What is the big picture? What exactly is going on?

[Syrinx]

I don't like to sound ignorant, but to a large extent, I guess I am on the current events.

It seems like something really big is happening, but what it is (to me, anyway) isn't exactly clear.

Are we witnessing a mass-revolution in the greater mid-east, and the Islamic world? Or is it something that is likely to spread beyond those areas?

If it is a mid-east and Islamic phenomenon, is it an attempt to lead to a more free citizenry, or to a more theocratic ideal, like the Iranian revolution?

Or, if it is likely to spread, is there any chance that the West in general, and the U.S. in particular, will in any way follow suit?

Is the situation related to Wikileaks at all?

Is it only a coincidence that CNN recently dropped replays of Parker Spitzer and Anderson Cooper in favor of live news from CNN International (though the programming still seems mostly like fluff, but international fluff, damn it).

I know what is happening is very big. I'm just trying to understand if it is monumental or not. :shrug:

Don't hate me because I'm a dumbass. :)

[pinboy3niner]

1. Follow Catherina's live thread here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x290516

[Syrinx]

4. thanks for the link

[OneGrassRoot]

2. ...

I'm a member of Dumbass International, too.

:hug: for solidarity!

:)

Good questions. I'll be following for educated replies.


:hi:

[Syrinx]

5. thanks dumbass!

It was fun to type those words in a context that wasn't an insult!

:hi:

[OneGrassRoot]

6. LOL! :) n/t

[Manifestor_of_Light]

3. lots of us are trying to see the big picture

all those things you mentioned are relevant.

Twitter revolutions & wikileaks are related -- Tunisia fell, Egypt is working on it and several other Arab states are in revolt -- look for nadinbrzinski's threads to keep updated on that.

I don't know if the islamic revolutions are just secular young people or right wing islamic in nature.

Mohamed El Baradei has offered to run Egypt in the interim. He used to be the UN's chief weapons inspector, has a Nobel Peace Prize.

I think the Tea Party folks want to go back 150 years to the start of the Civil War and fight it all over again, because they can't stand that we have a smart, educated dignified half African president.

All that racism has flared up again and become acceptable. They want to destroy the Constitution as it is now. They don't believe in judicial review, in which case law can modify and strike down statute law. This has been the law in the United States since 1802, Marbury versus Madison.

[Syrinx]

7. thanks

I'm kinda hope the Iranians get back in the game. And good Americans could use a little rebellion against corporate tyranny, if I do say so myself. Not to minimize what the Egyptians are doing, of course.

[Le Taz Hot]

8. The way I see it . . .

These are localized Revolutions (Tunisia, now Egypt) against government corruptions and other grievances. It's historic in that by the fact that everything goes cyber these days and information is instant it could easily and quickly go global. Remember the protests in England a couple of months ago? My understanding is that other countries in the ME and Europe are getting nervous as this could spread and fast.

Catherine's posts have been riveting. The protests started a-fresh today. The Egyptian government called off prayers (in a Muslim country) for the afternoon. Apparently a few mosques were allowed to open wherein the clergy was urging their attendees NOT to protest. Will the protester heed to their religious leaders or will they defy them?

Meanwhile, they're shooting people using snipers, they're running over people with vehicles, they've shut off the internet and cell phone service.

Make no mistake. This is, most definitely, monumental.

[OneGrassRoot]

9. I saw that Yemen is having protests as well....

and Beirut is joining in solidarity with the Egypt protests.

It all seemed to start in Greece....then the UK student uprisings....now this.

Domino effect going on. It DOES feel monumental.

[xchrom]

10. these protests do have things in common with the european protests --

it'll be interesting to see if these come back round to europe.

[Le Taz Hot]

11. And to the U.S. ?

(Be still my beating heart!)

[BanzaiBonnie]

12. What if all (or most) Americans took to the streets?

I don't think it's gonna happen. But what would that look like?

I'm talking just peacefully walking out into your town or city streets and calling out ~ enough is enough. I'm speaking of peacefully calling for real change.

Just imagine what that would look like.

I think we'd have blackouts of news just as we've had for years. There have been gatherings of THOUSANDS where the media ignored events. But let three tea partiers get together and it gets press for days.

We do have social networking and could tweet and facebook an action by the people, but then Comcast would shut us down. I bet that would get people's panties in a twist. Then they might wake up.



In the meantime, my thoughts and prayers are with ALL the people of Egypt.

[OneGrassRoot]

13. +1000 :)

:hug:

Even an accidental shutdown of communication could wake people up here, to see how fragile we are...yet also how empowered we COULD be as a citizenry if we would wake up.

Wake up.

It's like America is under hypnosis. We need to WAKE UP.

[justiceischeap]

14. Almost makes one want to get a SAT phone in case of revolution

I think things would have to get REALLY bad in the US for demonstration's like we're seeing in Africa/Europe (let's not forget the UK students standing up for their education). Most Americans are too apathetic to face riot cops. Holding a sign and talking nonsense about place of birth, "death panels", tea bags, etc.

That said, I hope there's a ban on extended gun magazines before our revolution is televised, otherwise, we're screwn.