Revelations

Dear UK

Dear United Kingdom,

While I'm happy that your tax dollars were spent on a lavish wedding for two children, I'm fairly certain that Patriots died so that Americans wouldn't have to care about such pomp and circumstance.

I need some more coffee. Not tea. Coffee.

Signed,

Uncle Cap'n.

It's a Mouse!

While I like the photo, and the likeness of Muammar is striking - the image perpetuates the misguided notion that the internet caused these revolutions.

While media attention may help to encourage these revolutionaries, it is their actions, and their sacrifices that are responsible, so I think the infectious idea of freedom, and the perseverance of the people involved are much more frightening to a dictator than the internet.

It's merely a tool. It worked for some, but not the Iranians.... yet.

Source: White Mice Know How To Scare Dictators

Libya Liberated

Protesters wave a flag in this undated picture made available on Facebook February 20, 2011. Photograph by: Handout, Reuters

Gaddafi Flees Tripoli As Protesters Set The Libyan Parliament Building on fire!

The Protesters appear to have taken control of second city Benghazi. Up to 400 feared dead after dozens killed in overnight clashes. Justice minister resigns over 'excessive use of violence'

Gaddafi's son says: 'We will fight to the last minute, until the last bullet'

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is believed to have fled the capital Tripoli after anti-government demonstrators breached the state television building and set government property to fire.

Read more ....

Oh happy day! Looks like the Colonel will have to go back to making fried chicken.

While you're worried about Valentine's Day...

The entire Middle East is going up for grabs:

Algeria:

Riots broke out across the country in early January, triggered by an increase in basic food prices. Before too long, protesters were demanding the ouster of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika who has ruled Algeria for 11 years, and changed the country's constitution in 2008 so as to allow himself to remain in power until he dies. On Saturday, demonstrators chanting "change the power" clashed with security forces in Algiers. Today, the government announced the country's 19-year state of emergency would be revoked "within days."

Bahrain:

For the last year, Bahrain's marginalized Shiite majority has been protesting the rule of King Hamad Bin Isa al-Khalifa, a Sunni who succeeded his father in 2002. But in the wake of the dramatic events elsewhere in the region, the protests have gained momentum and turned violent. In an effort to quell the unrest, the king has announced that the regime will give every Bahraini family $2,700 in cash.

IRAN:

Tens of thousands of protesters, marching in solidarity with Egyptian protesters, clashed with police in central Tehran today. Police used tear gas and beat some protesters, who chanted "Death to the dictator," referring to Mock Mood Ahmadinerjacket. Iran's opposition has kept a low profile since a brutal June 2009 crackdown by the ruling Islamic regime, which has been in power since the 1979 revolution. And remember, any uprising would be a counter-revolution. Try to keep up. Ironically, as reported here... Mock Mood cheered on the Egyptians while cautioning the Green party activists that he would crack skulls if they tried it on him - again.

Please also note: Twitter and Facebook were an important part of the Iranian uprising following the stolen election against the Green Party -- but they were NOT able to bring down Mock Mood.

Tunisia:

In some ways, Tunisia started it all. On Dec. 17, a young man set himself on fire to protest unemployment after police confiscated the fruit and vegetables he was selling without a permit. That sparked violent nationwide protests against the autocratic regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, which had been in place since 1987, and was viewed by many Tunisians as corrupt and repressive. A day after dismissing his government on January 13, Ben Ali fled by plane to Saudi Arabia.

Yemen:

On Jan. 27, 16,000 Yemenis--inspired by events in Egypt--protested economic conditions, corruption and repression in the capital city of Sana'a. A week later, after continuing demonstrations, the country's authoritarian president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled for 32 years, said he wouldn't run for re-election in 2013, and wouldn't pass power on to his son. But the protests have raged on. On Saturday, 5,000 police used clubs to beat hundreds of protesters, some of whom chanted: "A Yemeni revolution after the Egyptian revolution." Yesterday, Saleh canceled a planned trip to the United States, citing the climate of unrest in the Middle East.

So, did you get flowers for your significant other?

Saturday Morning Video

Bye Bye Mubarak from Ramy Rizkallah on Vimeo.

Bye, Bye Mubarak: 20 minutes after Egyptian VP Omar Suleiman officially announced President Hosni Mubarak’s abdication, filmmaker Ramy Rizkallah grabbed his camera and hit the streets to document the celebration.

Mubarak Leaves

Mubarak Leaves Cairo as Military Asserts Control

The Egyptian military appeared to assert its leadership Friday amid growing indications that President Hosni Mubarak was yielding all power. A Western diplomat said that Mr. Mubarak had left the capital for the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik, about 250 miles from Cairo.

As protesters were swarming into the streets Friday morning for what was expected to be the biggest and most volatile demonstrations in the three-week revolt here, the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces issued a statement over state television and radio indicating that the military, not Mr. Mubarak, was in effective control of the country. It was unclear whether the military would take meaningful steps toward democracy or begin a military dictatorship.

Western diplomats said that officials of the Egyptian government were scrambling to assure that a muddled speech Mr. Mubarak made on Thursday night that enraged protesters had in fact signaled his irrevocable handover of presidential
authority.

Read More:

UPDATE: BREAKING: President Mubarak Resigns

Sunday Comics - The Week in Review

End of the week. Apparently it snowed, and there's some kind of 'game' on television this afternoon? Hell if I know.

Egypt continues to be a growing concern. The old man is hanging on, and claims doing so will prevent chaos. Never mind the blood being spilled.
I found this one quite telling - even though Egypt has it's porn back, I thought the image captured the tone. Remember, social media didn't start the protests (high food prices did) - but social media helped organize those protests.
Mrs. Clinton and Obama's second chance...
And a judge in Florida threw another strike against ObamaCare.
And finally, here's the biggest problem we're all going to be facing.

Sunday Comics - The Week in Review

We're at the end of our week, and Egypt is starting their workweek right now - and they're not going to the office- they're going to the streets.

But to review - The State of Union was, until the Middle East got all Democrat-y, the biggest political stage of the week.
The 14 Trillion dollar man in the room...
And in the lamest attempt of 'candor' the members of the business party put down their partisan blinders to sit next to each other listen to Mr. Obama give the State of the Union. Take that crazy gunmen everywhere!

Meanwhile, ClimateFaith continues on and on. I, for one, look to the sun to decide what's going on - and since earlier in the week, not even NASA knows what's going on with the sun - It sure is funny to hear climate change deniers and ClimateFaithers debate as they shovel 19 inches of snow.

And, in case you've missed it, there is a revolution happening right here, right now in the Middle East. The US and the West have a tightrope to walk - a tightrope that is as thin as dental floss. While they've supported the regimes in the region to support status quo - good for business and the flow of oil, there will be questions of why we supported Mubarak, and where we were when the Egyptian Army trained their guns on the people.

It's an uncertain, scary time - wondering about the future, and the present. As a person who wishes for justice, free expression, free press, and human rights - I fully support the people of Egypt. I only warn them that with freedom requires great responsibility. It's too easy to lose that freedom to people who would use them for their own goals. I'm thinking immediately of Napoleon, but also how quickly America has lost it's ideals. Best of luck to you all.

And finally this week, this cartoon comes from Iran (note the green shirt). One can only hope that the final domino is strong enough to knock that old fart out of his chair.

Hopefully we'll all make it to see next week. Until then.

Good Advice

Irony is, it's a Pharaoh - but, good advice none-the-less.

A commenters on Al Jazeera made an observation: "Disabling the Internet in Egypt has backfired big time. Instead of sitting at home, on Facebook or Twitter, people are now out on the streets."

Please note, that what's going on in three (maybe four now) countries in the Middle East isn't about the Internet. It's about suppression of freedom and individual rights, to assemble and of expression. It's about a 'democracy' that has been a dictatorship since 1967. It's about zero opportunity for a large population of young people. It's a revolution about survival. Please don't think that the Egyptian government turned off the Internet and suddenly people started rioting in the streets - it was a reaction to people rioting in the streets...

The Internet is a part of that, but it is not the only part nor is it the most important part.