Egyptian Protests Escalating
Egyptian President Mubarak has ordered a curfew across Egypt tonight, after protesters battled police across the country. Protesters show no sign of letting up, despite police attacking them with tear gas and rubber bullets. Opposition leader and former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei is under house arrest.
The country took the unprecedented step of shutting down Internet Service Providers and cell phone service, but news is still getting out. Egypt’s Al-Masry Al-Youm is getting live coverage out. Al-Jazeera also has coverage, and is reporting that there are protests in Jordan against the ruling government. The Beeb is saying that one of its reporters was arrested, had his camera taken from him, and was beaten by police forces, that thousands of protesters have been arrested and at least eight people are dead.
And the New York Times cites Al-Jazeera as saying that the protests aren’t just in Cairo:
In Suez: people are demonstrating in front of mosques after the prayer and are chanting the same slogans they’ve been chanting the past few days.
In Sharqeya: no local phone calls only international and thousands demonstrating after prayer and clashing with security forces.
In Cairo: security closes down Tahrir Square and prevented Friday prayers in Omar Makram mosque downtown Cairo. Mohamed ElBaradei attends Friday prayer in an open air area with around 2,000 people. Clashes with protesters surrounding Mr. ElBaradei. Protesters in a mosque near the one Mr. ElBaradei prayed in called for ousting Mubarak.
Thousands protest in front of Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo.
In Menia: Thousands protest in front of the main mosque in Menia, one of the biggest cities in southern or Upper Egypt.
In Alexandria: Thousands protest in front of ElQaed Ibraheem mosque and clashes between protesters and police in the downtown.
Thousands protest in Mansoura.
Stay tuned.
UPDATE:
Al-Masry Al-Youm now reporting that protesters have set on fire the headquarters of the ruling National Democratic Party in Cairo.
UPDATE 2: Meanwhile, the Beeb is reporting that tens of thousands of citizens are protesting in Yemen today against the regime, its corruption, and the lack of jobs.
UPDATE 3: Mubarak calls out the Egyptian Army to restore order. As of this update, the protesters are welcoming the Army, which is relatively well-regarded in the country for staying out of politics. And so far the Army doesn’t appear to be knocking heads.
UPDATE 4: Post updated with more photos from the AP.
UPDATE 5:
Check out this photo of a protester greeting soldiers:
And this democratic revolution will be put down with American weapons and American “foreign aid” (more weapons). Awk-ward.
TJ: Justice Thomas failed to disclose more than $680,000 in his wife’s income from the Heritage Foundation.
CNN International is so retro. They actually present news.
@SanFranLefty: Ooh, can u impeach a judge on that court?
@SanFranLefty: To quote Steve Martin: “I forgot it was illegal.”
CNNi reports shooting in Cairo, but no police or military presence in Alexandria. (They have live video from a Cairo street.) Curfew went into effect 90 minutes ago, but it’s being ignored. Mubarak was also supposed to speak awhile back, but he hasn’t shown his 82-year-old mug yet.
@nojo: I just updated the post with the photo and story about NDP headquarters being set on fire. Mubarak won’t be speaking from there.
I imagine we’ll be updating this post for the next few hours…
@SanFranLefty: And bless you for Answering The Call.
He probably didn’t realize it was the law… it’s so complicated and, I mean, it’s not like he’s some kind of lawyer or anything.
al jaaeera is doing a live feed.
military seems to be siding with protesters. being welcomed and celebrated by them.
@Capt Howdy: CNNi — with cameras in Cairo and Alexandria, and a reporter in the latter — is reporting the same thing.
ADD: CNN also has a reporter in Cairo; confirming.
@Tommmcatt is with Karin Marie on This One: Supreme Court justices and lower court federal judges can be impeached the same way (indicted and prosecuted by House, trial and judgment in Senate) and on the same grounds (high crimes and misdemeanors) as the President. Article I of the Constitution spells it out.
So if lying about a blow job to a prosecutor is a high crime and misdemeanor, then lying about your wife’s income could arguably be so too, but only if they failed to report it to the IRS. Members of Congress “forget” to disclose income all the time on those financial disclosure reports, and just get slaps on the wrist. They just file an amended report.
@nojo: But what do the protesters think about Lindsey Lohan–is she too thin?
no fire fighters
no police
police building and vehicles on fire everywhere.
curfew not being enforced
@nojo:
I prefer Al Jazzera
@SanFranLefty: Let’s not forget that (In)Justice Thomas is the real victim here.
@Capt Howdy: Gray Lady has an interesting piece today about Al-Jazeera’s role in broadcasting these protests across the Middle East.
Mubarak will resign? right?
he is supposed to address the nation as any moment. which is why I ended up on Al Jazzera
@Capt Howdy: From what I’ve seen on the twitters this morning, you’re right. But for some reason, Cox Sandy Eggo doesn’t carry Al Jazeera. But as long as CNN sticks to their international feed, I’ll stay with it.
@nojo:
I am following it on their site.
@Capt Howdy: Works better for me if I can white-noise the news on the teevee and do chores on the laptop.
@nojo:
fascinating how social networking sites have influenced this.
finally justifying their existance
Here’s a piece with some fairly disgusting statements from an anonymous Israeli minister:
Israel Has Faith Mubarak Will Prevail
The money shot:
All well and good in the long run, according to the official, but Arab societies demand “a longer term democratization process,” one accompanied by education reforms that would encourage the election of moderates. “You can’t make it with elections, especially in the current situation where radical elements, especially Islamist groups, may exploit the situation,” he says. “It might take a generation or so. ”
I wasn’t aware that “electing people that other countries like that aren’t radical” was a prerequisite for democracy. If that’s the case, can we call a do-over on letting the former Confederacy vote for most of the last century?
I know it’s just a nomenclature thing, but I like the sound of “Ministry of Television”.
@nojo:
minus false religion shiny suites and big hair
No ID yet, but there’s a Phallic Civic Landmark in the background of one of CNN’s Cairo shots.
Tanks entering Cairo…
Flight out of Egypt: Entire Israeli embassy staff evacuated by helicopter, per CNN.
So, the broad story so far: The military is being welcomed by the protesters. The military is not the riot police, which everybody hates.
Obama’s on deck at 2pm ET. Gibbs wandering around the White House, complaining “But I’m a short-timer!”
@al2o3cr: Everything I’ve read so far has said this
Obama: Hosni who?
@SanFranLefty:
absolutely
thats how it seems.
mob headed for state television
now its getting interesting
Security Geek writes TPM:
Blocking the Internet may be seen in retrospect as the Ceausescu moment for the regime.
In grad school, I had a friend whose family came to the U.S. from the Ukraine in the late 1970s, when the USSR loosened travel restrictions on Jews. On one of my trips to SF to visit his family, his grandmother was glued to TV coverage of Ceausescu’s fall. She was born in Romania.
@nojo:
Im sure Hosni is hoping for a different ending
ruling party headquarters looted
Beeb:
Sultan al-Qassemi tweets: “Egyptian student shows Al Arabiya tear gas canister that says ‘Made in USA’. ‘How can we allow this in Egypt?'”
My response when I saw this: We still manufacture something in the USA? Well knock me down with a feather, I figured all weapons manufacturing had been outsourced to China.
@Capt Howdy: Speaking of different endings, let’s dive into the Wayback Machine:
On 6 October 1981, the month after the [El-Jihad] crackdown, Sadat was assassinated during the annual victory parade held in Cairo to celebrate Egypt’s crossing of the Suez Canal. A fatwā approving the assassination had been obtained from Omar Abdel-Rahman, a cleric later convicted in the US for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
No telling what Sadat would have done had he survived. But that’s the moment that gave us Mubarak. Who, if I vaguely recall contemporary coverage, was seen as something of a milquetoast.
@SanFranLefty: Rachel had that photo last night. Our hands are so, so dirty, but somehow we keep our eyes shielded from what we do in the world.
And speaking of Wayback Machines, everyone covering the story on CNNi — including the anchors — seems to know their shit. They even challenged a former U.S. ambassador on his spin. Fucking real news, how does it work?
Boner should offer to loan Mubarak some of our teabaggers; they could teach the rioters that the real problem is that the government isn’t being nice enough to businesses and/or is keeping wages too high.
Seriously – I can’t think of any other country in the world where rising inequality has produced a movement demanding *less* equality and *more* giveaways to the top 1%. Is it the teevee’s fault?
@nojo:
for anything other than the brain dead amurkan audience, it works.
@al2o3cr: @Capt Howdy: To revive a phrase I used during the Eighties: “Aggressive Ignorance”. Fox is filling a market need.
@nojo:
I had this argument yesterday on another blog. stupid people are not stupid because they watch stupid tv.
they watch stupid tv because they are stupid.
@Capt Howdy: Precisely.
Meanwhile, passing thought about U.S. coverage of international issues: We really don’t get a sense of how the Muslim world is not monolithic. There’s the Sunni-Shia split, of course, but each country has its own local regimes and local conditions. Treating them all as, well, them, doesn’t help understanding.
@nojo: dumFux Nooz has told us everything we need to know about the Mooslemoids, most importantly that there’s one hiding under every housewife’s bed in Dubuque, and they’re just itching to take their fingers off the reverse-pressure triggers on their explosive homicide-bomber vests as soon as Obamar gives the signal.
And how can the Egyptianauts be revolutionizing? We haven’t even invaded them (yet).
Mubarak statement hours late, White House briefing 45 minutes late — now “delayed indefinitely”. No news is interesting news.
That was quick. Who’s next on the Middle East dictatorship domino?
@Capt Howdy:
@¡Andrew!:
@nojo:
We in Canada City tend to get more furrin newz up here. Partially because many of us are furrin lookin. When I was in LA for the first time, I was so starved for newz that wasn’t related to Hollywood. I swear my brain atrophied from the televisual stupid.
@¡Andrew!: Hide your wife! Hide your kids!
Still can’t deal with this.
@JNOV: Buy Goldline (TM)!
@JNOV:
I think its amazing. people power at work.
lazy stupid amurkan slackers take a lesson.
@nojo:
if I was a Saudi royal I would be preparing plan B
@nojo:
AJ says he may not address. perhaps he thought better of threatening people.
I suspect his next address to egypt will be to the rear view mirror.
if he is lucky.
@Capt Howdy: Oh, I agree, and as I’ve said before, students were protesting in Tahrir Sq. when I was there in 8/2001. Yes, one month before 9/11.
I’m thinking about all the people I met — regular local, poor folks. Kind and generous folks, and people I cut ties with after 9/11 because I was afraid the FBI or whatever would be tracking my calls and emails.
So, I’m thinking about them. I’m worried about them. Most lived and worked right off the square, although some were from Giza and Abu Sir.
Oh, and here’s Jordan!
@Capt Howdy: I told my neighbor last night, who has family in the Iran-Turkey area, that the Saudis must be shitting their robes right now.
@ManchuCandidate: Your brain didn’t atrophy, we were just hollowing it out so that we can refill it with hot tub liberalism, pornography and filth.
CNN local correspondent: No sign of government in Cairo.
These folks aren’t trying to protect themselves from the water canons; they’re praying.
@¡Andrew!: That, and nuke popcorn.
Yeah, wow, this live coverage on Al Jazeera is great!
Take with a grain of salt: protesters set detention centers on fire and prisoners flee. Don’t know if they’re political prisoners.
@¡Andrew!: Heh. BTW, bought some rocking Egyptian gold jewelry. Too bad they were presents.
@karen marie has her eyes tight shut:
it is.
are you watching how its done cnn?
@¡Andrew!: Tell me you’ve seen Bed Intruder…
@nojo:
thank you for that mental image
like a cool breeze
@Capt Howdy: CNN is holding its own right now. This will change soon as Wolf enters the building.
@nojo: The UAE, too.
Does this mean we’re all going to walk like an Egyptian today?
Army might turn — was cheered by ppl in Suez.
@JNOV: Also in Cairo and Alexandria.
And heeeeeere’s Gibbs!
More buzz from Twitter:
Protester talks to Al Arabiya, says that Egyptians have stormed & looted the offices of corrupt NDP steel & iron tycoon Ahmed Ezz.
egytp air suspends all flights
if you aint out you aint leavin
Gibbs playing it close to vest so far — both sides must refrain from violence, government must address “legitimate grievances”, yadda yadda.
@nojo: Who popped him in the lip?
Obama hasn’t spoken to Mubarak b/c Mubarak is missing. Jeez.
@Capt Howdy: IIRC, the US Embassy is right of Tahrir Sq. Let’s see what happens there.
ADD: Interesting. Can’t get to US Embassy in Cairo’s website.
@JNOV: Yeah, but you can’t say that from the White House briefing room. When it comes down to it, you can’t say anything.
@nojo: True. And you can’t say, “Mubarak was last seen boarding his Learjet with Tutankhamen’s mask hidden under his jacket.”
@JNOV: Actually, the question from the floor should be: “Does the U.S. even know where Mubarak is right now?”
Meanwhilst, my FB news feed is totally empty. Muricans will care now that it’s personal.
@nojo:
i know i know
up shit creep without a paddle.
I have only one concern. my producers sister (completely non political) lives about three blocks from Mubarak in a gated enclave.
not the best place to be.
@Capt Howdy: Yikes. When was she last heard from?
@Capt Howdy: Is it an American enclave? If so, the Marines are there. Trust.
In other news, Charlie Sheen and Nelson Mandela have both left the hospital.
@nojo: Bet Charlie dies first.
Speaking of pants-shitting: President McCain.
@nojo:
Worse.
Preznit Palin.
@Capt Howdy: No, not allowed. Usually how it works is that US Merrikuns in that area have their own contained “bases” for civilians that work in the country. In some places, like Saudi Arabia, women have drivers when they want to leave the enclave cuz teh wimminz can’t drive, they have their own US schools, etc., all contained within Little America. Pretty self contained and VERY heavily guarded. Mubarak has a palace and wouldn’t set foot near the US enclave, except for parties. Trust.
@JNOV:
the producer just told me that. she is a pretty smart gal. I dont think she would get it confused so I dont know what the deal is. perhaps it is NOT an american enclave or perhaps the enclave itself is near his residence.
she and her family were there two weeks ago.
@Capt Howdy: It’s been my experience, and like I said, it’s been YEARS since I’ve been there, that unless the US Gov’t does something stupid now, the US Americans should be safe. The Marines are more badass than the baddest Blackrock killer. I’m worried, too, but I’m pretty sure the Egyptians know what side their bread is buttered on. My best wishes to her and to everyone everywhere.
Good analysis by a prof at University of San Francisco.
apparently state tv has been disrupted
Assuming Mubarak is on a plane out of there, where is he going to land? France? Switzerland? U.K.? Jordan? Saudi?
Was there any confirmation to yesterday’s account of his son jetting off to London?
@JNOV:
yeah
it seems to me the only way somthing bad would happen to them is by way of collateral damage.
@SanFranLefty: @Capt Howdy: Maybe he’ll stay with Joe Biden, who said on PBS last night that Mubarak had been a good ally, and he wouldn’t call him a dictator. Does anyone ever brief that guy?
@Capt Howdy: Ha!
Last thought, and then I have to lie down as Bene would say.
My best guess is that if US civilians under US protection are going to be evacuated, they will be escorted to Alexandria under heavy guard and will be put on Navy vessels in the Med. I’m sure there’s a carrier group on a Med Cruise there right now.
If I were a tourist in Cairo or Luxor, etc., I’d stay fucking put in my hotel. Even hole-in-the-wall hotels like The Lotus, where I stayed, have armed guards and decent security inside and out.
Cairo folks know that tourism is the thing that keeps them from starving, past terrorist attacks aside, so unless the US Gov’t pisses off the masses, tourists will probably be safe.
The first thing you’re supposed to do when you go to Cairo is let the US Embassy know where you’re staying and how long you’ll be there. (I didn’t, but I was stubborn and dumb.)
I’ll tell you about my mile-high club induction later tonight. It involves Cairo, a Marine and a bottle of vodka. What? You think I’d do that sober? Okay. I would.
Wow, thanks for the news coverage. I’ve been out of touch, so to speak, all day. Heading over to CNN International now.
@JNOV:
I dont get the impression these people have any interesting harming americans. at least so far.
@Capt Howdy: Right?!
@Capt Howdy: I’m clinging to that hope.
It’s 11 p.m. in Cairo. Do you know where your Hosni is?
CNN ad for ChristianMingle.com: Have a three-way with Jesus!
@nojo: Ha!
Another thing about Cairo and the surrounds, they stay up LATE. And with their kids up past 11. I guess because it’s cooler then. They wake up late, too. Shops open around 11 AMish. Could be a long night.
@JNOV: It’s also the equivalent of Saturday night. Party!
@nojo:
menage a trinity
@Capt Howdy: Naw. They wouldn’t let him. An “American enclave” isn’t like a gated community here — it’s more like a well-apportioned base, but he wouldn’t be allowed to live there, nor would he want to. Would they harbor him? I don’t know, and I don’t know if they’d have the right to do so.
It could be that she lives in a nice enclave that’s not protected by the US military. Either way, I’m thinking she’s gonna be okay.
HA
leader in Kuwait announces he intends to give several thousand bucks to every single Kuwaiti every months for the next several months.
@Capt Howdy: Oh, I’m sure that will work just fine.
@JNOV:
I call that getting out in front of the problem.
another great quote from AJ
“we dont want a belly dancer. we have had belly dancers.”
@JNOV: Like that place they shot up in the opening scene of “The Kingdom.”
@nojo: Or a Saturday Night Fish Fry.
Gun guys here are debating how this would be going if the Egyptian people were armed. One guy is all “that’s why we all haz gunz, to act as a bullwark against gummit repression.” Another self-professed ATF hater said back “don’t be an asshole. Some homie shoots at the army and they mow down thousands. Bad move.”
tj/ my local bank is getting taken over this afternoon. Might go over to watch the federales move in.
Reuters White House correspondent tweets:
“I strongly believe the Egyptian military has no role to play in resolving the present situation,” @senjohnmccain says in statement.
The way it’s looking right now, Psychogeezer may be dead wrong about that.
How is “Nile TV” getting that video out?
@Dodgerblue: According to CNN, Nile TV is the state-run telly. Apparently, and unlike Iran, it’s been covering the protests all day. Or at least showing video, since I haven’t heard any translations.
My favorite part is where Nile TV cuts to commercials.
@nojo:
well
at least now we know who Hosnis gonna bunk with.
according to AJ they have guns now having taken them from police vehicles and buildings
speaker of parliament to speak to the country soon.
not the president not the prime minister.
hmmmmmm
Oh fuck, it’s Wolf at the top of the hour. Well, competent U.S. news was fun while it lasted.
@nojo: First thing that struck me is the graphic of the Washington Monument against a blue sky. It’s cloudy and drizzlish here in DC.
official egypt news agency talking about how close the fire is to the museum
who besides me thinks they will torch it and try to blame the protesters?
Reuters is reporting that the speaker says the country is in Mubaraks safe hands speaker tells television.
problem?
he hasnt spoken yet.
sorry for the blog clogging but I have not been this psyched since 1969
I want to be there.
nile tv now saying Mubarak will speak
@Capt Howdy: Clog away. Moments like this, the comment thread becomes a newswire.
Hosni:
“these demonstrations could not have taken place without the freedoms I have given you.”
wow
Mubarak at the podium. He’s 82? Musta put shoe polish on his head.
This is not going to end well.
Government resigned; new government appointed tomorrow.
shorter Hosni:
last warning.
going to be a long night in egypt
I’m sure the Egyptianauts on the street won’t have any problem with the American gummit that’s been funding, arming and helping keep their dictator in power for the last three decades.
Especially now that they’re on the receiving end of American-made and American-supplied weapons. Bygones and all that.
Shorter Mubarak: “It’s not my fault!”
Funny, he didn’t fire himself. The Army may do that for him.
Public reaction: Not good.
@¡Andrew!: Somebody noted a surprising lack of American flags being torched today. That, of course, may change.
@Capt Howdy: 12:30 a.m. in Cairo. The night is young.
@nojo: Nile is also a death metal band.
So, I guess we wait for Same Shit Different Day.
Post updated to reflect a picture that the BBC was running of a protester greeting soldiers.
Also: How Governments Can Flip the Internet Switch. (H/T: Mr. Cynica). You techies around here should expand upon this topic.
@redmanlaw: Naw. I don’t look to Jamie Foxx movies for an accurate depiction of history.
Riyadh Compound: Saudi guards. Terrorist attacks (likely al Qaeda). So far (and hopefully, throughout this mess), Egypt’s uprising is civilian and encompasses diverse political, ethnic and religious groups. Common denominator — poverty. Now, if they start burning American flags, as nojo pointed out, things could change.
opposition leader:
Mubarak must go. the army must step in and save egypt.
@SanFranLefty: Dial up was still working for awhile, so some people were able to get out information last night. There was a list of Twitter users who still had access, and twitter and cell phone texts were used to organize protesters.
What alarmed me most was a CNN reporter’s tweet that the press was being censored. I don’t know how or why that ban was lifted.
@Capt Howdy: Mohamed ElBaradei? Is he still under house arrest?
@JNOV:
havent heard in a while. he was being kept in his house.
@JNOV:
that statement was not from him I think.
@Capt Howdy: Here’s the most recent article I could find about him.
ADD: I hope there aren’t unintended consequences of his damning (and deserved) indictment of the US.
@SanFranLefty: If you’ve set things up so the Internet routes through the government, or through the authority of the government, flipping the switch is trivially easy.
As noted, folks were still able to use an international dial-up number. But that’s only because the government kept the landlines live.
Obama on air at 6PM ET.
Needle-threading now in process…
So who wants to give the president an internet kill switch and why (the real reason)?
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/01/kill-switch-legislation/
Talk, talk, talk. But we just welcomed Hu Jintao, so yeah.
Al Jazeera analyst: “US talks out of both sides of its mouth.” Oh boy.
UN says: “ ‘Egypt needs to go through reform’ has been a US theme for years.”
Rally at the UN tomorrow.
Good point from Some Dude in DC: Communication blackout gives Egyptians nothing to do BUT TAKE TO THE STREETS!
An aide to the Homeland Security committee described the bill as one that does not mandate the shuttering of the entire internet. Instead, it would authorize the president to demand turning off access to so-called “critical infrastructure” where necessary.
Curious sourcing. Instead of relying on an “aide” or linking to a “white paper”, why not read the bill itself? Or, if the bill’s not yet available, why report the spin at all?
Mubarak’s answer to the protests is to fire everyone else in his government and stick around. Not getting the point, dude.
@SanFranLefty: Here, try these puppets!
@SanFranLefty: BadAstronmer said it best:
So Mubarak is staying but asking his government to leave. That’s like the Wicked Witch asking the flying monkeys to find a new castle.
Sen. Kerry pontificating on CNN.
Rumor: People in affluent Maadi (south of Cairo and home to many expats) defying curfew and driving to Tahrir Sq. Someone supposedly shot.
Sunnyvale, CA company supposedly sold DPI equipment to Egypt, equipment used in the internet and cell phone blackout.
Richard Engel @ MSNBC reporting that the gov’t turned the internet back on.
@TJ/ Jamie Sommers /TJ: Oh, I lurve him, but it took him long enough to get there!
@SanFranLefty: I saw a documentary on Islamic punk rock by some gringo who hung with the homies back home and on a bus tour of Down With USA (didn’t read your linque which was busted but it could be the same guy) . Scandal ensued when one of the punk bands took the stage with (*gasp*) a female singer. The organizers were not amused and tossed the band out of the venue. Scarf wearing conservative females in the audience were also offended.
@redmanlaw: Whoops, linque fixed. And I just noticed some typos in my post.
/redfaced grammarian off to clean up mistakes
Rumor: Approx. 100 people protesting in Mohandessin (Giza neighborhood).
Reuters: And they’re back in Tahrir Sq.
Great pic.
@JNOV: Did you see the next picture?
Volcanic lightning or a dirty thunderstorm is seen above Shinmoedake peak as it erupts, between Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures, in this photo taken from Kirishima city and released by Minami-Nippon Shimbun January 28, 2011. Ash and rocks fell across a wide swathe of southern Japan straddling the prefectures of Miyazaki and Kagoshima on Thursday, as one of Mount Kirishima’s many calderas erupted, prompting authorities to raise alert levels and call on for an evacuation of all residents within a 2 km (1.2 miles) radius of the volcano.
Ouch!
MOAR: Wow. I didn’t know about this (3rd to last photo):
A Pakistani court on Friday ruled that a U.S. consulate employee would remain in police custody for six days for interrogation, after he was accused of killing two men in a shootout in the eastern city of Lahore on Thursday.
@Dodgerblue: Someone should give him a sugar cube.
Where do we send submissions for idiotic lawmaker of the week? Though they’re making it hard to choose this week.
Wait. Eliot Spitzer has a show on CNN? What does he bring to the party, other than, well, you know.
@nojo: Can they cut off satellite feeds, too? Al Jazeera Egypt has been blocked, but they were scrolling their sat coordinates.
@karen marie has her eyes tight shut: No, I just saw the first one. I’ve been tweeting like a mofo after I finally got the satellite coordinates for Al Jazeera Egypt which were scrolling a light speed on AJ English. Not sure how many Egyptians speak traditional Arabic, but AJ Egypt also broadcasts in Maṣri. I am pooped.
It’s the end of the world as we know it. No Doubt.
live al jazeera here: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/01/al-jazeera/
@blogenfreude: Al J was liveblogging, but that link was removed.
Now have info on HAM radio and dial up (thanks, Anonymous), but have the landlines been restored?
Mubarak is just going to have to cut the power at some point. I’ve never seen so many ordinary people all over the globe unified over a govt blackout and censorship. Amazing.
So wait — did I miss something when my browser crashed? Al Jazz is no longer broadcasting out of Egypt?
Al Jazeera points out that the tear gas canisters lobbed at protesters say “Made in USA” on them …
@JNOV: OMG, I’m totally bookmarking the Reuters link of the best photos of the week. Great pictures.
And yes, you’re right that at this rate he’s going to have to yank the plug. Which would create a massive shitstorm that would destroy the country.
Who punched John Kerry?
@karen marie has her eyes tight shut: To his credit, Deputy Dog is speaking reasonably succinctly.
@karen marie has her eyes tight shut: Me, after I punched Gore.
@SanFranLefty: Yeah. Engel (my Christiane Amanpour), seems to have gotten it wrong. People are still reporting no cell/internet/landline.
@blogenfreude: Yes, that’s been getting A LOT of play. I mean, if we can’t sell weapons to dictators, we just get GB to do it for us.
@Dodgerblue: Am I the only one to think that these rock hurling protesters should be scouted by the MLB? I mean seriously, not a rotator cuff injury amongst them!
@Nabisco: Well, yeah, but didn’t you notice he’s got two black eyes, his left blacker than the right?
@Nabisco: Turns out my busted wing is a torn rotator cuff caused when I slammed my shoulder into the snow in a crash last winter while skiing fairly fast. I’m thinking spring break for the surgery.
@SanFranLefty: @karen marie has her eyes tight shut: Well, at least Lauryn Hill isn’t looking quite so nutty.
@redmanlaw: Pinched fifth lumbar and a possible stress fracture left wrist, here. Still hoping to do the 5 Boro ride with Jr in May, tho.
@Nabisco: Probable for next Sunday?
@redmanlaw: No Jay Cutler in me.
@JNOV: I have no idea whether sat signals can be jammed, other than by trees, clouds, and rain. I think elsewhere it’s been dangerous to sport a sat dish.
@nojo: ::nodding:: Thank you.
@redmanlaw: I had that shoulder surgery over ten years ago. Mixed results, pro and con, that I wish I had known before going under the knife. Send me a msg off-Stinque if you want to hear the good, bad, and ugly about rotator cuff surgery.
@SanFranLefty: Hopefully it’s gotten better over the years?
@redmanlaw: Good thing you trained the boy to chop firewood.
According to Jan25 Voices (claims to be getting tips from within Egypt), police and military presence dying down. Shopkeepers and their friends protecting shops. There’s been a bank robbery, 50+ “looters” are stopping cars on a Cairo St. Ugh.
More unrest in Tunisia overnight. 7 AM in Egypt now. Oh, mercy, mercy me.
@JNOV:
I think we are seeing nothing less than the birth pangs of new nations. What kind of nations they are is yet to be seen.
@Tommmcatt is with Karin Marie on This One: Heed Nojo’s warning, because Yemen’s birth pangs are going to be really, really loud.
@Nabisco: Behold my awesome conventional wisdom!
But here’s the thing: A new nation emerged in Iran two years ago. It remains shackled, but it hasn’t gone away. Whatever happens with the regimes du jour, and however long it takes, there’s no turning back.
Unless you’re China and you can raise a generation with no knowledge of the event. But in that case, despite the iconography, the event was limited in scope.
@nojo: I’ll bet the Israelis are quietly stepping up border security. The Egyptian military has lots of modern US-made toys.
@SanFranLefty: They do it differently now and chop up a lot less meat then they used to.
FLYINGCHAINSAW • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! Sen. sENEMA has a career ahead of her in giving designer psychedelic enemas to trust-fund…
MANCHUCANDIDATE • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! @¡Andrew!: She thought three's company. Nope.
¡ANDREW! • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! Gawd hates SIN, specifically Kyrsten SINema.
¡ANDREW! • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! So long, Senatard Glitter-trash. I hope she knows how much everyone H8s her :0)
¡ANDREW! • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! The racist kleptocratic MSM is really gonna have to crank up the bread and circuses now that their…
FLYINGCHAINSAW • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! @¡Andrew!: Ted Kazinski Sec of Interior Only the DEAD are extreme enough to serve in DONNIE…
¡ANDREW! • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! @FlyingChainSaw: Department of Health & Human Services: Charles Manson Defense Secretary:…
FLYINGCHAINSAW • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! @¡Andrew!: Right, the administration's all star line up: Pres: Trump VP: Ted Kaczynski…
FLYINGCHAINSAW • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! @FlyingChainSaw: Actually, FDLE would be the first to admit it. The state banks on it with 'sue me…
¡ANDREW! • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! I cannot wait for the Republinazi MAGAt trash to DEMAND that $hitler be allowed to be president…