Join me in Humanity

The truth about the uprisings in the Middle East is that no one knows what is going to happen. That is the most exciting part of it all. We can all have out hopes and dreams or cynical comments of what might happen, but the fact is we are living in a time that no one could have predicted, and no one should predict. Let the pieces fall into place, support love and struggle over violence and oppression, and wait. I know it feels like something must be done now, but we should understand that those in power wish to be “careful” about this because they have a lot of economic interests. Now I know that sounds economically determinist, but I defend it by looking at the facts. There is an enormous amount of money to be made on the addiction we so aggressively consume called oil. Those in political position are in debt to those in economic power to protect that interest, regardless of humanity. Sure, there may be a few oil execs that have a sliver of humanity and want the brutality to end in Libya. Yet, their main priority is to keep oil prices stable for them to manipulate, not a bunch of Muslim peasants. I had NPR on last night on my way home from work. NPR is supposedly a liberal radio station. They are moderate at best. The program I listened to outlined the effects these uprisings will have on the oil industry and the US economy. It was a disgusting discussion that sanitized a genocide into economic terms. Do I blame NPR? Partly. But I blame every American, every human being, that watches this and does not do anything. It is not hard to stand in front of a capitol building in the US and demand that your government takes action against a brutal dictator. We will not get shot at from helicopters. We actually have that right and we need to express it at least to force our government to give stern warnings and make statements to condemn our oil addiction and its leading to supporting disgusting dictators in the world.

Our “leaders” will not do it unless we demand they do it. That is really all we can do, but it is something we can easily do. I was at a rally for Libya yesterday and it was disheartening how small the turnout was. Especially since Austin has a sizable Arab community. But that shouldn't even matter. If you are human you should be outraged at what is going on. Everyone I speak to IS outraged, but why don't they rally? It's not like when people don't vote. I get why people don't vote. They see they have two choices that are both rich coccksuckers who do not give a shit about them. But to join a rally is so much easier. You come you speak your mind and you get to voice your anger. It's a lovely and therapeutic experience, especially if you are deeply disturbed by what is happening. No more living in fear and apathy. We need to rise up and demand an end to violence, an end to propaganda, an end to exploiting people for profit, an end to anti-intelligence , and an end to injustice and inequality. Please join me. I will be there no matter what. I will shout and rally and protest until humanity is cherished for what it is.

Egypt: An Inspiration for my Generation

As the Egyptian revolution enters its 17^th day, I'd like to take a moment and reflect on how big of a deal this will be to my generation. So far, this is the most inspirational global event that I have been around to experience. Although I struggle with the double edged sword of modern technology and getting lost in social networks, I see the internet here as absolutely good. It's well documented that the scope of this revolution has its roots in the internet. Many following the events may be familiar with the name Asmaa Mahfouz. On January 18^th she posted a video that inspired many young Egyptians to come out on the 25^th: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgjIgMdsEuk

Yet, Asmaa Mahfouz was not the sole source of the inspiration. In fact these protests were being organized for over a year on the internet, which was the safest place to conduct any ani-government plans in the Mubarak police state. Yes, this was in large part organized by the youth, but if you look at videos from the ground at Tahrir Square you see people of all ages, men, women, labor movements, Muslims and Christians united. Even today over 1,000 lawyers and doctors came out in support of the strikes and protests. (http://www.democracynow.org/2011/2/10/headlines#1) It is not just a bunch of angry young people who cannot find jobs. Many ignorant westerners are portraying this historic moment to be that way. Fortunately, they are wrong.

Mubarak's announcement that he will not resign, and the regime will be defiant against democracy seems to have ignited more anger among protests as well as more attention from the west. It seemed that the media was getting tired of this story as our oscillating government focused its attention on business interests in America. The Obama administration/Corporate owners of America need to face the fact that the Middle East is starting to embrace democracy and peacefully fight western dominance of their resources and propped up dictators. Main point here is that they are doing it in a rather sophisticated and peaceful fashion. This poses a threat to American power interests who use anti-American religious extremists as a convenient excuse to dominate middle eastern politics for our corporate and strategic purposes. But if the voice of Islamic extremism is drowned out by a more rational and inspirational youth movement, it will be increasingly more difficult for our government to justify our brutal foreign policies. That is why you see all of this talk of the Muslim Brotherhood, even though they are a small player in what is really happening in Egypt.

What I fear more than religious groups taking over Egypt (which I don't think will happen) is the prospect of the US installing another oppressive regime and ignoring the democratic energy that has fueled this unprecedented revolution. There is talk that Mubarak and Sueliman need to stay in power until September to keep the country stable. I don't understand that logic. First of all, how can we believe that these brutal torturers need to stay for stability, while they are the ones causing all of the violence and instability during these protests. Secondly, it is degrading to the people protesting who have kept Tahrir Square in good shape, cleaning up after Mubarak backed thugs tried to trash the place. It's insulting to the courageous people in Egypt, and it's insulting to the rest of our intelligence to claim that Egypt needs Mubarak's regime to stay a little while longer to maintain “stability.”