tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316085735333046394.post4476953472594182701..comments2024-02-19T02:37:02.312-06:00Comments on Always Judged Guilty: Some contrarianism on Yemen protests; or: No, Daily Dish- not "NOW YEMEN?!?!"Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02490045924214723301noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316085735333046394.post-29688179928220701592011-01-29T10:29:54.735-06:002011-01-29T10:29:54.735-06:00Hi Brian, Glad to see you on this side of the fenc...Hi Brian, Glad to see you on this side of the fence. I take it as a rule to not bet against regular people seeking greater dignity, even when the odds are damn near impossible. Rarely, but sometimes, the impossible happens and leaves everyone gobsmacked. I also wouldn't worry about media making this the sensation of the moment. Quite the contrary, I would say that relative to the import of these events, and in comparison to the attention the Iranian protests received, this has been rather low on the American media radar. Just a sign of the confused hypocrisy of the American establishment. They're all on board when democratic change occurs in an enemy state, but don't know how to react when it happens in an American client dictatorship. You are largely right that the best we can do is stay out of it. The people on the streets don't want or need our help, perhaps just our moral support, if they even care to receive that. I imagine they have more pressing concerns on their mind than to think about what CNN or Clinton have to say about what's happening. They just need to not be hindered and to be left to their own destinies. C.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316085735333046394.post-76679698857831549842011-01-29T01:14:47.543-06:002011-01-29T01:14:47.543-06:00C- You are right, and I don't wish to be part...C- You are right, and I don't wish to be party-pooper. Far be it from me to be draped in that hideous caul. I suppose I am just worried that we are going to over-react, and in doing so push this amazing movement backwards. I am now totally on board with this, and I don't think this is the drink talking, though I am also not entirely discounting that. I don't think things will ever be the same. Maybe Mubarak and Ali Abdullah will survive, but the contract is rent- there is now a different idea. Even if they last, it will be in a degraded and tentative and grasping manner. So the US has to be on the right side of history. <br /><br />I guess I just don't want the media to make it the sensation of the day. THis is important- don't know if I would ay the most important moment since 9/11. I think it might be since way before that. I want the media, and blogs, to let this play out. We bloggers, and despite my lack of regular posting I consider myself one- want to make immediate decisions and react with our guts to anything. It is because I think we can affect things that I want to take a step back. I don't want to aid a potential lie, that these rebellions were brewed in foreign laboratories. And I know no one will point to this blog- or its 11 readers- but I don't think we should influence things. I think our contributions will be negative. Just sit back, comment, and urge the admin to do the same. <br /><br />But you are right: no damper. In that spirit, I am going to have yet another beer, and raise it to those insanely brave people, who want freedom more than I can imagine.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02490045924214723301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316085735333046394.post-4001134570242562232011-01-28T22:14:31.668-06:002011-01-28T22:14:31.668-06:00I get your point that everywhere is circumstantial...I get your point that everywhere is circumstantially different than everywhere else, however, in very important ways, everywhere is also the same as everywhere else. The desire for human dignity is a human universal, and while it may not necessarily result in the collapse of governments across the Middle East (since, granted, countries are different and some may have more 'bend' in their political systems than others in order to forestall a 'break'), current events will signal a major shift in Middle Eastern and global politics - the greatest perhaps since 9/11. Without the direct aid of their governments, of the West, or of theocrats, people across the Middle East are demanding greater freedom and opportunity. That is a powerful idea that can be very contagious and should not be discounted. Also, as far as the media role is concerned, I understand that in the excitement, one ought not to be unrealistic about the possibility of the status quo remaining largely intact, however, one should also try not to be - for lack of a better term - a party pooper. Fellow people seeking freedom from oppression need all the help they can get. Media and blogs do have the potential, whether intended or not, to influence what they are observing, so one in that role ought to try and not put a discouraging damper on things. Cheers, C.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316085735333046394.post-25777727326668249232011-01-27T15:22:40.373-06:002011-01-27T15:22:40.373-06:00corrupt governments and media fall
The People kn...corrupt governments and media fall <br />The People know 9/11 is full of liesnader paul kucinich gravel mckinneynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316085735333046394.post-76540374415521122302011-01-27T13:47:05.036-06:002011-01-27T13:47:05.036-06:00Virginia McCaskey as an Arab autocrat. I like it! ...Virginia McCaskey as an Arab autocrat. I like it! Combines two of my favorite topics of discussion.<br /><br />I do have a question, however. You compare 1989 to the recent Middle East protests and remind us we have to look at each country as different. While it is true that the events in each place in their respective decades were different, I think they are more than "emotively similar." The similarities cross political, social, and economic issues. There are different situations in each nation (in both examples) but similar underlying themes.oneilluiuchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06204549925120570006noreply@blogger.com