Bio-History Saturday

Punny Sunday

    Sunday, Pun Day, Mythology Edition. 

History Question Answered

The Internet

    True dat.

Whither Egypt?

Farewell, Mubarek! I for one liked your final ruse - vowing on TV to stay on, then ducking away while everyone raged about your speech. . So now what's in store for Egypt? And the rest of the Arab world, for that matter. Wingnut Glenn Beck says the Islamo-Communists are about to establish a giant kingdom stretching from Pakistan to Morocco. So, Glenny-Poo, the image above is for you. It should be noted, however, that even fellow Wingnut Bill Kristol found Beck's scree too idiotic to take seriously. . The short answer to "Whither Egypt" is - wherever the military decides. But the longer answer lies in whether the underlying issue that brought about these protests is addressed.

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And that issue is : the redistribution of the wealth-&-power in Egypt. This applies to the rest of the Arab world as well. An elite few sit at the top; and everyone else is consigned to poverty and starvation. As long as that bleak future is inevitable for 90% of the population; turmoil, resentment, and seething despair will reamin. And grow.

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Of course, when you are used to living in a plush mansion, with all the money you can dream of, and with almost complete power over the ragtag masses; you might have some hesitation about allowing genuine reform to occur. For you, "redistribution" can only mean less power, less money.

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But consider the alternatives, o ye of the Elite Few! You can squelch or emasculate the current Democracy Movement. But only for a time. You have the guns, but they have the numbers. The generals share in the money and power, but the soldiers come from impoverished families. You can allow an orderly reform now, or you can wait for a violent revolution in a couple years. Share the wealth now, or be strung up on a lamppost later.

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Choose wisely, Egypt.

Quote for the Day

"Why are Americans such wusses? Threaten the Greeks with job losses and benefit cuts and they tie up Athens; but take away Americans' jobs, 4o1K's, even their houses, and they pretty much roll over. Tell British students that their tuition is about to go up and they take to the streets; American students just amp up their doses of Prozac... . "During the Depression of 1892 to 1896, unemployed workers marched to Washington by the thousands in what was then the largest mass protest this country had seen. In 1932, even more jobless people - 25,000 - staged what was, at that time, the largest march on Washington, demanding public works jobs and a hike in the inheritance tax. From the 60's to the 80's, Americans marched again and again - peacefully, nonviolently and by the hundreds of thousands - for civil rights, women's rights, gay rights, economic justice and against wars." (Barbara Ehrenreich) . Having marched in the streets of Tempe and "liberated" one of the fountains at ASU (in the name of the Viet Cong) in my salad days, I have to ask the same question. We're being cowed by the gun-rights crazies, buggered by the banks, and raped by the racist Right. . Since when do we need a permit to demonstrate? Since when do the authorities tell us where we can march? . Take a lesson from the Egyptians. We have the right to protest, and if we unite in a cause, we will prevail. So get out there and demonstrate against something. Racism. Bank foreclosures. Wall Street greed. Lousy Phoenix sports teams. Power to the People!