[Pesqueeb]

I haven't been following the situation in Egypt too closely but it seems like its not that bad but has potential to get that way. Who's gonna replace Mubarak if and when it reaches that point? Egypt has more than its fair share of religious extremists but I get he impression that most of the rioters are more....secular. Israel has got to be a little more uptight than usual right now. The fact that Egypt has kicked out Al Jezeera screams impending crackdown. Me thinks its about to get really violent.

 

[stevew]

so the last three days were what?

I haven't been following the situation in Egypt too closely but it seems like its not that bad but has potential to get that way.

 

[MikeD]

Egypt has more than its fair share of religious extremists but I get he impression that most of the rioters are more....secular.

This could be a quote from the beginning of the Iranian revolution.

 

[dante]

This could be a quote from the beginning of the Iranian revolution.

Yup, it's not really who starts the revolution, but rather who's in power when it's all over... The US has supported a dictator in Egypt for the last 30 years because he was anti-Islamic and relatively sane. If this turns out as an anti-American revolution, or if the Muslim Brotherhood ends up in power when it's all over, it could be a very, very, very bad thing.

I doubt that it could be quite as bad as the Iranian revolution since the protesters are fighting for more political freedom (which they *wouldn't* get in an Islamic theocracy like Iran's), but the US has always preferred to deal with the dictator they know instead of the democracy they don't...

 

[MikeD]

I doubt that it could be quite as bad as the Iranian revolution since the protesters are fighting for more political freedom (which they *wouldn't* get in an Islamic theocracy like Iran's), but the US has always preferred to deal with the dictator they know instead of the democracy they don't...

The Iranians in the capital thought, themselves, they were fighting for political freedom. Even they didn't realize or account for the true demographic of their own country, and they were pretty shocked when their left-wing political movement turned on them and slapped chadors on their wives and put religious thugs as bad as anything the Shah produced in the streets to enforce it.

 

[X3pilot]

, but the US has always preferred to deal with the dictator they know instead of the democracy they don't...

He would disagree with you if he could...

 

[Pesqueeb]

so the last three days were what?

My days off. I don't waste them on teh interwebz, thats what work is for. Like right now.

This could be a quote from the beginning of the Iranian revolution.

Yea, thats what I'm afraid of.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

My days off. I don't waste them on teh interwebz, thats what work is for. Like right now.

Yea, thats what I'm afraid of.

Try a newspaper.

 

[dante]

He would disagree with you if he could...

but the US has always preferred to deal with the dictator they know instead of the democracy they don't...

Hence the US is "installing" the democracy they want. You'll notice that they didn't just leave after the invasion saying "ok guys, you figure it out".

Oh, and this comes to mind:

 

[Pesqueeb]

Try a newspaper.

The Gazette has way more important things to cover than whats happening in BFE.



To be fair, we recieve the paper but I never did look at it over my weekend. Weather was nice so I was out.

 

[Pesqueeb]

Extremists up 1:

CAIRO -- Gangs of armed men attacked at least four jails across Egypt before dawn Sunday, helping to free hundreds of Muslim militants and thousands of other inmates as police vanished from the streets of Cairo and other cities.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/30/egypt-death-toll_n_815925.html

 

[sanjuro]

I saw a good bumper sticker as I drove past the SF Farmers Market:

An American flag waving in the background, it said, "These colors don't run... the entire world."

 

[jonKranked]

I saw a good bumper sticker as I drove past the SF Farmers Market:

An American flag waving in the background, it said, "These colors don't run... the entire world."

 

[X3pilot]

Hence the US is "installing" the democracy they want. You'll notice that they didn't just leave after the invasion saying "ok guys, you figure it out".

Oh, and this comes to mind:

Gotcha. But you have to admit, they didn't plan on the one they "installed", in Iraq or Pakistan or Afghanistan. And they couldn't just leave, all those Haliburton contracts.

 

[rockofullr]

I feel like we are missing the chance to jump on this guy's band wagon.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/elbaradei-offers-a-bridge-to-democracy-20110131-1ab9y.html

 

[splat]

Well Fox news doesn't even know where Egypt is !!

http://www.someecards.com/2011/01/31/fox-news-doesnt-know-where-egypt-is

 

[Silver]

He would disagree with you if he could...

Well sure, but that was after a good run. Think of the US government as Michael Vick-sometimes you gotta drown the dogs that aren't useful anymore.

 

[Pesqueeb]

Well Fox news doesn't even know where Egypt is !!

http://www.someecards.com/2011/01/31/fox-news-doesnt-know-where-egypt-is

This shouldn't be suprising, niether does 75% of America®

 

[Dartman]

Well Fox news doesn't even know where Egypt is !!

http://www.someecards.com/2011/01/31/fox-news-doesnt-know-where-egypt-is

They had Faux News on at the Hotel I was staying at during breakfast and they were reporting the Muslim extremists were taking over the country.

 

[Dartman]

It doesn't matter. This is how most Faux viewers see the world anyway.

 

[$tinkle]

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/just_fun/games/mapgame.html

 

[Pesqueeb]

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/just_fun/games/mapgame.html

Cool. Got most of them. I don't know those african countries for sh*t though.

 

[$tinkle]

if they only had a quiz that you had to guess sunni/shia/wahhabist/hujjatiya/dervish, maybe MikeD would then play

fun thread fact: el-baradei was until only recently on house arrest

one more:

 

[Serial Midget]

The worlds filthiest media delivery system? Not cool, not green, not relevant.

Try a newspaper.

 

[Silver]

I would totally give Joan Collins the business.

What jacket is that idiot wearing? He looks like a three year old.

 

[dante]

The worlds filthiest media delivery system? Not cool, not green, not relevant.

Still the only date-relevant* media delivery system that you can take into the sh!tter with you.



*date-relevant to exclude weekly magazines.

 

[Toshi]

Still the only date-relevant* media delivery system that you can take into the sh!tter with you.



*date-relevant to exclude weekly magazines.

"Date relevant"? Are you excluding the online sources + iPad/iPhone/Android toilet-browsing?

 

[BurlyShirley]

NOTHING beats quiet time on the sh*tter with a newspaper and a cup of coffee.

Jesus, Im getting old.

 

[stevew]

"Date relevant"? Are you excluding the online sources + iPad/iPhone/Android toilet-browsing?

you're that guy....takes phone into the bathroom?

 

[stoney]

I've got $20 at 5:1 odds that Egypt will end up being taken over by a conservative Muslim government and they go to war with Israel within 2 years. For some reason I can't get anyone to take the other side, even with a 5x multiplier on he odds...

 

[MikeD]

you're that guy....takes phone into the bathroom?

I'm seriously more worried about Burley bringing the coffee mug.

 

[DaveW]

Well if the Islamic brotherhood (or similar) get in I'd expect the Israelis to start smack talking about Egypt within 24 hours.

 

[IH8Rice]

leave it to google to implement speak-to-tweet

 

[BurlyShirley]

I'm seriously more worried about Burley bringing the coffee mug.

I make no apologies. I have a little table there by my throne... it's as close to a zen state as I will ever get.

 

[stevew]

I make no apologies. I have a little table there by my throne... it's as close to a zen state as I will ever get.

i sometimes lose track of time while reading in there....

 

[rockofullr]

I've got $20 at 5:1 odds that Egypt will end up being taken over by a conservative Muslim government and they go to war with Israel within 2 years. For some reason I can't get anyone to take the other side, even with a 5x multiplier on he odds...

I'll take you up on that. The Egyptian people want freedom and economic development not repressive government and economic sanctions.

All you guys who think this is going to be another Iran are ignorant of the major differences between the two countries. Anyone spot American flags being burned in the protests? I think not.

 

[stevew]

I'll take you up on that. The Egyptian people want freedom and economic development not repressive government and economic sanctions.

All you guys who think this is going to be another Iran are ignorant of the major differences between the two countries. Anyone spot American flags being burned in the protests? I think not.

just a different kind of crazy?

 

[dante]

I'll take you up on that. The Egyptian people want freedom and economic development not repressive government and economic sanctions.

All you guys who think this is going to be another Iran are ignorant of the major differences between the two countries. Anyone spot American flags being burned in the protests? I think not.

Same here. I think The_Joker just works with a bunch of . We're at a time when any warfare is extremely economically devastating. It's why, for all their blustering, Israel hasn't attacked Iran (physically) and Iran hasn't attacked Israel.

So Mark, $20, 5-1 odds on whether Israel and Egypt go to war in the next year? Payout on 2/1/2013 or when they go to war, whichever comes first?

 

[dante]

Oh, and I wonder why the right-wingers seem to think that an Islamist takeover of Egypt is the most probable outcome?

http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/hannity/transcript/what-would-muslim-brotherhood-takeover-mean-egypt

 

[dante]

So, the more I've been thinking about this, the more I'm wondering exactly WHY the right seems so intent on the idea that the Muslim Brotherhood is going to take over? By all accounts the protests were started by people who were distinctly NOT MB members, and not even the same demographic (young, non-religious, technically savvy). The MB didn't even start attending these rallies or support them until after the weekend when it was apparent that this was something that had a pretty high likelihood of success. As one of the only (main?) opposition parties, obviously they can gain influence, but it's definitely not a MB-driven "revolution".

So why is the right-wing so determined to put up the MB as the sole driving force behind these protests?

1) Discredit Obama. Can you imagine if the largest country in the Middle East went from dictator to democracy under his presidency?
2) Discredit peaceful protests as a way to gain democracy from a malevolent dictator. Can you imagine if the Egyptians themselves overthrew their dictator and installed democracy without the help of the US (military)? If they accomplish something in a month and with relatively low casualties, that the US couldn't after spending $1.5 trillion and hundreds of thousands of lives lost? Oh god, that's a right-winger's worst nightmare...
3) Cause the revolution to fail, protecting one of their own favorite dictators. The right-wing is fine with dictators, as long as they're friendly to either the US or Israel. Mubarak was both.
4) Protect their other dictators in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, etc?

Dunno, or am I going a little too here? I mean, the Republicans criticized Obama for not "doing enough" for the Iranian uprising in the summer of 2009, and yet here they're either trying to cause the uprising to fail, or..... ?