Freegypt


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Freegypt

Post by Drunken Idaho »

Gotta love those Egyptians... 2 million currently on the streets of Cairo, hundreds of thousands more in other cities. I personally do not take the pessimistic view that this could give rise to a more fundamentalist/extremist government taking over. I acknowledge that that's a risk but from what I've seen, both progressive youth and those chanting "Allah Akbar" over there (which by the way, is practically like saying "sup?" over here) are united in wanting simply a democratic government. Even if the new government ends up being conservative Islamists, then they're simply asking to be democratically Muslim. I don't think that's too tall an order.

The best live coverage (by far) can be found here:

http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/

And Mubarak is stubbornly grasping onto his last moments of power. If he doesn't step down, I'm afraid he might end up without a head by the end of this. Oh well, tell 'em Jack:
John F. Kennedy wrote:Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Freakzilla »

Hopefully this will end well and be an inspiration to other oppressed countries in that region, like Iran.
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Freakzilla »

You know things are going badly when...

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An effigy depicting President Hosni Mubarak hangs in Tahrir, or Liberation, Square in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011. More than a quarter-million people flooded into the heart of Cairo Tuesday, filling the city's main square in by far the largest demonstration in a week of unceasing demands for President Hosni Mubarak to leave after nearly 30 years in power.(AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Drunken Idaho »

Heh, I don't really see that as a bad sign... Of course someone was going to do that. And yeah, like I said, it could very likely end up in his death if he doesn't leave voluntarily... Ugly? Yes. Necessary? Just maybe...
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Omphalos »

You guys should be careful what you ask for. Mubarek may be a problem for his people, but we can work with him and he keeps the religous nutters out of politics. Get rid of him and no matter who takes power immediately, a vacuum will be created that some Koranthumpers could fill. The way I view it the more of these countries that topple, the more opportunity there is for them to move in.
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Drunken Idaho »

Actually, one of the worst signs I've seen so far was this:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/2 ... tml?ref=tw
Egyptian Museum Looted: Egypt Looters Rip Heads Off 2 Mummies At Famed Cairo Museum

CAIRO — Would-be looters broke into Cairo's famed Egyptian Museum, ripping the heads off two mummies and damaging about 10 small artifacts before being caught and detained by army soldiers, Egypt's antiquities chief said Saturday.

Zahi Hawass said the vandals did not manage to steal any of the museum's antiquities, and that the prized collection was now safe and under military guard.

With mass anti-government protests still roiling the country and unleashing chaos on the streets, fears that looters could target other ancient treasures at sites across the country prompted the military to dispatch armored personnel carriers and troops to the Pyramids of Giza, the temple city of Luxor and other key archaeological monuments.

Hawass said now that the Egyptian Museum's collection is secure from thieves, the greatest threat to the collection inside is posed by the torched ruling party headquarters building next door.

"What scares me is that if this building is destroyed, it will fall over the museum," Hawass said as he watched fire trucks spray water on the still smoldering NDP headquarters.

The museum, which is home to the gold mask of King Tutankhamun that draws millions of tourists a year, also houses thousands of artifacts spanning the full sweep of Egypt's rich pharaonic history.

"It is the great repository of Egyptian art. It is the treasure chest, the finest sculptures and treasures from literally 4,000 years of history," said Thomas Campbell, the director of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art by telephone. "If it is damaged through looting or fire, it would be a loss to all humankind."

The museum is located near some of the most intense of the mass anti-government protests sweeping the capital, and Egyptian army commandoes secured the building and its grounds early Saturday morning.

Before the army arrived, young Egyptians – some armed with truncheons grabbed off the police – created a human chain at the museum's front gate to prevent looters from making off with any of its priceless artifacts.
Story continues below
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"They managed to stop them," Hawass said. He added that the would-be looters only vandalized two mummies, ripping their heads off. They also cleared out the museum gift shop.

The prized King Tutankhamun exhibit had not been damaged and was safe, he said.

An Associated Press Television News crew that was allowed into the museum saw two vandalized mummies and at least 10 small artifacts that had been taken out of their glass cases and damaged.

Fears of looters have prompted authorities elsewhere to take precautions to secure antiquities at other sites.

The military closed the pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo to tourists, and armored personnel carriers could be seen outside the famed archaeological site.

Archaeologist Kent Weeks, who is in the southern temple town of Luxor, said that rumors that attacks were planned against monuments prompted authorities to erect barriers and guard Karnak Temple while tanks were positioned around Luxor's museum.

Sharon Herbert, director of the Kelsey Museum at the University of Michigan, which is home to a collection of Egyptian artifacts, said any looting or damage at Egypt's museums would be a tragedy.

"Anything can happen when crowds get out of control," Herbert said. "You're hard put to put any monetary price on these things. They're priceless. They're parts of the whole world heritage that can't be replaced."
Pretty loathsome thing to do, But it seems they were caught and the situation is under control. Only opportunistic thugs would act like this, what does it have to do with overthrowing Mubarak? There was also risk of the museum catching fire early on in the riots, but thankfully that was avoided.

Then again, digging up and displaying the mummies in the first place is pretty heinous as well.
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Drunken Idaho »

Omphalos wrote:You guys should be careful what you ask for. Mubarek may be a problem for his people, but we can work with him and he keeps the religous nutters out of politics. Get rid of him and no matter who takes power immediately, a vacuum will be created that some Koranthumpers could fill. The way I view it the more of these countries that topple, the more opportunity there is for them to move in.

Technically that is true. But endorsing Mubarak's endless iron-fisted rule solely because it makes for better relations with the US is unacceptable, in my opinion. Do 83-million people deserve to be denied democracy so that the geo-politics of the US can be a little stronger in the middle east? Sure, there is a possibility that the new power structure could be staunchly Muslim. But all of the Egyptians are united in believing that a democratic process should determine that. If the new gov't is Muslim, then there's always the next election... Remember, we're talking about the middle east. They tend to be Muslim in those parts.

Besides, I've heard that the "Muslim Brotherhood" ain't that strong, something like only 20-30% support. Time will tell what happens but in the meantime, tyranny won't stand.
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Re: Freegypt

Post by DuneFishUK »

Drunken Idaho wrote:
Omphalos wrote:You guys should be careful what you ask for. Mubarek may be a problem for his people, but we can work with him and he keeps the religous nutters out of politics. Get rid of him and no matter who takes power immediately, a vacuum will be created that some Koranthumpers could fill. The way I view it the more of these countries that topple, the more opportunity there is for them to move in.

Technically that is true. But endorsing Mubarak's endless iron-fisted rule solely because it makes for better relations with the US is unacceptable, in my opinion. Do 83-million people deserve to be denied democracy so that the geo-politics of the US can be a little stronger in the middle east? Sure, there is a possibility that the new power structure could be staunchly Muslim. But all of the Egyptians are united in believing that a democratic process should determine that. If the new gov't is Muslim, then there's always the next election... Remember, we're talking about the middle east. They tend to be Muslim in those parts.

Besides, I've heard that the "Muslim Brotherhood" ain't that strong, something like only 20-30% support. Time will tell what happens but in the meantime, tyranny won't stand.
When they assassinated the previous president 30 years ago, the nutters expected the people to rise up in rebellion... they didn't.
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Re: Freegypt

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Starting to smell like the PRP forum over on FED2k.
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Freakzilla »

smells like freedom
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Re: Freegypt

Post by merkin muffley »

the whole hill... smells like victory...
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Re: Freegypt

Post by SadisticCynic »

Drunken Idaho wrote:...chanting "Allah Akbar" over there (which by the way, is practically like saying "sup?" over here)...
I'm curious. If "Allah Akbar" is equivalent to saying "sup?" why would it be a chant? Are they really chanting "How are you? How are you? How are you?..."? :think:
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Apjak »

I don't think the author should make the reader do that much work - Kevin J. Anderson
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Freakzilla »

It's not looking good.



At least one good thing has come of this, Anderson Cooper got punched in the face.

That was my twitter impression of KJA with a conservative twist.

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Anti-government protestors display a collection of police ID cards and a knife they claim were taken from pro-government supporters...

It appears the police in civilian clothes have been thrown into the fight as pro-government supporters.
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Re: Freegypt

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By MAGGIE MICHAEL, Associated Press Maggie Michael, Associated Press – 16 mins ago

CAIRO – Heavy gunfire has erupted amid the clashes between regime supporters and anti-government protesters, and people have been seen carrying away at least one person.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's prime minister apologized for an attack by government supporters on protesters in a surprising show of contrition Thursday, and the government offered more concessions to try to calm the wave of demonstrations demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.

Vice President Omar Suleiman promised that Mubarak's son, Gamal, will not seek to succeed his father in presidential elections in September, state TV said. The prospect that the president intends to hand power to his son has been opposed by many Egyptians.

Also, the prosecutor-general banned travel and froze the bank accounts for the former interior minister whose police led a bloody crackdown against the protesters last week and against two other former ministers who were among the unpopular millionaire businessmen wielding heavy influence in the previous government.

The steps came after the protesters who have camped out for days in central Tahrir Square fended off the assault launched Wednesday afternoon by regime supporters. The uncontrolled violence raged through the night, killing eight people as the two sides battled with rocks, sticks, bottles and firebombs and soldiers largely stood by without intervening.

The military finally took its first muscular action after a barrage of deadly automatic weapons fire against the protesters before dawn Thursday. Soldiers pushed back the pro-government attackers and took up positions between the two sides. Then Thursday afternoon, the soldiers largely stepped aside as the anti-government side surged ahead in the afternoon in resumed clashes.

With volleys of stones, the protesters pushed back their rivals swarmed onto a nearby highway overpass that their regime supporters had used as a high ground to batter them.

At the same time, Mubarak supporters carried out a string of attacks on journalists around the square. The U.S. State Department condemned the attacks, calling them a "concerted campaign to intimidate" the media — the latest in mounting criticism by Mubarak's top ally.

One Greek print journalist was stabbed in the leg with a screwdriver, and a photographer was punched, his equipment smashed. Arab TV network Al-Jazeera reported two correspondents attacked. The army started rounding up journalists, possibly for their own protection.

The protesters accuse the regime of using paid thugs and policemen in civilian clothes in an attempt to crush their movement — tactics used by the ruling party and security forces in the past against opponents. The Interior Ministry denied any of its police were involved

Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq acknowledged that the attack "seemed to have been organized" and said elements had infiltratated what began as a demonstration against the protesters to turn it violent. But he said he didn not know who, promising an investigation into who was behind it.

"I offer my apology for everything that happened yesterday because it's neither logical nor rational," Shafiq told state TV. "Everything that happened yesterday will be investigated so everyone knows who was behind it."

Shafiq, a former air force general appointed by Mubarak over the weekend, said he was willing to go to Tahrir to meet protesters but urged them to disperse. At a press conference aired on state TV, Shafiq defended Mubarak's announcement this week that he would serve out the remaining seven months of his term. "Would it be dignified for a nation for its president to leave immediately? .. There are ethics that must be observed."

The notion that the state may have coordinated violence against protesters, whose vigil in Tahrir Square had been peaceful for days, raised international outrage. It brought a sharp rebuke from Washington, which sends Egypt $1.5 billion a year in aid.

"If any of the violence is instigated by the government, it should stop immediately," said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

The anti-Mubarak movement has vowed to intensify protests to force the president out by Friday. In a speech Tuesday night, Mubarak refused to step down immediately, saying he would serve out the remaining seven months of his term — a halfway concession rejected by the protesters.

On Thursday, a sense of victory ran through the protesters, even as they organized their ranks in the streets in case of a renewed assault.

"Thank God, we managed to protect the whole area," said Abdul-Rahman, a taxi driver who was among thousands who stayed hunkered in the square through the night, hunkered down against the thousands besieging the entrances. "We prevented the pro-Mubarak people from storming the streets leading to the square." He refused to give his full name.

Bands of Mubarak supporters moved through side streets, trading volleys of stone-throwing with the protesters and attacking cars to stop supplies from reaching the protest camp. One band stopped a car, ripped open the trunk and found boxes of juice, water and food, which they took before forcing the driver to flee.

The Mubarak backers seethed with anger at a protest movement that state TV and media have depicted as causing the chaos and paralyzing businesses and livelihoods. "You in Tahrir are the reason we can't live a normal life," one screamed as he threw stones in a side street.

The anti-Mubarak youths posted sentries on the roofs and balconies of buildings around the square to raise the alert of any approaching attackers and rain stones on them. Other look-outs in the streets banged metal poles against pedestrian barriers alarm when they sighted incoming Mubarak backers.

One sentry waved his arms in the air like an airport runway traffic controller, directing defenders carrying piles of stones as ammunition to a side street to fend off an assault. But then another sentry waved a hand across his chest horizontally in a new signal. The crowd understood: false alarm, and they melted back into the square.

The men who led the defense Wednesday and throught the night were easily identified. Many of them had cotton padding and grubby bandages dangling from their faces, arms and legs. Many had chunks of rock stuck to their hair and clumps of dust in their beards. A large number had the trimmed beards of Muslim conservatives, a sign of how the Muslim Brotherhood a major role in the fight.

Wednesday's assault began in the afternoon, when thousands of pro-Mubarak attackers broke into the square where some 10,000 protesters were gathered. Among the attackers were men who charged in on horses and camels, lashing people with whips.

Anti-Mubarak demonstrators traded showers of rocks and other projectiles in a counter-assault that drove their assailants out of the square within hours. The protesters took army trucks and set up an ad-hoc front line on the northern edge of the square, near the Egyptian Museum. The two sides traded volleys of rocks and Molotov cocktails for much of the night.

The escalation came around 4 a.m. when sustained bursts of automatic gunfire and single shots rattled the darkness for more than two hours. Protest organizer Mustafa el-Naggar said the gunfire came from at least three locations in the distance

Soon after, the military moved. Four tanks cleared a highway overpass from which Mubarak supporters had hurled rocks and firebombs onto the protesters. On the streets below, several hundred soldiers carrying rifles lined up between the two sides, pushing the pro-government fighters back and blocking the main battle lines in front of the famed Egyptian Museum and at other entrances to the square.
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Serkanner »

Nice Abrams in the background.
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Freakzilla »

Serkanner wrote:Nice Abrams in the background.
Fortunately the Egyptian Army seems to be on the side of the anti-government protesters. At least they stopped the pro-government police in street clothes from slaughtering the public.

Can't blame 'em for having good taste in tanks. :wink:
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Freakzilla »

Looks like they're rounding up reporters now, though. :(

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-ge ... urnalists/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Serkanner »

Freakzilla wrote:
Serkanner wrote:Nice Abrams in the background.
Fortunately the Egyptian Army seems to be on the side of the anti-government protesters. At least they stopped the pro-government police in street clothes from slaughtering the public.

Can't blame 'em for having good taste in tanks. :wink:
I agree on both accounts. Things are spinning out of control at the moment though and I wouldn't be surprised if the military will make an end to it all soon and put one of their generals on the presidential chair (for the time being).
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Eyes High »

This thing will only get worse before it gets better.

The thing that concerns me about the report of the break-in at the museum is the vandalism.... a few decades ago didn't some extreme Islamic fraction destroy many artifacts depicting the human body? i.e. some Buddha statues, some paintings, and some film? Could that be a sign than an extreme faction could be trying to grab a hold in the new regime whenever it finally occurs?

(Now, those who know me know I'm saying anything against the Islamic faith...just the extreme fractions)

Egypt's people deserve a voice in their government (just like any population) I just hope this ends soon and for the betterment of the people.
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Re: Freegypt

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Bitter standoff in Cairo after six killed

By Jonathan Wright and Marwa Awad, Reuters
2 hours ago

CAIRO — A bitter and, by turns, bloody confrontation gripped central Cairo on Thursday as armed government loyalists fought pro-democracy protesters demanding the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak.

At least six people were dead and 800 wounded after gunmen and stick-wielding Mubarak supporters attacked demonstrators camped out for a tenth day on Tahrir Square to demand the 82-year-old leader immediately end his 30-year rule.

A literal stone's throw from the Egyptian Museum, home to 7,000 years of civilization in the most populous Arab state, angry men skirmished back and forth with rocks, clubs and makeshift shields, as the U.S.-built tanks of Mubarak's Western-funded army made sporadic efforts to separate them.

Away from the lenses of global media focused on Tahrir Square, a political battle was being fought with implications for competing Western and Islamist influence over the Middle East and its oil. European leaders joined the United States in urging their long-time Arab ally to start handing over power.

His government, newly appointed in a reshuffle that failed to appease protesters, stood by the president's insistence on Tuesday that he will go, but only when his fifth term ends in September. Mubarak continues to portray himself as a bulwark against anarchy, or a seizure of power by Islamist radicals.

The opposition won increasingly vocal support from Mubarak's long-time Western backers for a swifter handover of power.

"This process of transition must start now," the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain said in a statement.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon added his voice.

They all echoed the message President Barack Obama said he gave Mubarak in a phone call on Tuesday. U.S. officials also condemned what they called a "concerted campaign to intimidate" journalists, after many were attacked by government loyalists.

Opposition leaders including the liberal figurehead Mohamed ElBaradei and the mass Islamist movement the Muslim Brotherhood said again that Mubarak must go before they would negotiate.

TRIAL OF STRENGTH

As he tended to some of those on the square, doctor Mohamed al-Samadi voiced anger: "They let armed thugs come and attack us. We refuse to go. We can't let Mubarak stay eight months."

Protesters, who numbered some 10,000 on Tahrir Square on Thursday afternoon, have called major demonstrations for Friday. Many formed human chains across roads to seal off the square.

This is a trial of strength in which the army has a crucial role as its commanders seek to preserve their institution's influence and wealth in the face of massive popular rejection of the old order, widely regarded as brutal, corrupt and wasteful.

The government, which rejected assumptions by foreign powers that it had orchestrated the attacks on demonstrators, seemed to be counting on winning over the sympathy of Egyptians feeling the pinch of unprecedented economic dislocation.

"I just want to see security back on the streets so that I can go on with my life," said Amira Hassan, 55, a Cairo teacher. "It makes no difference to me whether Mubarak stays or leaves."

New Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq sought to appease anger at home and abroad by apologizing for the violence and promising to prevent a repeat. But he insisted he did not know the culprits.

Vice President Omar Suleiman, seen as a possible interim successor to Mubarak, took up the theme, promising to release detained demonstrators and to punish those who fomented trouble.

He also confirmed that Mubarak's businessman son Gamal would not run for president to succeed his father. Ten days ago, that would been shock news. It surprised no one after the uprising.

The protesters in Tahrir Square, dominated now by a youthful hard core including secular middle-class graduates and mostly poorer Islamist activists from the Brotherhood, barely listened. They have been inspired by the example of Tunisia, where veteran strongman Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was forced to flee last month.

But many other Egyptians have more respect for Mubarak and seem willing to let him depart more gracefully in due course.

Those supporting the calls for constitutional change and free elections saw the violence, unleashed on Wednesday by men they assume to be secret policemen and ruling party loyalists, as the desperation of a president who cannot count on his army.

It was a "stupid, desperate move," said Hassan Nafaa, a political scientist and leading opposition figure. "This will not put an end to the protests," he said. "This is not the Tahrir Square revolution, it is a general uprising."

Though less numerous than earlier in the week, there were also demonstrations in Suez and Ismailiya, industrial cities where inflation and unemployment have fueled the sort of dissent that hit Tunisia and which some believe could ripple in a domino effect across other autocratic Arab states.

ARMY ROLE

Many analysts see the army seeking to preserve its own position by engineering a smooth removal of Mubarak, a former air force commander. Its course is unclear. On Monday it gave protesters heart by pledging to let them demonstrate.

But on Wednesday, troops stood by as Mubarak supporters charged Tahrir Square on horseback and camels, lashing out at civilians. After dark, several demonstrators were shot dead.

Only on Thursday morning did soldiers set up a clear buffer zone around the square to separate the factions. But that did not prevent new clashes, as groups pelted each other with rocks.

Many believe Mubarak's efforts to hang on may create strains within the army, which may seek to cut short the confrontation.

"There is a real threat to the integrity of the armed forces, the longer this goes on," said Faysal Itani of Exclusive Analysis. "The pressure on the army must be intense to put him on a plane or in a villa ... I'd give him seven to 10 days."

Support for a new order is far from unanimous, however.

Many of the 80 million Egyptians have much to lose from change, whether businesspeople enjoying lucrative concessions in the mixed economy or those employed by the extensive apparatus of the state and its security forces. An even greater number is losing patience with unrest after 10 days of disrupted business.

"My work depends on tourists and there aren't any tourists coming any more," said Ragab Abdel Hamid Mansour, a 48-year-old cruise boat owner on the Nile in Cairo. "I want those protests to end now, and even not tomorrow. I can't live."

Egypt was the first and so far almost the only Arab state to make peace with Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says revolution in Cairo could create an Iranian-style theocracy.

Egyptian Health Minister Ahmed Samih Farid said six people died and 836 were wounded in the Cairo fighting. An estimated 150 people have been killed since last Tuesday.

Oil prices have climbed on fears the unrest could spread to affect oil giant Saudi Arabia or interfere with oil supplies from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.

Brent crude passed $103 a barrel on Thursday.

On Thursday, tens of thousands of pro-and anti-government protesters squared off in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. Algeria announced it would relax longstanding restrictions on political activity and introduce measures to tackle unemployment.
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Drunken Idaho »

Yep, it has become much uglier now. There have been hints that Mubarak himself is inciting these supporters via text message and otherwise, a dumb move on his part I think. More than two-million anti-government protesters against a handful of pro-Mubarak lackeys? Not gonna happen, let alone will it help Mubarak look any better in the eyes of the Egyptian citizens and the rest of the world.

But yeah, for a minute there I thought the people might accommodate his offer of not running for prez again. But nope, they are not having it. Gotta admire that.

And apparently Anderson Cooper has been attacked a SECOND time:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/0 ... 18170.html

So many far-more-deserving-of-this CNN anchors...
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Freakzilla
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Freakzilla »

Drunken Idaho wrote:But yeah, for a minute there I thought the people might accommodate his offer of not running for prez again. But nope, they are not having it. Gotta admire that.
That's the part I don't understand. His term is up in like six months. And what was the firebrand :wink: that started all this?
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Omphalos
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Omphalos »

Six months is enough time for tempers to cool, and for Mubarek to make sure that his kid takes over after him. They obviously don't want that, or Murarek to be in office a minute longer.

This is all Sudan/South Sudan's fault. Them and Tunisia.

I bet it spreads further.
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Drunken Idaho
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Re: Freegypt

Post by Drunken Idaho »

Freakzilla wrote:
Drunken Idaho wrote:But yeah, for a minute there I thought the people might accommodate his offer of not running for prez again. But nope, they are not having it. Gotta admire that.
That's the part I don't understand. His term is up in like six months. And what was the firebrand :wink: that started all this?
Well if it's the flaming Tunisians you're referring to, you might be interested to know that some have cited that Wikileaks revelations helped to bring on the unrest in Tunisia.

http://wikileaks.foreignpolicy.com/post ... a_protests

Then, just after Egypt began its shenanigans last week (most people citing Tunisia as the inspiration), Wikileaks spent two days publishing documents pertaining only to Egypt, highlighting Mubarak's corruption and also the army's desire to see him overthrown. One could argue that this is what helped pushed them over the edge, leading to the crazy protests we saw on the weekend.

Citizens fighting for democracy, armed with knowledge that they wouldn't have if it weren't for transparency-journalism. I likes it.
"The Idahos were never ordinary people."
-Reverend Mother Superior Alma Mavis Taraza
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