The Epoch Times
With word of Egypt’s protests spreading across the country—largely via Twitter, Facebook, and SMS—by Thursday night local time, all of those electronic channels went silent.
Twitter, Facebook, and SMS have been interrupted intermittently since the mass protests began on Tuesday. Still, messages from ad hoc organizers calling for larger demonstrations were getting through, via Internet users with proxy servers that allowed them to circumvent the digital walls.
By the evening of Jan. 27, however, Facebook, and SMS were no longer accessible, and at roughly midnight, the entire Internet suddenly went dead.
Related Link: Internet Kill Switch for USA?
#34 Bobbo – I don’t know that I would refer to Mubarak as a tyrannical oppressor. More of a benign dictator. He’s done a lot to drag Egypt into the 20th century. His predecessor, as you undoubtedly know, WAS gunned down and left the country in a state of chaos. Mubarak grabbed the reins and led a stumbling nation to preeminence in the region. If the country had just had some oil to exploit, Egypt might have become a real powerhouse. Without that economic wealth, they accepted US support and, in exchange, became the voice for the west in the middle east.
Interesting, in Egypt, you are REQUIRED to vote. It’s not just universal suffrage but mandatory. You can literally go to jail if you choose not to vote. That’s a law that’s not necessarily enforced but it is on the books. The last election was in 2005 and Mubarak won over 85% of the vote! One has to wonder at any free election wherein one candidate gets 4/5 of the vote but the international observers didn’t find too many irregularities. His term is up this year and it is likely he would have pushed his son into the role. But that wold have also been the best way for the dissenters to have removed him from power.
I believe Mubarak still had a lot of support and the dissenters feared they would not be able to remove him legally. The working poor, especially government workers, still favored the way things are. They might not make much money but they knew their jobs were secure. If you are a low level govt functionary in Egypt and find a better job you take it – knowing that your old job will still be waiting for you in a few years.
Not saying I mourn the departure of the Mubarak regime, just that he was the right person for a long time and good or bad, he was a stabilizing factor in a troubled region. Assuming he is definitely out now, it will be interesting to find out how much of our taxes have gone directly into his bank accounts.
Animby–thank you. So you reject: stability = tyrannical oppression?
How many actually honest elections have there been in Egypt under Mubarak?
How many peaceful opposition parties have been outlawed?
How many peaceful opposition candidates have been thrown in jail?
Where does the USA rendition its prisoners when we think a little “harsh interrogation” is in order?
How free is a society when its 30 year President installed by a military coup has a lock set on having his son “elected” to the position?
Why is all the aid we give Egypt military?
What should any freedom loving people think of being tear gassed by canisters made in the USA?
But yes, stability is VERY important and its been a good investment for the USA to pay Israel’s chief opponent off to not wage war.
Stability. Who does that benefit except the hordes of government apparatchiks who are actually all part of the oppression?
Animby, how “stable” is slowly starving to death? Very, I would think, but I’m not a medical man. Probably stable on the outside (ie lethargic as one goes comatose) but quite unstable on the inside as the body consumes itself?
One of the “great crimes” and missteps in our own interest that the USA has made forever is our siding with corrupt regimes for the imagined stability it brought. Now, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t “work with” them in some manner, but I think that line is consistent far behind us.
The military/industrial/foreign aid complex all working towards stability.
I’ll have a little chaos thank you.
Pedo–if my anger was repressed, you wouldn’t see it. So silly.
#32 Pedro
I guess this is the only valid response to a nonsensical, ad hominem attack:
Tu quoque!
If you wish, we can repeat this exchange a few thousand times. That would make the usual amount of sense on this intellectual ghetto of a blog.
# 39 bobbo
“So you reject: stability = tyrannical oppression?” Yes. I do.
“How many actually honest elections” Three. (Sarcasm) How many have there been in Chicago?
“How many peaceful opposition parties have been outlawed?” Don’t know. Name one.
“How many peaceful opposition candidates have been thrown in jail?” Don’t know. Name one.
“Where does the USA rendition its prisoners” Uhm. Tahiti?
“a lock set on having his son “elected” ” It’s no secret Mubarak wanted his son, Ramses II, to be elected BUT he would have had to be ELECTED and the eyes of the international community would have been peering very closely at the polling stations. I have a friend who is involved in sanctioning elections and they’ve been involved for several months in the logistic of this September’s elections/
“Why is all the aid we give Egypt military?” That’s just a plain lie. I was personally involved in a $14M educational project funded by the US govt and personally know of many, many more social, environmental, medical, historical, etc. programs run by USAID. I’m not denying a huge military expenditure. But USA is investing in the nation in many ways.
“tear gassed by canisters made in the USA?” Can’t say with certainty that the tear gas being used is Made in the USA. Can you?
[Then follows some rhetoric}
“how “stable” is slowly starving to death?” Very dramatic, Bob, but dodgy. The truth is, only 20% of Egyptian people are at food security risk (according to UN-WFP) [According to Worldhunger.org – nearly 15% of USA
population is not food secure!] Food prices in Egypt are strictly controlled and basics are obtainable from many govt sources – often provided by US programs.
“One of the “great crimes” ” No argument there. You could make a great rogues gallery of the despots we’ve actively supported or even created.
“I’ll have a little chaos thank you.” Would you like fries with that?
#43 Pedro
OK, that’s precisely the level of intellectual response I was expecting. Here you go!
Tu quoque!
# 44 Alfred Persson said, “The Shah of Iran would be far preferable”
That’s quite true Alfie. Thought the Shah was not without a streak of avarice, himself. But, I think Bobbo’s point is still valid. For every Shah we can point to an Idi Amin or a Taliban or a Castro or a… well, you get the idea.
To say our foreign policy is altruistic would be a simple lie. As a people, US Americans are very generous to other nations. The effects of aid programs (both covert and overt) are carefully (and often erroneously) calculated to make sure there is benefit to us.
That’s not necessarily wrong. Just saying…
Animby–I actually flew out of Tehran just before the fall of the Shah. The Savak were always giving our ground crew locals a hard time as if they were a threat to the State. Left us pretty much alone, but I never accepted a car ride from any of them.
Stability = social stability.
I suppose the balance is totally controlled by whose ox is getting gored?
Rhetoric? No—a metaphor, but compassion for my fellow man is my ox.
Billions in Military Aid and million in non-Military aid. Ok, we don’t give “only” Military aid. But I was on a roll!
All does tie back to wikileaks though and whether or not international relationships would be better off with a firm “moral” underpinning. Not Jimmy Carter stupid, but not the with us or against us cowboy stupid either. Got to be more room to the left of Obama than where he has been.
What happens to all our international “aid” when china won’t loan us the money anymore? Ha, ha.
# 47 bobbo, “What happens to all our international “aid” when china won’t loan us the money anymore?”
The best economic news I’ve heard in quite a while is that the Chinese are considering major investments in the US. (Of course, when the Saudis did that in the 70s and 80s people saw it as threat.) As to your question: we still outproduce by far in agriculture. If our foreign aid were to be halved, we’d still be feeding a hell of lot of people.
Yep–just broke into some bs program to report on the museum looting. Lets see–no, they’re not going to tell us the name of the blonde bimbo getting near hysterical over the “instability.”
That makes sense. Cool and calm regarding issues of stability, but screeching and hysterical regarding issues on instability. And then the rabbit goes around the tree and back into his hole.
Heh, heh. Pro’s and Con’s to all we do.
I thought the military had secured the museum. That is very, very sad news, indeed. The museum is a travesty. Ugly, dusty, poorly maintained, illogically categorized and contained so many wonderful things. I spent many days roaming through the collection. You could spend hours in the King Tut exhibit alone. The room is darkened and spotlights pick out the highlights. A magical place.
There are so many other museums and monuments. I hope they are not being attacked, too. I heard the pyramids had been closed to visitors and military stationed there. But what about Karnak or the Valley of the Kings or the dozens of other marvels.
Slightly off topic: I laugh when I hear UFO nuts say we could never do those things today. Just take a look at the monuments at Abu Simbel. Huge carvings of Ramses II. When these two temples were threatened with inundation by the Aswan Dam, UNESCO gathered international support and they carved up the mountains, including the temples inside, moved them and reassembled them. Did you catch that? They reassembled a mountain! Many of the blocks of stone weighed in at 30 tons! And that was in the early 60s. Oh, I’m sure the UN had a couple of alien races working in the background but…
Sorry to stray from the topic.
I’m still pissed about the looting of the Library at Alexandria, and now this?
For shame. Good thing all books and scrolls will be on the internet forever so that people can always access them…………..
I am quite certain the Egyptian government would be overjoyed to know their bullshit propaganda is being gobbled up by the gullible American public, who seem to believe anything they are told, even though supposedly no-one in the United States even trusts their own media.
This is partly why they killed the Internet, of course. They control most of the outgoing information and no-one, except Al Jazeera in this case, can say anything otherwise.
In fact, Egyptian citizens stood guard over the antiquities to protect them from any harm. Who knows who damaged the mummies or when?
Has it occurred to no-one Zahi Hawass is a close personal friend of Hosni Mubarek and depends on him to remain in power himself? Why just two mummies, supposedly? It makes a good tearjerker story anyway.
What a den of lazy ignorance and determined stupidity…
# 53 Unenjoyed DicK said, “the gullible American public, who seem to believe anything they are told”
While you just make up whatever shit you want. I’m sure you were there to witness the civilians protecting the museum. You didn’t just read about it in the AP press release.
I have met Hawass on a couple of social occasions in Cairo. And I know several of his friends and peers on a more personal basis. The general consensus is he is a marginal archaeologist with a huge ego who maintains a tight grip on historic Egypt. He approves all research, says yes or no to filming projects, insinuates himself into anything that might make him look important or historic. But I’ve never heard anyone call him a liar. If he says the mummies and statues were damaged by the protesters, I believe him. Certainly over you.
#54 Pedro
OK once again, that’s precisely the level of intellectual response I was expecting. Here you go – again!
Tu quoque!
Do you see a trend developing here, Pedro?
#55 Animby
I viewed the live video on Al Jazeera.
I guess you missed it because you were too busy, pretending to be a big shot here.
Obviously you, on the other hand, are relying on press releases from the Egyptian government, as did Reuters and all of the lamestream media, including FOX News, who are simply repeating Reuters, while Reuters simply repeated the Egyptian press release, pretty much word for word.
I guess I’ll believe my own eyes instead.
Yeah, you met him by watching him on TV. You can never actually prove anything you claim, can you?
Score another one for belief. No-one needs any actual proof of anything if they have faith, do they?
Your style of fantasy is very ‘curious’ but familiar.
Everything else you just said came directly from a TV show. I watched it too. Probably lots of people watched that same series; Chasing Mummies, wasn’t it?.
Careful now, your imaginary world is getting the better of you again. It might be time to change your alias.
I’ll have to go back to those old posts and check the dozens of areas of your expertise – then quiz you on them, just for fun.
V
#57 – Tater Dick – I really don’t care much if you believe me or not. As for Chasing Mummies? What is that Discovery Channel? I live in Thailand these days. Haven’t seen it.
“I’ll have to go back to those old posts and check the dozens of areas of your expertise – then quiz you on them, just for fun.” Why don’t you do that. You won’t find dozens of areas of expertise. Just a couple. But you’ve already demonstrated you have a hard time differentiating opinion from fact. I have many opinions. And they change from time to time. Pinhead.
#58 Animby
I am just crushed by your intellectual superiority and the obvious depth and breadth of your cleverness.
Pinhead? Pinhead! Pinhead. Pinhead, pinhead, pinhead. Pinhead…
Astounding intelligence!
Tu quoque!
Do you see a trend developing here, Animby?
#59 = An epithet is not an ad hominem attack. Merely an epithet. Ofc ourse, your #57 and most of your others were definitely ad hominem. I made no comments that claim a logical conclusion therefore no logical fallacy is involved.
As Bobbo might say, words have meaning. It would behoove you to know what you are saying before you put it into print. Apparently you saw a phrase and decided it looked impressive so now you repeat it ad infinitum? Very impressive.
Now, sweetcakes, I’m closing out my presence on this thread. It’s become a bit smelly. I’m not running away. You can find me in another thread.
#60 Animby
There is nothing wrong an advance to the rear, so long as it does not involve panic.
#61 Pedro
#63
Tu quoque!
Do you see a trend continuing here, Pedro?
😀
#65
I guess those OCD meds aren’t working as advertised. It’s just my uninformed opinion but perhaps you’d best up the dosage, Pedro.
Tu quoque!
Do you see a trend still continuing here, Pedro?
😀
Ok, back to the original topic. Egypt. And Internetz.
I believe it’s like this:
1)Press the kill switch
2)Turn off the Internetz
3)Receive fun, er..riots.
Win? I think so.