This is the power of human dignity, and it can never be denied. Egyptians have inspired us, and they've done so by putting the lie to the idea that justice is best gained through violence. For in Egypt it was the moral force of nonviolence, not terrorism, not mindless killing, but nonviolence, moral force that bent the arc of history toward justice once more.
We saw a military that would not fire bullets at the people they were sworn to protect.
We can hope those who would give support to terrorists, because they felt they had no other option, will have heard it all, that they, too, might change history.
We can all agree that Mubarak was a tyrant in the eyes of his people and deservedly so. And people here in the West cannot begin to imagine the hardships and travails of life in a country like Egypt or for that matter any Third World country, be it Egypt, Sudan or whatever. Too many of the citizens of the U.S., even if they were to look at it, are too busy whining about their own supposed problems to even consider what’s going on around the world. So be it. That’s what class warfare and the entitlement society have done to us.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as we look deeper into the Egyptian situation, we can see a rather disturbing pattern emerging. Listen to the talking heads of the MSM. Listen to the President and his out of touch administration, Hell, they can’t even get their stories straight. Hillary says one thing. Clapper says another. And the President openly welcomes the very element that can and will destroy Egypt and in turn put Israel and the West in dire straits. Of course I and many others will be called alarmists, racists or Anti-Muslim bigots for pointing this out, but it has to be said.
One only has to remember the Iran situation. Yes, the Shah as far as the people of Iran were concerned was a despot. As the people rallied there, the talking heads including our good buddy “lost in space Carter” went on and on about how the Ayatollah was in fact a moderate Muslim who would bring peace and open Democracy to the country. I distinctly remember the few brave souls who had done their homework and warned of the impending disaster that was coming. As it is now, they were branded as subversive or worse. The world sat back and we all know what has transpired since then.
As the Iran situation came to a head, the morons in the press and government here in the States put out the fallacy that the people of Iran, having grown use to the Freedoms they did have and their supposed love for all thing U.S. would in fact turn their back on radical Islamic fundamentalism and continue to embrace and expand the Western ideals to which they had grown accustomed to. Well, we all know how that worked out! Typical head in the sand gobbley goop from the West and presto!, an Islamic hell was born.
While one can hope the army there can keep the order and help transition to a free government, the chances of that happening in my view are slim at best. First, let’s take a look at the army. They have always been the power in Egypt since the overthrow of King Furuk. No secret there. Will they give up power?
As there is a vacuum in leadership right now can we assume the radical movements, those that any idiot can see are the best organized will in fact take their shots at power? You can bet your ass they will. The head of the Muslim Brotherhood is a known terrorist with a deep seated hatred for Israel. As we move forward, one has to assume they along with infiltrators from other radical Muslim states will do their best to install a Radical regime in Egypt.
It took about 30 days from the overthrow of the Shah, to the Ayatollah’s homecoming and then an almost instant plunge in radical Muslim horror that is now Iran. Is this what one wants for Egypt. And what about Israel? As we have a President who seems hell bent on hastening her destruction, will we come to the aid of Israel when the crap really hits the fan? If Egypt is taken over in the end by the radicals, will Israel survive? Hell, let’s not even go into the oil situation right now or the fact the Egypt controls the Suez Canal. At least Mubarak was honor bound to a treaty and kept too it. Can one even think for one moment that any radical function will not immediately turn on Israel?
Appreciate a thoughtful comment. Full response later. On the road.
ReplyDeleteJoetote: since we agree on some things, I'll get the partisan stuff out of the way first:
ReplyDeletePeople who wish Obama ill point to various perceived missteps during a huge upheaval; those who approve, and in this matter that includes many strong conservative voices, agree that given the ultimate outcome, he trod a very fine line with dexterity. My inference is that he maintained close touch with the military, many of whom were trained in the US, and which -- so far anyway -- has already pledged support for civilian control and continuation of the treaty with Israel. And the "vacuum in leadership" you describe is much less than it was in Iraq, because of the intact and functioning military. It remains to be seen how it will work out. You're more of a pessimist about democracy than I am, and that's saying a lot.
There are a lot of shoulda woulda couldas coming from the RWS about Obama's handling of what is an extraordinarily complex situation. Easy to quarterback from the armchair. But the revolution occurred with minimal violence and without alienating either the people or the army from us. I'd call that good. So far, anyway.
Of course, if this had happened while Bush was president, I'm guessing you'd have an entirely different outlook.
We disagree on Obama's attitude toward Israel, and the Foxobeckian paranoia and craziness regarding the idea that our president is supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. That, no doubt, will never change.
Where we agree is, evidently, skepticism on the whole Bush "freedom agenda" thing. Witness Hamas after the much-touted, by Bush, Palestinian elections. So there's no certainty what will come of this, either. There are differences, however. Unlike Bush's dismissal of the Iraqi army, Obama seems to have understood the central role Egypt's will play, and he -- so far as we know -- managed to keep them in play in a positive way.
As to the rest of your concerns, we share them, to the extent that all things are possible and the outcome is far from certain. We'll find out if your dim view of democracy in the Middle East turns out to be valid. If so, I wish you'd written to Bush as you have me, before he invaded Iraq.
For yet another view on one element of how we manage to get from one disaster to another with a seemingly endless regularity you might want to read Fred Reed (www.fredoneverything.net).
ReplyDeleteBeware, he's addictive.
Larry
A good site, Larry. Thanks. I'll be reading more.
ReplyDelete