We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Generals Still in Charge: Tough Days Ahead in Egypt

Click here to access article by Carl Finamore from CounterPunch. 

This labor delegate from San Francisco has been on the scene of the recent Tahrir Square gatherings in Cairo and reports his observations. Very informative.

It appears that the Egyptian military, no doubt influenced by the careful guidance of US political operatives (see this), is so far managing the protests well by using restraint, concessions, and with elections that produced the right mix of a compliant Islamic parliament lead by what appears to be a co-opted Muslim Brotherhood.