do watch Al Jazeera.. on a pretty regular basis and i agree that it’s quite good.
i think we watch it on LINK TV via DISH via DVR … generally a half hour a day…
but today it seems to be the broadcaster of choice
They seem to have decided that the current govt isn’t going to be around long enough to enforce their sanctions :)
i made the tongue in cheek comment because too many seem to think Al Jazeera is the voice of terrorism…
as for that Lotto dream…
i can’t speak to the specifics…
to which you seem to have paid some attention..
but i think that sounds like a worthwhile LOTTO dream.
it may even be worth buying tickets…
January 31, 2011 at 1:06 am #715455
charlabobParticipantIf you want access to Al Jezeera English, here’s a link to request/demand it http://www.iwantaje.net/. We’ve been watching since it began and always found it amazingly fair and balanced(tm).
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