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Posted on 01/28/2011 9:14:48 AM PST by SE Mom
From FOX:
DEVELOPING: Loud explosions and gunfire were heard in the Egyptian capital of Cairo Friday, as protesters demanding the removal of President Hosni Mubarak defied a curfew, Al Jazeera reported. Egyptian television reports the ruling party headquarters in Cairo are on fire.
From TWITTER:
WashingtonPost: Clinton: We urge #Egypt authorities to allow peaceful protest, reverse unprecedented steps it has taken to cut off communications less than 20 seconds ago
Ruben pretty much ‘nails it’ in this piece, IMO...
{this is a cross-post}
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2666739/posts
The Rest of the World Has Gone Mad — Why Shouldn’t Egypt?
Pajamas Media ^ | January 31, 2011 | Barry Rubin
Posted on Tuesday, February 01, 2011 9:23:28 AM by Kaslin
Obama is openly calling for the downfall of a 60-year-old regime that has been allied with the U.S. for about 40 years in the most important country in the Arab world. What could go wrong?
“The world has gone mad today, and good’s bad today.”
— Cole Porter, “Anything Goes”
Mad indeed. But let’s limit ourselves to two points.
First, the White House is now calling for a smooth transition in Egypt. In other words, after one week of not-so-gigantic demonstrations, President Barack Obama is openly calling for the downfall of a 60-year-old regime that has been allied with the United States for about 40 years in the most important country in the Arab world.
It’s one thing for the president to urge moderation, no violence, and efforts at compromise. It’s another to push the Egyptian government out of power and possibly usher in a new era of catastrophe for the Middle East and the world.
Couldn’t the U.S. government wait a bit and see what happens? Couldn’t it express public support for the regime and privately urge reforms and a change of personnel? Doesn’t it have any sense of the danger of anarchy or anti-American forces coming to power in Egypt?
Remember, it doesn’t have to be an Islamist regime. It can be an Islamist-radical nationalist government with a moderate front man. The outcome could make Iran’s revolution look like a picnic. While that last sentence is perhaps excessively alarmist, it is intended to wake up people from this daydream of Egypt becoming a stable, moderate, democratic state given the actual situation in Egypt.
Second, naivete has reached epidemic proportions. What sets me off here as an example is the Washington Post which, under the headline “Muslim Brotherhood says it is only a minor player in Egyptian protests,” tells us about this group. Of course, it says it is not important. Just as the Big Bad Wolf wore granny’s clothes — “All the better to eat you.” Why should the Western media pick up the revolutionary Islamists’ disinformation themes?
In fact, and I’m not exaggerating, the article tells us that the Brotherhood is no threat and accuses it of wimping out:
It is not the organization of radical jihadists that it is sometimes made out to be. But its caution in dealing with Mubarak has made it appear recently that it is more concerned with protecting itself than with improving the nation.
The article tells us two historical facts about the Brotherhood: it was inspired by the YMCA and was brutally repressed by the Egyptian government in the 1950s.
Sigh. And what does it leave out? That it seeks to transform Egypt into an Islamist state, reduce the Christians to third-class citizens (they are already second-class citizens), do away with rights for women, impose sharia law, drive America out of the Middle East, and wage a war of genocide against Israel.
Oh, and then there’s the history of the Brotherhood: it was financed by the Nazis from the 1930s on and tried to deliver Egypt to them in World War Two, used the Nazi weapons it had been given in 1942 to try to destroy Israel in the 1948 war, had a terrorist wing and assassinated a number of officials including an Egyptian prime minister, was repressed because it tried to kill President Gamal Abdel Nasser, supports terrorism not only against Israel but also U.S. forces in Iraq, and has a current leader who calls for a jihad against the United States.
Has anyone in the Western media or governments ever read anything from Brotherhood leaders’ speeches or publications? Apparently not. In fact, regarding the media I have seen zero evidence that it has any idea what these people say every day.
Let’s look at two cogent reactions to the situation. First, President Bashar al-Assad, dictator of Syria. Read this carefully: “Syria is stable. Why? Because you have to be very closely linked to the beliefs of the people. This is the core issue. When there is divergence…you will have this vacuum that creates disturbances.”
What does this mean? That if you line up with Iran, support revolutionary Islamism, and oppose the United States, you are going to be popular and strong since that demagoguery appeals to the masses. Do you think the oppositionists in Egypt are aware of that fact?
Let’s next listen to Avi Shavit of Haaretz, expressing not only what Israelis think but in this case also what all of the Arabs are thinking:
Obama’s betrayal of Hosni Mubarak is not just the betrayal of a moderate Egyptian president who remained loyal to the United States, promoted stability and encouraged moderation. Obama’s betrayal of Mubarak symbolizes the betrayal of every strategic ally in the Third World. Throughout Asia, Africa and South America, leaders are now looking at what is going on between Washington and Cairo.
Everyone grasps the message: America’s word is worthless; an alliance with America is unreliable; American has lost it. A result of this understanding will be a turn toward China, Russia and regional powers such as Iran, Turkey and Brazil….The second result of this insight will be a series of international conflagrations that will result from the loss of America’s deterrent power. But the general result will be America’s rapid disappearance as a superpower….The policy setback which Washington will experience will be no less dramatic than the regime debacle which Cairo is experiencing.
This is the course of the Obama administration and what I’ve been warning about since it took office. Now the moment of anti-glory has arrived. Who is dumb enough to want to be a U.S. ally under these conditions?
Let me stress that the Mubarak regime has been repressive and corrupt. It is understandable that the people of Egypt want more freedom and a better life. So did the people of Russia in 1917, those of Germany in 1932 (they had a republic but most of them hated it), those of Iran in 1978, and those in the Gaza Strip in 2006. One can only sympathize with their situation.
But we are tottering on the edge of catastrophe here and the Obama administration is pushing Egypt into the chasm.
But, a recent survey revealed that over 56% of the Egyptian population favors an Islamic form of government, under sharia law.
Add that statistic to the influence of the MB, Hezbollah and Iran, there is not much room for a moderate Democratic society. If one is even voted in, it will eventually vote itself in that direction like the recent Palestinian and Iran elections.
Than we are lost and wil ride this disater to the growth of a new Islamic Empire and subjegation through financial suicide.
I see your point, but I find it highly unlikely. I also tend to think that our fomenting violence in the mideast is a bad idea. We need to leave them alone to kill each other and simply help defend Israel. But zer0 doesn’t want to defend Israel, so I don’t know what we’re going to actually do.
There is very great uncertainty in the world right now.
That is a very bad thing.
Saved this for last and not least .... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1QmeEdFOSc I hope everyone enjoyed.
Incredible, what a disruption and truly unsafe.
I admit that is possible, but as I said in another post, I don't necessarily see it as a likely outcome. The low turnout in Egypt is encouraging.
0bama being in charge is our Achile's heel. He is bad news.
Americans committed suicide through stupidity and indifference.
It is too late for us if we wait.
The Zero will do nothing to help America as his leaders come from Mecca.
Are you calling for us as individual citizens to go over there and cause a ruckus?
That is a fools errand and equally suicidal. I would certainly have no part in it.
This chess game is far from over. We’re still in the opening stages... moving into the heart of it.
Waych Jordan and Syria, if this continues to grow we will see that The Zero’s outreach to the Islamic world showed them America was weak and would do nothing to stop the spread of their evil.
Watch Jordan and Syria, if this continues to grow we will see that The Zero’s outreach to the Islamic world showed them America was weak and would do nothing to stop the spread of their evil.
In honor of your post Ike .... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1QmeEdFOSc .... I am proud of you!
Of course not. This is what our CIA is supposed to be able to do.
Individual citizens would accomplplish nothing.
Yes, I think what you say is likely true. This is discouraging (to say the least.) In an earlier post this morning I wondered if the point of no return has actually already been passed in the middle east, especially if 0bama is on the side of the Islamists as he apparently is.
This thought is flat out depressing. I keep looking for encouraging signs, though. I'm kinda hoping Mubarak is stronger than people are giving him credit for if only to give the democratic forces time to organize and present a strong candidate for the elections that only a strong Mubarak can delay long enough for such a candidate to emerge.
bookmark
“.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1QmeEdFOSc .... “
For the record - I’m still a ‘dial-up dynosaur’, and can’t/don’t do ‘Youtube’...
OK. Glad to hear that. There was just something missing in the conversation that I wanted to clear up. :0)
I just woke up. Did they have a million person march?
We're not weak. We're standing down in the face of evil.
These are dark days.
for the record Ike, nearly there myself. Yours is still better than mine, Ike.
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