The Glade 4.0

There's some big stuff going on there. Unlike Iran, it looks like the police might be willing to join in the unrest, as I've heard that several policemen have removed their uniforms and badges and joined the demonstrators. It just seems to have more momentum and purpose than the Iranian uprisings, for example, they've taken over police stations. It doe worrty me that The Muslim Brotherhood is getting more involved, though.

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"Dress cops up as soldiers, give them military equipment, train them in military tactics, tell them they’re fighting a ‘war,’ and the consequences are predictable." —Radley Balko

Yeah - I'm less concerned about the riots/revolution and more concerned about what rises up from the ashes.

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The Dude abides.

You could say that the United States has similar circumstances.

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A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. ~ John Stuart Mill

I wonder if Lieberman's "Internet Kill switch" bill will still pass after this.

Considering that we are seeing the end of a Mumbarak's tenure, and a highly probable "regime change" I doubt this will be a positive example for the IKS bill to show as a solution.

Really, do you want to be annoyed by your dissidents making Internet posts or have them drag you out into the street and execute you for your crimes, the last one being shutting down the Internet and giving them even more proof of your despot behavior.

That is a prediction by the way. Mubarak's time is over, he will either flee the country or be overthrown and executed or assassinated shortly.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

Yeah, that was my understanding of it, too. The president already has an "internet kill switch." Lieberman's bill would limit its scope and power.

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Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

Ditto, I've heard everyday people in Egypt express the opinion that between Mubarak and the Muslim Brotherhood, they'd choose "Mubarak, no question, even though he's a thug".

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"Dress cops up as soldiers, give them military equipment, train them in military tactics, tell them they’re fighting a ‘war,’ and the consequences are predictable." —Radley Balko

They should unplug their router, wait 60 seconds and plug it back in.

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"Dress cops up as soldiers, give them military equipment, train them in military tactics, tell them they’re fighting a ‘war,’ and the consequences are predictable." —Radley Balko

I know someone living there. Her facebook and twitter were down and now she apparently cant use the internet at all unless she's just not posting.

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“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general”. - Mark Rippetoe

This could be bad. It could end up turning out like Iran's revolution did. That revolution had liberals and secularists in it too. How long did they last once the revolution was accomplished?

Egypt in the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood would NOT be a good thing.

I still think we should just turn to Israel and tell them... wait for it.....

and then when the smoke settles... "Go get 'em guys..."

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Darksiege
Traveller, Calé, Whisperer
Lead me not into temptation; for I know a shortcut

I don't exactly think a destabilized Gaza is something the world's economies need right now.

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The Dude abides.

Israel is already a liability to the United States.

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This is only going to turn out bad. A dictatorship propped up and tamed by the U.S. is better than a theocratic republic like Iran.

All the more reason to be out of their business.

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A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. ~ John Stuart Mill

Maybe we can save the $1.3 billion in foreign aid we give them if they have a regime change. Sorry man, that deal was with Mubarak's government, you want to talk?

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

And of course it's all Bush's fault.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-shepp ... d-iraq-war

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"Life isn't divided into genres. It's a horrifying, romantic, tragic, comical, science-fiction cowboy detective novel. You know, with a bit of pornography if you're lucky."
— Alan Moore

I think people everywhere have a right to protest against an unjust government, and if necessary, rise in arms against them. Mubarak's regime has already given their response to the demands of the people, and they obviously are not interested in reform. Their response to the protests with their security forces has already proven this, and Mubarak's speech last night sealed the deal.

Supporting Mubarak in any way is no longer acceptable. I think we've come past that point. He's had plenty of chance to respond and hasn't done so. I agree with the Obama administration's neutral stance so far. It would have been hasty to choose a side, particularly when one is a close ally. But the time has come for Obama to denounce Mubarak and withdraw any US support for him. I think it is wrong to support dictators who crush the will of the people and violate their fundamental rights. Especially when the people have made it clear that they are not backing down. We can't just sit idly by while Mubarak let's the country descend into chaos.

And I realize a lot of you are concerned about what will replace the dictatorship, but I don't think that's our concern. That's for the people of Egypt to worry about. If the new government is worse, they should rise up again. They're their own country, they should make their own decisions.

The problem is when they come knocking on the door of our allies with tanks or refuse to let our ships though the Suez because we are the Great Satan. Plus if someone's been your friend for 30 years and your worst enemy wants to kill him do you overlook his character flaws and help him or not?

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I prefer to think of them as "Fighting evil in another dimension"

The Egyptian people are our worst enemy?

No but Islamic Fascists are. I don't see how this things out any differently than Iran where the hardliners use it come into power.

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I prefer to think of them as "Fighting evil in another dimension"

Iran calls for restraint in Egypt








In the universe the rest of us live in:

Al Jazeera Live

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"Dress cops up as soldiers, give them military equipment, train them in military tactics, tell them they’re fighting a ‘war,’ and the consequences are predictable." —Radley Balko

Images of a looted museum in Egypt:
http://imgur.com/a/1X8e1

It's a good thing the British have most of their art. The Egyptians don't deserve to have nice things.