http://www.counterpunch.org/leupp01282011.html

Uprisings are always accompanied by wild rumors, which the media print uncritically.

"Earlier some thugs on a motorbike attacked a lone soldier and stole his weapon; luckily we apprehended them and tied them to a lamp-post, and then helped the soldier back to his tank."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/30/egyptians-makeshift-militias-looters
Gets his rifle stolen by 'thugs', then has to be helped back to his tank, like an old lady.

More seriously, a rare moment of honesty from the pro-Israel Daily Telegraph:

"America, we don't want to hurt you," they said... However... "Most people believe that as long as a country supports Israel that much, people cannot be happy with America," he said.

http://www.newsrealblog.com/2011/01/30/the-american-left-and-the-crisis-in-egypt

Still, it's also worth remembering that an anti-imperialist revolution in Iran in 1979 DID end up with an Islamic regime led by a maniac who made his predecessor look as liberal as the Queen of Sweden. Just because the Telegraph says that is a danger, doesn't mean that it's not true. Israel is not the number one issue for the masses of Egypt. The Islamic version of anti-imperialism is not the program of the proletariat. Just in case you thought it was.

Latest - 2nd Feb - in scenes from Lawrence of Arabia, plain-clothes police have been riding toward protestors on camelback and throwing rocks and molotov cocktails at them.

Mystery solved - 3rd Feb - Egypt's prime minister says 'it could have been camel owners upset about the effect of the protests on tourism'.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2011/feb/03/egypt-protests-live-updates

This too is entertaining: "Members of Jewish Voice for Peace say they are simply concerned about human rights of all peoples in the Middle East — whether in Israel, the Palestinian territories or the streets of Cairo".

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/04/us/04bcactivists.html

Yeah, right.


Feb 5 - understatement of the week:

"The political turmoil in Egypt and the possible ouster President Hosny Mubarak has led to widespread concern – particularly in Israel - that a new government in Cairo will not be as friendly towards Israel."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/u-s-expects-egypt-to-keep-peace-with-israel-regardless-of-who-is-in-power-1.341356

The new government in Cairo could hardly be more friendly than Mubarak's gang. Protestors are telling the dictator to 'go home to Tel Aviv'. Israel and its supporters are squirming - on the one hand, they don't want to be seen as friends of murderers and torturers, on the other hand, that is exactly what they are. One side-effect of this momentous week is the exposure of Zionists as enemies of everyone else in the region, and all lovers of peace and freedom around the world. It's fun to watch them tone down the hysteria a little as they realize that their position is not as secure as it was. Their usual arrogant, self-righteous tone has been replaced with worrying about the effect of the revolution on 'stability'. Translation: Jewish supremacy.

It gets better:

'Egyptians, like Israelis are desperately searching for peace' -

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/egyptians-like-israelis-are-desperately-searching-for-peace-1.341476

The Israelis would have to be 'desperate' to search for peace. Shame it's not true!


Feb 11 -

Here's another good article by Gilad Atzmon:

http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/02/the-left-and-islam

I don't agree with it, but it's thought-provoking and readable.


Feb 19 -

The 'Wasat' party of Egypt has been legalized! Next, the 'Wassup?' party:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/feb/19/libya-bahrain-protests-live-updates#block-19

Feb 23 -

The uprisings continue to spread - all the baddies of the region feel threatened, whatever their political or religious leanings, especially the Israelis:

http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/02/israeli-media-fears-the-new-egypt
The uprisings have exposed Zionists of enemies of freedom for hundreds of millions of people. It's funny too to read the Israeli media described as 'orientalist'. Surely this word is part of American p.c. leftism, part of the 'anti-racist' guilt trip which does more to prevent opposition to the only really significant racism left than it does to help it. Zionism is not orientalism. It's not white supremacy.

This is funny too -

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/23/libya-rescue-mission-criticised-by-britons
While Britain's prime minister apologised in Kuwait for colonialism (but not for supporting Israel), he was unable to evacuate scared Brits from Libya. Britain can still murder Arabs by the thousand (in Iraq), but it can't defend its own subjects when its best-laid plans gang agley

Feb 28 -

The uprisings continue, with Libya the most violent. The world's governments have gone from cosying up to Gadaffi to declaring him and his family personae non grata who will be put on trial if they leave Libya. The problem with this is, it means they've got nothing to lose. It's like Roosevelt's demand of unconditional surrender from Japan and Germany - "surrender, then we'll kill you" - which prolonged World War Two.

Mar 1 -

Like boys, the leaders of the Western world are fantasising about sending in the gunboats. Don't they realise that trying to attack Gadaffi will prolong the conflict, enabling him to play the patriotic card?

Maybe they do.

In 1991, the USA stopped intervening in Iraq in order to allow Saddam Hussein to suppress an uprising:

http://libcom.org/library/ten-days-shook-iraq-uprising-1990-1991-wildcat