Free Egypt

Okay, lets talk about Egypt. The first neighbor who said anything to me says the riots/protests in Egypt are the US fault. Blame America first I guess. We support a tyrant/dictator, etc., Egyptians want freedom/democracy, etc.

The usual phrases from those who prefer to think their sorry life, and the world's problems, are due to the machinations of rich, old, American white men.

The self-titled 21st century-socialist, Hugo Chavez, says US role in Egypt is shameful. "Now you are seeing comments from Washington and some European nations. As President Gaddafi said to me, it's shameful, it makes you kind of sick to see the meddling of the U.S., wanting to take control."

Yessirr, Chavez, (ruling for 12 years and counting) and Gaddafi (Libyan ruler since 1969 and counting) think it's shameful. The US wants to take control. Yes, Chavez and Gaddafi say so. And who better to understand how control works than tinpots of the world united.

What's shameful is the extra billions Chavez is making because of the "Egypt effect" on oil prices. But, even Chavez is tiptoeing around this "crisis" in Egypt, none of his fiery speeches in support of Egyptian protestors or claiming he smells sulfur. Hugo is sitting on the fence until he sees which "ism" looks like a winner. Besides, his advisers know too much "Egypt effect" could trigger a world recession and drive down oil prices, and Hugo's checkbook popularity.

Long live the struggling masses who can take control of vast resources and use them to benefit themselves. How many times have we heard that in the last 100 years? Workers of the world unite - for permanent revolution. Yawn. You can bury the bodies in the forest and swear you don't know where they are.

Let Egypt trade one despot for another and call it freedom (or socialism) or winning, or whatever.

Is there any truth that the Muslim Brotherhood may come to power in Egypt? Sure there is. The country is 90% Muslim. Since the assassination of Sadat, groups like al-Jihad and Gamaat have waged military style campaigns against the government. Usually using the police as their targets. Their goal - to bring down Mubarak's regime and install their own Islamic ruled Egypt. Such "revolutions" are always done by promise of using a country's vast resources to uplift the poor and punish the rich. Never works out that way but you can always count on the masses not to know that.

Hmmm... can you think of any other country where cops are the hated "enemy" and oppressors? Works the same all over huh.

Oh god, does an Egyptian revolution mean another era of almost broke white lefty backpackers roaming around pyramids in support of the localistas? And blogging about it? Groan.

Remember, the US "left" supported the Iranian revolution in 1979 against Shah Pahlavi, the "US puppet" in Iran. Iran has not had much uplifting since, but the "left" had other revolutions to support and chant for.

When discussing the crisis, don't forget to soap-box on Tunisia and Arab reawakening nationalism as being in the revolutionary mix, blah blah blah, and always remind folks that the US spends billions to mubarakish dictators to suppress their own people. And if you lean too far to the right you can tell folks that US/Egypt involvement is also some sort of racist expansionist Zionist plot.

There is never a shortage of someone or another struggling against rich old white men. Surely, you are willing to lower your standard of living in order to free Egypt, no? Oh, wait, no one explained how that works at your last solidarity get-together?