Riots in Egypt

[Kathianne]

Information is going to be harder to get, within and without:

http://techcrunch.com/2011/01/27/bla...cked-in-egypt/

BlackBerry Internet Service Reportedly Blocked In Egypt


Leena Rao
20 minutes ago

This just keeps getting worse. After blocking Twitter and Facebook, it looks like the Egyptian government or carriers may have blocked Blackberry internet service as well. According to chatter on Twitter, internet access via Blackberry phones has been suspended....

[Gaffer]

just a basic info till i am able to explain in details...

the riots didn't have anything to do at all with any islamic movements, it was organized by the youth on Facebook to express their anger from the government, and the islamic organizations in egypt didn't take part in the riots which was supposed to be peaceful at first, but i believe that few stupid violent islamists blinded within the crowds to start the riot, or maybe just a stupid nervous young man started it, we will never know, it just takes one stone thrown at the police to convert a peaceful demonstration into riots, so we will never know who threw that stone.

That's not what the media here is reporting. Of course the media here is famous for misreporting events. They are talking about the rioting going into the third day. what's your take on that?

[Kathianne]

And it's spreading to neighboring countries:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...012702081.html

Inspired by Tunisia and Egypt, Yemenis join in anti-government protests

By Sudarsan Raghavan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, January 27, 2011; 8:57 AM

SANAA, YEMEN - Thousands of Yemenis took to the streets Thursday demanding an end to the government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled this impoverished Middle Eastern nation for more than three decades.

The rally, one of the largest demonstrations this capital has seen in recent memory, unfolded in four different neighborhoods and was inspired by the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

Yemen's unrest represents a widening of the upheavals unfolding across the Arab world. It poses yet another threat to the stability of this U.S. ally, which al-Qaeda militants are using as a base to target the West and its allies.

"Look at Tunisia with pride," the crowds chanted. "Yemen has strong people, too."

The protests followed two days of riots in Egypt and daily demonstrations on the streets of Tunisian capital, Tunis. But unlike the protests in Tunisia and Egypt, Thursday's rally here was peaceful. It was fueled by boisterous opposition party members, from socialists to Islamists, and youth activists...

[Gaffer]

Information is going to be harder to get, within and without:

http://techcrunch.com/2011/01/27/bla...cked-in-egypt/

Seems to be a bit more than just a few facebook people. I wonder how long abso will be able to post at this rate. I do hope he's not a Baghdad Bob.

[Kathianne]

And from this very recent AP report, who does Abso sound like?

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...l/7400626.html

Egypt ruling party offers no concessions
By HAMZA HENDAWI and HADEEL AL-SHALCHI Associated Press © 2011 The Associated Press
Jan. 27, 2011, 10:35AM



CAIRO — Egypt's ruling party said Thursday it was ready for a dialogue with the public but offered no concessions to address demands for a solution to rampant poverty and political change heard in the country's largest anti-government protests in years.

At the same time, the grass roots protest movement was getting a double boost likely energize the largest anti-government demonstrations Egypt has seen in years. Mohammed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace laureate and the country's top pro-democracy advocate, was returning to the country Thursday night and declared he was ready to lead the protests. The country's largest opposition group — the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood — also threw its support behind the demonstrations.

Rioting and protests erupted for a third straight day and social networking sites were abuzz with talk that Friday's rallies could be some of the biggest so far calling for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak after 30-years in power. Millions gather at mosques across the city for Friday prayers, providing organizers with a huge number of people already out on the streets to tap into.

Safwat El-Sherif, the secretary general of the National Democratic Party and a longtime confidant of Mubarak, was dismissive of the protesters at the first news conference by a senior ruling party figure since the protests began.

"We are confident of our ability to listen. The NDP is ready for a dialogue with the public, youth and legal parties," he said. "But democracy has its rules and process. The minority does not force its will on the majority."...

[Kathianne]

Seems to be a bit more than just a few facebook people. I wonder how long abso will be able to post at this rate. I do hope he's not a Baghdad Bob.

My guess is his information is very limited and confined to government sources. Sources he trusts without question. One of the problems with a quasi-autocratic government is those in power are often at the mercy of the ruling people. They are those that find themselves needing to get out of Dodge.

[Gaffer]

And it's spreading to neighboring countries:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...012702081.html

If they were about democracy and getting rid of autocratic rule I would have no problem with the riots. But they are backed by islamists and these countries will all go like iran in the long run. Saudi's should be next.

[Kathianne]

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[Gaffer]

My guess is his information is very limited and confined to government sources. Sources he trusts without question. One of the problems with a quasi-autocratic government is those in power are often at the mercy of the ruling people. They are those that find themselves needing to get out of Dodge.

Yeah, I tend to think he's living in a bubble there and not getting all the information.

[Kathianne]

If they were about democracy and getting rid of autocratic rule I would have no problem with the riots. But they are backed by islamists and these countries will all go like iran in the long run. Saudi's should be next.

The problem with so many uneducated, they are at the mercy of any group that offers hope. For many reasons, that often involves religious leaders and their agendas.

[Kathianne]

Yeah, I tend to think he's living in a bubble there and not getting all the information.

I agree. I think he's a good person that really attempts to have a broader understanding of issues, yet it's obvious that while educated academically his depth of understanding of the real state of his country is limited in ways we just cannot relate to.

[Gaffer]

If the government is controlling the cell phones and internet his access to information is going to be limited. We might be giving him info he doesn't have. But he wouldn't dare to say anything that is not government approved. So we have to determine; is he living in a bubble, in denial (pun intended), or a Baghdad Bob putting out false propaganda.

[NightTrain]

I don't know, guys. I'm leaning towards Good Thing with this unrest.

Granted, if the shit hits the fan there's bound to be nutjobs taking the reins and that'll be a setback.

However, I can't think of any time in the past that arabs have protested publicly and in large numbers against their governments. I think this may, in the long run, be a healthy thing. Even if the government is seized by hard liners, the peasants will still have the knowledge that they don't have to accept things and they do have the power to change things.

Who knows, this could provide the opportunity for their George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the like to step up to the plate.

[Gaffer]

I don't know, guys. I'm leaning towards Good Thing with this unrest.

Granted, if the shit hits the fan there's bound to be nutjobs taking the reins and that'll be a setback.

However, I can't think of any time in the past that arabs have protested publicly and in large numbers against their governments. I think this may, in the long run, be a healthy thing. Even if the government is seized by hard liners, the peasants will still have the knowledge that they don't have to accept things and they do have the power to change things.

Who knows, this could provide the opportunity for their George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the like to step up to the plate.

I agree, it has the potential of being a real good thing. But the hardliners are dangerous and once they get a grip the peasants won't have the opportunity to throw them out. That is what has happened repeatedly throughout the region. I think they are more in need of a Martin Luther right now than a George Washington. A combination of both would be nice.

[Kathianne]

I don't know, guys. I'm leaning towards Good Thing with this unrest.

Granted, if the shit hits the fan there's bound to be nutjobs taking the reins and that'll be a setback.

However, I can't think of any time in the past that arabs have protested publicly and in large numbers against their governments. I think this may, in the long run, be a healthy thing. Even if the government is seized by hard liners, the peasants will still have the knowledge that they don't have to accept things and they do have the power to change things.

Who knows, this could provide the opportunity for their George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the like to step up to the plate.

I strongly disagree. As discussed earlier, the mass of people are uneducated and susceptible to both individuals and ideologies harmful to their neighbors, including Israel. Iran would move in a heartbeat.