Tag Archives: Politics of Egypt

Foreign NGO Employees in Egypt Deserve Fair Trials!


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Egypt‘s new ruling military council is trying to assert its power on the world stage. What is the cost? »

The council has charged forty-three non-governmental organization (NGO) employees with funding the protests in Egypt. Several NGOs have had their offices raided by Egyptian authorities, and nineteen Americans, five Serbs, two Germans, and three non-Egyptian Arab nationals have been banned from leaving Egypt.

These employees, fighting for the rights of ordinary Egyptians, deserve to be treated in accordance with international human rights standards.

Please take action today. Tell the Egyptian government to ensure a fair trial for these NGO employees. »

TGIF …thoughts of Egypt &some News


As President Obama visits Penn State to talk on energy he will also reveal his plan to reinvest in the future to a crowd of 3ooo, he will also be holding a news conference 3pmET with Canadian PMinister, which you can watch on CSPAN … if you want to read about the visit to Penn State go to: www.centredaily.com

President Obama visited the Penn State Campus in State College, Pennsylvania and toured labs focused on energy-efficient building solutions. The President then delivered remarks on the importance of investing in innovation and clean energy to put people back to work and grow the economy. http://c-span.com/Events/President-Obama-Remarks-on-Innovation-at-Penn-State/10737419391/

It is Friday night in Egypt, Cairo ….and

The World is now watching …

The marches started in Tunisia; which gave way to Egypt and moved on to cities like Alexandria. As the protests get ramped up the violence has as well but the people of Egypt like Iran have had enough, though this revolt seems to be on a roll to the people getting an opportunity to shape their own democracy, freedoms and human rights. The President appointed a VP announced he will not run for office again yet tells the World he will see his country through until the September elections. The fact is …this just seems like a military man who not only is stubborn but unwilling to listen or do right by his own people. It has been about 11 days later, several hundred injured and at least 15 dead and it gives the viewer the idea that Mubarak would rather see his country be torn up and down than do what is right and save face. The World has been watching the physical crackdown by either Mubarak and or the new VP with orders to harass foreign media, take Cameras, and detain people in the name of safety or something else. Now, it is getting harder and harder to tell the pro-Mubarak people from the pro-democracy protestors, as it is obvious being undercover enables them to do more damage.

Remember … there is always strength in numbers

people dying for wanting to be heard, for wanting to be participants in their own futures is not new … mothers with children, older men and women and college students are coming out in droves to let the current dictators know it’s time for a change

We see a country in possible transition, definitely a movement against a dictatorship who has been President for thirty years; obviously, the votes of millions have gone uncounted. The people of Egypt are demanding to be heard and it is obvious that many know that to get the change they need and want … it means demanding to be heard and fear or fear of authority is not an option… and the possibility of death imminent.

Mubarak and or his new VP have tried to cut off all connections to the outside World, have been diverting responsibility, and obviously willing to use extreme force. The military and the police have let things go so far then they show their might with gun fire; but don’t they want personal freedom too … a change from the old ways to a more positive way of life … human rights, a chance for a better economy and a chance to be heard, to be a real participant in the process of life ….

They have a dictator who will not step down quietly has threatened and is now bringing the pain to his own people for what started out as a non-violent protest and demand for freedom and it is shameful.

The journey toward freedom is sometimes paved with danger

Pray for all those involved and hope Americans are safe

Other News …

** Top Iran leader to Mubarak… you betrayed your people-response is appropriate against his rule

**Tens of thousands still in the square of Cairo as night comes

**Folks all around the country are marking the 100yrs since RonReagan was born

**Monster storm keeps beating down on the East Coast

**Fighting between Cambodia and Thai troops near disputed temple- the Preah Vihear — on the border

**Giffords husband will go on last NASA flight 

**Senate Panel Backs Patent Overhaul Bill

**Report states FBI failed ,Fort Hood shooting

**House Repubs Propose $32Bil Cut in Fed Spending- FYI remember that is less than 1/3 of the $100Bil they promised

**Al-Jazeera’s offices torched during Egypt unrest

**Zimbabwe protesters mob aid project handover

**LA school dist cancels Chef JamieOliver’s reality shoot

**the protests in Egypt cost around $300M per day says their govt

**Dollar climbs as the job rate falls to 9%

CSPAN …

 Journalists discussed the protests in Egypt and looked at the future implications of that uprising at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies. Speakers include Bob Schieffer, anchor of the CBS Sunday morning program “Face the Nation,” as well as al Jazeera Arabic’s Washington Bureau Chief and the Chief Pentagon Correspondent for McClathcy Newspapers. http://c-span.com/Events/CSIS-Discussion-on-Political-Unrest-in-Egypt/10737419389/ 

With protests continuing in Egypt, and recent developments in Tunisia, the Obama administration faces a changing landscape in the Middle East. Two human rights experts and a former State Department official discussed the developments at this event hosted by Carnegie Endowment for Int’l Peace. http://c-span.com/Events/Carnegie-Endowment-for-Int39l-Peace-Discussion-on-Political-Unrest-in-Egypt/10737419396/

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME) spoke to reporters on Capitol Hill about the latest report on the Fort Hood shootings. The report blames the army and the FBI for not doing enough to prevent the 2009 shootings which killed 13 people. http://c-span.com/Events/News-Conference-on-Fort-Hood-Shootings/10737419394/

Iraq U.S. Forces Commander General Lloyd Austin and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey gave an upbeat assessment on the transition in the country from a military mission to a civilian-led effort at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. They appeared before the committee to answer questions about a 2008 agreement between the U.S. and Iraq that calls for all U.S. troops to withdraw from the region by the end of this year. According to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee report released recently, American diplomats and other mission employees may not be safe in Iraq if the U.S. military leaves by the deadline. http://c-span.com/Events/Senate-Armed-Services-Cmte-Hearing-on-Policy-Toward-Iraq/10737419393/

The Senate Budget Committee held a hearing on U.S. economic recovery efforts. This is one of a series of hearings the Committee held on the U.S. economy and the federal budget. President Obama is scheduled to release his federal budget proposal to Congress later this month, which will kick off the budget process for the federal government’s fiscal 2012. Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) chairs the committee http://c-span.com/Events/Senate-Budget-Cmte-Hearing-on-Economic-Recovery/10737419388/

Egypt …


“We stand with the people of Egypt in their demand for freedom and basic rights, an end to the crackdown and internet blackout, and immediate democratic reform. We call on our governments to join us in our solidarity with the Egyptian people.”

Massive pro-democracy protests are spreading quickly across Egypt. Protesters are bravely speaking out against a repressive regime that has ruled the country for more than 30 years. The protesters are demanding the right to free speech, an end to government corruption and brutality, and free and fair elections.1

Today we’re joining an international grassroots movement to send a message of solidarity via radio and television to the people of Egypt and the Arab world.

So far, the protests have been overwhelmingly non-violent but the Egyptian government is cracking down hard. They have already arrested nearly a thousand protesters, declared a nationwide curfew, and cut off the internet.2 The regional media is one of our last ways to reach out to the people of Egypt.

So we’re joining with our friends at Avaaz.org—an international MoveOn-style organization—to build a massive wave of support from people around the world to stand in solidarity with non-violent protesters in Egypt.

Avaaz will be spreading the statement of solidarity via radio and television across North Africa and the Middle East, where the Egyptian people can hear it

You can join by signing the solidarity statement here: http://pol.moveon.org/

We enjoy the rights to free speech and peaceful assembly in this country, and we ought to use them to support others who hope for the same freedoms.

We must support those in Egypt who are choosing to stand up for democracy. The response by the Egyptian government has been needlessly brutal so far. Security forces are firing at protesters with live ammunition, beating people on the streets, and cutting off nearly every means of communication in an effort to maintain control and suppress the calls for democracy.

The situation on the ground is volatile and our hope is to support those in Egypt who are choosing peaceful protest as the means by which to push for change.

Our show of support could help not only bring newfound freedom to Egypt but possibly catalyze a chain reaction of reform across the Middle East unlike anything we’ve seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Last week the people of Tunisia peacefully deposed a long-ruling dictator, inspiring the people of Egypt to stand up. Now, calls for reform are spreading to other countries including Yemen, Jordan, and Lebanon.

Right now our voices, in a show of unwavering solidarity with people non-violently calling for change, could potentially help bring fundamental human rights and democracy to millions of people. Add your name to the global statement of solidarity to be broadcast by radio here:

http://pol.moveon.org/

Thanks for all you do.

–Justin, Robin, Duncan, Peter, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1.”Egyptians’ Fury Has Smoldered Beneath the Surface for Decades,” The New York Times, January 28, 2011

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205899&id=25944-17809870-tD9p82x&t=5

2. “Egyptian military deploys in Cairo under curfew,” MSNBC, January 28, 2010

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205898&id=25944-17809870-tD9p82x&t=6