A short piece on Egypt.
I don't see how it's possible to really keep current in text from the US, though -- things are happening too fast. Just since I hit "publish" on this one a couple of hours ago, the Mubarak regime has shut down rail service to keep protesters from joining tomorrow's "million man march" in Cairo, the protesters have raised the ante by calling a second march in Alexandria itself, and the army has apparently made a formal statement to the effect that it will not serve as a crackdown agency versus peaceful demonstrations.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
What the Internet "Kill Switch" Bill is Really All About
It's baaaaaaaack -- and this week's world events make abundantly clear what it means.
In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak's regime shut down, as best they could, Internet and cell phone access in order to put a stop to, or at least slow down, a building sentiment for revolution.
In China, the Communist regime censored search results regarding events in Egypt.
The Lieberman/Collins bill is intended to give the US government the same powers -- and for the same reasons. Our lords and masters consider accessible, uncensored communications between the serfs a threat.
And they're right.
Perversely, though, measures like the "Kill Switch" may be just as big a threat.
Right up to the moment the Mubarak regime threw the switch, some Egyptian dissidents were content, or at least willing, to limit themselves to a) spreading the word and b) trying to bring international diplomatic pressure to bear by publicizing the situation.
Shutting down their ability to pursue that strategy made it clear that they were in an "it's Mubarak or us; no help is coming and we're going to win or die" situation, and they acted accordingly.
In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak's regime shut down, as best they could, Internet and cell phone access in order to put a stop to, or at least slow down, a building sentiment for revolution.
In China, the Communist regime censored search results regarding events in Egypt.
The Lieberman/Collins bill is intended to give the US government the same powers -- and for the same reasons. Our lords and masters consider accessible, uncensored communications between the serfs a threat.
And they're right.
Perversely, though, measures like the "Kill Switch" may be just as big a threat.
Right up to the moment the Mubarak regime threw the switch, some Egyptian dissidents were content, or at least willing, to limit themselves to a) spreading the word and b) trying to bring international diplomatic pressure to bear by publicizing the situation.
Shutting down their ability to pursue that strategy made it clear that they were in an "it's Mubarak or us; no help is coming and we're going to win or die" situation, and they acted accordingly.
Friday, January 28, 2011
New song for the US government's iTunes playlist
"Blowback," by Karmic Bitch (featuring Sonny and Cher's long-lost child, Cui Bono, on vocals). Racing up the charts -- Probably about number 5 at the moment, but definitely with a bullet.
The Egyptian army may be throwing in. Which side? Uncertain, but if you have any secrets you want Hosni Mubarak to take to his grave, you might want to get them to him ASAP.
From Suez to Sanaa, from Tunis to Tripoli (the one in Lebanon, not the one in Libya) the US program of maintaining "stability" in the Middle East by playing footsie with corrupt authoritarian regimes is going into the crapper faster than, and with as little warning as, a tainted seafood dinner. The Jordanian and Saudi regimes may not be panicking yet, but they're probably updating their emergency escape itineraries just in case.
Immediate beneficiaries: The Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, al Qaeda.
The Egyptian army may be throwing in. Which side? Uncertain, but if you have any secrets you want Hosni Mubarak to take to his grave, you might want to get them to him ASAP.
From Suez to Sanaa, from Tunis to Tripoli (the one in Lebanon, not the one in Libya) the US program of maintaining "stability" in the Middle East by playing footsie with corrupt authoritarian regimes is going into the crapper faster than, and with as little warning as, a tainted seafood dinner. The Jordanian and Saudi regimes may not be panicking yet, but they're probably updating their emergency escape itineraries just in case.
Immediate beneficiaries: The Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, al Qaeda.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)