The Coming of a New Egypt
With family in Cairo and Alexandria, I am very well attuned to the goings on in Egypt at the current moment. After speaking with uncles and cousins via landlines (all other communication is shut down in Egypt) I have begun to understand the complexity and severity of the issue.
I have been asked by many people, why is this happening and what caused this? In response, this is an issue of a corrupt government. Close to half of Egyptians are living off less than $1 a day and the citizens simply expect basic human rights and their inalienable right to freedom. Despite the stereotype of the Middle East, religion has not played a part in the protests…yet.
All of this was compounded with the brutal police killing of Khaled Mohamed Said in June 2010. This killing of a man in his twenties ignited a spark against the government. What is more amazing about this, is the impact that Facebook has had in changing the environment in the Middle East. After the brutal killing of Said, a message on a Facebook page dedicated to Said talked about a protest that would happen on the national holiday celebrating the efforts of the police force in Egypt. The date was January 25, 2011. After hearing about the protest, Mubarak’s response surrounded the theme of ‘well let the children do what they wish’. Not knowing how upset the people were and how much of an issue for change this would become, the police force was unequipped which bolstered the protesters.
As of 6:00 pm EST on January 28, 2011, President Mubarak spoke to the people promising to remove his ministers but remained bold in his belief that he should stay in power. This will not happen. Protesters are upset with the Parliament in Egypt but they are more forceful with their words and actions as it relates to President Mubarak and his corruption.
What does this mean for Egypt going forward? Egyptians must make it known quickly that they want a moderate in power. If this does not happen then the Muslim Brotherhood will find itself in power, despite what others believe. Egyptians’ best choice at the present time is Mohammed ElBaradei, though seen as an outsider and unaware of Egyptians concerns; he gives Egypt the greatest opportunity to remain credible in the Middle East. Other names like Amr Moussa (former Minister of Foreign Affairs) have come to the surface as a potential replacement. However member of Mubarak’s ministry is an unlikely choice.
The protests right now are focused on all the right things: corruption, human rights, and freedom. If however, the Muslim Brotherhood gains power it would make this protest about religion. If this does happen, it is over for Egypt. What would that mean for the rest of the Middle East? With similar revolutions happening in Tunisia, Algiers, Jordan, and Yemen; what happens in Egypt will likely control how the citizens in other countries decide to elect their leaders.
If we look at the Israeli/Palestinian conflict as an example for how countries under this type of rule act, we see irrationality in foreign affairs. Fault is absolutely on both sides. However, many of the demands from the Palestinians are so dramatic that Israel has to deny them. They are dramatic because if there is peace there would not be a need for Hamas or the PLO. If these types of regimes take over the Middle East, you can expect the same irrationality (or rationality whichever way you think). Also, if this type of regime took over, what would happen to the economy of Egypt? Despite what others believe, Egypt is not as oil rich as their neighbors and a large portion of the economy is driven by the tourism of the history rich nation. However, if the Muslim Brotherhood takes over, you would see a decline in tourism revenue resulting in even greater poverty.
It is very crucial for Egyptians to continue to fight for the right things, freedom from an authoritarian and a corrupt government and human rights. It must be stated that in this fight, Egyptians must not lose sight of a better Egypt, an Egypt that is credible around the world and a beacon for true freedom for other Arabs to see.
Make the right decision Egyptians, the world is watching!
Taking Back Education–AFP Summit
Still blogging from the Americans for Prosperity Defending the American Dream Summit.
Isaac Morehouse with the Foundation for Economic Education says that to make a difference, we need to either shrink the Overton Window by narrowing the possibilities, or shift the Window entirely. This means that we must change the window of what is acceptable to voters, either by making the window of potential options smaller, or by changing the window altogether. To do this we must educate. We need an informed electorate.
In his book Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman points out that at the time of the American Founding, around 97% of Americans, male and female, were literate—which was even more astounding considering that in most nations at that time, reading was a privilege reserved for male aristocrats. Nearly everyone could read, and moreover, nearly everyone did. When Thomas Paine’s Common Sense came out, there was approximately one copy available for every three people on the American continent. Virtually everyone on the continent had read Common Sense. This is what it means to have an informed electorate.
This has to be our goal. This has to be our goal. We need to inform those around us, and not just for the short term. We need to plan ahead with this. The Left has been pretty effective with their long-term plans: see how they’ve almost completely conquered the field of academia. Even the conservative, Christian college I attended had a strong left-wing bent in certain fields, such as environmental science.
We need to take back education. And I don’t just mean in schools, although that’s important too, and we should all at least consider the possibility of someday becoming professors or professional schoolteachers. But more than that, we need to blog. We need to talk to our friends. Update our Facebooks with important information. We need to pass out flyers and invite our neighbors over for dinner to discuss the issues. This is the way we’re going to make a difference in the long-term: we’re going to have to change our culture. And that change will have to start with us.
Allie Winegar Duzett is the author of How to Save America: A Tactical Guide for Practical Patriots. Find her on Twitter for livetweeting of the event. Crossposting today at Rightosphere, TruePoliticsUSA, and Conservatives4Congress.
What Can Brown Do For You?
It hurts, I know. For the countless Conservatives and Tea Partiers who helped Scott Brown’s campaign make history, those who donated money from all around these United States (like the $348,000 spent by the Tea Party Express in California for a Scott Brown TV ad), those Republican operatives who boarded the buses here in DC and trekked northward into enemy territory to knock on doors: I cannot offer you and yours much comfort in my words. Actions speak louder than words, and Conservatives, Libertarians and Tea Partiers seem to be uniting for the first time this year due to Senator Brown’s recent actions.
It sucks; and nobody wanted to think this was going to be the case because as Glenn Beck said during his closing speech at CPAC, “it’s not enough for Republicans to just suck less than the other side.”
What led us to this unfortunate quandary was the Senator’s recent vote against the filibuster for Senator Harry Reid’s Jobs Bill. This will allow the Bill to reach a final vote in the Senate Wednesday. His actions earned him praise from Maryland Democrat and Representative Steny Hoyer, which is the equivalent of Dallas Cowboys picking up L.T. and having Dan Snyder applaud the move as “great.” It has also earned him some malicious scorn on his Facebook page and office phone lines; and a bit of criticism here at thelobbyist as well.
Sen. Brown was probably pacing back and forth with his home state sticking to his shoes before returning to DC for votes this week. He was probably taking a lot of information in about the problems facing Massachusetts, particularly unemployment which increased from 8.7% to 9.4% (November – December 2009), a considerable increase especially when compared to the rest of the United States. All the while, Massachusetts’ Unemployment Insurance benefits have dipped $41.9 million into the red.
I am not endorsing Senator Brown’s actions, nor am I even excusing them. It is imperative that the Republican Party experience an eureka moment where they do not treat people who are for limited domestic influence by federal government as the fringe. Can’t there be someone who can moderately explain why limited government involvement on the federal level is a good idea for the entire country? Isn’t this where Reagan reigned supreme? At the same time, can’t Tea Partiers, Conservatives and some Libertarians also come to accept that a Republican in Massachusetts will not be an exact replica of a Texas Republican, or a Carolina Republican?
I am just asking for everyone to hold tight I guess. I know we made Scott Brown into this last best hope, and I do not think that his voting in favor of this particular jobs bill shows us anything we really should not have already expected: Scott Brown is a Republican. Not a Tea Partier, not particularly Conservative, and certainly not a libertarian. Does this make him a RINO? No… he is still a Republican and can still help us keep the $1 Trillion government slow-roll take-over of healthcare. That means a lot more to me right now than the $14-40 Billion jobs bill. Let’s not burn our bridge just yet, and keep our eyes on the prize.
-rj
Haiti Relief Aid
Some of us here at thelobbyist were interested in helping spread the word about what all of us can do to help with relief aid.
You can also join the A Million Dollars For Haiti Facebook group created by dustin siggins and sponsored by thelobbyist here.
During Katrina and the Asian Tsunami disaster the top three supporters via money and teams on the ground were:
The Red Cross – Direct link to donation information.
The Salvation Army – This is their blog with constant updates on how to donate with links.
Baptist Global Response – This links to all resources and information for donations via the Southern Baptist Conventions Global Response Team. This was one of the first teams into Haiti out of Florida.
Faith Based Organizations
Samaritan’s Purse – Links straight to donation form.
Catholic Relief Services - This links to CRS’ front page blog with updated information for donations and action relief.
Compassion International – Information about the children of Haiti.
Other Organizations
——————————————————–
thelobbyist does not endorse donations to the U.S. government, the Haiti government, or the United Nations because of out flowing evidence this week that corrupt officials have been squandering and stealing resources sent to Haiti in recent months.
A Christmas Thought
During the course of the Christmas weekend the only thing that saturated the air more than warm Christmas blessings was perhaps the cold snow in many of the mid-western states. Online friends’ statuses capitulated Yuletide greetings on Facebook; but there was one status that you just looked at and could not help but feel a sense of awe.
God, with us.
Three simple words that reverberate in the breasts of Christians around the world. Providence gracing the world which He created, born of a virgin, and knowing ultimately that He will pay through material life, for the non-material salvation of mankind. How can you not be bewildered by such a premise, or completely awestruck by the ramifications of such a tale?
Of course, there are myriad people who are quick on the draw when it comes to the arguments over the level of “Pagan influence” in our modern Christmas celebration, or the fact that technically Christ was not born on the day during which we celebrate his birth. Let us not over complicate this current discussion by throwing all of these ingredients into the Christmas stew; but rather, it should behoove us to truly appreciate how all of these small contributions have helped to create what we understand as an almost universal meaning for Christmas. The reason why we celebrate Christmas is articulated so beautifully and concisely through the solemn whispering of those three words: God, with us.
Whether or not you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Zoroastrian, Deist or even atheist, it is important and proper for us to understand the significance of this celebration for Christians. God among man, of flesh and blood. Whether or not you believe that this was the case should be set aside, and for this moment in our lives we can reflect on the importance of such a man in history, or such a God among us.
Merry Christmas.
-rj
thelobbyist Is On Facebook!
Hi everyone, just wanted to let you know of our growing presence in other areas of social media.? We have started a fan site on Facebook.? We want to try to meet the needs of all our readers in whatever happens to be their favorite social platform to connect with other like minded individuals.
You can find us by clicking the Facebook logo on the right side of the homepage.? That will take you to our fan site.? You can sign in and join (or start a new) conversation about whatever is on your mind in the world of policy and politics!
-nick
