Atlas:

Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Leader: "Prepare for War with Israel"

The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt calls for war with the tiny Jewish state. What better way to unify the ummah than with tried-and-true, religiously mandated Islamic anti-semitism?

For all of those quisling clowns desperately trying to scrub the Muslim Brotherhood, here is a good hard slap in the face. Further, it's interesting how the Muslim Brotherhood blames Israel for Mubarak's regime. Not the $300 billion the US has pumped into Egypt. The peace accord (no matter how cold) was a good thing. Now we hear that Obama's would-be peace partners, Muslim Brotherhood's Hamas, are going to destroy the accord. But they want peace with the Jews; get it? Me neither.

Obama has been secretly supporting this revolution for three years. Why? He ignored the people of Iran marching against the annihilationist mullahcracy of Iran. He gave his tacit support to mass slaughter where millions took to the streets.

Anyone who sees this as a good thing secretly dreams of the annihilation of Israel. Big media is not giving you the story. Instead they have the Muslim Brotherhood's US group on, CAIR, calling in from Egypt (and mis-identifying Ahmed Rehab of CAIR as a "democracy activist"). And that was FOX. It's that bad.

Obama's hard left operatives, like frequent White House visitor CODE PINK, are in Egypt now. Coincidence? Methinks not. I don't believe Obama "lost Egypt"; I believe he kicked it to the curb.

Muslim Brotherhood Wants War With Israel

Mohamed Ghanem, one of the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, calls Egypt to stop pumping gas to Israel and prepare the Egyptian army for a war with it’s eastern neighbor.

Speaking with Iranian television station Al-Alam, Mohamed Ghanem blamed Israel for supporting Hosni Mubarak’s regime. Ghanem also said that the Egyptian police and army won’t be able to stop the Muslim Brotherhood movement.

There are doubts about the loyalty of the Egyptian army to president Mubarak. If the brotherhood takes control over Egypt, it will be very messy from the whole region.

Iran is the mullah behind then curtain: (from IBT)

Iran's Press TV claimed on Monday Israel is giving weapons to Egypt to prop up the Hosni Mubarak regime which is engulfed in crisis and appearing to inch towards doom as violent popular protests gained momentum.

The Press TV said reports "followed phone conversations between the US, Egyptian and Israeli defense ministers."

"Israel has provided the Egyptian government with weapons amid the country's popular uprising demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, reports say," the Press TV report said on Monday. However, the Press TV report doesn't give further details, nor say clearly how it got the news of Israeli arms supply to Egypt. It however refers to an earlier Washington Post report which quoted an Israeli cabinet minister as saying that Mubarak will eventually tide over the present crisis.

The violent demonstrations, which entered the seventh day on Monday, have forced the Mubarak regime to deploy the military to quell the uprising. The CNN reported on Sunday that Egyptian defense minister Mohamad Tantawi asked the public to obey the curfew. The demonstrators are bracing for a military crackdown of protestors in major Egyptian cities under the curfew.

UPDATE: NYC: "Long Live the Egyptian Intifada" "Down with the Camp David Accord Regime"

UPDATE: And check out the protests in Canada.

Photo: Protest at UN this past weekend

UPDATE: The Muslim Brotherhood chess board:

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Backs ElBaradei Role - Margaret Coker and Summer Said
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has agreed to back the secular, liberal opposition leader Mohammed ElBaradei, 68, as lead spokesman for the country's opposition groups in reform negotiations, suggesting the movement may be positioning itself as a significant political actor in future Egyptian politics. (Wall Street Journal)
 See also ElBaradei Doesn't Like America - Michael Ledeen
Mohammed ElBaradei is one of the last men I would choose for leading Egypt to a "peaceful transition" to greater democracy. He doesn't like America and he's in cahoots with Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood. (Pajamas Media)

Israel Shaken as Turbulence Rocks an Ally - Ethan Bronner
Israel's military planning relies on peace with Egypt; nearly half the natural gas it uses is imported from Egypt; and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met with President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt more than with any other foreign leader, except President Obama. "For the United States, Egypt is the keystone of its Middle East policy," a senior Israeli official said. "For Israel, it's the whole arch."
 Israelis worry that a successful overthrow in Egypt could spread to Jordan. And if the Muslim Brotherhood were to gain power in Egypt, that would probably mean not only a stronger Islamist force in Gaza but also in the West Bank, as well as in Jordan, meaning Israel would feel surrounded in a way it has not in decades.
 If Egypt also turned unfriendly, that would quite likely stop in its tracks any further Israeli talk of peace negotiations with the Palestinians, officials and analysts said. There has long been concern that popular sentiment in Egypt is anti-Israel. Eli Shaked, a former Israeli ambassador to Cairo, wrote in Yediot Ahronot, "The only people in Egypt who are committed to peace are the people in Mubarak's inner circle, and if the next president is not one of them, we are going to be in trouble."
 Giora Eiland, a former national security adviser and a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said even if Egypt did not cancel its peace treaty with Israel tomorrow or in five years, a government dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood would mean "you can't exclude the possibility of a war with Egypt." (New York Times)
 See also Israel: Ties with Egypt Must Be Preserved - Matti Friedman
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that his government is "anxiously monitoring" the political unrest in Egypt. "Israel and Egypt have been at peace for more than three decades and our objective is to ensure that these ties be preserved," he said. If Egypt resumes its conflict with Israel, Israelis fear, it will put a powerful Western-armed military on the side of Israel's enemies.
 "Israel has an interest in Egypt being democratic, but through a process that promises sustainability," said Dan Shueftan, director of the National Security Studies Center at Haifa University. "If you have a process that starts with a desire for democracy but then sees radicals take over, then the result at the end of the process is worse than what you had at the beginning." (AP-Washington Post)

Federal Judge:Obamacare Unconstitutional

A couple weeks ago and this would have been the BIG story of the day. . .

Newsmax:

Fla. Judge Strikes Down Health Overhaul
Monday, 31 Jan 2011

PENSACOLA, Fla. – A federal judge ruled Monday that the Obama administration's health care overhaul is unconstitutional, siding with 26 states that sued to block it. U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson accepted without trial the states' argument that the new law violates people's rights by forcing them to buy health insurance by 2014 or face penalties.

Attorneys for the administration had argued that the states did not have standing to challenge the law and that the case should be dismissed.

The next stop is likely the U.S. Supreme Court. Two other federal judges have upheld the insurance requirement, but a federal judge in Virginia also ruled the insurance provision violates the Constitution.

In his ruling, Vinson went further than the Virginia judge and declared the entire health care law unconstitutional.

"This is obviously a very difficult task. Regardless of how laudable its attempts may have been to accomplish these goals in passing the Act, Congress must operate within the bounds established by the Constitution," Vinson wrote in his 78-page ruling.

At issue was whether the government is reaching beyond its constitutional power to regulate interstate commerce by requiring citizens to purchase health insurance or face tax penalties.

Attorneys for President Barack Obama's administration had argued that the health care system was part of the interstate commerce system. They said the government can levy a tax penalty on Americans who decide not to purchase health insurance because all Americans are consumers of medical care.

But attorneys for the states said the administration was essentially coercing the states into participating in the overhaul by holding billions of Medicaid dollars hostage. The states also said the federal government is violating the Constitution by forcing a mandate on the states without providing money to pay for it.

Florida's former Republican Attorney General Bill McCollum filed the lawsuit just minutes after Obama signed the 10-year, $938 billion health care bill into law in March. He chose a court in Pensacola, one of Florida's most conservative cities. The nation's most influential small business lobby, the National Federation of Independent Business, also joined.

Other states that joined the suit are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Egypt, the MB, HAMAS the Secret Police and Objective Reality

Stratfor, from what they claim is a source INSIDE HAMAS:

The Egyptian police are no longer patrolling the Rafah border crossing into Gaza. Hamas armed men are entering into Egypt and are closely collaborating with the MB. The MB has fully engaged itself in the demonstrations, and they are unsatisfied with the dismissal of the Cabinet. They are insisting on a new Cabinet that does not include members of the ruling National Democratic Party.

Security forces in plainclothes are engaged in destroying public property in order to give the impression that many protesters represent a public menace. The MB is meanwhile forming people’s committees to protect public property and also to coordinate demonstrators’ activities, including supplying them with food, beverages and first aid.

Read more: Red Alert: Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood | STRATFOR

If this is the way it is NOTHING WE SEE is real.

That means in the end the only way to express american interests, what is GOOD for the American people, will be to judge the final result by what they do, and act with FORCE. Or to act with force NOW and demonstrate we will do whatever we must to make the outcome fit the needs of the american people.

If we let the unseen develop, controlled by those whose consciences are essentially untrammeled, in what WE ARE TOLD is a monumentally important nation and moment, we will have Iran.

AGAIN.

. .

Haaretz:

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood eyes unity gov't without Mubarak
Opposition group says will exclude reigning President's National Democratic Party from talks; Mohammed ElBaradei: I have been mandated by the people.

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group,is in talks with other anti-government figures to form a national unity government without President Hosni Mubarak, a group official told DPA on Sunday.

Although the Muslim Brotherhood is officially banned from running for elections for parliament, some movement members have presented candidacy for parliament as independents.

Gamal Nasser, a spokesman for the Brotherhood, told DPA that his group was in talks with Mohammed ElBaradei - the former UN nuclear watchdog chief - to form a national unity government without the National Democratic Party of Mubarak.

The group is also demanding an end to the draconian Emergency Laws, which grant police wide-ranging powers The laws have been used often to arrest and harass the Islamist group.

Nasser said his group would not accept any new government with Mubarak. On Saturday the Brotherhood called on President Mubarak to relinquish power in a peaceful manner following the resignation of the Egyptian cabinet.

Speaking to CNN later Sunday, ElBaradei said he had a popular and political mandate to negotiate the creation of a national unity government.

"I have been authorized -- mandated -- by the people who organized these demonstrations and many other parties to agree on a national unity government," he told CNN.

"I hope that I should be in touch soon with the army and we need to work together. The army is part of Egypt," the opposition leader added.

Opposition figure Mustafa el-Naggar stated that ElBaradei "will be joining protesters in Tahrir," adding he would come to the square later on Sunday, his first visit to the hub of the protest since returning to Egypt on Thursday.

The Egyptian cabinet formally resigned Saturday at the command of Mubarak, following violent anti-government protests that have now reached their sixth day unabated.

Mubarak has yet to comment on the cabinet's resignation. The embattled president addressed the country on Saturday for the fist time since the riots began, saying that he had no intention to resign.

The protests are the most serious challenge to Mubarak's 30-year authoritarian rule. The embattled president defended the security forces' crackdown on protesters, but said that he will press ahead with social, economic and political reforms in the country.

Mubarak has not said yet whether he will stand for another six-year term as president in elections this year. He has never appointed a deputy and is thought to be grooming his son Gamal to succeed him despite popular opposition.

Egyptian Protestors: Destroy Israel, the Country That Controls the United States. . .

Gateway Pundit:

Priorities… Priorities… Obama Spent 1 Hour Talking Egypt – Then 2 Hours Partying With Axelrod

Posted by Jim Hoft on Sunday, January 30, 2011, 7:08 PM

As Egypt Burns…Obama Parties

It’s much worse than we thought.

Barack Obama sure is concerned about the future of the Middle East, Isreal and the world.

As Cairo burned yesterday he met with his security team — for an hour.

It was exhausting. He needed a break.

Then on Saturday night he went out and partied with Axelrod… for at least two hours!
Kristinn reported:

As thirty years of United States Middle East strategy teeters on collapse, Barack Obama spent Saturday night at a going away party for David Axelrod who is leaving the administration to set up Obama’s reelection campaign in Chicago. The party was held at the Dupont Circle condo of former Obama aide Linda Douglass.

Douglass, who is now with the National Journal, played host to a gathering of cabinet secretaries including Arne Duncan (Education), Timothy Geithner (Treasury) and Steven Chu (Energy) and prominent reporters including Major Garrett (National Journal), Jake Tapper (ABC), Chuck Todd (NBC) and John Harwood (CNBC/New York Times).

Obama spent nearly two hours at the party.

Everyone has their priorities.

Al Jazeera:

Egypt protesters increase pressure
Opposition movement calls for "march of millions" on Tuesday in a bid to topple president Hosni Mubarak.

Egyptian protesters have called for a massive demonstration and a rolling general strike on Tuesday in a bid to force out president Hosni Mubarak from power.

The so-called April 6 Movement said it plans to have more than one million people on the streets of the capital Cairo, as anti-government sentiment reaches a fever pitch.

The call came as Mubarak swore in a new cabinet in an attempt to defuse ongoing demonstrations across the country.

But opposition groups say personnel changes will not placate them and have said they will continue until the president steps down.

"The whole regime must come down," Hassan, a construction worker and protester told the Reuters news agency.

"We do not want anyone from Mubarak's retinue in the new government, which the people will choose. We want a civil government run by the people themselves."

Army presence

Tens of thousands of people are continuing to demonstrate in Cairo's Tahrir square after hundreds remained camped out overnight, defying a curfew that has been extended by the army.

There is a heavy army presence around the area, with tanks positioned near the square and officers checking identity papers.

One of Al Jazeera's correspondents said military attempts to block access to the square on Monday by closing roads was not working as more people were arriving in a steady stream.

"Protesters say they'll stay in this square for as long as Mubarak stays in power," she said.

Protesters seem unfazed by Mubarak's pledge to institute economic and political reforms. Our correspondent said people feel that such pledges "are too little, too late".

Al Jazeera reporters in Cairo also said police had been seen returning to the streets, directing traffic, after being absent since Friday.

"We are waiting for the minister of interior to announce in what form they are going to come back onto the streets and why they disappeared after Friday prayers, on the 'second day of rage'," one correspondent said.

"The absence of police has given looters a free rein, forcing ordinary citizens to set up neighbourhood patrols. Many people are wondering where the police disappeared to.

"There are two schools of thought as far as the police are concerned: One is that many of them decided to join the protesters.

"The other is that the regime was saying to the people, 'You want to protest. We'll pull back the police and you feel what anarchy feels like'," our correspondent said.

After deadly clashes in which around 125 people were killed in Cairo and other cities, protesters complained that police were using excessive force.

But an Al Jazeera correspondent said some locals greeted police as "long-lost friends" on Monday.

"It's almost as if the population of Cairo is suffering from selective amnesia ... We saw one small boy carrying a tray a of tea to a group of policemen. Another man got out of his car, kissed and hugged the policemen."

Meanwhile, many people are reported to be panic buying in Cairo amid the unrest.

"I walked into a supermarket and saw complete mayhem," an Al Jazeera correspondent said.

"People are stocking up on supplies as much as they can. There are very few rations available in the stores. They are running out of basic supplies, like eggs, cheese and meat. Deliveries have not been coming for days."

Deterioration in security

A day earlier, Mohamed ElBaradei, the leading opposition figure, joined thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square.

The former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency told the crowd on Sunday night that "what we have begun cannot go back" referring to days of anti-government protests.

The National Coalition for Change, which groups several opposition movements including the Muslim Brotherhood, wants ElBaradei to negotiate with the Mubarak government.

As the protests continue, security is said to be deteriorating and reports have emerged of several prisons across the country being attacked and of fresh protests being staged in cities like Alexandria and Suez.

Thirty-four leaders from the Muslim Brotherhood were freed from the Wadi Natroun jail after guards abandoned their posts.

Chaos has also been reported at Cairo's international airport, where thousands of foreigners are attempting to be evacuated by their home countries.

Robert Spenser at Human Events:

Muslim Brotherhood Poised for Power in Egypt
by Robert Spencer
01/31/2011

A group dedicated to “eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within” is poised to take power in Egypt.

After days of riots in Egypt against Hosni Mubarak’s regime, on Sunday the Muslim Brotherhood entered into talks with other opposition groups to form a national unity government after the presumably imminent fall of Mubarak. The Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 in order to restore, in Egypt and worldwide, the prerogatives of political Islam: a state in which Islamic law (Sharia) is the law of the land and the freedom of speech, the freedom of conscience, and legal equality for women and non-Muslims consequently restricted.

The Brotherhood now has its best chance in decades to seize power there and establish an Islamic state, which bodes ill for both the United States and its most reliable Middle Eastern ally, Israel. The Camp David Accords have kept an uneasy peace between Egypt and Israel since the late 1970s; although Egypt has ignored many of its provisions (particularly regarding not allowing the dissemination of bloodthirsty anti-Semitic material in Egypt, where Mein Kampf remains a bestseller), it has refrained from attacking Israel outright and has actually reined in some Palestinian jihadist activity along the Gaza border.

But the present Egyptian regime is one of the last remnants of the relatively secular Arab nationalist ideology that not too long ago held sway over most of the Middle East. Now Saddam Hussein is dead, Tunisia’s Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali has been driven from power, and the Mubarak regime could collapse at any moment; the ascendant Middle Eastern ideology is the political Islam of which the Muslim Brotherhood is a foremost exponent.

And that ideology is inveterately hostile to both Israel and the United States. Armed members of the jihad terror group Hamas, which styles itself in its Charter as the Muslim Brotherhood for Palestine, are reportedly crossing into Egypt from Gaza and attempting to join in Brotherhood activities; it’s a far cry already from the Mubarak regime’s stance toward the Palestinians.

The Muslim Brotherhood is also an international organization. According to a captured internal document made public during the trial of the Hamas-supporting Islamic charity, the Holy Land Foundation, in 2007, its goal in the United States is “eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.”

Also involved in the national unity coalition talks was Muhammad ElBaradei, the former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who won notoriety for simultaneously downplaying the seriousness of Iran’s nuclear program and criticizing Iran for not cooperating with sanctions. The U.S., annoyed at his double game, tried unsuccessfully to block his second term as IAEA chief in 2005. ElBaradei confirmed the wisdom of this in 2009 when he declared, in an inversion of reality that would take even Orwell’s breath away and warm the heart of the most fanatically antisemitic Islamic supremacist conspiracy enthusiast, “Israel is the number one threat to the Middle East given the nuclear arms it possesses.”

Last summer, when ElBaradei floated the possibility of running for President of Egypt, the Brotherhood strongly supported his candidacy. And so now, with the prospect of a Muslim Brotherhood/ElBaradei regime in Egypt closer to reality than ever, the United States faces an ominous replay of the events in Iran in the late 1970s: an authoritarian pro-American regime was toppled by pro-democracy forces that were forthwith co-opted by Islamic supremacists who installed a fanatically anti-American Sharia regime that turned out to be far more repressive and draconian than the one that had been toppled.

As the U.S. faces the prospect of losing another ally (however undependable Egypt has been as an ally over the years) in virtually the same way, the cost of official Washington’s refusal to evaluate the global jihad threat realistically continues to mount. Inside the Beltway there have been numerous calls to engage the Brotherhood as a “moderate” group; the Mubarak regime has never entertained such comforting illusions. Perhaps if the State Department had shed them long ago and directed its copious aid to Egypt to limiting the Brotherhood’s scope and influence, we wouldn’t be in this fix now.

Dejan Ivanovich and Quarteto Lyra
Boccherini's Grave assai / Fandango from 4th Guitar quintet

Luigi Boccherini

Vaclav Havel understands our system better than Pres. Obama

From Ace of Spades:

The government has embraced an arrogant ideology. They claim to know the key to prosperity. It's analogous to communism. They thought the same thing. The clever ones - themselves - would run everything. That's the analogy. The key to prosperity is to let things run themselves. We'll liberalize everything, let everyone look after himself, let business, not the state, run the economy. The state should have no views, no policies of its own. Just open it all up, step back, let it go and you'll see how well everything will work if we just leave things alone. - Havel

Brothers, Indeed

Yes, there will be blood.

Rory Gallagher
Tattoo'd Lady

Tehran '79?

Jerusalem Post:

Cairo: Anger starting to focus on Israel, US
By BY MELANIE LIDMAN, JPOST CORRESPONDENT IN CAIRO
01/30/2011 21:47

‘Where is your democracy?’ protesters ask in anti-American, anti-Mubarak rallies.
CAIRO – Saturday’s optimism on the streets of Cairo for imminent political change gave way to anger on Sunday, as thousands of demonstrators became increasingly frustrated with the lack of response from major world leaders, especially the US.

During the main protest on Sunday in downtown Cairo, one man painted a 20- meter-long message in flowing Arabic cursive that echoed across the square: “Go Away, Mubarak, you are from the Americans, and you’re working for them!”

Egyptians understand that the world is waiting to see if President Hosni Mubarak falls to popular pressure before major leaders decide which side to support. But this is infuriating the demonstrators, who realize that six days of unrest have not accomplished their goal and that they need united international pressure in order to topple the almost-30-year incumbent.

The protests have lacked a clear leader to unite them and provide an alternative to Mubarak, and demonstrators are beginning to focus their wrath not just on Mubarak and the country’s widespread corruption, but also on the United States and, to a lesser extent, Israel. They blame Israel and the US for supporting a government because it is convenient for them, not because it is good for the Egyptian people.

“The USA does not support democracy; they’re supporting Israel, which is like their baby,” said Ahmed, a 26-year-old Cairo resident. “They think Egypt is functional because it’s in favor of their considerations.”

“I don’t care if we have peace [with Israel] or not,” Ahmed continued, echoing the indifference of many demonstrators who don’t have a clear agenda for what they want a future Egypt to look like, as long as it does not include Mubarak. “But will Israel allow us to have a real president? For example, Turkey elected an Islamic government, but it was their choice. Will Israel give us the freedom to make the same choice?” he asked.

Demonstrators are relying on the foreign press to get their message to Obama.

“Isn’t this democracy?” they asked me over and over when I said I was a journalist from America, incredulous that the country held as the pinnacle of world democracy could ignore such widespread popular sentiment.

“Obama has to be on our side. Where is your democracy?” asked Osam L, who works at a foreign bank in Cairo.

“You say Arabs are just donkeys, but the USA is supporting the system, not the people.”

The Jewish community in Cairo and Alexandria both declined to speak with the media, but told The Jerusalem Post that all of its members were safe and going about their daily routine as normally as possible.

Life is slowly returning to Cairo streets after nearly a week of unrest. Many of the stores in the downtown area remained shuttered, but convenience stores and cell phone kiosks were doing brisk business. There was significantly more traffic on the roads, and public transportation and trash collection were partially operational.

At 3:55 pm on Sunday, two fighter jets flew low over the city half a dozen times, ostensibly to remind everyone of the 4:00 pm curfew. The scare tactic was successful – by 4:30, the streets were mostly empty of cars as throngs of people headed on foot toward Tahrir Square.

Sunday’s protests were much less violent, although there was more anger directed at international leaders.

“What you are seeing here is an explosion. We have no other choice,” yelled one demonstrator.

The main protest in Tahrir Square continued to be attended by thousands of demonstrators from all walks of life – toddlers with small flags draped around their shoulders raising a fist in solidarity, old men in traditional garb walking slowly with canes near the sidewalks, giggling school girls, whole families marching arm and arm, young professionals as well as laborers.

“Those people that say we’re out here because of food or oil prices, that’s not true,” said Osam L. “I have enough to eat, thank God. I’m here for my freedom.”

You Look Like You Could Use A Break

Scheherazade

Iran condemns two to death over porn sites
(AFP)

TEHRAN — Iranian courts on Sunday sentenced two people to death for running porn sites, prosecutor general Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said, quoted on the Islamic republic's official IRNA news agency.

"Two administrators of porn sites have been sentenced to death in two different (court) branches and (the verdicts) have been sent to the supreme court for confirmation," Dolatabadi said, without naming the two convicts.

Last December, Canada expressed concern over the reported death sentence handed down to an Iranian-born Canadian resident for allegedly designing an adult website.

Saeed Malekpour, 35, was convicted of "designing and moderating adult content websites," "agitation against the regime" in Tehran, and "insulting the sanctity of Islam," according to an online campaign calling for his release.

Malekpour was detained in Iran after returning in 2008 to visit his ailing father. He was sentenced to death in December.

The Netherlands froze contacts with Tehran after Saturday's hanging of an Iranian-Dutch woman for drug smuggling, having initially been arrested for taking part in anti-government protests.

Iran, China, Saudi Arabia and United States have the highest numbers of executions each year. Adultery, murder, drug trafficking and other major crimes are all punishable by death in the Islamic republic.

Reuters:

Sudanese police clash with students in Khartoum
By Khaled Abdelaziz
KHARTOUM Sun Jan 30, 2011 11:12am EST

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese police beat and arrested students on Sunday as hundreds protested throughout the capital demanding the government resign, inspired by a popular uprising in neighbouring Egypt.

Armed riot police broke up groups of young Sudanese demonstrating in central Khartoum and surrounded the entrances of four universities in the capital, firing teargas and beating students at three of them.

Some 500 young people also protested in the city of el-Obeid in North Kordofan in the west of the country.

Police beat students with batons as they chanted anti-government slogans such as "we are ready to die for Sudan" and "revolution, revolution until victory."

Groups have emerged on social networking sites calling themselves "Youth for Change" and "The Spark," since the uprisings in nearby Tunisia and close ally Egypt this month.

"Youth for Change" has attracted more than 15,000 members.

"The people of Sudan will not remain silent any more," its Facebook page said. "It is about time we demand our rights and take what's ours in a peaceful demonstration that will not involve any acts of sabotage."

The pro-democracy group Girifna ("We're fed up") said nine members were detained the night before the protest and opposition party officials listed almost 40 names of protesters arrested on Sunday. Five were injured, they added.

Sudan has a close affinity with Egypt -- the two countries were united under British colonial rule. The unprecedented scenes there inspired calls for similar action in Sudan, where protests without permission, which is rarely given, are illegal.

Before Tunisia's popular revolt, Sudan was the last Arab country to overthrow a leader with popular protests, ousting Jaafar Nimeiri in 1985.

Opposition leader Mubarak al-Fadil told Reuters two of his sons were arrested on their way to the central protest.

Editor-in-chief of the al-Wan daily paper Hussein Khogali said his daughter had been detained by security forces since 8 a.m. (1 a.m. EST) accused of organising the Facebook-led protest.

PROTESTS IN WEST

Around 500 protestors engulfed the market in the North Kordofan capital el-Obeid in Sudan's west, before police used tear gas to disperse them, three witnesses said.

"They were shouting against the government and demanding change," said witness Ahmed who declined to give his full name.

Pro-government newspapers carried front page warnings against protests which they said would cause chaos and turmoil.

The Sudan Vision daily's editorial blamed the opposition.

"Our message to those opposition dinosaurs is to unite their ideas and objectives for the benefit of the citizens if they are really looking for the welfare of the Sudanese people," it read.

Sudan is in deep economic crisis which analysts blame on government overspending and misguided policies. A bloated import bill caused foreign currency shortages and forced an effective devaluation of the Sudanese pound last year, sparking soaring inflation.

Early this month the government cut subsidies on petroleum products and key commodity sugar, triggering smaller protests throughout the north.

Sunday's protests coincided with the first official announcement of results for a referendum on the oil-producing south's secession from the north showing an overwhelming vote for independence, which many in the north oppose.

Police spokesman Ahmed al-Tuhami told Reuters the police did not have figures for any injured or arrested.

"We did not use more violence than necessary -- we did not want anyone to spoil this day with the referendum results."

Press TV:

Jordanians protest government policies

Thousands of Jordanians have marched against the government's political and economic policies, demanding the prime minister's resignation.

The demonstrations, which were held following the Friday prayers in the capital Amman and other major cities, were organized by the country's main political opposition group, the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood. It was the third consecutive Friday of protests in Jordan.

The demonstrators denounced Prime Minister Samir Rifai's economic policies, saying reforms introduced by him, which led to cuts in subsidies for basic commodities, have caused the soaring food and fuel prices, unemployment and poverty.

"Rifai go away, prices are on fire and so are the Jordanians,” protesters chanted.

Protesters have also demanded that the prime minister be democratically elected rather than appointed by the King.

Today's protests came while the prime minister and the country's ruler King Abdullah II have promised to make reforms.

On Wednesday, following two weeks of anti-government demonstrations in various cities across Jordan against high commodity prices and government policies, King Abdullah II announced that it is time to bring about more political and economic reforms in the country.

"Abdullah II insisted on the need to move forward with clear and transparent programs of political and economic reform, which will allow the kingdom to overcome the economic challenges, and assure Jordan and Jordanians the decent future they deserve," the royal palace cited the king as saying.

"The king underlined the need for senators and all officials to be in constant contact with the people in all provinces of the kingdom to hear their grievances and open a completely frank dialogue with them on their ambitions, their interests and the issues of the day," it added.

Jordan's prime minister has also announced a pay increase for civil servants and retirement pensions as well as the expansion of a state subsidy program.

The measures, however, failed to stop anti-government demonstrators from taking to the streets.

Inspired by the Tunisian revolution, Jordanians say they will press ahead with their campaign until their demands are met.

Press TV:

Dozens of protesters arrested in Jeddah

Dozens of protesters have been arrested in Saudi Arabia's second biggest city after they protested against the weaknesses of infrastructure of Jeddah.

The protests were triggered on Friday after floods swept through the city, killing at least four people, and raising fears of a repeat of the deadly 2009 deluge, in which more than 120 people lost their lives.

On Wednesday, torrential rains caused flooding that swept away cars and downed electric lines in Jeddah.

Following mass messages sent over smart phones on Friday, protesters staged a rally on a main thoroughfare in Jeddah's commercial district after Friday prayers.

“God is Great,” they shouted before Saudi security forces moved to disperse the demonstrators.

The protest came at a time when anti-government demonstrations are spreading across the Arab world.

Reuters quoted a police officer as saying that around 50 protesters were detained during the anti-government rally.

“They took them all. They were protesting. There are still some people hiding in that building over there. The police are looking for them and trying to arrest them,” another policeman said.

Reports say another protest against the government's response to the floods is scheduled to be held on Saturday.

Mobile text messages are being sent calling for a general strike next week.

“No work for the full week until they find a solution to the roads of Jeddah,” a message said. It was not known who sent the messages.

Saudi authorities asked residents to stay indoors. There is no official assessment of the damages caused by the foods.

The oil-rich kingdom lacks the basic necessary systems and structures to drain water out of the residential areas during a heavy rainfall.

Newsmax:

US Offers Flights to Citizens out of Egypt
Sunday, 30 Jan 2011

CAIRO, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The United States said on Sunday it was offering evacuation flights to Europe for U.S. citizens who wish to leave Egypt, which has been rocked by violent protests seeking an end to President Hosni Mubarak's rule.

"The U.S. Embassy in Cairo informs U.S. citizens in Egypt who wish to depart that the Department of State is making arrangements to provide transportation to safehaven locations in Europe," the statement said.

"Flights to evacuation points will begin departing Egypt on Monday, Jan. 31," it said, describing the evacuation as voluntary.

Turkey was also sending two Turkish Airlines planes to Egypt on Sunday to evacuate is citizens, state-run Anatolian news agency quoted embassy officials in Cairo as saying.

European tour operators and airlines have cancelled trips to Cairo since protesters took to the streets, dealing a blow to a tourism industry that provides about one in eight jobs in the country.

Witnesses said businesses were also starting to evacuate their staff and saw scenes of chaos at the airport, where many people, including Egyptians, were trying to get flights out of the country.

In the residential area of Cairo, two big buses were parked outside the offices of the Italian oil firm ENI to evacuate families, witnesses said. One foreign employee of the firm said his wife and three children would go but he would stay. There was no immediate comment from the firm.

"It's not an issue during the day, it's at night when we don't know what will happen," the employee said.

Near the buses was a four-wheel drive with security men. Several foreign families were waiting to board the buses.

No Surprise

Reuters:

Egypt opposition backs ElBaradei as negotiator - Brotherhood

CAIRO Jan 30 (Reuters) - Egyptian opposition forces have agreed to support opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei to negotiate with the government, a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood said on Sunday.

"Political groups support ElBaradei to negotiate with the regime," Essam el-Eryan told Al Jazeera television.

Al Arabiya television carried the same report on screen but did not attribute it directly to Eryan.
ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, came back to Egypt on Thursday night, just in time for the "Day of Anger" protests which have left President Hosni Mubarak clinging to power with the army in the streets. ARAB TV CHANNELS QUOTES EGYPT'S BROTHERHOOD FIGURE ESSAM EL-ERYAN SUPPORTING ELBARADEI TO "NEGOTIATE WITH REGIME"

Yahoo:

Fighter jets swoop over Cairo in show of force

CAIRO – Fighter jets swooped low over Cairo Sunday in what appeared to be an attempt by the military to show its control of a city beset by looting, armed robbery and anti-government protests.

Minutes before the start of a 4 p.m. curfew, at least two jets appeared and made multiple passes over downtown, including a central square where thousands of protesters were calling for the departure of President Hosni Mubarak.

Police could be seen returning to some streets nearly two days after virtually disappearing, creating a security vacuum only partially filled by the presence of army troops backed by tanks at key sites around this city of 18 million people.

After days of escalating chaos, gangs of armed men attacked at least four jails across Egypt before dawn, helping to free hundreds of Muslim militants and thousands of other inmates. Gangs of young men with guns and large sticks smashed cars and robbed people in Cairo.

Banks were closed on orders from Egypt's Central Bank, and the stock market was shut on what is normally the first day of the trading week. Markets across the Middle East dropped on fears about the instability's damage to Egypt's economy, and the region's.

An unprecedented Internet cutoff remained in place after the country's four primary Internet providers stopped moving data in and out of the country in an apparent move by authorities to disrupt the organization of demonstrations blaming Mubarak's regime for poverty, unemployment, widespread corruption and police brutality.

The official death toll from five days of growing crisis stood at 74, with thousands injured.

The U.S. Embassy in Cairo told its citizens in Egypt to consider leaving the country as soon as possible, and said it had authorized the voluntary departure of dependents and non-emergency employees, a display of Washington's escalating concern about the stability of its closest Arab ally.

Private tour groups and corporations began trying to evacuate their clients and expatriate employees. But dozens of flights were canceled and delayed and crowds filled Cairo International Airport, desperate and unable to leave.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the U.S. expects that the protests in Egypt will lead to free and fair elections as part of an "orderly" transition to "real democracy."

"I want the Egyptian people to have a chance to chart a new future," she said. "It's not a question of who retains power ... It's how are we going to respond to the legitimate needs and grievances expressed by the Egyptian people."

Israel's prime minister told his Cabinet that he was "anxiously following" the crisis, saying in his first public comments on the situation that Israel's three-decade-old peace agreement with Egypt must be preserved.

After a night of violence in many cities across Egypt, the army sent hundreds more troops and armored vehicles onto the streets starting Sunday morning. Truckloads of hundreds of police poured back into Cairo neighborhoods Sunday afternoon and took up positions on the streets.

In some spots, they were jeered by residents who chanted anti-police slogans and demanded that they only be allowed to deploy jointly with the military.

State television showed Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi in green fatigues on a central Cairo street, speaking with soldiers and civilian onlookers.

Then, as the curfew loomed, the jets roared over the Nile and toward Tahrir Square in the heart of Cairo, where thousands of protesters have gathered each day to demand the end of the administration.

The jets made several passes over the square, dropping lower every time and setting off alarms in parked cars.

Some protesters clapped and waved to them while others jeered.

"This is terrorism, they are trying to scare the people with the planes and the tanks. They are trying to make people afraid and leave the square," said Gamal Ahmed, a 40-year-old air-conditioning technician.

Lines of army tanks jammed a road leading into Tahrir, and a military helicopter hovered overhead. Soldiers working with civilian protester volunteers checked IDs and bags of people arriving to join the marches.

Mubarak, 82, perpetuated the overriding role of military men in Egyptian politics by naming his intelligence chief, former army general Omar Suleiman, to the new role of vice president on Saturday. Ahmed Shafiq, the outgoing civil aviation minister and Mubarak fellow former air force officer, was named prime minister.

State TV Sunday showed images of Mubarak during what it said was a visit to the country's military command center. The president looked somber and fatigued in his first public appearance since he addressed the nation late Friday to promise reform and annouce the dismissal of his Cabinet.

The brief footage appeared designed to project an image of normalcy.

Egyptian security officials said that overnight armed men fired at guards in gun battles that lasted hours at the four prisons including one northwest of Cairo that held hundreds of militants. The prisoners escaped after starting fires and clashing with guards.

Those who fled included 34 members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest and best organized opposition group. The Muslim Brotherhood's lawyer, Abdel-Monaem Abdel-Maqsoud, told The Associated Press the 34 were among scores rounded up by authorities ahead of the large anti-government demonstrations on Friday. The escapees included at least seven senior members of the group.

The security officials said several inmates were killed and wounded, but gave no specific figures. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the information with the media.

The officials told The Associated Press that army troops were hunting for the escaped prisoners, in some cases with the help of the police. State television also showed footage of what it said was dozens of prisoners recaptured by the army troops, squatting on dirt while soldiers kept watch over them.

In the southern city of Assiut, officials said riot police stormed the city's main prison to quell a prison riot, using tear gas and batons against inmates. An Associated Press reporter saw army tanks were deployed outside the prison, on bridges straddling the Nile and at the police headquarters.

Thousands of Alexandrians met to pray in downtown Alexandria, a Mediterranean port city that is a stronghold of the Muslim Brotherhood. After prayers, the crowd marched towards the city's old mosque to pray for the souls of those who died in the protests.

Egyptian mobile networks were back up after days of cutoffs but with text-messaging widely disrupted. Blackberry Messenger and mobile Internet services were operating sporadically.

The pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera said that Egyptian authorities ordered the closure of its Cairo news hub overseeing coverage of the country's massive street protests, denouncing the move as an attempt to "stifle and repress" open reporting.

The Qatar-based network has given nearly round-the-clock coverage to the unprecedented uprising against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and had faced criticism by some government supporters and other Arab leaders as a forum to inspire more unrest.

IS CHINA A PAPER TIGER?

China's state broadcaster is facing questions after internet users spotted that footage in a report on air force manoeuvres in a national newscast was taken from the 1980s Hollywood film Top Gun.

When you can't figure out how to steal America's intellectual property to build a fighter jet, just steal our movies.

China is fucking pathetic.

Reliapundit has video. You gotta see it.

LOOTERS VANDALIZING MUMMIES

From the Astute Bloggers:

THIS MEANS THE LOOTERS ARE PROBABLY ISLAMISTS.

Anarchy

Reuters:

Egypt vigilantes defend homes as police disappear
By Dina Zayed and Sherine El Madany

CAIRO Sat Jan 29, 2011 2:00pm EST

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptians armed with sticks and razors have formed vigilante groups to defend their homes from looters after police disappeared from the streets following days of violent protests.

Banks, junctions and important buildings previously guarded by the police and state security were left abandoned on Saturday and civilians have quickly stepped in to fill the void.

"There is no police to be found anywhere," said Ghadeer, 23, from an upscale neighbourhood. "Doormen and young boys from their neighbourhoods are standing outside holding sticks, razors and other weapons to prevent people from coming in."

She added: "The community is working together to stop this and protect ourselves."

Police withdrew from the streets when the army was sent in to take over security in Cairo. Witnesses have since seen mobs storming supermarkets, commercial centres, banks, private property and government buildings in Cairo and elsewhere.

Egyptians have called for army intervention to bring back law and order. On Saturday, many protesters changed: "No to plundering and no to destruction."

Dozens of shops across Egypt have painted display windows white to hide contents and discourage looting. A cash machine was broken in an upscale neighbourhood, witnesses said.

"They are letting Egypt burn to the ground," said Inas Shafik, 35.

Several government buildings were set ablaze during days of protests against President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. They were often left to burn without the intervention of authorities.

LOOTING SPREADS

State television said army reinforcements were being sent to sites across Egypt to protect public and private property.

Islamic leaders have in the meantime called on people to join vigilante groups to protect their homes themselves. Yet, scenes of looting appeared to spread from upscale parts of Cairo to downtown and poorer areas as well.

"Our jobs are done and over. There are thugs everywhere, ransacking our shops," Saleh Salem, a shop owner in central Cairo. "Since the government is not doing it, we are sending down our boys to create human shields to fight the criminals."

Rumours were rife with reports of escaped convicts running through the streets. State television reported at least 60 rape cases during the unrest. It also reported that the country's cancer hospital for children had been stormed.

"They are torching down the prisons. Our lives and property are at risk. Get out of the way," one shopper shouted, echoing the anxieties of many as they raced to stock up at supermarkets.

Others stayed penned inside their homes for fear of what they said were marauding gangs in some areas. On Friday, looters broke into the Egyptian Museum and destroyed two pharaonic mummies, said Zahi Hawass, Egypt's top archaeologist. In walled-off estates on the outskirts of Cairo, private security locked down gates and refuse to let people in.

Gated communities have grown up in recent years in the desert outskirts of Cairo, often grouping expensive villas with open green spaces. Many, like Mohandiseen, are near slums.

"Mohandiseen is surrounded by several shantytowns whose residents have taken advantage of the security vacuum there and started looting private property and shops," said Mohyi Mahmoud, a shop-owner in Mohandiseen.

Ghadeer said: "The looters want to plunder and the government is washing its hands clean of any responsibility."

Ronnie Montrose
Town Without Pity

Silence from American Muslims

 

Pakistani civil society activists protest in Lahore against the killing of late Punjab Governer Salman Taseer. (Arif Ali/ AFP/ Getty Images)

AMID THE uproar earlier this month over the assassination of Salmaan Taseer, the secularist governor of the Pakistani province of Punjab, Muslim-American organizations have been largely silent. At a time when mainstream Muslim leaders have been trying to demonstrate their embrace of religious tolerance and pluralism to their fellow Americans, few have had a word to say about this People’s Party leader whose denunciation of Pakistan’s draconian blasphemy law led to his death at the hands of a Muslim zealot — a zealot who has since been celebrated by fundamentalists around the globe.

The most notable silence is on the part of the Islamic Circle of North America. Operating in this country for about 40 years, this organization has ideological ties to the Jamaat-e-Islami, one of Pakistan’s main Islamist political parties. The Jamaat explained away the assassination of Taseer on the grounds that it could have been avoided if the government had simply removed him from office. Though the Islamic Circle of North America does not necessarily take orders from its Pakistani parent, it appears unwilling to challenge the views of its overwhelmingly immigrant membership from Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh — many of whom seem to have little sympathy for the slain politician’s secularist views.

Nor is this the first instance of such silence. Last May, when the Pakistani Taliban slaughtered 93 members of a persecuted Muslim sect, the Ahmadiyya, the Islamic Circle of North America held its annual convention in Hartford. Speakers continually reminded the several thousand attendees that “Islam is a religion of peace,’’ yet one of us in attendance heard not a word about the killings all weekend. Other Muslim-American organizations, none of which has such direct and exclusive ties to Pakistan and the region, had even less excuse for their silence.

While Muslim-American leaders are constantly reminding their followers to exercise their rights as Americans, they also embrace the view that Muslims here are part of the worldwide community of fellow believers — the ummah. As such, these organizations are riven by numberless fissures that run along linguistic, ethnic, racial, and doctrinal lines. Their leaders are preoccupied with not saying or doing anything that would cause such fissures to develop into major ruptures.

So while many Muslim-Americans may abhor what happened in Pakistan, others may agree with friends and relatives back home that Taseer’s killing was justified, or at least to be tolerated. In between are Muslims who are conflicted about such events but who get little guidance from leaders who seem to lack either the wisdom or the courage to speak with moral clarity. Some of these leaders are not the pluralists they claim to be. Others have simply grown accustomed to avoiding the difficult choices facing them and instead, especially since 9/11, would rather mobilize and unify their fractious members by pointing to a common enemy — whether it is the FBI, the Patriot Act, or Islamophobes.

The situation is not hopeless, however. It is certainly noteworthy that all the leaders and organizations that have been silent about Taseer’s assassination have been equally vocal and explicit in their denunciation of the slaughter of Coptic Christians in Egypt on Jan. 1. They clearly understood that the killing of Christians by Muslims is not something about which they could remain silent. Now these leaders must confront the reality that in contemporary America, genuine religious pluralism requires them to be just as outraged when Muslims kill Muslims.

In the name of Muslim unity, many Muslim-American leaders and organizations have been less than coherent when it comes to violent extremism. As a result, they have confused their members as to what true religious toleration and pluralism require, and consequently feed the very suspicions of those inclined to doubt the possibility of Muslims fully assimilating to the American way of life. This is a profound disservice to the many Muslim-Americans who are doing just that.

Peter Skerry is professor of political science at Boston College and nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Gary Schmitt is resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas Closely Collaborating in Egypt UPDATE: CAIR, CODE PINK Also in Egypt

Hamas is the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza. And they are working with the MB in Egypt. This is not surprising but it is catastrophic. Worse is media outlets running commentary from the Muslim Brotherhood organizations in America, like CAIR earlier today on FOX news. The MB's stated goal in the West, according to an internal captured document entered into evidence in the largest Hamas funding trial in US history, "is to eliminate and destroy Western civilization from within."

"We want freedom for the hijab, the niqab and the beard": Islamic supremacists demonstrate in Tunisia

A direct challenge to the secular character of the Tunisian state. "Tunisia security forces chase Islamist protesters: 'We want freedom for the hijab ... and the beard,'" ... 

AND THE REST OF SHARIA LAW, WE CAN BE QUITE SURE.

Click on the title to get the whole story over at Jihad Watch.

Muslim Brotherhood: Arabs will topple leaders allied with the United States...

BUSH DEMOCRACY POLICIES HELPED BRING ISLAMIST DICTATORSHIPS TO GAZA AND LEBANON. IS EGYPT NEXT?

From the Astute Bloggers:

The Bush administration forced the Palestinian Authority to allow Hamas to participate in the electoral process. That was a big mistake. Hamas is not a political party. It is a terrorist army that has never hesitated to use its armed force to achieve its Islamist ends.

The same thing is happening in Lebanon. Hezbollah is not a political party, it is an armed insurrectionist gang of terrorists. To allow Hezbollah and Syria to seize control of the Lebanese government is a tragedy.

The same thing is happening in Egypt. Under the pretense of seeking more democracy, armed Islamist terrorists are moving towards a coup d'etat that will put them in control of the most populous Arab country.

Remember: it was the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood that spawned Zawahiri and the other masterminds of Al Qaeda.

Egypt in Flames (Update/Bumped: Mubarak Speaks, I'm Staying -- Let the Violence Begin!) (update: Army sides with Protestors, Police Vanish, Mubarak Finished) (Update: Mubarak swears in Intel Chief Soliman(Suleiman) as VP)

Egypt in Flames (Update/Bumped: Mubarak Speaks, I'm Staying -- Let the Violence Begin!) (update: Army sides with Protestors, Police Vanish, Mubarak Finished) (Update: Mubarak swears in Intel Chief Soliman(Suleiman) as VP)

Click on the title to get the story at Jawa.

Is SEIU Working With Hamas And FARC?

From Big Government:

Prominent current and former members of SEIU local 73 are being investigated for their potential ties to the Hamas and FARC terrorist groups.
Late last year, their homes were raided by the FBI, and they were subpoenaed to appear in front of a grand jury for questioning.
Joe Iosbaker, Chief Steward of SEIU 73, and Tom Burke (former board member of SEIU 73) are among 9 people who are subjects in the investigation. None of them have been charged with any crimes, yet.
Two days ago, they refused again to appear in front of the grand jury.
The interesting thing about these SEIU folks is that they also belong to a violently radical group called the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. From their website:

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) is a revolutionary socialist and Marxist-Leninist organization in the United States.
1) We stand for the right to self-determination up to and including secession for the African American nation in the Black Belt South.
While rejecting Zionist claims on Palestine and white supremacist claims to a white southern nation or northwestern nation, we do acknowledge the fact that the most advanced sections of the Black liberation movement, from the 1800s on, have demanded a Black Republic in the South.

It gets worse from there.

This is the same group who, along with the other subjects of the FBI investigation, takes credit for staging the 2008 RNC protest-riots.
Shockingly, SEIU leadership is supporting their accused members, and the chosen strategy of not cooperating with law enforcement.

Click on the title above to read the whole thing.
 

If you saw the National Democratic Party HQ looking like this, WHAT WOULD YOU THINK?

The national office of Egypt’s ruling party this morning.

This is not just some protest.

IMHO, tactically, either Mubarak has the support of the Army which WILL FIRE on the protestors en masse, or he is gone

Strategically, if the stories of the USA training certain protesters how to organize and change the govt (via the internet) are true, WE HAD BETTER BE READY TO GO ALL THE WAY against those who will act against these people LATER, FOR SURE.

Here is what the left thinks of the Muslim Brotherhood.

In terms of peace in the Middle East, of course HAMAS IS the Muslim Brotherhood.

In terms of the goal of the Muslim Brotherhood, it is SHARIAH.

Al Ahzar is to their ‘left’.

THIS is Barack Obama’s test in foreign affairs.

Does the American admin. believe that the plurality to majority of people in Egypt want democratic freedoms but not Islamist govt, and will resist the Muslim Brotherhood (which they think is not totalitarian, anyway)?

Based on what? Where? On what historical back ground?

This conundrum is not the fault of the Obama Admin. This choice was made at the time of the Camp David Agreement, and reinforced by every admin since.

When Washington admonished to avoid foreign entanglements THIS is what he was talking about.

I will say again… if the USA wants to be ‘on the side of the angels’ we had better be prepared to GO ALL THE WAY to defend a democratic result of the revolt.

ALL THE WAY.

IRAQ

"W", neocons, you out there?

Egypt protests: America's secret backing for rebel leaders behind uprising

The American government secretly backed leading figures behind the Egyptian uprising who have been planning “regime change” for the past three years, The Daily Telegraph has learned. 

 

Jawa:

EDL Leader Assaulted by Armed "Asian" with Shotgun

Logan's Warning is calling it an "assassination attempt". Contrary to early reports, no shots were fired.

The man said to have carried out the assault is described as an "Asian", which is what the Brits call Pakistanis or Indians. Given that the assault was: a) at the EDL leader's house; b) began with the assailant throwing something at the house in an effort to draw him out, this seems to indicate that this was a deliberate attack and not some random act of violence or failed home invasion.

In fact, it sounds to me more like an attempt to scare the EDL leader into backing off. Which in my mind is an act of terrorism very much along the lines of the terror tactics used by the KKK in trying to suppress desegregationist sentiment.

The BBC, though, is calling it simply "an attack":

Officers were called to Kevin Carroll's home in Bolingbroke Road, Luton, late on Thursday after reports an object was thrown against the window of the house.

Mr Carroll said he went to investigate and saw a man who appeared to be holding a shotgun. No shots were fired.

Logan's Warning has the audio of a BBC interview with the EDL leader here.

Also, given that the assailant had a sawed off shotgun, what does this say about gun control laws in the UK?

Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Paco De Lucia
Fantasia Suite

Blogger Sandmonkey is in Egypt tweeting updates as possible and at no small risk to himself. You can follow it here

EGYPT

As bad as Mubarak may be, he's the devil we know. The one waiting in these fires may be far worse.

Cairo Is A War Zone
Egyptian Plane Makes Unscheduled Landing in Athens

Police Joining Protests

ElBaradei Under House Arrest

It's Not About Religion

Oil To Skyrocket

In Pictures

Gibbs is on right now. Lots of umms, hmms, uh.

Clearly our administration has no idea what the fuck to say or do. And where is Obama himself?

Fox reports Egyptian protesters storming state TV and Foreign Ministry

Why do I think the result, no matter what it is, will not mimic Jefferson et al?

A number of police members removed their suits and joined protests against the regime, according to Al Arabiya.

The crowd threw stones at police lines and shouted slogans against President Hosni Mubarak, 82, and his son, Gamal, 47, who many Egyptian believe is being groomed for future office.

Iranian Media Hail Egypt ‘Revolution’

Media in the Arab world are generally reporting cautiously on the protests rocking Egypt following the shakeup in Tunisia, but those in Iran are giving the turmoil prominent, almost gleeful, coverage.

Sunni Egypt, viewed as the leader of the Arab world, and Shi’ite Iran are longstanding rivals.

Iranian outlets, especially those linked to the government and establishment, are using terms like “revolution” and “uprising” to describe the protests, painting the demonstrators as heroic and giving headline treatment to voices predicting the downfall of President Hosni Mubarak.

The approach is in sharp contrast to their treatment of Iran’s own political upheaval following disputed presidential elections 18 months ago

Which the US went out of it’s way to stay out of.

Whatever the right move is doesn’t matter because the Obama admin is a paralyzed Hamlet party, afraid to even soliloquize