Women in the Public Eye

Geraldine Ferraro passed away over the weekend. She will be remembered not only as the first woman to break the Men's Club of America's National Politics. She will also be remembered as a lifelong fighter for social justice, women's rights, children's rights, and an advocate of Human Rights around the world. Sadly, after a 12 year bout with multiple myeloma - a terrible form of blood cancer, Mrs. Ferraro died on March 26, 2011.

Even President Obama, whom she opposed in favor of Hillary Clinton for the 2008 Democratic National Convention Nomination, praised Mrs. Ferraro as a "trailblazer" whose life of civic duty and breaking through glass ceilings would make the lives of his own daughters, Sasha and Malia, a more equal one in the United States of America.

Meanwhile, in the Middle East, mistreatment, harassment, abuse, and even rape all remain part of the reality of politics, protest, civic unrest, and war.

On Saturday, March 26, 2011, in Tripoli, Libya, a woman who said her name is Eman al-Obeidy from the rebel-held town of Benghazi, burst into the international hotel where journalists and other world wide media representatives are being hosted by the government of Muamar Gaddafi, to tell her story of abuse, beatings, and rape at the hands of Gadafi loyalists. She figured that it was the only place she could tell her story where anyone of consequence might hear it. As she yelled and screamed of her horrible mistreatment, Gadhafi minders rushed her, in full sight of the onlooking media, using brute force (by both men and women) to silence her, break the CNN videographer's camera, put a bag over her head, and forcefully lead her out of the hotel and into a car, whereafter she was driven to jail. When pressed for information by reporters on the scene, the Libyan government spokesman (the Deputy Foreign Minister) said she was insane and was taken into custody and was safe. Later when the reporters asked to be taken to her to see that she was indeed safe, the Libyan government spokesman said she is actually not insane and was jailed and that she may be seen again in a few days. Following that, the government spokesman said she was being offered legal aid, and would even be able to bring charges against her accused attackers. All the same, the fact that she was the first person to speak out against Gaddafi's forces in the heart of Tripoli since the anti-Gaddafi protests were quashed in Tripoli some weeks ago, says a great deal about the Libyan propaganda's machine and the ends to which it will go to silence any voice that dares speak against Ghaddafi. Furthermore, the fact that an alleged rape victim was so brutally manhandled by men and women loyal to Khadafi, says a great deal more about how women are treated - or mistreated - in that North African desert fiefdom.

In Egypt, where relatively peaceful protests in Tahrir Square led to the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak after 18 days of protests in the heart of Cairo, a story has broken about the mistreatment and abuse of women who joined the sea of protestors. Reports that dozens of women -- local Egyptians as well as foreign journalists like CBS correspondent Lara Logan, were harassed, sexually assaulted, and in many cases taken away to police detention centers in the Egypt Museum complex, where they were questioned, beaten, electrocuted, tortured, threatened with charges of prostitution, stripped, probed, photographed, and all in plain sight of strange men, continues to raise questions about gender inequality in the heart of Araby. The detained women were subject to "virgin tests" to determine whether or not they had had sex. At least one woman who was "tested" by a male physician was determined to have had sex even though she said she had not. She was then charged with prostitution. Other detained women protestors were charged with public disturbance, destroying public property, and other trumped up charges, all in an obvious attempt to silence their outrage at the Mubarak regime and its political corruptness.

The Middle East may indeed be in the middle of an historic revolution. However, until all people in Araby are treated with equal respect, men, women and children living in those countries will not be able to live in peace, because their own leaders are tormenting them with unabashed barbarism.

This leads me to the point of this post, which is really a question: Who will be the Geraldine Ferraro of Araby?

I for one hope she will come to light as soon as possible, and that women's rights are fully established and respected across the Arab nations.

To quote John Lennon, "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope some day you'll join us, and the world will be as one."

Top Ten Reasons Why Egypt will not be the next Iran

Pictured: Anti-Mubarak protesters in Tahrir Square, Friday, February 12, 2011.

10) Egypt does not want to lose its $1.5 Billion per year in foreign aid from the United States.
9) Egypt does not want to endanger the wellbeing of its own people, risking the recovery of $3.6 Billion from Mubarak assets held in Swiss coffers (or the $40 - $70 Billion suspected total of Mubarak's family assets).
8) Egypt wants to feed its own people. They will get the assistance they seek from allies, notably the United States, as long as they remain peaceful and on a path to institutionalized democracy.
7) Egypt can not afford to risk a conflict with its neighbors, especially Israel.
6) Egypt's revolutionaries used mostly peaceful tactics to remove Mubarak from power.
5) Egypt's people did not fight the army.
4) Egypt's army did not fight against the Egyptian people.
3) The revolutionaries did not march a religious leader to power by force. Aside from the religious factions, the only veils Egyptians like to see are the ones worn by belly dancers.
2) Egyptians are all demanding what everyone wants: Greater freedom, respect for human rights, peace and democracy. That, of course, includes uninterrupted Internet and Telecom services.

... and the number 1 reason why Egypt will not be the next Iran:

1) Egypt wishes to remain a Tourist hot spot. ($11 Billion in annual revenues can't be bad).

When the Man Comes Around

Mubarak stepped down. After appearing thick and not cognizant of reality following his last speech on Thursday night, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak has left office. Power to the People.

Egypt is enjoying their Berlin Wall moment. Theirs, Tahrir Square, Liberation Square, is emblematic of the peaceful nature of this historical, peaceful, democratic revolution.

Let it be remembered that when the arms went up in Cairo, they did so without charging the halls of power. They promised peace as the path to democracy, and they delivered a revolution peacefully. They are the proud people of Egypt.

Yes, there were scuffles, fights, even some shootings. All of this does not change the fact that most of the violence was orchestrated or stirred up by the powers that be. The people who stood up for freedom and democracy drove their efforts without active malice. For that, they are to be commended.

Let their peaceful, democratic path lead them to a brighter, freer tomorrow.

# # #

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9IfHDi-2EA&feature=fvsr - When the Man Comes Around (Johnny Cash)

Unhelpful fools making Egypt situation worse

Muslims against Mubarak use Anti-Semitic propaganda to advance Islamist cause

pictured: Malaysian protester outside the Egyptian embassy in Kuala Lumpur

Israel's government has wisely stated that the peace accords between Egypt and Israel are in the interests of both countries, and that the 30+ years of the peace have benefited both nations.

Unfortunately, Israel also spoke too strongly in defense of the Mubarak regime, which, like it or not, is an authoritarian government, which has maintained power through unjust practices.

Yes, Hosni Mubarak has helped to maintain the status quo in the region, and even gone after terrorists who wish to destabilize the Middle East, and fundamentalist Islamists who wish to impose Sharia Law over Egypt. All the same, he is an unpopular ruler who has prevented any real democracy from taking hold in his own nation. On top of that, the World Bank has reported that 40% of Egyptians live in poverty ($2 a day or less) and are uneducated, and Mubarak has done little to help improve that situation.

Now the protests are gaining international support in places like Malaysia and in other Muslim communities around the world. The problem with that is the supporters of the protests will start to become more fundamentalist as the popular revolt grows, and they will support more fanatic opposition groups like the Muslim Brotherhood to replace the Mubarak regime, leaving moderate opponents like Mohamad El-Baradei dangling by the wayside, and ultimately politically incapable of taking charge to establish a better Egypt.

If the Egyptians wish to attain a better situation, it would be in their interest to:

a) Recognize and support the more moderate voices of opposition, and

b) Maintain the peace with Israel, and

c) Keep the region stable with a strong and peaceful political platform.

As for Israel, the government in Jerusalem should voice support for any peaceful government the people of Egypt choose, and especially one that maintains the Camp David Peace Accords of 1978. Aside from that, Israel should stay out of the way, diplomatically, and not interfere with the crisis in Cairo. Any public position that prefers one side over the other will ultimately hurt Israel, as Islamists will use it to criticize the peace accords.

Hosni Mubarak - Hoisted by his own petard

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak has gone on the air to announce reforms, a shuffling of puppets in his government, and to declare that he will not resign.

pictured: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak

He did so in response to the sea of Egyptians who took to the streets of Cairo, Alexandria, and scores of other cities across the nation of the Nile, over their discontent with his 30+ years of nearly dictatorial rule over the most populous Arab nation.

Mubarak's reign, the third longest in Egyptian history, might not have faced this popular revolution, were it not for his horrible mismanagement as head of state.

From the moment he stepped in to fill Anwar Sadat's shoes, his presidency was guided by fear of Muslim extremists, financial difficulty, and a population who sought to improve their relatively poor standards of living.

Of course, one can not blame all of Egypt's problems on Hosni Mubarak. After all, presidents -- even those who sit in power unfairly and for far too long -- are not the whole of a country. On the other hand, he is responsible for increasing the nepotism, corruption, and dishonest ways of his government's rule over the people of Egypt, during the last three decades.

Had Mubarak invested in political evolution, national infrastructure, education, healthcare, and increasing the standard of living of average Egyptians, he could have remained in office, without any such mass discontent and riots in the streets of Cairo. Instead, Hosni Mubarak invested in his army, his dictatorship, his way of maintaining the status quo.

To be sure, he has held a strong line against the Islamic extremists. However, he has done so at the expense of his nation's well-being. By making them the bogeyman, Mubarak has kept the middle class impotent, and has firmly resisted any real, legitimate political opposition, by even the most moderate of political actors in Egypt.

To his credit, President Mubarak has also maintained the peace with Israel, and at times even been helpful in trying to advance the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. Yet, he has always done so in a most calculating way, playing up the part of diplomat to the Western world, while playing up anti-Israel propaganda on state run Egyptian television and media, in an effort to demonstrate his sympathy for the Palestinians and giving the air of being a man of the people. In other words, he has used the unique position which Egypt enjoys to bolster his presidency, rather than to actually achieve further gains for peace in the Middle East.

If Mubarak wishes to survive politically, he must enact sweeping reforms, starting with human rights, democracy, freedom of expression, and investing in Egypt's infrastructure; roads, tunnels, bridges, hospitals, universities, high schools, elementary schools, agriculture, hi-tech, and other needs of a modern country. He must also open up elections and have them be free, open, accountable and fair.

Naturally, it goes against his massive ego to do any such thing. Mubarak will likely cling to power as long as he can, making gestures and speeches and trying to quell the protests using the Army and all forces at his disposal. That is the nature of despots -- even those who call themselves President.

Mubarak really should have read the tea-leaves in Tunisia better. His obtuseness and love of self so distorted his perception of his own people's anger towards his unjust rule, that he is now the popular symbol of the ills which plague Egypt, and nothing he does (including his fondness for dyeing his hair jet black) is likely to save him from a dishonorable exit. Nothing, that is, except resigning.

I'll bet a big pita that he won't resign. Rather, he will be forced out.

The situation will then leave a political vacuum. Who will take over once the current regime is out? Will it be the Muslim Brotherhood? Former IAEA Head Mohamad El-Baradei? I'm sure even George W. Bush would prefer that annoying bureaucrat to run the government in Cairo over the Islamist movement.

Time will let all the poisons slip out. Until then, and until the next ruler of the Nile ascends the political pyramids of Egypt, it's an interesting time in the history of the cradle of civilization.

Freedom is worth revolution

It is high time for the free world to stand in solidarity with the people of Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and all other nations who seek peaceful prosperity and just freedom.



Those brave enough to march and protest against the inequities of a dictatorial regime at the risk of their own safety, and have the courage to advance the rights of mankind, should be supported by free people everywhere.

As the world watches, leaders, opinion-makers, media and pundits are all pontificating on the possible outcomes of the current popular revolution sweeping across the Arab world. Meanwhile, the players who should be standing in support of the people of Araby, are once again failing to do so, resorting to classic strategies of supporting the status quo, fearful of the unknown and change.

America, which failed in 1979 to support the Iranians when they revolted against the Shah, ended up creating an enemy state ruled by religious dictates, and who continue to seek nuclear power, despite decades of embargoes, realpolitik, and a rhetorical war of attrition, through proxy states Afghanistan and Iraq.

Israel, which failed to support Palestinian freedom in Gaza after the Egypt-Israel peace accords, have since helped to create the Hamas, which now rules Gaza and stands as the main obstacle to peace between Palestinians and Israelis.

France, which has long enjoyed a special relationship with Egypt, is failing to stand up for the freedom and prosperity of Egypt's people, despite evidence that the Egyptians wish to enjoy the same Rights of Man which Napoleon granted to the French in the 19th Century CE.

Jordan, which is ruled by a Monarch who claims he is opening up his own government to more democracy, has failed to express open support for the people of Egypt, to enjoy the very freedoms which have been promised (and not delivered) to the people of the Hashemite Kingdom.

The reason scholars, academics, politicians, and MidEast analysts cling to for refusing to support the Arab Revolution of 2011 is: The Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood, founded in the 1920s in Egypt, has fomented such groups as Al-Qaida, which in turn have led to the Causus Belli of the current global War on Terror, whose catalyst was the infamous attacks of 9/11, led by Osama bin-Laden (UBL) and his gang of Islamist terrorists, including none other than Aiman al-Zawahari, who was a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood until he became UBL's deputy in al-Qaida.

If the free world desires to see a peaceful democracy established in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, and other Arab nations, they should embrace the current wave of popular protests.

America should enable satellites to transmit information to and from the nations in turmoil, send medical aid, food aid, and economic aid to trusted institutions which are accountable.

Israel should send a team of IDF medical experts to assist the wounded of the protests, as well as teams of Arab-speaking experts in the fields of education, economics and government, to help the people establish advanced methods of peaceful self-rule. They should also send power generators with wireless internet routers, capable of re-establishing Egypt's information link to the outside world. And this should all be done in support of the Egyptian People, with whom Israel has enjoyed a peace treaty since 1979.

France should send cultural advisors and Euros to assist existing NGOs and socially important institutions which will remain in place after the tear gas and fires have been put out, and the heavy lifting begins.

Jordan should declare that it recognizes these sweeping changes as a sign of the times; that the Arab nations are at a threshold in history, and that fear will not be their guide.

At Davos, Switzerland, the world's super-elite sit around on twist their thumbs and windbag their way through another exclusive meeting which will help the rich get richer, and do little or nothing for the impoverished and oppressed. What they ought to do is to interrupt their regularly scheduled chatterbox nonsense and bring global attention to the plight of those whose rights to freedom, human rights, economic opportunity and prosperity must be sustained by those who control the levers of financial, political and social power.

After all, the best way to move forward and strengthen the hand of peace, freedom and prosperity, is also the best way to defeat Islamist extremism, which in present day Araby is the most feared nemesis of these values.

Should the free and freer nations of the world fail to support the people of Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen at this crucial time, the repercussions will surely be damaging to international relations between those nations, and it will surely cause unhelpful drama in business, oil, and politics, quite possibly for many years to come.