Unrest in Egypt (and the surrounding area)

Hey Ninja I was thinking about that too. This whole thing could have huge implications for the Isreal/Palestine conflicts. If a left-wing for-the-people government gets in they will almost certainly side with the Palestinians. What I fear most is a right-wing washington candidate replacing Mubarak.

However I think the chances of a government hell bent on destroying Israel is pretty unlikely. You make enemies with Israel, your making enemies with the US. And Egypt has long standing good relations with the US.

That has never stopped them from fighting Israel in the past.

Well the great likelihood is that if anything they are going to elect a moderate government.

Yes! YES!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xei

Well the great likelihood is that if anything they are going to elect a moderate government.

---

Who says anybody is going to be elected...

Al Jazeera is covering this live if anyone wants to keep track of developments:

Al Jazeera English: Live Stream - Watch Now - Al Jazeera English

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Spartiate

Who says anybody is going to be elected...

---

Hence the 'if anything'. ;V

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xei

Well the great likelihood is that if anything they are going to elect a moderate government.

---

I disagree, although Egypt is pretty moderate because of it's mix of religions, but there are lots of fundamentalist from both religions. The fundamentalists are a minority, but very aggressive politically. I think one of them will take control.

Well I'm just going on what the BBC's foreign correspondent said.

Opposition member and Nobel Laureate ElBaradei has just joined the protests.

I have a friend in Egypt who's on Facebook. This is what she posted a few days ago. Haven't heard from her or seen her on FB or MSN since.

Quote:

---

Bullshit!! facebook is shut down, can't even SMS people or receive texts, WHATS NEXT?? wtf is wrong with this government! just step down, you are not wanted. people in this country are treated like worthless beings :s everyone deserves to be treated like a HUMAN BEING w/ the same rights as anyone else. And yes i had to sign on thru some kinda proxy server my friend told me about. This is crazy!

---

This is pretty crazy. FB blackout so the news of what's going on won't spread.

Edit: There's a blackout across all social networks, cell phones and IM'ing services in Egypt too. :(

I just heard that they plan on having the police return tomorrow, though the way they just fled and seemed to disappear off the face of the earth the other day, I am not sure how that is going to work out.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jeff777

Edit: There's a blackout across all social networks, cell phones and IM'ing services in Egypt too. :(

---

Yeah, they had actually shut limited cell service back on, yesterday. Dunno if it's still on (haven't checked the news yet), but it had been out for a few days.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alric

I just heard that they plan on having the police return tomorrow, though the way they just fled and seemed to disappear off the face of the earth the other day, I am not sure how that is going to work out.

---

Not very well, I'm thinking. Hell, many of the police stations have already been burned out and/or looted for weapons.

I think any government that tries to black out information, most especially when its people are protesting, is an oppressive government that doesn't belong any longer in this day and age. Would the American government try to do the same? Maybe. I also hate how the American news network has tried to take this genuine revolution happening in Egypt and transform it into an "American problem" of more "instability" in arab nations. All this talk about potentially losing an ally, what petty garbage!!! Egyptians deserve our support!

I also think its totally awesome how grassroots and instant this revolution was, the same with Tunisia, it was practically over night! Maybe only a week ago the Egyptian people didn't think they had it in them, let alone the capacity to organize themselves in the manner in which they have. This is a testament to the strength, will, and determination of the human spirit.

I also think these recent revolutions happening in the north Africa illustrate that all people, of any nation, want the same basic rights. They also illustrate the importance of coming together, not just as a nation, but globally. Why is it so important that the Egyptian people insure that their videos get online? Is it just so other Egyptian people can watch? No, they want the whole world to know about what they are doing. This isn't just an Egyptian revolution, or a Tunisian revolution, or an Algerian revolution. This is becoming a global revolution. Because as one nation watches, that nations thinks "can we do the same?". And it has to be a global revolution, because a lot of these problems are global. We have a global market screwing everyone over.

All together this spells out a deep desire for peace among all human beings that transcends national borders. A global peace that, thanks to the demonstration of north Africans that the average man does have the will, and is obtainable within this decade. (if we get off our asses!)

Its governments and artificial institutions (religious organizations) that lie to us and tell us we have enemies abroad. No we don't! Were all human! Were essentially the same! And thanks to the internet that helps to create a global community, this will become more and more evident, even in the most oppressed places.

What of America? The "greatest nation of all" that continues to support a minimum wage that keeps millions at poverty level, or below? America will be one of the last nations to have her own rebellion, because of how apathetic and largely ignorant her people are. But America is slowly waking up to the truth she doesn't want to hear, that we have an oppressive government that oppresses us through lies and deceit, undermining our constitution. Thanks to middle easterners and north Africans, I think America will wake up quicker than most realize. Just like a revolution can spark over night.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

Yeah, they had actually shut limited cell service back on, yesterday. Dunno if it's still on (haven't checked the news yet), but it had been out for a few days.

---

Yeah.. I'm pretty late to the "clued in folks about Egypt" party. ^___ ^;

Get with it, Obama's currently trying to pass legislation that will allow for a similar 'internet kill switch'.

Then we better be ready to rock and roll on the streets!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xei

Get with it, Obama's currently trying to pass legislation that will allow for a similar 'internet kill switch'.

---

I heard about his pushing for a national internet ID card. Is what you're saying related?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by juroara

Then we better be ready to rock and roll on the streets!

---

What I admire about Egypt right now is that they have the balls to do this. Back a country so far into a corner and strip them from things that they're crying out for and then you get a revolution. American's have way too many distractions to even know about (or care about) what's going on outside of their homes and jobs. Give American's another season of Jersey shore and they'll shut the fuck up. That's what ticks me off. American's won't do what the Egyptians are doing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jeff777

Give American's another season of Jersey shore and they'll shut the fuck up. That's what ticks me off. American's won't do what the Egyptians are doing.

---

Yeah, I was thinking about that.
That would be a scary situation, though. I believe if American cities/states started revolting like that, there would be a bloodbath. We're fucking crazy, yo.

Newsflash: COICA bill would censor internet. Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thankfully, some senator from Oregon filibustered the shit out of that bill. Before this, it was ACTA, which had similar censorship powers initially (plus a handful of new brutal measures), but has since been severely diluted. As far as I know, it hasn't passed, but is still on the table.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

Yeah, I was thinking about that.
That would be a scary situation, though. I believe if American cities/states started revolting like that, there would be a bloodbath. We're fucking crazy, yo.

---

Yeah, this is really unlikely to happen in America. Everything is too comfortable for a revolution. Things sounded like they were complete shit in Egypt and I'm sure that pushed them to revolt. Here, things are much too comfortable for revolution. Maybe if they took our television away or something.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Drokens

Yeah, this is really unlikely to happen in America. Everything is too comfortable for a revolution. Things sounded like they were complete shit in Egypt and I'm sure that pushed them to revolt. Here, things are much too comfortable for revolution. Maybe if they took our television away or something.

---

Haha. I agree. :thumbup:

If the internet and phone service got shut off though, that would be it. People in America would go crazy. Shutting down the internet was probably the worst thing they could of done, because then all the young people lose that huge distraction and all they got is protesting.

I think that the reason that it never will happen in America is because people think it will never happen in America.

My psychiatrist is originally from Egypt. I don't see him again until 02/07. I don't know if he still has family over there. An older brother lives here, but that's all I know. I hope everyone's okay.

Jeff, I hope you hear from your friend soon.