Arab Spring Turning Very Chilly

I wonder how the folks that supported the “Arab Spring”, like President Obama, feel now after dozens were killed earlier this week at last spring’s epicenter of the protests that forced Hosni Mubarak from power.

One week before Egypt’s much-anticipated parliamentary elections, the streets have turned to bedlam once again. The decision by the military, which has run the country since strongman Hosni Mubarak resigned in February, to crack down on the remnants of a massive protest on Friday have reignited large segments of the opposition – many of them young and jobless, and some wielding rocks – who have once again piled into Tahrir Square and its nearly environs, demanding the free and fair election they called for earlier this year.

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Since Sunday, more than 1,500 have reportedly been injured and dozens killed. (Source: The Daily Beast)

With the ongoing troubles in Syria, the election of pro-Islamist governments in Tunisia and Morocco, this whole Arab Spring has been a no win situation for the Obama Administration and for the America people. When you included Obama’s nearly open hostility towards Israel, I really think we are headed for trouble in the region.

Arab Spring has the Winter Chills

How about the whole “Arab Spring”? Back in January and February liberals were saying that the fall of Mubarak in Egypt would be a watershed moment in the Middle East. Peace would break out everywhere and the desert would suddenly be resplendent with wild flowers.

Into the vacuum has come the Muslim Brotherhood. And now comes the heavy hand of Islamic extremism.

Flames lit up downtown Cairo, where massive clashes raged Sunday, drawing Christians angry over a recent church attack, Muslim and Egyptian security forces. At least 24 people were killed and more than 200 injured in the worst sectarian violence since the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak in February.

The rioting lasted late into the night, bringing out a deployment of more than 1,000 security forces and armored vehicles to defend the state television building along the Nile, where the trouble began. The military clamped a curfew on the area until 7 a.m.

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At one point, an armored security van sped into the crowd, striking a half-dozen protesters and throwing some into the air. Protesters retaliated by setting fire to military vehicles, a bus and private cars, sending flames rising in the night sky.

After midnight, mobs roamed downtown streets, attacking cars they suspected had Christian passengers. In many areas, there was no visible police or army presence to confront or stop them. (Source: Yahoo News)

I find it interesting this story did not mention that most of those killed were Christians, many killed when the vehicle ran up on the sidewalk.

The Christian protesters said their demonstration began as a peaceful attempt to sit in at the television building. But then, they said, they came under stack by thugs in plainclothes who rained stones down on them and fired pellets.

“The protest was peaceful. We wanted to hold a sit-in, as usual,” said Essam Khalili, a protester wearing a white shirt with a cross on it. “Thugs attacked us and the military vehicle jumped over a sidewalk and ran over at least 20 people. I saw them.”

Wael Roufail, another protester, corroborated the account. “I saw the vehicle running over the protesters. They opened fire at us,” he said.

Khalili said protesters set fire to army vehicles when the saw them hitting the protesters.

Ahmed Yahia, a Muslim resident who lives near the TV building, said he saw the military vehicle plow into protesters. “I saw a man’s head split into two halves and a second body flattened when the armored vehicle ran over it. When some Muslims saw the blood they joined the Christians against the army,” he said. (Source: Yahoo News)

Anyone care to take a stab at who might be behind the plain clothes thugs? While no one comes and says it was the Muslim Brotherhood, it sounds like stuff they have done in the past. Who knows. But for the army to attack the Christians with complete disregard for life is inexcusable. I hope someone is held accountable, but I am not going to hold my breath.

Egypt Opens Gaza Border

Many folks who have not been enamored with the so-called Arab Spring and the takeover of Egypt by the Muslim Brotherhood have been concerned about how the new leadership in Egypt will treat Israel. Those concerns have been justified as proven by what has just recently happened. For the past several years, the border crossing from Egypt into Gaza has been tightly control. This has reduced the ability of the folks living in Gaza to travel. It has also reduced the amount of weaponry moving into Gaza through this border point. Now that the border has been opened I think we can expect the number and the level of attacks against Israel to increase significantly.

Misplaced Faith in the Arab Spring

For the past several months the left wing media has taken conservative bloggers and commentators to the woodshed whenever they have mentioned the possible troubles that loom in the future over the changes now going on the in Middle East. The leftist press has called it the “Arab Spring” and a democratic movement. No mentions made that the likely winner in all this change is going to be groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, who have vast organizations set up all over the Middle East, ready to take advantage of situations just like Egypt.

Muslim Brotherhood Makes It's Move in Egypt (Updated)

During the protest in Egypt, there was some minor concern, dismissed by the administration, that the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) might be playing a role. Some even mentioned concerns about MB’s role in Egyptian politics after the likely fall of Mubarak.  These concerns were also dismissed by the MSM and the administration as being afraid of the boogy-man.

Well, it seems that our concerns might have been with merit.  Due to 30+ years of oppression coming from the Egyptian government, there was no political party structure. Why organize a political party when the elections are rigged? However, the MB does have a structure in which they have been able to slowly move into the vacuum created by the fall of Mubarak and his government.

Israel and the Left (Part 1)

One thing that has always confused me over the years was the support of the Democratic Party by American Jews. Looking back, it seems to me the staunchest supporters of Israel’s right to exist has been the Republican Party, while the Democrats and their supporters have been negligent at best, and downright hostile at worst. (Mild disclaimer at the bottom of the post)

American leadership support for Israel has waxed and waned over the years, depending on who controlled the White House and/or Congress. I seem to recall that Presidents Reagan and Bush (I & II) we firm supporters of Israel as were Republican Congresses. Carter, Clinton, and now Barak Obama not so much. Republicans want to see a strong Israel to promote stability in the region, a region that is highly important to our national interests. Conservatives firmly believe in Israel’s right to exist in the region and we believe in their right to protect themselves.

Leftists and Progressives on the other hand seem to want to see Israel defeated and no longer be a viable country.  When you have the likes of Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn and organizations like Code Pink protesting the Israeli blockade of ships bringing “humanitarian” supplies into Palestine who also support the Democrat causes, it makes one wonder.  When the Obama appointed US Intelligence Directors says things like the Muslim Brotherhood is largely secular, it points to not having Israel’s best interest at heart. Yet the Jewish population in American continues to support Democratic politicians. In 2008 78% of the Jewish voters voted for Barak Obama, and John Kerry won 74% of the Jewish vote in 2004. I find this very interesting when you consider that some of the groups that vocally support Democrat candidates are also vocal supporters of Hamas, like Code Pink.

Who Will Fill the Vacuum?

So who will fill in the vacuum with Mubarak finally heeding calls to step down?  Will Egypt follow the example set by Turkey in the first half of the 20th Century and form a more secular government, with a Constitution that separates the rule of the state from the practice of religion?  Or will in follow the example of Iran, who in 1979 exiled the despotic Shah and replaced him with a despotic theocracy?

In the early half of the 20^th century the Ottoman Empire had essentially collapsed after WW I. While the Sultan of the Ottomans retained some power, a democratic movement was taking hold, with Kemal Ataturk as one of democracies leading proponents, actually resigning his commission in the Ottoman Army to basically lead the Independence movement.  In the early to mid 1920s Turkey emerged from the old Ottoman Empire as an independent secular nation whose constitution borrowed liberally from the constitutions of the nations across Europe. Until very recently, Turkey has been governed with little eye towards Islamic input on governance.

Mubarak Resigns (Who Comes Next?)

Mubarak has resigned as most of you probably already know. I haven’t blogged about this much due to the ever changing conditions in Egypt. Now that one major decision has been made, what happens next? VP Suleiman does take over, most likely backed by the respected military. But happens after that? Do we have an 1979 Iran on our hands and a mid ’00 Palistine with Hamas (Muslim Brotherhood)? Or do we have a Turkey from last century?

In 1979 a hated autocratic ruler was forced out, to be replaced by a democratic system that soon collapsed and allowed the Ayatollah to move in. Iran has been a hard line Theocracy ever since, exporting terrorism for 3+ decades. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood is the most and best organized group and this organization could be the difference maker. The MB even has some tacit approval from the Obama Administration, which is just a completely bad idea.  The MB dudes are bad news, and they have been quite clear on their intentions for both Israel and long range goals.

I'll provide more later.