I’m not suggesting the AFP condones the sort of bollocks thats emerged over the last fortnight, in fact I imagine it would horrify them to be associated with such greed driven stupidity and incompetence. However the public would never have learned of all this, except for the actions of anonymous in counter attacking HBGary federal and their associates then releasing the information they gained to the public.
Some may question the morality or leality of anonymous’ actions, but lets remember the context. Aaron Burr of HBGary appeared to be about to meet with the FBI to sell information to them. This info appears to be inaccurate, so where does that leave Barr? Were his actions deliberately fraudulent?
Without the actions of anonymous and others this may never have come to light.
What guarantee do we or the AFP have that some of their proposed partners from the private sector won’t show the same levels of (at the very least) incompetence?
While whats happening in Egypt has entered a new and disturbing phase the truth is the Egyptian People still have the power there. Reports of 20 million people on the street eventually, not even the Egyptian Army could resist that. I guess its up to the rest of us to keep an eye on Egypt and make sure people don’t start to (sorry, continue to) disappear now the army has power. And encourage the Egyptians to keep at it, especially with all the strikes for better conditions and a continuing presence in Tahrir.
This isn’t just about Egypt tho. This is about how easily open source and distributed stuff beats centralised closed source stuff. Although its been happening for a while it really kicked off last year. Last year power structures were challenged everywhere – the Australian Football League and St Kilda and the general “power” of footy institutions over individuals who take them on; the power of the US govt and its corporate mates vs wikileaks and anonymous are two that spring to mind.
Anyway anonymous and the Egyptians beat Aaron Barr and the Mubarak.
But the hard work isn’t over for the people of Egypt. The regime still has power, and tho the state of emergency may be lifted there is heaps for them to do to build a democracy and keep it free from our interference.
1. Ahmed Seif El Islam (Human Rights Lawyer and former Director of HMLC)
2. Mohsen Beshir (HMLC Lawyer)
3. Mostafa Al Hassan (HMLC Lawyer)
4. Mouna AlMasry (HMLC Researcher)
5. Al Sayed Feky (HMLC Lawyer)
6. Fatma Abed (FDEP Volunteer)
7. Shahdan (FDEP Volunteer)
8. Nadine Abu Shadi (FDEP Volunteer)
9. Nadia Hashem (FDEP VOlunteer)
10. Ahmed Taher (Unconfirmed Name)
11. Ahmed Hamdy Mahmoud (Student from Assiut – source Gamal Eid)
12. Said Haddadi (AI)
13. ِAnother AI Staff member
14. Daniel Williams (HRW) (Update apparently released, commentator on the Arabist claims to have spoken with him.)
15. Sofia Amara (French citizen working for Magneto Press)
16. Pedro do Fonseca (Portugese Citizen working for Magneto Presse)
17. Kamal Samir (Volunteer/activist – unconfirmed)
18. Doaa (unconfirmed)
19. Amr Aly
20. Islam Gevara
21. Sameh Rushdi
22. Mohamed Helmy
23. Shadi Mohamed
Thanks to Ursula Lindsey at the Arabist for that list. As i come across names of people missing I’ll be adding them. (If I get confirmed info about their whereabouts I’ll post that too, or if someone else has that info please mention it below.) Google’s Wael Ghonim isn’t on the list cos last reports were the Regime confirmed they had him in custody. What for I don’t know, but at least he hasn’t “disappeared” without any trace.
There are probably hundreds if not thousands of others that are also being detained, interrogated and tortured right now. Frightening as the attacks on foreign journalists have been, most of our colleagues have emerged relatively unscathed. It’s the Egyptians being rounded up by police and intelligence that I truly fear for.
(From the Arabist’ post linked above.)
Latest updates from Tahrir Sq – tensions are rising between the army and the demonstrators, as the army tries to clear the square.
update Monday 11.58 AEDST:
As of now there are conflicting reports all over the place and it appears that all the HMLC detainees have been released tho nothing has been confirmed yet. Its pretty hard to find info about this from Australia right now.
Egypt remembers is a website trying to name and pay tribute to those killed in the uprising.
Meanwhile the people in Egypt show no signs of backing down on their demands that the regime leave, the state of emergency ends and they begin a democratic just process of reform under their control. They know backing down will mean a brutal crackdown by a torturer and murder hiding behind the position of VP.
Note how Hossam is able to transmit live video footage to the site I linked to.
Note also how on that site a google map window is there with the location where the footage originated.
During this uprising twitter users have been targeted, and possibly tracked using their online messaging.
It seems H is using this particular service only from safe locations, and as part of a publicity strategy that involves identifying where he is. Just be aware of potential payoffs. the NSA could probably find your phone anyway, but groups of paid thugs looking for anyone on a list might not have access to those resources. In some cases with twitter and other stuff they don’t need them.
The Ranting Sandmonkey may have been tracked via his twitter postings before he was detained the other day.
An open source world is open source. That means anyone can access it.
update Sat middayish (AEDST):
Well its about 4 am over there, after a momentous day where Mubarak still didn’t go. If the baltagis are gonna attack again they should be getting ready to go in the next half an hour. The worst time is 4.30 am – humans are at their most tired, thats why so many police forces use that time to conduct raids. Some students of Chi reckon thats the time when Yin is at its maxima, and just before the Yang half of a humans daily cycle begins. Lets hope nothing happens in the next few hours.
To me that would mean the pro regime thugs aren’t as organised and switched on as some people think.
My impression from following the events of the last 24 hours is that something has given (again) in the protesters favour. That maybe the army realises it has to be on the “people’s” side if it wants to avoid tearing itself apart.
After all everyone in the square seems to be saying this:
And they have done it on international television/video. Its been seen by everyone. These brave people, like Ahmed above, have put themselves on the line. They are risking everything with this. If they back down now the regime will come for them on their own, late at night, early in the morning and its unlikely they’ll ever see the light of day again.
They know this and still they are prepared to make their stand.
We have to do whatever we can from the ‘outside world’ to support them as they claim their own future on their own terms.
Protesters demands in Tahrir.
Thanks to Hossam 3arabawy for the photo.
Latest reports are that there is some gunfire and the molotov wielding thugs are back.
10 mins earlier, Dr Beltagui of the Ikhwan asked protesters not to resist the army. He was booed
protesters have slept in front of the tanks to stop them.
the army is moving in, trying to remove Barricades around Tahrir set up by protesters near Abdel Moneim Riyadh sq.
Don’t let ’em in peeps.
update 10 pm Sat (AEDST):
Latest from Hossam:
mahmoudellozy @3arabawy It is America and Israel’s army. Mubarak is merely the caretaker.
the army has deployed soldiers, cordoning off protesters who r sleeping in front of the tanks from the rest of the square.
from day 1 i’ve been screaming: Do NOT trust the army. This is Mubarak’s army not Egypt’s army.
the army is trying to ban people from entering Tahrir. The soldiers r trying to block Qasr el Nil bridge.
If this is true (and Hossam is pretty reliable) then this could go bad really quickly. Still they can’t back down now. If the army are gonna do bad shit now then it won’t end with the protesters going home, Sulliedman will get the chance to put all his torture skillz to work.
As we get ready to enjoy Australia Day, or regret Invasion Day or whatever we’ll do today (I’m spending it with my wife’s extended family at her recently deceased grandma’s place. Possibly the last time the entire family will gather there for a celebration.)
Lets spare a thought for the people of Egypt, inspired by the Tunisians and united by attacks on a minority religion.
This is about as live as it can get, from sometime in the last few hours in Tharir Square.
Apparantly the translation of the chant is:
“The people /want/ the regime to fall!”
Good luck people.
(Thanks to Alice – stay safe and seize the moment.)
Update:
Well it appears that the Egyptian Govt has blocked internet access for its citizens. Thats not a good thing, and kind of reinforces the need for a more decentralised open source set up. This sort of thing isn’t really gonna help them or their legitimacy – its more a sign of their desperation.
¶1. (C) Summary and comment: Police brutality in Egypt
against common criminals is routine and pervasive. Contacts
describe the police using force to extract confessions from
criminals as a daily event, resulting from poor training and
understaffing. Brutality against Islamist detainees has
reportedly decreased overall, but security forces still
resort to torturing Muslim Brotherhood activists who are
deemed to pose a political threat.
Well apparently Mubarak is on tv now in Egypt and has ordered the govt to resign so he can form a new one. No he doesn’t appear to be standing down as president. The military and protesters were at one point working together overnight to protect the national museum, but the NPD (Mubaraks party) HQ has been burned down.
PS Still haven’t heard from Alice TK, an online friend/sparring partner who told us this was coming, especially after Said’s murder last year. Alice I hope your family, friends and yourself are safe during this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Well its a Sunday morning, this started 4 days ago, and I reckon its only a matter of time before Mubarak is gone.
Checking the twitter feeds this morning and it seems like something has given way, its one of those intangible things tho, could just be wishful thinking.
Right now the Egyptian people are organising Neighbourhood Watch type groups to protect private and public property from looting, they are organising checkpoints to check ID in places. In other places vigilante groups have formed to protect against Mubarak’s plain clothed thugs.
neighborhood watches in Zamalek, Mohandeseen, Dokki & other areas of Cairo. Very organized w shifts, checkpoints
Neighborhood watch very organized w shifts, checkpoints. Men of all ages w sticks, metal pipes, some guns maintaining order
Some have formed makeshift barriers in Zamalek streets. Men armed with metal pipes check people, cars going through.
Walking in Zamalek. Feels like a scene from 28 Days Later. Empty. (Interesting observation – j)
That was from a few hours ago. Latest from Sharif:
My dad’s helping organize citizen checkpoints in Zamalek. Rumor army’s coming soon to secure area but no sign yet
My uncle is spending night in Tahrir. Saw him there this afternoon w/ his standard accoutrements: Egyptian flag & megaphone
Tharir Square may be the key – Midan Tharir or Liberation Square, renamed after the 1952 revolution. If the people can hold it there is no way they will be stopped. Its one of those symbolic things, like saving St Pauls during the London Blitz.
Crowds and the Army together in Tharir Square (Photo by Ramy Raoof)
During this critical time, while Mubarak is attempting to derail the Egyptians’ Revolution, we call on the National Coalition to stay firm on our demands:
1. Immediate resignation of Hosni Mubarak.
2. The creation of temporary National Gov’t comprised of the people who the Egyptians can trust. The former regime should be excluded from this Gov’t.
New Leadership Responsibilities:
– All political prisoners should be released.
– The accountability of the former regime in respect to policies towards: poverty and torture.
– Freedom to all Egyptians to form their own political factions without governmental interference.
Until all the above demands are met we call on all Egyptians to:
– Call for a general strike starting Sunday the 30th of January, 2011.
– Form a national group in all Egyptian communities to protect public welfare and to face anyone who tries to meddle and destroy our governmental (public) and privately owned properties.
– Do not give the previous regime (i.e Mubarak) and their cronies the opportunity to give a bad picture of this uprising and revolution.
Meanwhile, across Cairo there is not a policeman in sight and there are reports of looting and violence. People worry that Mubarak is intentionally trying to create chaos to somehow convince people that he is needed. The strategy is failing. Residents have taken matters into their own hands, helping to direct traffic and forming armed neighborhood watches, complete with checkpoints and shift changes, in districts across the city.
This is the Egypt I arrived in today. Fearless and determined. It cannot go back to what it was. It will never be the same.
Its interesting that what appears to be happening there is the emergence of the “state” – of the roles the state provides, spontaneously from a united crowd in response to needs as they arise. The protesters seem to have decided the govt under Mubarak is so illegitimate they will do what it should be doing themselves.
A bit like an “open source state” for lack of a better term. Wow, thats really cool.
Judging by the twitter feeds above and various other online info things look like they might to get a bit nastier. According to Dan Nolan from Al Jazeera (twitter above) his story from various morgues showing casualties had something to do with the shut down of the Al Jazeera reporting from Egypt.
Apparently judges have joined the public in Tharir sq and the tension is rising. There are reports of jet fighters over the city and troops in Sharm el-sheik – dunno how Israel feels about that, but Suilemann is on good terms with them apparently.
General Habib El Adly, (former I spose) interior minister, was arrested. he has been accused of opening prisons and authorising the shooting of protesters by snipers.
There’s a 4 pm curfew on the streets for Sunday 30/1/11, so thats approximately 15 minutes ago as i’m typing and as yet no news.
This from we are all Khaled Said (above):
We are all Khaled Said Urgent situation now: In Tahreer square, there are more than 200 thousand people now including Judges, AlAzhar scholars, Opposition leaders (from all parties) from protesters are made up of women, children, men, young and old, Muslims, Christians & Athiests. Jetfighter planes are flying low in the square with helicopters as well. I’m really scared a massacre is about to happen!
But according to other sources no one is leaving. Lets hope some sanity prevails cos nothing is gonna save this regime and a massacre in Tharir sq will be a disaster but it won’t save Mubarak.
Hillary Clinton is now claiming Mubarak has not met the Egyptian people’s demands and she wants a peaceful handover of power.
No doubt you’ve been following him, here are some of the most interesting of his tweets.
Right now it seems everyone is scrambling to get a handle on whats happening, and to get some control. The west appears paralyzed and unable to deal with the situation except through its normal reality tunnel (did I just use that term).
That tunnel is that these things are negotiated by the powerful and between the powerful and the “powerless” basically shut up and do what their betters say.
Thats why all this stuff about El Baradei and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Anyway here is some of what Hossman has said thats well worth repeating:
We need more protests abroad in front of Egyptian embassies. Pressure your govts to cut all sort of relations with the Mubarak regime.
The Popular Committees hold the seeds for what direct democracy could look like in the future. We need to focus on them instead of BARADIE!
The protests have spontaneous leaders in most of the occasions. We won’t let this upririsng to be hijacked by anybody.
It is not true what some MSM outlets r broadcasting about the Muslim Brotherhood and the 6th of April leading the protests. It’s complete BS
MB activists were denounced by protesters around Lazoughli yesterday when they tried to stop people from marching on interior ministry
WE DO NOT WANT THE ARMY! THE ARMY HAS BEEN RULING SINCE 1952. THEY R NOT NEUTRAL PLAYERS.
The shootings around Lazoughli and the snipers firing at protesters yesterday happened as the army sat and watch.
The army in Tahrir r useless pieces of shit. They r not “protecting” the demonstrators as they were claiming.
I managed to get internet access for few mins.. All MSM reports about looting, violence r EXAGGERATED! Protests r still going on strong.
My neighborhood Nasr City, my city Cairo and in all Egyptian towns, popular committees r being formed by citizens to provide security.
Possibly most inportant of all:
IT IS NOT TRUE WHAT MSM IS BROADCASTING ABOUT PROTESTERS CALLING ON BARADIE TO LEAD TRANSITIONAL GOVT!
Well for some reason it feels like something may happen between now and sunrise Australian time. I hope not, but Hossam doesn’t trust the military and his latest tweets convey a sense of something. It’d be hard not to be paranoid with tanks on the street, cops creeping back and a torturer and murderer as “Vice president”, but thewre seems reason for unease.
This is the most important stuff he’s been tweeting.
The workers at El-Ta3awon Printing House and Ghazl Meit Ghamr (textile) have kicked out their CEOs, and are now self managing the factories.
I will repeat what I said yesterday: The reports about looting and security chaos r VERY MUCH exaggerated by Egyptian govt, BBC, Al-Jazeera.
This happened as army soldiers were present. The army and the police are collaborating now. Still, army hasn’t fired any shots yet.
More protests r scheduled today in Alexandria, Mahalla and other cities. Thousands of protesters r now in Tahrir already. Numbers will swell
More army tanks r on the streets. Heliocopters r still flying the air over Cairo.
Youth-led groups issued a statement calling for all Egyptians to march on the palace, the People’s Assembly and the television building, in what they are calling the “Friday of Departure.”
Sultan Al Qassemi reckons that police vans have been running over protesters, and has photos here.
What I want? Fuck liberal democracy where u vote rich bastards into the parliament every 5 years. WE WANT DIRECT DEMOCRACY!
Thats Hossam again, and apparently the unions are starting to get organised. A general strike and million person march for tomorrow.
To many dead so far and no sign of anything breaking yet, but it’ll take a civil war to keep Mubarak, and I doubt anyone wants his latest appointments either.
Leave a message on voice mail and it’ll be instantly tweeted. If anyone can get those numbers to people in Egypt please do.
After the tension of last night things seem to have mellowed a bit. Tho last night (Aust’n time) there were reports of police vans running over protesters and of soldiers in civvies having “spontaneous” pro Mubarak protests. The march is scheduled for this morning Egypt time, so in about 7 hours the march should start. If things are gonna come to a head thats probably when – at about 6pm NSW time.
Dan Nolan, after being detained for a few hours by the Egyptian security forces.
10.30am crowds in Tahrir Sq already the size they were at peak last nite! Imagine how big in few hours?!?! Could be an historic day 4 #Egypt
I’ll be in Tahrir sq today. Huge crowds already there carrying boxes of water to settle in. Everyone buoyed by news army will not stop them!
Ok i’m back on the airwaves, pretty hairy day yest! Soldiers seized cameras,laptops,phones. Now got a nokia circ 1995 but its workin #egypt
The tweeting from Egypt seems to indicate that today is the day. It seems the crowd in Tharir sq is huge already, and it looks like the march to the palace will have no real trouble. You can never tell I spose but I think this will be a big day in Egypt’s history.
It is unlikely that the protesters will be able to march to the palace in Heliopolis due to distance as well as the Army & dreaded police.
Latest word from Sharif Kouddous is that Tharir sq has more people than he’s ever seen before. The crowd has been singing”Hey hey Hosni is leaving tonight”. He just interviewed Hossam el-Hamalawy 3arabawy.
Hossam says the final decision after much discussion is to stay in the square and not march on Mubarak today.
Apparantly people are turning up at the Square (Tahrir btw, I’ve probably been spelling it wrong,) with their kids! Probably cos people sense this is going to be one of those fundamental days where the world (at least for Egyptians) is never the same again.
update Wed (9AM AEDST):
Well depending on who you listen to there were between 2 and 5 million people in Tahrir overnight, and none of them were all that happy with Mubarak’s speech.
Mubarak is trying to hang in there, saying he won’t run in the next elections (due Nov I think) and that he will meet with protest leaders to address their concerns. How does he not realise their main concern is him!!! This man is stubborn beyond belief – tho I guess thats what it takes to be a military dictator.
Meanwhile in Tahrir people are organising rubbish collection and recycling, medical clinics and food and water distribution. Proving their own legitimacy ion the process. It seems like they are there till Mubarak goes too, there is street theatre, more political art than Sharif Kouddous has ever seen in his life and apparently they are even organising a footy, well soccer, tournament in the square.
The game is now one of momentum. If the protesters can keep it going, and it looks like they will cos its only really been a week and this is the biggest yet, then Mubarak is toast. If he can somehow hang around while they do their thing … but even then I can’t see him staying.
The overwhelming sense I get from the last 24 hours is that Egyptians have tasted freedom and they love it.
Reports of thugs firing on protesters in Alexandria, and other reports of gunfire now coming in.
Latest (from Port_Sa3eedy/Proud Egyptian) seems to be that the army is firing in the air to warn off thugs (probably Mubarak’s) who were threatening protesters.
Also confirmation that Habib Al Adly, the interior minister who is alleged to have ordered snipers to fire on protesters will referred to a mil prosecutor.
Update Wed 4pm AEDST:
It is 02:00 am now in Egypt
I have just talked to the people in the streets
The Mubarak speech caused a strong case of depression
In Tahrir & Alexandria thugs are everywhere trying to harass the people to push them to go home
Activists expect that the upcoming 48 hours are going to be critical
The regime is breaking down, and is desperate, they might try anything
Violence is expected to erupt
We need more media pressure
We need more lobbying on Egyptian embassies around the world
NDP is spreading rumors that the people are being kidnapped by protesters
NDP is spreading rumors that the army is on its side
There has been several incidents where NDP thugs were shooting at people
I ask everyone outside Egypt to be the voice of the people in Egypt
We are afraid, we fear violence for the next 48 hours because the regime is not happy that it is falling apart
We are asking the international community to intervene and do something
United states said it does not supporting Mubarak anymore, but at the same time they are not helping us or protecting us or supporting our cause
We need a strong solidarity stand form the European parliament & all MPs of the EU
It seems as if things have come to a head, not just in Egypt. About 1000 miles nw of here right now Category 5 Cyclone Yasi is starting to hammer far North Queensland. They are expecting winds of 290km hr and gusts well over 300km. 9m tidal surges are expected. This is the biggest cyclone to hit Australia in the last 100 years (at least). Good luck to everyone up there, stay safe and remember we’re all thinking of and praying for you.
At pretty much the same time, after reports of pro mubarak protesters attacking anti govt groups and sites of national significance over the last 24 hours, possibly more than 10, 000 pro Mubarak protesters have converged on Tahrir sq. There are running battles and people getting hurt and injured.
This is after claims of over 300 dead and 500 unaccounted for so far, including possibly the Google Marketing exec mentioned above. There are claims that these pro Mubarak protesters are security forces in civvies and govt employees being “conscripted” in some cases.
This is obviously an attempt to provoke violence and bring the army into play as an attempt to bring about “security and stability” – the buzzwords being used to describe maintaining the status quo.
I’d advise people to check the links above to follow events as they unfold, including Hossam 3arabawy’s blog which is active again. There seems to be better coverage from mobile and internet at the moment.
Comments from twitter include accusations the bombing of the Coptic Church before Christmas being carried out by the same people organising these attacks on what was basically a peaceful protest.
3:20pm Al Jazeera web producer in Tahrir Square says at least two camera crews (neither from Al Jazeera) being chased by mobs yelling “Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera!”
3:17pm Al Jazeera correspondents in Tahrir Square says that the pro-government mob is chanting slogans against Al Jazeera and apparently trying to find them. Reports of at least one Al-Arabiya correspondent being stabbed.
It seems clear that Mubarak’s crew are trying to shut down information flow, of course that hasn’t worked, it seems word of mouth and pamphlets were faster than twitter at times in Egypt, and now we have the internet…
In fact if anything this crisis has probably driven a serious assessment of the vulnerability of info networks, esp govt/corporate partnerships (and non govt/corporate partnerships in response) in a crisis and how much control they can exert. This comes on top of rumours that the Obama admin is pushing for the same internet “off” switch Mubarak tried to implement last week.
Anyway push was always gonna come to shove, unfortunately for Mubarak I think the Egyptian people are ready willing and prepared to push back hard.
Last week John Robb, of Global Guerrillas claimed that “open source insurgency” had “gone mainstream”, and events in the Middle East, especially Egypt seem to back that up. Unfortunately neither Mubarak nor the West seem to realise that yet.
People in Egypt are subject to a regime that has tortured and killed its own citizens, locked people up for doing what I’m doing right now – blogging and they know they aren’t necessarily any more safe and secure at home with the status quo returned. Especially after this.
Mubaraks first response was to appoint a torturer and murderer as VP and his speech the other night made it clear that the closest the Egyptian people were gonna get to home grown regime change was when he stepped down “in September”. And that was about as far as it was gonna go.
Most people in Egypt, especially those that have come out on the street, probably feel that once they go home the round ups will start (again). So why bother going home? Better to die free and with dignity than tortured to death in some seedy cell somewhere.
Does anyone think that as soon as he can Mubarak won’t start rounding up leaders and anyone who can be identified and associated with the protest?
The cables wikileaks has released have shown just how reliant the US was on the regime for torture, and little it actually cared – it did nothing despite being aware of his brutality. Well nothing cept arm Mubarak to the tune of billions over the years.
Hang in there Egyptians. And don’t lose it at the pro Mubarak people. Thats what he wants to happen. (I think they’ve worked that out already tho.)
update Thurs 11 am AEDST:
A lot happened last night. Thankfully Queensland seems to have fared well, much damage but not much in the way of casualties. As of yet no deaths reported and no serious injuries. Unlike Egypt.
Last night thousands of Pro Mubarak supporters entered Tahrir sq and attacked the anti govt demonstrators. The army stood by and did nothing, tho I’ve seen photos of army personnel in tears being embraced by anti govt protesters. The protesters stood their ground and held back from engaging in the sort of brutal violence the Mubarak forces engaged in.
Amazing stories are coming out. Mubaraks security forces retreated and have been pelting molotov cocktails at the protesters from beyonhd the square. Apparantly vehicles resupplying them with the petrol bombs. One story of a Regime member throwing a Molotov ata a crowd and fucking up, dousing himsel with burning petrol. The crowd apparently left cover to put out the fire and give the guy medical aid.
More disturbing are the reports from Evan Hill, Dan Nolan, Sharif Kouddous and Ben Wedeman and others concerning the threats against international journalists. Last night in the crowd the Mubarak forces targetted Al Jazeera particularly, this on top of theit detaining by security forces earlier in the uprising. This is particularly worrying:
Its obviously clear that journos are exposing the Mubarak regimes brutality and they will definitely be targeted if something bloody is on the cards.
Gillard (Aust’n PM) has come out and said its time for transition in Egypt now, and the Egyptian people should decide who gets to form the next govt. Effectively she said its time for Mubarak to go. (Tho she could have been more forceful about it. Then again with Yasi still smashing communities in FNQ she may have other things on her mind.
One thing that interesting, especially wrt to the wikileaks discussion here, is the role of corporates in all this. Egyptian ISPs bowed to Mubaraks decision to cut internet access last we and some international groups (like Vodaphone Egypt) have supported the regime. Others have aided the protesters, with Google and Twitter standing out. Google may take this a little personally given the disappearence of one of their executives.
Wael Ghonim was photographed as he was bundled away by Mubarak’s security forces late last week. A Google marketing exec, his family have reported harassment and abuse over the phone.
1:47 am Al Jazeera correspondent, reporting from just off Tahrir Square reports that dozens of Mubarak supporters have erected a barricades on either side of a road, trapping anti-government protesters. They are also gathering stones, breaking streetlights and putting on balaclavas, covering their faces, apparently in preparation for a fresh standoff with anti-government protesters. Sources tell our correspondent that the men preparing for the standoff are police officers.
3:01 am Al Jazeera’s correspondent and Web producer report: Heavy police presence at the national museum, with anti-government protesters banging on metal railings and rocks raining down. Pro-Mubarak protesters have an “endless supply of molotov cocktails” that they’re tossing at the anti-government demonstrators.
from the Al Jazeera live blog linked earlier.
People are expecting serious attacks now, and there is some fear of a massacre. Just heard Australian tourists on television complaining about shot at by the police.
update Thurs arvo (AEDST):
The sun is rising in Cairo now.
Last night was a full on battle, and the anti govt protesters held their ground against armed Mubarak thugs. With no protection from the army, time and again the protesters resisted attacks by (allegedly paid) Mubarak security and supporters. They resisted attacks with Molotov cocktails, and sniper fire from roofs. The regime showed its true colours last night, and still it wasn’t enough.
I suspect that in the years to come the new Egypt will look back on last night as one of the most pivotal moments in Egypt’s recent history. If nothing else the lines have now been drawn. The Mubarak Regime doesn’t give a shit how many ordinary Egyptians it hurts and how much chaos it brings, and the uprising will not budge.
Today will probably be more peaceful as the Regime’s supporters don’t seem to like showing their faces in daylight. Tonight may see more of the same.
update 3pm Friday AEDST:
Sorry I bailed on all the excitement, but I’ve had a pretty wild 36 hrs myself.
THis post has run its course anyway. On I/A Day no one in Australia seemed to have noticed, and now 10 days later thats no longer the case.
I think its in the next 6 to 8 hours that the Day of Departure starts. That’ll be worth a separate post.
I’d like to end with the words of my online friend “Alice”, who I heard was ok, tho pretty spun out, earlier today. If it wasn’t for her this post wouldn’t have been written.
I’m freaking out: there is now a complete blackout on live images from Tahrir Square. I shouldn’t be surprised, this morning the Egyptian state tv stations had broadcasters sneering about “Al Jazeera’s latest lies that there was gun-fire in Tahrir” (how would they know? Al Jazeera’s been shut down here). Then, by just switching to BBC Arabic or CNN, there it was, live coverage of Tahrir Square with unmistakable gunfire, molotov cocktails and rocks raining down on pro-democracy demonstrators’ heads.
All foreign news bureaus overlooking Tahrir Square have been shut down either by the army or the regime’s thugs and journalists’ cameras have been confiscated or broken. They don’t want anybody to see what they are doing.
Tomorrow’s demonstrations are supposed to be huge, all over Egypt. It’s being called “the Day of Departure”. I know people who are already downtown (it’s after midnight here) and others who are planning to go. They know what the regime has been doing and that it’s planning something terrible for tomorrow, but they’re going anyway.
Bloggers are being kidnapped, journalists are being beaten and peaceful demonstrators are being killed. A huge supermarket near where I live was set on fire today, shortly after my husband had left it this afternoon. Thugs have been set loose and invited to go on a rampage. I’ve seen Youtube videos of some of the thugs captured by pro-democracy demonstrators say that they were released from jail by officers from the Ministry of Interior and promised LE 5000 (a huge amount for them) if they could get rid of the protesters.
Looking at the “pro-Mubarak demonstrators”, it’s obvious that the Ministry of Interior has emptied out the worst shanty-towns and is using hardened “baltagis” — hired thugs with criminal records, police informants and police in civilian clothes. State tv keeps talking about how much money the Egyptian economy has lost and how many years it will take just to get back to where it was before January 25, in between old patriotic songs and wall-to-wall interviews with the new, smiling and friendly prime minister and the stern, scary vice president, both insisting that the demonstrators’ demands have all been met and they should go home before “these destructive demonstrations do irreparable damage to the nation we all love”. Wall-to-wall propaganda instead of news coverage, associating the demonstrations with chaos and loss and truly bizarre conspiracies contrasted with constant paternalistic appeals to security and stability and ‘normalcy’.
People are exhausted, anxious and running out of money. Many who lived from payday to payday are now out of work or unable to do their jobs. For many, especially in the middle class, the chance to build a new system based on freedom and democracy and civil rights doesn’t seem worth all this upheaval and insecurity.
If this revolution doesn’t succeed, I think that Egypt will witness an even more horrific wave of violent repression and revenge from Mubarak’s regime. They’ll do everything possible to make sure this can’t happen again. Next time, if there ever is a next time, peaceful demonstrations organized by smart young people won’t cut it — it will be the even worse nightmare of civil war, and the anti-regime forces will have to be hardened, armed warriors ready to kill and be killed. God forbid.
Never, in Egypt’s long history, ever, has a government treated its people so savagely. Mubarak can be proud that he has added to his record for unprecedented corruption this black stain on Egypt’s history with his name on it. I think he’s literally become insane.
Alice I hope you, your friends family and neighbours are safe, and that you win. I wish I was there with you.
Sometime between now and when I finish this post the inquiry into John T Williams’ death should have a verdict of sorts.
Some people think the cop charged with the shooting is responsible for the act, and yes he is. Whatever bollocks was written in his PD’s publication.
Its obvious Beck’s inciteful routines, and other tea party rhetoric has contributed to some violence in the US. There’s no argument about that. While its clear that some people would like to draw a straight line from the rhetoric of the rabid US political right and the shootings in Tuscon cos it suits their worldview, it ain’t that easy yet. Whether they directly influenced Loughner or even Byron Williams (directly influenced, remember) is not really relevant – they probably didn’t influence Loughner any more than the rest of American culture did. After all violence and “heroic” lone action is fundamental to American life.
This is a country where one of the biggest television hits of this century regularly features the hero torturing people. Apparently justifiably so as well. (As if its ever justifiable.) Where another massive television hit is about a serial killer whose rampage is somehow justified, although perhaps this second show is a little more nuanced. It still starts from a point where extra judicial murder is considered a reasonable behaviour.
In both cases a super empowered individual acts in defiance of the rule of law for a “higher purpose”. Obviously not inhibited by the squeamishness most of us ordinary law obeying sorts feel, these individuals heroically disregard the law while taking human life to achieve their ends. (We all know the connection between superheroes and fascism.) These guys get the job done, cos obviously the law itself and our own wussiness aren’t actually enough to protect us. We need them and their brutality, they are our true saviours and protectors.
Cops are American heroes – true saviours and protectors. Powerful, trusted, uniformed and always right. They have to protect the American way from the threats it faces, and from itself. This is clear from the Guardian editorials.
Social justice is a socialist scheme that judges people not as individuals, but by their race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Again, please research it yourself. The groups touting social justice all tend toward the political left, including socialist and communist groups.
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By this method, if we aren’t careful, we will literally vote ourselves into tyranny. Some think we came pretty damn close to it in 2008:
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They attempt to make us feel comfortable with socialist and progressive terminology through repetition and saturation. The Race and Social Justice Initiative, SPD Race and Social Justice Change Team, and Race and Social Justice Survey. I’m waiting for the Race and Social Justice Torchlight Parade and the Race and Social Justice 10K Race þr Social Justice: On and on it goes until, they hope,the term no longer riles us.
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I’ve given some thought to my own RSJI participation to date. The “Perspectives in Profiling” class (or as one officer put it, one of our “de-policing classes”) served as a good way to learn what the enemy is up to. (Yes, enemy. A liberal after my money in taxes may be my opponent, but a socialist attacking the Constitution and my liberty is my enemy).
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I’ll leave you with this refresher employing the RSJI, the City of Seattle is actually deciding on which people do or do-not “merit ‘punishment’ for a crime, based upon their race, ethnic heritage, and/or socio-economic status. So far this only applies to DWLS3, but one has to ask, what’s next? They’re also deciding purchases and the issuing of city contracts based upon similar criteria. This is social justice, folks, and socialism has no place in Seattle, and positively no place in the Seattle Police Department.
Yep. There you go. The very idea of social justice riles them. Especially one Steve Pomper, and his so called “libertarian”, tea party mentality. I do love it when cops start pointing out the dangers of democracy. Makes me feel all safe inside.
BTW – A libertarian policeman! Thats a laugh. He must use the Catallaxy Files definition of “libertarianism”.
The many police officers I’ve heard from have had visceral responses to those in Seattle who want to institute socialistic initiatives and policies in the community they serve and protect.
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When Seattle’s government says racial profiling is evil beoause it treats one citizen differently than another in contravention of equal protection for all, they are 100% correct. The cops agree; that’s why we don’t do it. (That one made me snort my coffee – j.)
Thats interesting enough, but you should see what comes next:
As the great 18th Century British statesman and American Revolution supporter Edmund Burke once said, “Those who attempt to level never equalize. In all societies some description must be uppermost. The levellers, therefore, only change and pervert the natural order of things; they load the edifice of society by setting up in the air what the solidity of the structure requires to be on the ground.”
It’s ironic that in essence those who favor social justice’s benign racial profiling, an attempt to level, if you will, violate the 14th Amendment, at the very least in spirit, if not in letter. And this is actually beyond ironic considering the 14th Amendment was instituted because southern Democrats refused to recognize emancipated slaves, and even free blacks, now fully American citizens, were entitled to Constitutional rights and protections.
A cop who is either on drugs or really can’t see the irony. And is making up bullshit – no I’m not an American but he is an idiot if he thinks the racial justice initiative is somehow in violation of the 14th amendment. In fact he admits it actually isn’t. Ultimately this is just another one of those crazy rightard attempts to turn the world into opposite day. Glen Beck is MLK with all his non violent calls for decency, and racial profiling never happens in PDs.
At least he lets slip what the cop’s true role is, to maintain the social hierarchy. Clearly in Pomper’s case thats one where those naturally born to rule can decide what is racial profiling and what isn’t. And if democracy gets in the way well… maybe cops will have to do something about it themselves. To maintain the proper order in America.
Once, again, we are in a position to reiterate that America stands for equal justice not social justice. Let’s call for Seattle govemment to abandon its misguided push for social justice as they define it, and most certainly to divorce the SPD from any association with this highly politically partisan effort.
Ok. We have some themes here. the super powered individual acting outside the law as a vital part of American culture. An aspect of American culture thats getting ever sicker as it legalises torture, abandons ancient principles of western law and disappears into a logic vacuum in a desperate search for self justification.
And an editorial in a PD calling for the abandonment of “socialist” values, like trying to address institutionalised racism. Here is a cop telling other cops that not only doesn’t he care how he discriminates against other people he is gonna keep on doing it and so should they. After all there is an 18th century social order at stake.
A cop from East District – the same guys who raided a war veteran on Oct 25th last year with a fucking swat team for 2 medical marijuana plants that were actually deemed legal. No doubt if the guy had tried to call a lawyer as they battered the door in they would have shot him and called it a drug related killing. Despite the fact that they left the property after the search unable to seize anything. Cos the pot was legal. Here’s a case where they deliberately violated the city’s policy again, why – just so they could kick in someones door and act tough? No criticism of that Steve, you so called libertarian.
What we do see with these themes is the sort of thinking thats used to justify stuff like the shooting of John T Williams.
Just the sort of person who would have been targeted by typical police profiling. He was poor, homeless even, indigenous – not a US citizen. Certainly not white like the bloke/prick who shot him. And obviously he had a life knife and wasn’t sufficiently deferential to a guy who shot him within a few seconds of leaving a police vehicle. His knife was legal, and found by his body unopened. What is it with Seattle cops and excessive, brutal responses to legal behaviour?
Clearly they think the law doesn’t apply to them, after all they have to enforce it.
IN Part 2 I’ll look at some other attitudes expressed in the Guardian and we’ll have a look at how they could have contributed to John T Williams shooting.
NOTE I wrote whats below in August 2010, during the Federal Election Campaign in Australia. For whatever reason I didn’t post it, probably cos I wanted to follow up and see if the idea and associated ones held up and then got distracted by the real world. I will be following up on the concepts over the next few weeks as i try to get some regularity into my blogging.
This is it unedited with the basic relevant links:
->
I’ve been thinking about the election.
WTF is going on. Are we on planet stupid?
Its causing some people a great deal of consternation.
Surely this is a conspiracy or something.
Maybe. Maybe not.
The press behave like a pack of animals, hence the confusing second use of the term press pack.
So lets stretch the metaphor a bit and see what happens.
I actually thought about this cos I’m wondering why the media are so useless. This election coverage is a farce, when so many serious questions could be asked of both parties. Why so dumb?
Its like watching sheep follow each other round in circles.
Turns out its probably something we can model.
So anyway, lets assume the media are a pack of animals. Humans obviously, but that means they are primates, and being social animals they may exhibit some traits of herd mentality.
Turns out they do. At least according to Psych Central
New research reveals the brain activity that underlies our tendency to “follow the crowd.”
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“The present study explains why we often automatically adjust our opinion in line with the majority opinion,” says Dr. Klucharev.
“Our results also show that social conformity is based on mechanisms that comply with reinforcement learning and is reinforced by the neural error-monitoring activity which signals what is probably the most fundamental social mistake—that of being too different from others.”
A new research study sheds light on a behavior that is consistent among many species – that is, making decisions based upon the actions of others.
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In large crowds of 200 or more, five per cent of the group is enough to influence the direction in which it travels.
Researchers discovered that it takes a minority of just five per cent to influence a crowd’s direction – and that the other 95 per cent follow without realizing it.
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The findings show that in all cases, the ‘informed individuals’ were followed by others in the crowd, forming a self-organizing, snake-like structure.
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Hmmmm.
Bit of a stretch I know.
Or is it?
Flocking behaviour can be modeled fairly accurately using 3 simple rules.
Separation
Alignment
Cohesion
Basically you don’t crowd your neighbours (1), you steer towards the average position of your neighbours and the average heading of your neighbours (2 & 3), and your motion is guided by continual feedback loops between 1,2 & 3.
And if there’s enough of you and 5 % of your crowd change direction.
Or despite everything else 5% of you keep going in the same direction.
I want to live up to her expectations. (Applause.) I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined it. (Applause.) All of us — we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations. (Applause.)
Oops. Wrong photo. I don’t know who that girl is. Do you?
To Obama’s credit he does a little double take after that joke, and you can see that he wishes he could wind back time and reel those words in. But he can’t, the moving finger writes and having spoken doesn’t give a stuff how embarrassed you or I might be about it.
That joke really is the sort of thing I’d expect to hear from the last guy. But thats the trouble.
Obama is the last guy.
They were both The President of The United States, and when they speak they speak for power. (And these days power jokes about killing kids with UAVs)
It doesn’t matter how much Obama believes his words, and no matter how admirable his personal qualities are, they are not enough to break the hold of that most powerful of Cold Monsters -The United States Government. On the surface his personal qualities may temper the worst of the states excesses, in the way the idiot that preceded him enabled them. But thats it.
(A frightening thought when you consider who his next opponent might be, and if they won. I remember how unthinkable it was last time.)
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I could do better, cos I probably couldn’t.
Could any of us? In his position can you say you’d do better? Especially when the only pressure you face comes from corporate interest? And none of the people who believe in you, and could give you the power (and criticism) you really need, will. Because they’re too busy shouting with a bunch of idiots about nothing?
Obama is the voice and the leader of a powerful entity. If you can control an egregore it will give you great power, but this one is not being controlled by the people who should control it – they are distracted by a dangerous sideshow. One supported by many of the same interests that place the only pressure on Obama that he is actually getting. Funny that.
Those corporate interests are laughing now, and wondering if maybe they have mastered some of the more esoteric aspects of that ancient Eastern military theory they all devour. They must be thinking they can do magic, cos they have controlled the most powerful egregore in the world. And they control their most powerful threat too, by saying “Look over there, at those loud angry people with guns.”
Wow – can you believe the nerve of that? A movement thats basically associated with the republican party calling itself The 9/12 Project – We the People Demand Answers!!!
Thats typical of the Tea Party tho. They have an identifiable tactic that they use for most of their propaganda. They aren’t the issue here, just yet. Obama is and we need some perspective about what he represents.
He represents the most powerful force in the world.
And while he might think that image, in front of a monument carved by a prominent member of the KKK, is a sign of how far they have come, Leonard Peltier or Rick Williams might see things differently.
Note to dickheads – the big difference between yourselves and MLK is that he is dead arseholes!!! Shot by your mates, and by the same ” people” that shot John T Williams.
And that is someone whose death you are responsible for.
As is Obama, in a slightly more obtuse way, as head of a nation that allows its agents of state to do shit like one of them did back on August 30 last year. Come on reader, you didn’t think I’d let that one go did you?
Giffords was a pollie who called for the “Arizona Wall” to be maintained with more effort from the federal government, who bragged about having drones deployed in the border region and sponsered all sorts of interesting legislation about the movement of cash by poor and stateless persons. She is part of a govt that can be blamed for a huge chunk of the chaos Mexico is now subject to. The same govt that acquired the very territory where she was shot against the will of the people of Mexico, after a resource war against Mexico and that now calls some Mexicans “illegal”.
Yet somehow her death is emblematic of someone else’s racism.
While yet another someone else, who actually was displaced by America is gunned down on the street by an American Lawman for simply being there. For having the nerve to exist. What can we take from this except that unpeople don’t matter?
That the tea party isn’t a threat to the power structure, just to how some people in the power structure see themselves. Cos the power structure is there in all the privileged commentators heads. The Walled World’s walls are physical but not just physical. They exist in the mind of commentators everywhere who see the deaths in Tuscon, and the shooting of a politician as something horrendous and don’t see the death of a homeless man at the hands of cop as anything.
There’s a lot of noise in the air at the moment. The recent tragedy in Tuscon has touched a world of nerve. There are claims and counter claims and a whole lot more. Its one of those “hold a mirror up to society” moments. But more than that, its a seemingly inexplicable tragedy in an America that hasn’t been this politically charged since the 1960s, maybe earlier.
Everyone thinks they can explain it tho, including me.
But before I do that I’m gonna pause for a moment.
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I read a comment from an American recently about the flags still being at half mast. And I don’t know if its still too early, but for the survivors and the families of the victims it’ll probably never stop being too early.
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The most reasonable claim, and the one thats generated the highest noise to signal ratio, is that there may be some relationship between the rhetoric of some on the US political right and the shootings. Maybe. Definitely on some level, maybe not as much as people think. Given whats happened, if this claim is to stand up it needs to be examined in light of other shootings.
“Some other shooting in America?” you might ask. ” Surely not!”
As an aside, the rabid respose – including some of the most jaw droppingly idiotic or provocative comments ever made – reinforces the original suspicion. Surely someone’s protesting too much. (Tho there may be much to protest about. Sometimes irony is nasty and karma is a bitch. It’s Kali’s attack dog, and it can bite.)
Its not conclusive of anything, ‘cept perhaps that in America people are too quick to kill each other with guns.
It certainly suggests an awful lot tho. And I do mean awful. Right now the police officer driving the car should be on trial for murder. His employer – the Seattle Police Dept – has been accused repeatedly of excessive violence and other brutality.
What does this mean in light of the woeful rhetoric we are surrounded by?
Probably not that much (sadly), just another killing by cop in a place that increasingly resembles a police state. A place where police power is becoming an authority in itself, not the representation of a constitutional one. Anyone who has followed or been touched by the rise of tasers, and the function creep that sees them being used not as a non lethal replacement for lethal force but increasingly as a tool of compliance or punishment, has an appreciation of this dangerous development.
But it might mean more if that killing was motivated by Palin’s rhetoric. Cos its one thing to influence an isolated and disturbed individual on the margins, its another if agents of the state, authorised to use lethal force are killing in the name of…
If John T Williams’ killer is ever on trial for murder – everyone will probably think the system works if he gets convicted. What could this possibly have to do with the Tea Party?
And yes, again I do mean awful. Because here is the editorial policy of a private Police Dept publication reflecting the words and sentiments of a political movement. Thats bad enough on its own – this movement has some adherents calling for “second amendment solutions” and a potential Presidential candidate who is adding bulls-eyes to a map to represent political opponents.
One of them was recently shot in Tuscon, Arizona.
Arizona of the mythical landscapes, where the Pima people have a story concerning a place called Cuk son, or shookson or something along those lines. Concerning a culture hero murdered by public consent.
I don’t think it would be too controversial to suggest that we are embedded actors in an imagined landscape: this collective narrative is a participatory project, an occult language with a grammatical and syntactical structure that recapitulates the ontological themes which are the motivating mythologies of every tragedy and comedy.
A anonymous online voice wrote that trying to make sense of the whole thing. The way we all do.
It seems that if anything links these two shootings beside the rhetoric it is power. Thats what shootings are, by definition. The ultimate expression of power over someone else, and the ultimate disregard for them.
But these are slightly different expressions of power, one comes from someone who seems so powerless in society and one from someone who seems so powerful. It appears their actions have reversed their positions. The Seattle policeman will be facing a murder charge*, and an unknown ineffectual, ineffective kid has defined and defied the United States as 2011 begins.
Thats counter intuitive cos you’d expect someone acting on behalf of the state to prosper and someone acting against it by shooting a representative of its power would … well not capture the hearts and minds of the world.
Supposedly power structures are dropping like flies at the moment – across the planet and in the US as well, and one “lone nut” with a gun can make the headlines and more. But what has America become when people are so disenfranchised they see no way to power or even to meaning other than to walk outside with a gun and shoot people they don’t know? And that the only meaning worth such atrocity is fame, or notoriety?
Maybe what it was always destined to become, thats really for Americans to answer. We can read some things into these events tho. They hold a mirror up to the past the present and the future and give us options.
I’ll reflect more on this in further posts, particularly on whether the grammatical mind control Loughner identified, and feared was what drove him to kill. Cos thats what being vulnerable to rhetoric entails. And what effect that same grammatical mind control might have in future given the form its taken in the leaked Guardian op eds.
John T Williams’ killer is on trial, and in the spirit of circumventing Jarred Loungher’s demented but frighteningly accurate vision of America I won’t name him.
I’ll just wonder aloud about how embedded in a landscape the people who do this stuff actually are. People like the agent of the state who can stop in a busy street, casually exit his car and shoot a homeless and harmless indigenous man known only for his artwork, who just happened to walk by.
Because if thats the embedded landscape of America now then God help the poor, huddled masses if Palin comes to power. Things are shocking enough for them already. The only response I can think of is good music and the company of loved ones right now. But we can’t stand silent if Williams’ killer walks and we can’t stand silent if he doesn’t. Cos he’s a symptom of a greater problem not a symbol of the cure.
I’ll leave you with one final thought, cos this is not just an issue for America. Most Australians would recall the Cronulla Riots and the hate fueled media frenzy that preceded them. Its best articulated by Chris Wilson, singing John Prine’s song in that link below a dead man’s face.
I’m quite busy at the moment, and can’t really justify the time to post here, but I couldn’t let this shit slide.
Tokenism. Thanks for that Tony.
You jerk.
At the moment we are organising a footy carnival.
A one day round robin affair.
We asked the local blackfellas if they wanted to do a welcome to country at the start of the carnival Of course its pure tokenism. Especially with regard to Aussie Rules. I mean whathaveblackfellaseverdoneforthatgame?Nothing.
(Apologies to the many great players who didn’t get a show then. Too many of you.)
Do you have any idea? Pull your heads out fellas, you farts aren’t perfume, they smell bad, and your complete and utter shit leaves a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth.
Anyway our club has a strong indigenous representation, as does the town. We do know the score and understand that a welcome to country is a sign of respect. Its how things were done here (well in spirit if the form is different,) for thousands and thousands of years. Its all of our heritage. Thats part of what it means, its a heritage thats being offered to everyone, not being kept to the indigines.
We are taking part in a welcoming ceremony thats thousands of years old. You know what?
Its also an Australian welcoming ceremony that is thousands of years old.
If you think thats tokenism, and there are some people who treat the process that way, it does have no meaning to them, then perhaps you should piss off back to Europe or wherever the hell it was you came from.
And its a recognition of our past, whatever the rights and wrongs of it. It recognises pain and humanity in our fellow Australians, and its something we should have done a long time ago. Wankers like Wilson Tuckey should be aware of that. Not only should they thank their lucky stars they are on Australian soil, they should thank the rest of us for not locking them up in Woomera then sending them back where they belong.
They plainly don’t deserve to be here, having no appreciation for the place.
Otherpeoplehave done a better job of expressing their disapointment rationally, but you know what. I’m over it.
Abetz, Dutton, Tuckey, Abbot … you lot wouldn’t deserve a piss in the ear if your collective brain (well half a brain) was on fire.
So krudd played the fear card the other day, perhaps in a cynical attempt to distract from Peter Garrett’s problems. He drew attention to evils of home grown (wait, thats the other post isn’t it, oops) … I mean home grown terrorism.
I dunno if he’s referring to bikies or darkies, tho being a darkie with a beard, I’m certainly sus on what he’s saying. It was in the context of the Counter-Terrorism Whitepaper 2010: Securing Australia – Protecting our Community, released in Feb 2010.
The Government has taken and will continue to take all necessary measures to combat terrorism and those
who plan or perpetrate such acts. This White Paper reiterates the Government’s commitment to provide the
necessary resources to Australia’s law enforcement, intelligence, security and border protection agencies to enable
them to operate effectively. At the same time, we have also taken steps to ensure that Australia’s response to
terrorism does not inadvertently undermine the principles that we seek to uphold.
No government can guarantee that Australians will be free from the threat of terrorist attack.
But this Government can guarantee that we will take all necessary and practical measures to combat the threat.
This White Paper forms part of the Government’s national security reform agenda. It is a further step in
delivering a safer, more secure Australia.
Thats from the PMs Forward, page i of the report. I’m going to have a good look at the report and it might take a few posts. I found the interview on Lateline last night to be confused and unenlightening.
But before I do, just some thoughts on that bit of his rave.
I’d like to know what “all necessary measures are” and how they defined as necessary?
I’d like to know effective operation is in the context of ASIO, the Federal police and the like.
Given it can’t actually guarantee our safety … well he didn’t actually say that did he? Tho its true. The government can’t. He did say no govt can guarantee we’ll be safe from the threat of attack. The threat of attack isn’t an actual attack tho is it?
Its a threat. So what is this actual threat? Hopefully the paper will enlighten us. Then we can examine the actual responses of government.
The first responsibility of government is the protection of Australia, Australians and Australian interests. –Executive Summary, p ii
Ok what are Australian interests?
Are they just things like infrastructure, assets and the like. Physical stuff and the economies needs, or are they more than that.
Is a healthy free society one of Australia’s interests? Perhaps its most important one? I think so.
Given that, how does this paper, and our whole “war on terror” stack up?
That’ll do it for now. I want to read it a couple of times before I start going on about it. I’ll be reading it with this question in mind tho.
Is the threat to Australian interests greater from terrorism, or does a greater threat come from an increasingly powerful, increasingly secretive “security” organisation?
Jeff Wells, my favorite blogger, often starts his increasingly rare posts with a little quote, usually from Bob Dylan. Jeff’s material isn’t for everyone. But he is a great writer and constructs essays well. He has a biting sense of humour too.
Obviously I am into what are deridingly considered “conspiracy theories”. ( I wouldn’t be starting my first “proper” blog post with a reference to the best essayist on deep politics, the deep state and conspiracy theories there is otherwise.) And certainly some of those “theories” deserve scorn. Some don’t tho. And cos its a pointless prick of a term I’m not gonna use it anymore. That phrase is too effective a thought killer.
I sometimes go offline for a while, sometimes I just don’t even bother with a computer, and once when I got my first computer in a year or two it was Jeff who reintroduced me to SibelEdmonds, tho I hadn’t really been that acquainted with her tale. I was aware she had something to do with “9/11 Truth”. I’ll assume no one reading this has just crawled out of a hole in a mountain and knows something about that.
But she is far more important than that, (ha, plenty of truthers might disagree.)
For years we wondered what could be so damaging that Sibel Edmonds was subject to two gag orders under the US State Secrets Privilege. Especially given the first one. The Hustler article finally names the names, some pretty funky ones at that. And suddenly that first gag order doesn’t seem to matter so much.
You can read the link above for the details on the way Congressman Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois), former Speaker of the House, got up to all sorts of no good on behalf of the Turkish government. Hastert is now out of politics and guess what. He makes shitloads of money lobbying on behalf of the Turkish govt. Does that sound familiar to any Australian readers? The whole issue of ex politicians becoming lobbyists, and corruption of various sorts is probably worth some deeper examination.
But hey forget that petty shit, lets cut to the chase:
Douglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz and Marc Grossman.
Who? You ask. As if.
According to Friedman’s article in Hustler:
Additionally, Edmonds claimed that Grossman, the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey before taking his State Department post, had tipped off Turkish diplomats to the true identity of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson’s front company, Brewster Jennings & Associates, a full three years prior to their being publicly outed by columnist Robert Novak. That in itself, according to George H.W. Bush, would be an act of treason carried out by “the most insidious of traitors.”
As if that wasn’t bad enough, before that paragraph he delivers this gem:
Edmonds said that Feith and Wolfowitz were involved in plans to break Iraq into U.S. and British protectorates months prior to 9/11. She also claimed that the duo shared information with Grossman on how to blackmail various officials and that Grossman had accepted cash to help procure and sell nuclear weapons technology to Israel and Turkey—and, from there, on to the foreign black market. There the technology would be purchased by the highest bidder, such as Pakistan, Iran, Libya, North Korea or possibly even al-Qaeda.
Did I just read that right? Marc Grossman conspired to sell US nuclear weapons tech that was destined for the black market? Then proceeded to do it, or at least try?
That seems to be the theory.
Wow.
Thats full on.
Anyway it seems Hustler is the only magazine with the cojones to even touch this story. I haven’t seen the movie about Larry Flynt, and the last time I brought a Hustler magazine was 1995, but I have noticed he doesn’t seem to mind standing up and saying what he thinks. He was a strident critic of the Bush admin, and that wasn’t the first. He welcomed Obama with open arms, bought all the Hope and Change bullshit – you can hardly call him a wingnut, and … well he took a bullet in the spine and that didn’t shut him up or stop him doing his thing.
So what are the implications of all this?
Well apart from the obvious, Friedman has come up with a very interesting one.
As noted, Hastert now works for Turkey, and Grossman now works for a Turkish company and as a lobbyist—no doubt raking in a pretty penny from both. Hastert and Grossman repeatedly ignored requests to comment on these charges.
The mainstream U.S. media, however, apparently remain uninterested in investigating any of it. Not even after Cole himself called for a “Special Counsel” to investigate and prosecute. So what the hell is going on here?
Giraldi believes that, as with companies such as AIG and GM becoming “too big to fail,” the size and success of this massive national security espionage scandal has simply become too big to bust.
Too big to bust ….
What that really means is that this is the sort of thing that could really end the legitimacy of the US govt, especially if it doesn’t stop with Grossman. And without a proper open investigation none of us will ever know.
Nothing is too big to bust tho. Its actually failing to act on this that is the sure way to lose legitimacy. Acting decisively, openly and with a real sense of making the myth of justice actually mean something – thats really the only way the US govt will restore its legitimacy once this all comes out.
And it will, thanks to Sibel Edmonds courageous and determined whistleblowing.
A Statement from the protesters at Cairo’s Tahrir Square to the Egyptian people
The President’s promises and the bloody events of Wednesday February 2
We the protesters who are currently on sit-in at Tahrir (liberation) square in Cairo since January 25, 2011 strongly condemn the brutal attack carried out by the governing National Democratic Party’s (NDP) mercenaries at our location on Wednesday February 2, under the guise of “rally” in support of President Mubarak. This attack continues on Thursday February 3. We regret that some young people have joined these thugs and criminals, whom the NDP is accustomed to hire during elections, to march them off after spreading several falsehoods circulated by the regime media about us and our goals. These goals that aim at changing the political system to a one that guarantees freedom, dignity and social justice to all citizens are also the goals of the youth. Therefore we want to clarify the following.
Firstly, we are a group of young Muslim and Christian Egyptians; the overwhelming majority of us does not belong to political parties and have no previous political activism. Our movement involves elderly and children, peasants, workers, professionals, students and pensioners. Our movement cannot be classified as “paid for” or “directed by” a limited few because it attracted millions who responded to its emblem of removing the regime. People joined us last Tuesday in Cairo and other governorates in a scene that witnessed no one case of violence, property assault or harassment to anyone.
Secondly, our movement is accused of being funded from abroad, supported by the United States, as being instigated by Hamas, as under the leadership of the president of the National Assembly for change (Mohamed El-Baradie) and last but not least, as directed by the Muslim Brotherhood. Many accusations like these prove to be false. Protesters are all Egyptians who have clear and specific national objectives. Protesters have no weapons or foreign equipment as claimed by instigators. The broad positive response by the people to our movement’s goals reveals that these are the goals of the Egyptian masses in general, not any internal or external faction or entity.
Thirdly, the regime and its paid media falsely blame us, young demonstrators, for the tension and instability in the streets of Egypt in recent days and therefore for damaging our nation’s interests and security. Our answer to them is: It is not the peaceful protesters who released the criminal offenders from prison to the unguarded streets to practice looting and plundering. It is not the peaceful protesters who have imposed a curfew starting at 3 o’clock PM. It is not the peaceful protesters who have stopped the work in banks, bakeries and gas stations. When protesters organized its one-million demonstration it came up in the most magnificent and organized form and ended peacefully. It is not the protestors who killed 300 people some with live ammunition, and wounding more than 2,000 people in the last few days.
Fourthly, President Mubarak came out on Tuesday to announce that he will not be nominated in the upcoming presidential election and that he will modify two articles in the Constitution, and engage in dialogue with the opposition. However the State media has attacked us when we refused his “concession” and decided to go on with our movement. Our demand that Mubark steps down immediately is not a personal matter, but we have clear reasons for it which include:
His promise of not to run again is not new. He has promised when he came to power in 1981 that he will not run for more than two periods but he continued for more than 30 years. His speech did not put any collateral for not nominating his son “Gamal”, who remains until the moment a member of the ruling party, and can stand for election that will not be under judicial supervision since he ignored any referring to the amendment of article 88 of the Constitution. He also considered our movement a “plot directed by a force” that works against the interests of the nation as if responding to the demands of the public is a “shame” or “humiliation”. As regards to his promise of conducting a dialogue with the opposition, we know how many times over the past years the regime claimed this and ended up with enforcing the narrow interests of the Mubarak State and the few people who control it.
And the events of Wednesday proved our stand is vindicated. While the President was giving his promises, the leaders of his regime were organizing (along with paid thugs and wanted criminals equipped with swords, knives and Molotov bombs) a brutal attack plot against us in Tahrir square. Those thugs and criminals were accompanied by the NDP members who fired machine guns on unarmed protesters who were trapped on the square ground, killing at least 7 and wounding hundreds of us critically. This was done in order to end our peaceful national popular movement and preserve the status quo.
Our movement is Egyptian – Our movement is legitimate- Our movement is continuing
Hole in a Mountain 
