Reports coming in that Homeboy Hosni Custer Mubarak has taken the helicopter to the southern resort city of of Sharm el-Sheik.
Remember the Paulson Effect in 2008? Every time Henry Paulson appeared on TV to assure ever'body that ever'thing wuz jes' fahn', the stock market would tank several hundred points.
Remember the Gore Effect? Everywhere Al Gore goes, a blizzard follows. He must be back in Nashville this week. We got hammered, and it's 10 degrees outside this morning.
We now have the Mubarak Effect: Every time the senile old man gives one of his speeches, another 100,000 really pissed-off Egyptians hit the streets. It's so crowded now, there's no room to send in the goons-on-camels squad. The army is smiling and waving, just on hand to keep the crowd from burning the palace and TV studios down. They're handing out bottles of water and rations to the crowd at the palace...
The AlJazeera live feed is here.
There's a great old Russian joke:
Stalin dies, and Nikita Kruschev eventually is named to take over. His first day on the job, the office manager sez: Joe left you four envelopes and a note he sez you should read. So, Nikita opens the desk drawer, and, sure enough, there they are. The note sez--Comrade, you will face four major crises. As each one occurs, open the envelopes in order, numbered 1,2,3,4. Good luck, comrade!
The first crisis arrives--the economy tanks. Dark days, so Nikita opens envelope number 1. The message is: Blame me! So Kruschev begins the de-Stalinization campaign, and he's a hero.
Second crisis: The grain crop fails. Envelope 2: Blame the Chinese! Works like a charm--everybody hates the Chinese.
Third crisis: Eastern Europe's going off the rails. Envelope 3: Blame the Americans
Off to the UN, bangs the podium with his shoe, acts like a horse's ass, the folks back home love it.
Fourth crisis: The economy tanks, again. It's really bad this time.
Fourth envelope: Comrade! Prepare four envelopes!
Maybe Hosni was preparing his set of envelopes...and giving the staff time to shred the records, transfer the funds to Panama, pack up the bullion and antiquities.
He best not delay too long...that Custer guy, he decided to push on one more mile and not wait for reinforcements.
That worked out well.
Showing posts with label Cairo Protests. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cairo Protests. Show all posts
Friday, February 11, 2011
President Mubarak, Meet General Custer
To get things started, this is just one reaction to Homeboy Hosni's performance last night.
And, the Al-Jazeera live blog now underway...
A few questions come to mind, like, 'What the hell was he thinking? Just how senile is he?, (and) Who the hell let him on the air to give that speech? Did he write that drivel himself?'
There's a real problem with a life of unbroken successes: Humility, sweet humility, gained by failure, is never garnered. The one thing most needed, especially by those who lead, is absent when most needed. It is the raw material of tragedy: Greek, Shakespearean, and contemporary.
It's what got Custer and all his men killed that day. He'd never even lost a skirmish along the way in his storied career; and he knew better than his junior officers, and his non-coms, and his scouts, all of whom knew that the entire Sioux nation had gathered for the sole purpose of gathering his blond scalp. And no one dared disobey, or confront, or pull their unit out of the line. It was 'do or die', and sure enough, they all died.
OS once visited the site of the battle, and was immediately struck with the thought, 'What kind of idiot would lead his troops out into this exposed position, even without the entire Sioux nation on the warpath?' And OS is no military guy, a civilian to the core. It was that obvious. To everyone except George Armstrong Custer.
So, as OS retires to bed this evening, knowing that a tragedy is unfolding before the eyes of the world, he plans to say an extra prayer of thanks for all those failures he's experienced and survived. He prays for all those kids with their educations, their hopes, and their mobile devices, flooding the streets of Cairo. He has kids that age, and it's hard to watch. A number of them won't survive the weekend, likely, and moms and dads will have children to bury next week.
And, he prays for an extra teaspoon of humility in his morning coffee.
And, the Al-Jazeera live blog now underway...
A few questions come to mind, like, 'What the hell was he thinking? Just how senile is he?, (and) Who the hell let him on the air to give that speech? Did he write that drivel himself?'
There's a real problem with a life of unbroken successes: Humility, sweet humility, gained by failure, is never garnered. The one thing most needed, especially by those who lead, is absent when most needed. It is the raw material of tragedy: Greek, Shakespearean, and contemporary.
It's what got Custer and all his men killed that day. He'd never even lost a skirmish along the way in his storied career; and he knew better than his junior officers, and his non-coms, and his scouts, all of whom knew that the entire Sioux nation had gathered for the sole purpose of gathering his blond scalp. And no one dared disobey, or confront, or pull their unit out of the line. It was 'do or die', and sure enough, they all died.
OS once visited the site of the battle, and was immediately struck with the thought, 'What kind of idiot would lead his troops out into this exposed position, even without the entire Sioux nation on the warpath?' And OS is no military guy, a civilian to the core. It was that obvious. To everyone except George Armstrong Custer.
So, as OS retires to bed this evening, knowing that a tragedy is unfolding before the eyes of the world, he plans to say an extra prayer of thanks for all those failures he's experienced and survived. He prays for all those kids with their educations, their hopes, and their mobile devices, flooding the streets of Cairo. He has kids that age, and it's hard to watch. A number of them won't survive the weekend, likely, and moms and dads will have children to bury next week.
And, he prays for an extra teaspoon of humility in his morning coffee.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The GulfStream Moment Comes And Goes: Mubarak Decides To Stay
OS took a break from his project, to listen in via the BBC. When he delayed the start of the address nearly an hour, it was a bad sign. The Beeb showed a split screen of Homeboy Hosni and Tahrir Square. The mood turned decidedly ugly as the speech dragged on, and on, and on...
Chinstraps on, everybody...the Beeb is reporting a crowd moving toward the presidential palace, and they're not happy. It's some 20 kilometers from the square, through the dark and cold.
Chinstraps on, everybody...the Beeb is reporting a crowd moving toward the presidential palace, and they're not happy. It's some 20 kilometers from the square, through the dark and cold.
The Gulfstream Moment Has Arrived: Mubarak To Step Down
Enuf wuz enuf wuz enuf...
It appears the military has stepped in, and let him know it's over.
From the BBC:
Hossan Badrawi, secretary general of the National Democratic Party (NDP), said Mr Mubarak would "most probably" speak to the nation soon.
It comes on the 17th day of protests against Mr Mubarak's 30-year rule.
The Egyptian military has said it is ready to respond to the "legitimate demands of the people".
In a statement on Egyptian state TV, it said the safety and security of the people was paramount.
Earlier, Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq told BBC Arabic that the scenario of President Mubarak stepping down was being discussed.
The BBC's Lyse Doucet, in Cairo, says the fact that President Mubarak's departure is even being talked about is a huge development.
Our correspondent, who spoke to Mr Badrawi, says the 25 January movement - the day when the protests began - will see this as a great victory.
Now, the real challenge begins--how to keep the place from descending into chaos, and construct some sort of workable political system that operates much more openly than before, and allows the citizens to have some opportunities. Without starting a war, and keeping the Suez Canal open.
It probably won't look like a pure Jeffersonian democracy, but here's hoping that the populace is educated and secular enough to avoid becoming another Iran.
(Oh, and by the way, gotta find a place for his Gulfstreams to land, secure that bullion and those antiquities he's taking to keep himself and the harem comfortable...Miz Hilary???)
BBC Live Stream here.
It appears the military has stepped in, and let him know it's over.
From the BBC:
Hossan Badrawi, secretary general of the National Democratic Party (NDP), said Mr Mubarak would "most probably" speak to the nation soon.
It comes on the 17th day of protests against Mr Mubarak's 30-year rule.
The Egyptian military has said it is ready to respond to the "legitimate demands of the people".
In a statement on Egyptian state TV, it said the safety and security of the people was paramount.
Earlier, Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq told BBC Arabic that the scenario of President Mubarak stepping down was being discussed.
The BBC's Lyse Doucet, in Cairo, says the fact that President Mubarak's departure is even being talked about is a huge development.
Our correspondent, who spoke to Mr Badrawi, says the 25 January movement - the day when the protests began - will see this as a great victory.
Now, the real challenge begins--how to keep the place from descending into chaos, and construct some sort of workable political system that operates much more openly than before, and allows the citizens to have some opportunities. Without starting a war, and keeping the Suez Canal open.
It probably won't look like a pure Jeffersonian democracy, but here's hoping that the populace is educated and secular enough to avoid becoming another Iran.
(Oh, and by the way, gotta find a place for his Gulfstreams to land, secure that bullion and those antiquities he's taking to keep himself and the harem comfortable...Miz Hilary???)
BBC Live Stream here.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Ron Paul On Egypt: Our Thirty-Year Mistake
OS is not a total Ron Paul fan, but does get the newsletter his office emails.
Today, Ron Paul cut through the confusion on Egypt with this brief essay.
The US government has sent more than $60 billion to the Egyptian regime since the Camp David Accords in 1978 to purchase stability, including more security for the state of Israel. We see now the folly of our interventionist foreign policy: not only has that stability fallen to pieces with the current unrest, but the years of propping up the corrupt regime in Egypt has led the people to increase their resentment of both America and Israel! We are both worse off for decades of intervention into Egypt’s internal affairs. I wish I could say that we have learned our lesson and will no longer attempt to purchase – or rent – friends in the Middle East, but I am afraid that is being too optimistic. Already we see evidence that while the US historically propped up the Egyptian regime, we also provided assistance to groups opposed to the regime.
So we have lost the credibility to claim today that we support the self-determination of the Egyptian people. Our double dealing has not endeared us to Egyptians who now seek to reclaim their independence and national dignity.
It is distressing to see the reports of the secret police brutalizing and killing any and all who in any manner may shed light on the regime.
It is maddening to know we paid for it to happen, and that the folks in the streets know we paid for it.
What they don't know is that most of that money was spent out of our sight, because our Congress was asleep at the wheel.
Today, Ron Paul cut through the confusion on Egypt with this brief essay.
The US government has sent more than $60 billion to the Egyptian regime since the Camp David Accords in 1978 to purchase stability, including more security for the state of Israel. We see now the folly of our interventionist foreign policy: not only has that stability fallen to pieces with the current unrest, but the years of propping up the corrupt regime in Egypt has led the people to increase their resentment of both America and Israel! We are both worse off for decades of intervention into Egypt’s internal affairs. I wish I could say that we have learned our lesson and will no longer attempt to purchase – or rent – friends in the Middle East, but I am afraid that is being too optimistic. Already we see evidence that while the US historically propped up the Egyptian regime, we also provided assistance to groups opposed to the regime.
So we have lost the credibility to claim today that we support the self-determination of the Egyptian people. Our double dealing has not endeared us to Egyptians who now seek to reclaim their independence and national dignity.
It is distressing to see the reports of the secret police brutalizing and killing any and all who in any manner may shed light on the regime.
It is maddening to know we paid for it to happen, and that the folks in the streets know we paid for it.
What they don't know is that most of that money was spent out of our sight, because our Congress was asleep at the wheel.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Egyptian Police Trash American University Press Offices Friday: Homeboy Hosni's Finest Hour
The offices overlook the square, and the police wanted the vantage point from which to fire on the crowd below. So, they broke in. Rule of law, schmool of law, we don't need no stinking law. We're the law, bro! Homeboy Hosni sez so.
While they were at it, they trashed the offices, for good measure.
American University in Cairo Press editorial director Neil Hewison posted his account on the Oxford University Press blog.
Our AUC Press offices were trashed on Friday. The police had broken into the AUC to use the roof of our wing to fire on protesters at the junction of Sheikh Rihan and Qasr al-Aini (we found empty CS canisters and shotgun cartridges up there). And persons unknown ransacked our rooms. Drawers and files emptied, windows broken, cupboards and computers smashed. But it could have been much worse. Meanwhile, the violence may get worse before it gets better.
I’m well stocked with food and water, and there’s a good gang of neighborhood lads downstairs with makeshift weapons to keep our building and other buildings safe. Now that we have internet again I can communicate better and even do some work!
Now, ya'll, jest in case someone thinks that this is some wild-eyed bunch of anarchists pushing revolutionary screed out the door, take a look at their catalog, distributed by those wild and crazy guys Oxford University Press.
Our tax dollars at work, ya'll. Miz Hilary best be packing Homeboy Hosni off to his Gulfstream and finding a place for his scurvy ass to land. With a fortune in the tens of billions, he should find some place warm and dry to finish out his days.
Unless, of course, he really is Obama's special homeboy, and it doesn't matter how many publishers get trashed, or civilians get shot...
Only power matters, right? Never let a good crisis go to waste, right?
(HT Inside Higher Education)
While they were at it, they trashed the offices, for good measure.
American University in Cairo Press editorial director Neil Hewison posted his account on the Oxford University Press blog.
Our AUC Press offices were trashed on Friday. The police had broken into the AUC to use the roof of our wing to fire on protesters at the junction of Sheikh Rihan and Qasr al-Aini (we found empty CS canisters and shotgun cartridges up there). And persons unknown ransacked our rooms. Drawers and files emptied, windows broken, cupboards and computers smashed. But it could have been much worse. Meanwhile, the violence may get worse before it gets better.
I’m well stocked with food and water, and there’s a good gang of neighborhood lads downstairs with makeshift weapons to keep our building and other buildings safe. Now that we have internet again I can communicate better and even do some work!
Now, ya'll, jest in case someone thinks that this is some wild-eyed bunch of anarchists pushing revolutionary screed out the door, take a look at their catalog, distributed by those wild and crazy guys Oxford University Press.
Our tax dollars at work, ya'll. Miz Hilary best be packing Homeboy Hosni off to his Gulfstream and finding a place for his scurvy ass to land. With a fortune in the tens of billions, he should find some place warm and dry to finish out his days.
Unless, of course, he really is Obama's special homeboy, and it doesn't matter how many publishers get trashed, or civilians get shot...
Only power matters, right? Never let a good crisis go to waste, right?
(HT Inside Higher Education)
Friday, February 4, 2011
Mubarak's Thugs: Thugz-Iz-Thugz, Wherever You Go
Funny, how common it is for dictators of all stripes, from Castro to Mubarak, to empty the jails and pay thugs to thug on their behalf, when push comes to shove.
This from France24.
Mohamed Abd Elatty is a freelance journalist and blogger in Cairo. He filmed this man's confession.
During the clashes on Wednesday, when anti-government demonstrators managed to catch Mubarak supporters, they disarmed them and handed them over to soldiers Late in the evening, I approached a group of protesters that had detained several baltgia militiamen, and asked the pro-Mubarak men if they would agree to be filmed explaining what their motivations were, because there are a lot of rumours going around on the subject. This young man was the only one who accepted.
He told me that he came from Alexandria and had been arrested – wrongfully, according to him – for drug trafficking. While he was in jail awaiting trial, a policeman reportedly came to see him and around 30 other prisoners and offered them each 5,000 Egyptian pounds if they accepted to participate in pro-Mubarak protests in Cairo. Unlike the other men he was with when protesters captured him on Wednesday, he didn’t have an ID card on him, which makes sense if he was a prisoner.
Another interesting point is that he claims to be from Alexandria. Right now, transportation between Egyptian cities is so bad that he can only have been brought by a government vehicle. In fact, most of the pro-Mubarak protesters that were arrested were unemployed men from outside Cairo: how did they all make it to Tahrir square?
A good question, indeed.
BTW, OS's Friend-of-Friend journalist made it safely out of Egypt and back to Europe.
Away from the thugs.
This from France24.
Mohamed Abd Elatty is a freelance journalist and blogger in Cairo. He filmed this man's confession.
During the clashes on Wednesday, when anti-government demonstrators managed to catch Mubarak supporters, they disarmed them and handed them over to soldiers Late in the evening, I approached a group of protesters that had detained several baltgia militiamen, and asked the pro-Mubarak men if they would agree to be filmed explaining what their motivations were, because there are a lot of rumours going around on the subject. This young man was the only one who accepted.
He told me that he came from Alexandria and had been arrested – wrongfully, according to him – for drug trafficking. While he was in jail awaiting trial, a policeman reportedly came to see him and around 30 other prisoners and offered them each 5,000 Egyptian pounds if they accepted to participate in pro-Mubarak protests in Cairo. Unlike the other men he was with when protesters captured him on Wednesday, he didn’t have an ID card on him, which makes sense if he was a prisoner.
Another interesting point is that he claims to be from Alexandria. Right now, transportation between Egyptian cities is so bad that he can only have been brought by a government vehicle. In fact, most of the pro-Mubarak protesters that were arrested were unemployed men from outside Cairo: how did they all make it to Tahrir square?
A good question, indeed.
BTW, OS's Friend-of-Friend journalist made it safely out of Egypt and back to Europe.
Away from the thugs.
Just Because It's Friday: Psalm 1 In The King James Version
Nothing is quite so relevant to contemporary crises as eternal verities; especially as expressed in the language of the King James Bible, whose 400th anniversary is celebrated this year.
Psalm 1, King James Version:
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Be of good cheer, ya'll, even as things turn ugly. We're in good hands.
And please pray for the safety of OS's journalist friend-of-friend, held captive in Cairo, arrested today by the secret police. His mom heard from him very briefly, but the call was cut off. He's terrified, and it's hard to imagine the pain his family endures.
And, for good measure, from New College Oxford:
Psalm 1, King James Version:
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Be of good cheer, ya'll, even as things turn ugly. We're in good hands.
And please pray for the safety of OS's journalist friend-of-friend, held captive in Cairo, arrested today by the secret police. His mom heard from him very briefly, but the call was cut off. He's terrified, and it's hard to imagine the pain his family endures.
And, for good measure, from New College Oxford:
The GulfStream Moment Approaches
It's not a matter of if, just when.
From this evening's New York Times:
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is discussing with Egyptian officials a proposal for President Hosni Mubarak to resign immediately, turning over power to a transitional government headed by Vice President Omar Suleiman with the support of the Egyptian military, administration officials and Arab diplomats said Thursday.
Oh, to be a fly on the wall and overhear the conversations...
From this evening's New York Times:
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is discussing with Egyptian officials a proposal for President Hosni Mubarak to resign immediately, turning over power to a transitional government headed by Vice President Omar Suleiman with the support of the Egyptian military, administration officials and Arab diplomats said Thursday.
Oh, to be a fly on the wall and overhear the conversations...
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Egypt From Tennessee Thursday 3 February: Journalist Roundup In Cairo
Washington Post crews detained.
OS is keep AlJazeera on (Heaven help us...), and they report a lot of their gear has been seized. Recent footage and reports from the square indicate both small arms and automatic weapons fire, with one claim of 'snipers'--hard to know if that's accurate.
France24 indicates the army is moving in to restore order in the square.
France24 also reports: Bert Sundströms, a senior journalist with Sweden's Sveriges Television has been arrested while reporting from Cairo, the public broadcaster has said.
Shahira Amin, who resigned the official Egyptian news service this week, reports she is being followed and threatened.
OS has his own reliable sources, with a widening readership. He just learned that a friend of a friend is amongst the journalists seized.
Reason has departed. If Mubarak and company think they can crush this thing, arrest journalists and send thugs out to attack, they are just delusional.
OS's greater concern is that something a lot more malevolent than Mubarak may be waiting in the wings. Often, there is.
OS will check back later. Happy to pass on news if it will help friends and friends of friends.
Still a lot of movement, rock throwing, etc. on the square.
We're in good hands, ya'll, even when it gets scary. Prayers asked for OS's friend of friend.
OS is keep AlJazeera on (Heaven help us...), and they report a lot of their gear has been seized. Recent footage and reports from the square indicate both small arms and automatic weapons fire, with one claim of 'snipers'--hard to know if that's accurate.
France24 indicates the army is moving in to restore order in the square.
France24 also reports: Bert Sundströms, a senior journalist with Sweden's Sveriges Television has been arrested while reporting from Cairo, the public broadcaster has said.
Shahira Amin, who resigned the official Egyptian news service this week, reports she is being followed and threatened.
OS has his own reliable sources, with a widening readership. He just learned that a friend of a friend is amongst the journalists seized.
Reason has departed. If Mubarak and company think they can crush this thing, arrest journalists and send thugs out to attack, they are just delusional.
OS's greater concern is that something a lot more malevolent than Mubarak may be waiting in the wings. Often, there is.
OS will check back later. Happy to pass on news if it will help friends and friends of friends.
Still a lot of movement, rock throwing, etc. on the square.
We're in good hands, ya'll, even when it gets scary. Prayers asked for OS's friend of friend.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Cairo: All Video Links Shut Down, And Mubarak's Supporters Hit The Streets
This just announced by Neil Cavuto at 17:50 CST US (01:50 AM in Egypt):
All video links from Egypt have gone dark, simultaneously. There are reports of Mubarak's supporters hitting the streets to go after the protesters in the square in Cairo.
Perhaps, last night's speech was delivered to create confusion and buy time for the internal security types to reorganize?
Could be, he's also buying time in order to get the GulfStream loaded up with the bullion, the helo to the airport warmed up, the numbered bank accounts stuffed with the final few billion.
Blood has already spilled, scenes of chaos all day.
Here we go.
Remember, we're still in good hands. All will be well, and all manner of things will be well, but it will be pretty ugly short-term, in OS's humble opinion.
All video links from Egypt have gone dark, simultaneously. There are reports of Mubarak's supporters hitting the streets to go after the protesters in the square in Cairo.
Perhaps, last night's speech was delivered to create confusion and buy time for the internal security types to reorganize?
Could be, he's also buying time in order to get the GulfStream loaded up with the bullion, the helo to the airport warmed up, the numbered bank accounts stuffed with the final few billion.
Blood has already spilled, scenes of chaos all day.
Here we go.
Remember, we're still in good hands. All will be well, and all manner of things will be well, but it will be pretty ugly short-term, in OS's humble opinion.
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