DJ6ual: An Irish Girl's Blog: January 2011

Monday, January 31, 2011

In Depth History of Egypt and Mubarak http://ping.fm/Rh6lp

In Depth History of Egypt and Mubarak

In Depth History of Egypt and Mubarak: "

Glenn Beck's Study Guide:
In Depth History of Egypt and Mubarak

1. Ban Ki-moon: World’s economic model is ‘environmental suicide’

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/28/ban-ki-moon-economic-model-environment/print

2. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: DEMOCRACY LIKE A STREETCAR

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/25/magazine/25turkey.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

3. Sam Donaldson To Al-Jazeera: “Thank You For What You’re Doing”

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/sam-donaldson-to-al-jazeera-thank-you-for-what-youre-doing/

EGYPT / US STATS

Since 1979, Egypt has been the second-largest recipient, after Israel, of U.S. foreign assistance

The U.S. has given nearly $67 billion in economic and military aid to Egypt over the last 3 decades

GOOD SOTS & QUOTES

OBAMA Youtube town hall SOT, Jan 27

Egypt has been an ally of ours on a lot of critical issues. They made peace with Israel. President Mubarak has been very helpful on a range of tough issues in the Middle East. But I’ve always said to him that making sure that they are moving forward on reform — political reform, economic reform — is absolutely critical to the long-term well-being of Egypt.

VP BIDEN SOT (PBS, Jan 27)

Mubarak has been an ally of ours in a number of things and he’s been very responsible on, relative to geopolitical interests in the region:
Middle East peace efforts, the actions Egypt has taken relative to
normalizing the relationship with Israel. And I think that it would be —
I would not refer to him as a dictator.

VP BIDEN SOT (PBS, Jan 27)

JIM LEHRER: Some people are suggesting that we may be seeing
the beginning of a kind of domino effect, similar to what happened
after the Cold War in Eastern Europe. Poland came first, then Hungary, East Germany. We have got Tunisia, as you say, maybe Egypt, who knows. Do you smell the same thing coming?

JOE BIDEN: No, I don’t.

ELBARADEI SOT (CBS Face The Nation)

“The American government cannot ask the Egyptian people to
believe that a dictator who has been in power for 30 years will be the
one to implement democracy…This is really a farce. I mean, people here could be poor, but they’re intelligent.”

HILLARY CLINTON (Fox News sunday)

“We have been very clear that we want to see a transition to
democracy. And we want to see the kind of steps taken that will bring
that about. We also want to see an orderly transition,”

Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami Quote

“All these protests in Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Yemen are
inspired by Iran’s Islamic revolution and these countries are de facto
rocked by the aftershock of the Iranian revolution.”

http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/iran-cleric-mideast-unrest-replay-of-our-1979-islamic-revolution-1.339796 <http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/iran-cleric-mideast-unrest-replay-of-our-1979-islamic-revolution-1.339796>

Aluf Benn, Haaretz Newspaper Editor Quote

Jimmy Carter will go down in American history as “the president who lost Iran,” which during his term went from being a major strategic ally of the United States to being the revolutionary Islamic Republic. Barack
Obama will be remembered as the president who “lost” Turkey, Lebanon
and Egypt, and during whose tenure America’s alliances in the Middle
East crumbled.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/obama-will-go-down-in-history-as-the-president-who-lost-egypt-1.340057 <http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/obama-will-go-down-in-history-as-the-president-who-lost-egypt-1.340057>

Pres Jimmy Carter Quote

“This is the most profound situation in the Middle East since I left
office.” Mubarak — the man at the center of this storm — was vice
president at the time the peace accord was signed and became president
in 1981 when Sadat was assassinated. Carter, 86, called Sadat’s
assassination “one of the worst days of my life.”

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/01/31/1440918/former-president-carter-guesses.html##ixzz1Ccgoj6VR <http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/01/31/1440918/former-president-carter-guesses.html>

CURRENT MIDEAST UNREST

Algeria: Thousands have participated in protests over economic problems

Egypt: Largest anti-regime protests in at least several decades

Palestinian territories: Authorities weakened by massive leak of internal documents

Lebanon: Iranian-supported Hezbollah coalition unseated a Western-backed government

Jordan: Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in recent weeks

Tunisia : The political turmoil in Egypt follows a
month of demonstrations in Tunisia that culminated in the January 14,
2011 ouster of longtime authoritarian president Zine el Abedine Ben Ali
and inspired protests in other Arab states

Yemen: Large Protests have demanded the resignation
of the long-serving and U.S.-backed president. On January 26, 2011,
tens of thousands of people demonstrated against the government of
President Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power for nearly thirty-two
years

1979 IRAN vs. EGYPT TODAY

A = 1979 IRANIAN REVOLUTION

1963 – 1979, the Shah spent billions of oil dollars on military weapons. The real price of military strength was the loss of popular support. Unable to sustain economic progress and unwilling to expand democratic freedoms, the Shah’s regime collapsed in revolution. On January 16, 1979, the Shah fled Iran, never to return.

http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/documents/hostages.phtml

On January 16 1979, the Shah left Iran. Shapour
Bakhtiar as his new prime minister with the help of Supreme Army
Councils couldn’t control the situation in the country anymore.
Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran on February 1. Ten days later
Bakhtiar went into hiding, eventually to find exile in Paris. Processes
against the supporters of the Shah started, and hundreds were executed.
On April 1, after a landslide victory in a national referendum in which
only one choice was offered (Islamic Republic: Yes or No), Ayatollah Khomeini declared an Islamic republic with a new Constitution <http://www.iranchamber.com/government/laws/constitution.php> reflecting his ideals of Islamic government.

http://www.iranchamber.com/history/islamic_revolution/islamic_revolution.php <http://www.iranchamber.com/history/islamic_revolution/islamic_revolution.php>

(KT McFarland) Once demonstrations started Carter quickly pulled the rug out from under the Shah. The Shah
fell and a liberal pro-democracy became the government, but Carter sat
on his hands and did not rush to assist them. Tragic mistake because
that government was quickly and brutally pushed aside by the ayatollahs, US embassy was seized and hostages taken and radical Islam was established in what was once our strongest ally in the region.

(Joel Rosenberg) The Shah had his many flaws, no question about it.
But Carter’s actions helped trigger the Islamic Revolution and led to
the rise of the Ayatollah Khomeini, the loss of an American ally, and
the rise of a terror-exporting country that has gained in lethality ever since. We dare not make the same mistakes with Egypt.

B = PROTESTS IN EGYPT

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak overhauled his government on Monday to try to defuse a popular uprising against his 30-year rule but angry protesters rejected the changes and said he must surrender power.

The anger is driven largely by economic frustrations. Egypt has seen a dramatic rise in the cost of living in recent years. While the government has offered food subsidies to help people handle rising prices, many are struggling.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/01/31/egypt.protests.qanda/

Washington has long seen Mubarak as a bulwark in the Middle East, first against communism then against militant Islam.

250,000 protesters, 120 deaths since Jan 24 rioting began. A
coalition of opposition groups called for a million people to take to
Cairo’s streets Tuesday (Feb 1) to demand the removal of President Hosni
Mubarak,

That frustration was already on record in a report by Clinton’s
ambassador to Egypt, Margaret Scobey, to Gen. David Petraeus in late
2008 before his meeting with Mubarak. Petraeus was then chief of the
U.S. military’s Central Command.”Mubarak now makes scant public
pretense of advancing a vision for democratic change. An ongoing
challenge remains balancing our security interests with our democracy
promotion efforts

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/30/2620922/analysis-for-us-egypt-crisis-recalls.html##ixzz1CcwXhAAR <http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/30/2620922/analysis-for-us-egypt-crisis-recalls.html>

SHAH / MUBARAK TIMELINE – LEADING UP TO REVOLT

A: MOHAMMED REZA PAHLAVI

began his reign in 1941, succeeding his father, Reza Khan, to the throne.

In a 1953 power struggle with his prime minister, the Shah gained
American support to prevent nationalization of Iran’s oil industry. In
return for assuring the U.S. a steady supply of oil, the Shah received
economic and military aid from eight American presidents.

Early 1960s, the Shah announced social and economic reforms but
refused to grant broad political freedom. Iranian nationalists condemned
his U.S. supported regime and his “westernizing” of Iran.

1963 rioting: Among those arrested and exiled was a popular
religious nationalist and bitter foe of the United States, the Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini.

1963 -1979, the Shah spent billions of oil dollars on military
weapons. Unable to sustain economic progress and unwilling to expand
democratic freedoms, the Shah’s regime collapsed in revolution.

January 16, 1979, the Shah fled Iran, never to return.

Came to America for cancer treatment in October 1979

http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/documents/hostages.phtml

B: HOSNI MUBARAK

Mubarak, 82, was thrust into office when Islamists gunned down his predecessor Anwar Sadat at a military parade in 1981.

Mubarak won the first multi-candidate presidential election in 2005
although the outcome was never in doubt and his main rival came a
distant second. Rights groups and observers said the election was marred
by irregularities.

He has not said whether he will run for a sixth six-year term in
2011. Officials have indicated he probably will if he can, although
questions about his health after surgery in Germany in March make this a
constant subject of debate. If he does not run, many Egyptians believe
he may try to hand power to his 47-year-old son Gamal. Both Mubaraks
deny such a plan.

((Reuters: Facts about Egypt’s President Mubarak; 25 January 2011))

RADICALS/PROTESTERS

A: AYATOLLAH KHAMIENI & FOLLOWERS

1979 Overthrow of the Shah

In 1941 Shah Mohammed Reza took power and Iran became firmly
aligned with the West. Over the next 30 years, there was a buildup of
resistance to Reza and his regime of modernization. The economy was
worsening and the opposition was staging massive demonstrations. Central
to these demonstrations were groups of Islamist students. The Shah fled
the country in January 1979. In February 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini
returned from exile and was proclaimed Emam (leader) and a
fundamentalist theocracy was installed

http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/iran.html

B: MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD

(AP) A leading Brotherhood figure, Saad el-Katatni, said Sunday that the group
was talking to other opposition to form a committee to direct the
protest movement. ElBaradei would be a member of the committee, but not necessarily its leader unless the members elect him, el-Katatni said.

(AP) “The membership saw that it was the regular Egyptians
going into the street and facing the battles, the Brotherhood felt like
it couldn’t miss the opportunity,” said Alexandria journalist Ahmed Aly,
who closely follows the group.

With the assassination of Sadat in 1981 by a smaller radical
Islamist group, the Brotherhood charted a more mainstream course, and in
1987 won many government seats in an “Islamic Alliance” with other
parties. Although it remains officially banned, the Brotherhood actively
participates, with success, in Egypt’s parliamentary elections, running
candidates as “independents” under the slogan “Islam is the Solution.”

the Brotherhood joined the political Left in opposing
Sadat’s peace treaty with Israel, believing the normalization of
relations with Israel to be a betrayal of Islam.

NEW REGIME – KHAMEINI / El-BARADEI?

A: AYATOLLA KHOMEINI

The exiled Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Tehran in February 1979 and whipped popular discontent into rabid anti-Americanism.

October 1979, Ayatollah incited Iranian militants to attack the U.S.

On November 4, 1979 the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun and
its employees taken captive. The hostage crisis had begun. Of the 66 who
were taken hostage, 13 were released on Nov. 19 and 20, 1979; one was
released on July 11, 1980, and the remaining 52 were released on Jan.
20, 1981.

Khamenei was one of the founders of the Islamic Republican
Party, which dominated the Majlis (the national legislature) after the
1979 revolution. He was appointed to the Council of the Islamic
Revolution in 1979, and between 1979 and 1981 he was a member of the
Majlis, serving as deputy minister of defense, commander of the
Revolutionary Guard, and representative on the Supreme Council of
Defense. He also served several times as general secretary of the
Islamic Republic Party.

http://www.iranchamber.com/history/islamic_revolution/islamic_revolution.php

B: DR. MOHAMED EL BARADEI ?

Dr. Mohamed El Baradei is the Director General of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) El Baradei was appointed to the office
effective December 1, 1997

El Baradei was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1942

Jan 27: Pro-democracy leader Mohamed ElBaradei returns to Egypt amid a third straight day of demonstrations

Mohammed el-Beltagui, a key Brotherhood leader and former Parliament
member, said an alliance of the protest’s more youthful leaders and
older opposition figures had met again in an attempt to assemble a more
unified front with a joint committee

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/world/middleeast/01egypt.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&hp <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/world/middleeast/01egypt.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&hp>

Ayman Nour, an Egyptian politician and leader of the al-Ghad Party,
told Al Jazeera that he and his allies have met and agreed to nominate
Mohamed ElBaradei as the representative of the movement against Hosni
Mubarak.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/blog-post/2011/01/egypt_news_al_jazeera_cairo_bu.html

US SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRACY

A: CARTER ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. president had given lofty and elegant speeches defending
democracy and human rights, assuring the people of the Middle East that
the United States supported their democratic demands…When the
leader tried to use the force of his military to calm the situation, the
United States issued ambiguous statements, indicating support for the
leader’s desire to establish law and order on the one hand while at the
same time insisting that the march of democracy must continue, and that the use of force could not be a solution to the country’s problems

http://www.tnr.com/article/world/82450/egypt-riots-iranian-revolution-1979 <http://www.tnr.com/article/world/82450/egypt-riots-iranian-revolution-1979>

PRES CARTER: ‘I fully expect the Shah to maintain power in Iran and
for the present problems in Iran to be resolved. The predictions of doom
and disaster that came from some sources have certainly not been
realized at all.” (12/12/1978 One month before the Shah fled Iran)

B: OBAMA ADMINISTRATION

White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs said Egypt remains “a close ally,” while stressing the importance of universal rights for the Egyptian people

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a statement urging restraint and asking the Egyptian government to allow peaceful protests instead of cracking down

ElBaradei criticized Clinton and others yesterday, writing that Egypt
is confronting “social disintegration, economic stagnation, political
repression, and we do not hear anything from you, the Americans, or for
that matter from the Europeans

US TIES TO NEW LEADER / FUTURE

A: But both the leader and his American supporters were caught
off-guard by the size of the demonstrations. American officials began
trying to walk a dangerous tight-rope: offering support for the
beleaguered leader but also establishing ties and credibility with the
opposition.

http://www.tnr.com/article/world/82450/egypt-riots-iranian-revolution-1979 <http://www.tnr.com/article/world/82450/egypt-riots-iranian-revolution-1979>

B: OBAMA ADMINISTRATION’S CAUTION

Hillary Clinton: There are many, many steps along the journey that has been started by the Egyptian people themselves,” she said. “We wish to support that.”

Obama yesterday called British Prime Minister David Cameron <http://www.nypost.com/t/David_Cameron> after having phoned Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <http://www.nypost.com/t/Benjamin_Netanyahu> and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia a day earlier. In their first public discussion of the protests, Israeli leaders spoke cautiously. “Israel
and Egypt have been at peace for more than three decades, and our
objective is to ensure that these ties be preserved,” Netanyahu said. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/regime_foe_in_show_of_farce_I9Rg0dY7dqpDDFE2fqr7BN#ixzz1CdUScJvT <http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/regime_foe_in_show_of_farce_I9Rg0dY7dqpDDFE2fqr7BN>

For over a century, Egypt, like Iran, has been a bellwether
state for the entire region. The arrival of freedom to Egypt would
therefore put the Iranian mullahs on the defensive.

President Obama must use all of his persuasive power to
demand that Hosni Mubarak immediately declare that he will not seek
reelection. The Egyptian dictator must be persuaded to appoint a
caretaker government that will handle the daily affairs of the state,
headed by a moderate member of the opposition like Mohammed ElBaradei. This
might be the last chance to arrange an orderly transition to democracy,
one wherein anti-democratic forces in any guise—religious, military,
secular, or theocratic—cannot derail the democratic process.

http://www.tnr.com/article/world/82450/egypt-riots-iranian-revolution-1979

President Mohammad Hosni Mubarak

Detailed background

4 May 1928: born into an upper middle class family, received a military education in Egypt and the Soviet Union.

1950: Joined the air force

1969: became air force chief of staff

1972: commander-in-chief with the rank of air marshal

1981: “elected” or took cover president on 13 October a week after Sadat was assassinated

2005: won Egypt’s first ever multi-candidate presidential election. Elected to his 5th 6-year term as president

((Amended the constitution in 2005 to allow competitive, multi-candidate elections for the first time in Egypt’s history))

Egypt’s economic stats:

Two thirds of the population is under 30, and that age group accounts for 90 percent of the jobless

About 40% of Egypt’s population lives on less than $2 a day

(Source: Egypt unrest enters third day, ElBaradei to return, Reuters, 26 January 2011)

Despite the relatively high levels of economic growth over the past
few years, living conditions for the average Egyptian remain poor

Approximately 30% of the population is illiterate

2010 est. unemployment rate: 9.7%

20 percent of the population is below the poverty line (2005)

2010 est. inflation rate in consumer prices: 12.8 percent

(Source: The CIA World Factbook – Egypt – https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/eg.html <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/eg.html> )

Some analysts have unemployment as high as 25 percent

Poverty afflicts nearly 40 percent of Egypt’s 80 million people

(Source: Fitch downgrades Egypt outlook to negative as violence and
protests mount . 28 January 2011, Associated Press Newswires)

U.S. AID to Egypt:

Since 1979, Egypt has been the second-largest recipient, after Israel, of U.S. foreign assistance.

The United States has provided Egypt with an annual average of $2
billion in economic and military foreign assistance since 1979.

The U.S. has given nearly $67 billion in economic and military aid to Egypt over the last 3 decades ($70bn since 1948)

Egypt Under Mubarak

* Mubarak has kept the country under emergency rule for the last 30 years, allowing sweeping powers for the President.

* The Emergency Law
restricts many basic rights, empowering the government to tap
telephones, intercept mail, search persons and places without warrants,
and indefinitely detain suspects without charge if they are deemed a
threat to national security.

* Corruption remains pervasive at all levels of government. Egypt was
ranked 111 out of 180 countries surveyed in Transparency International’s
2009 Corruption Perceptions Index.

* Egypt is not an electoral democracy. The political system is designed to ensure solid majorities for the ruling NDP at all levels of government.

* The rise of
Mubarak’s 47-year-old ex-banker son (Gamal) within the ranks of the
ruling party, however, has become a symbol of his abuse of power.

…………………

Fixing Elections

* During parliamentary elections in November and December 2005 there were attacks on opposition voters by security forces and pro government thugs.

* In 2005, Mubarak agreed to a multi-candidate presidential election. He then made his challenger, the secular Ayman Nour, pay with trumped-up charges of fraud and four years in jail. He is Egypt’s best known opposition figure and was released in 2009 after spending 3 years in jail on charges of election fraud.

*Three rounds of parliamentary elections in November and December 2005. Voter turnout was low, and
attacks on opposition voters by security forces and pro government
thugs abounded. Judges criticized the government for failing to prevent
voter intimidation and refused to certify the election results,
prompting the authorities to suppress judicial independence in 2006.

* In March 2007, a set of 34 constitutional amendments were submitted to a national vote. The
Judges’ Club accused the government of ballot stuffing and vote buying.
Upper house elections held that June were similarly marred by
irregularities, and the Muslim Brotherhood was prevented from winning
any seats after authorities detained potential candidates and found
spurious reasons to prevent several candidates from registering.

* In 2008 municipal elections, the Brotherhood was again shut out in a
similar manner, and the government’s ongoing crackdown on the group led
to lengthy prison terms for many senior members.

* Ahead of the 2008
municipal elections, the authorities arrested hundreds of would-be
candidates and prevented thousands of others from registering.

…………………….

CENSORSHIP: Suppressing Freedom of the Press

* Freedom of the press is restricted in law and in practice.

* The state dominates the broadcast media and exercises influence over all privately owned publications through its monopoly on printing and distribution.

* The three leading daily newspapers are state controlled, and their editors are appointed by the president.

* Foreign publications and Egyptian publications registered abroad are subject to direct government censorship. Foreign journalists are sometimes harassed or expelled.

* In October 2009, authorities at Cairo airport prevented Swedish
freelance reporter and blogger Per Bjorklund, who often reported on
Egypt’s labor movement, from entering the country. Several privately
owned Egyptian satellite television stations have been established, but
their programming is subject to state influence.

* Films, plays, and
books are subject to censorship, especially for content deemed contrary
to Islam or harmful to the country’s reputation. A number of books and
movies have been banned on the advice of the country’s senior clerics.

Suppressing Freedom of Assembly

* Freedoms of assembly and association are heavily restricted.

* Organizers of public demonstrations must receive advance approval from the Interior Ministry, which is rarely granted.

* Arrested political activists are often tried under the Emergency Law. The 2007 constitutional amendments essentially enshrined many controversial aspects of the Emergency Law, such as the presidents authority to transfer civilians suspected of terrorism to military courts.

* Since military judges are appointed by the executive
branch to renewable two-year terms, these tribunals lack independence.
Verdicts are based on little more than the testimony of security
officers and informers, and are reviewed only by a body of military
judges and the president.

* Constitutional
amendments passed in 2007 banned religion-based political parties,
ensuring the continued suppression of the Muslim Brotherhood.

…………………

2009 Human Rights Report: Egypt

* The government’s respect for human rights remained poor, and serious abuses continued in many areas.

* The government
limited citizens’ right to change their government and continued a state
of emergency that has been in place almost continuously since 1967.

* Security forces used unwarranted lethal force and tortured and abused prisoners and detainees, in most cases with impunity.

* Prison and detention center conditions were poor.

* Security forces
arbitrarily arrested and detained individuals, in some cases for
political purposes, and kept them in prolonged pretrial detention.

* The executive branch exercised control over and pressured the judiciary.

* The government’s respect for freedoms of association and religion
remained poor during the year, and the government continued to restrict
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The government partially
restricted freedom of expression.

OTHER EXAMPLES OF TORTURE:

Mona Thabe

During the year human rights groups and the media
documented cases of abuse and harassment of journalists and bloggers who
reported on controversial topics. According to multiple NGO sources,
police tortured Mona Thabet
twice, first on January 19 at a police station in the Shubra
neighborhood of Cairo after she filed a complaint regarding the alleged
police torture of her husband, and again on February 13 at her home in
the same neighborhood. The alleged torture included beating, shaving her head, burning with cigarettes, and cutting. At year’s end the government had closed its investigation, citing lack of evidence.

(Source: State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor,
2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, March 11, 2010, <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/nea/136067.htm>)

Amnesty has a photo: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/egyptian-family-threatened-police-complaining-torture-20090227 <http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/egyptian-family-threatened-police-complaining-torture-20090227>

—–

Rami Ibrahim

In May 2008, according to multiple NGO sources, police officers in
Mansoura tortured by beating and electric shocks 17-year-old Rami
Ibrahim to force his confession to the rape and murder of a
four-year-old child. On April 25, Mansoura Juvenile Court convicted
Ibrahim and sentenced him to 15 years in prison; however, on December
30, an appeals court acquitted Ibrahim.

(Source: State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor,
2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, March 11, 2010, <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/nea/136067.htm>)

Photo here: http://www.qassam.ps/prisoner-10-Rami_Ibrahim_Zuweidi.html <http://www.qassam.ps/prisoner-10-Rami_Ibrahim_Zuweidi.html>

—-

Magda Adly, and Mona Hamed

On March 28, Damanhur Criminal Court sentenced police corporal Ahmed Antar Ibrahim to six years’ imprisonment for
his April 2008 assault inside a courthouse in Kafr Al Dawwar on the
director of the Al Nadim Center for the Psychological Rehabilitation of
Torture Victims and antitorture activist, Magda Adly, and her colleague,
Mona Hamed

(Source: State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and
Labor, 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, March 11, 2010, <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/nea/136067.htm>)

http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/1428 <http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/1428>

—–

Alaa Al-Gamal

On July 10 and 11, according to NGO sources, police broke into the home
of Alaa Al-Gamal, a journalist from the independent weekly newspaper
Sawt Al-Uma who had written articles critical of the government.

(Source: State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor,
2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, March 11, 2010, <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/nea/136067.htm>)

—–

Ibrahim El Sayed Metwally

In March 2008, according to the Al Nadim Center and the
Association for Human Rights Legal Aid (AHRLA), police chief of
investigations Ali Kedr and officers Hossam Abdel Moneim and Mahmoud Al
Deeb of the Menia Al Nasr Police Station allegedly raided the home of
private citizen Ibrahim El Sayed Metwally because of a debt he owed. The
officers severely beat and verbally abused Metwally’s mother and
siblings. Metwally’s sister claimed the officers detained her, beat her
with a stick, and threatened to strip her.

(Source: State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor,
2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, March 11, 2010, <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/nea/136067.htm>)

Two and a Half Men Shutdown Could Cost CBS Warner Bros Millions

Two and a Half Men Shutdown Could Cost CBS Warner Bros Millions: "

Two and a Half Men Shutdown Could Cost CBS Warner Bros Millions As Charlie Sheen heads back to a rehabilitation facility, weeks of salacious headlines are now giving way to a steep financial price for the star's behavior.

In fact, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that if 'Two and a Half Men' is forced to shut down permanently, it could jeopardize as much as $250 million in domestic syndication revenue for producer Warner Bros. Television and millions more in lost ad revenue for CBS.

In its eighth season, Men is the most-watched comedy on television, averaging 14.7 million viewers, while it is second only to ABC's 'Modern Family' among the ad-coveted younger demographic of 18-49-year-olds. CBS sells 30-second spots in 'Men' for more than $200,000, according to media buyers, generating more than $3 million per episode. Kantar Media reports that the show grossed CBS more than $155 million in ad revenue last season alone.

And "Men" also is the network's linchpin on Monday nights, helping to launch successful comedies including "The Big Bang Theory" and most recently "Mike & Molly" (both from "Men" co-creator and executive producer Chuck Lorre). There are currently only two new episodes of "Men" that have not yet aired, and while CBS will save on license fees if production remains shut down, the loss of new "Men" will certainly impact the overall performance of its Monday night lineup.

In a statement released to THR on Sunday, CBS again expressed concern for Sheen's well-being but sought to distance the network from any potential deleterious effect of the actor's behavior.

'Looking forward, the financial impact of the shutdown is not material to CBS,' the statement says. 'Any ratings declines will be more than offset by the reduced programming costs for episodes lost this season. We will begin to address the scheduling issues this week. The network is strong and deep with hit series; we're not reliant on one show. In addition, 'Two and a Half Men' has always performed well in repeats, and we have the option of ordering additional episodes of other popular comedies on the network.'

At this point, the final two new episodes are scheduled to air Feb. 7 and 14.

For Warner Bros. Television, the stakes are arguably higher. Domestic syndication deals are on tap to bring in nearly $2 billion for the first two syndication cycles that extend through the 2020-21 season. That's in addition to foreign and DVD sales revenue.

Sheen signed a new two-year deal reportedly worth close to $2 million per episode for Seasons 8 and 9. But no one knows how long the actor will stay in rehab this time. (A stint last year barely interrupted the show's production schedule, with 'Men' finishing Season 7 with 22 episodes rather than the planned 24.) If Sheen's well-documented demons force a shutdown for the remainder of the current eighth season as well as the ninth season, industry sources estimate that Warner Bros., which has already packaged those seasons on current syndication deals, could lose as much as $250 million. Warner Bros. declined further comment Sunday.

But the studio might soon have to re-examine those rich syndication deals. WBTV first sold 'Men' in syndication to Tribune Broadcasting and Sinclair Broadcast Group in 2006 for license fees of about $2 million in cash and an additional $2 million per episode in barter advertising, sources said. Last year, reruns also began airing on FX for another $850,000 per episode. Today, 'Men' is the No. 1 syndicated comedy in households and the 25-54 demo.

'It's one of the greatest success stories ever in syndication,' one industry insider says. 'It's just an enormous hit. It's been so exposed and yet it continues to do so well.'

That's why in November, the companies announced a second cycle of that deal extending through the 2020-21 season and encompassing the current eighth and ninth seasons of the show. And while Warner Bros. still has more than seven seasons of 'Men,' the potential loss of 32 episodes off of that deal, or a license period about 12 months shorter, is not insignificant.

There also is the future syndication revenue that will be left on the table if the show ends this season. 'Seinfeld,' which finished its run in 1998, continues to perform well in syndication, and has reportedly wracked up close to $3 billion in domestic syndication so far. In making the announcement about the second-cycle syndication deal for 'Men' in November, Sean Compton, president of programming for Tribune Broadcasting, alluded to the future prospects of 'Men.'

The show, Compton said, "was an immediate game-changer that significantly elevated the performance of our stations, and we have never looked back. This is one of those rare shows — like "Friends" and "Seinfeld" — that will continue to deliver for decades."

Two and a Half Men Shutdown Could Cost CBS Warner Bros Millions http://ping.fm/sveNL

Tim Pawlenty Calls Obama Chicken

Tim Pawlenty Calls Obama Chicken: "

Anyone who’s seen “Back to the Future”
knows you don’t call someone “chicken” unless you’re ready to rumble.
And, judging by Republican Tim Pawlenty’s appearance on “Fox &
Friends” Monday morning, preparations seem to be underway for a
presidential showdown in 2012.

The former Minnesota governor criticized President Barack Obama for
hiding behind “soaring rhetoric” instead of confronting out-of-control
entitlements. While “most Americans understand we’ve got a problem,“
Pawlenty suggested Obama was a ”chicken” during his State of the Union
speech, lacking the political courage to do anything about it:

Watch Video Here

“As I try to remind people … don’t confuse being nice with being
weak,” Pawlenty said. “You can be hopeful and optimistic and strong, but
you’ve also got to back it up.”

Sunday, January 30, 2011

US set to fly thousands of Americans from Egypt http://ping.fm/T5ohH

A Better Health Way http://ping.fm/1hbqu

The Tear Gas (Smoke Bombs) Used Against Egyptian Protesters Were Also Used at G-20 http://ping.fm/8TFmo

Death Toll Tops 100 in Egypt’s Protests opegypt Egypt Jan25 http://ping.fm/VWZW4

Death Toll Tops 100 in Egypt’s Protests #opegypt #Egypt #Jan25

Death Toll Tops 100 in Egypt’s Protests #opegypt #Egypt #Jan25: "

More than 100 people have been killed during anti-government protests
that have swept Egypt, according to a Reuters tally of reports from
medical sources, hospitals and witnesses.

There was no official figure, and the real figure may be very different, given the confusion on the streets.

On Saturday in Beni Suef, south of Cairo, police shot dead 17 people
trying to attack two police stations and eight people were killed during
protests. Eight others were killed in clashes when prisoners tried to
escape from Abu Zaabal prison in Cairo.

Some 68 deaths were reported killed in Cairo, Suez and Alexandria during Friday’s protests.

Full Article @ Prison Planet

Watch Television Tonight (Sports PPV TV Shows)

Watch Television Tonight (Sports PPV TV Shows): "

7:00 PM	ET	2011 NFL Pro Bowl	01:00	CET
7:30 PM	ET	Detroit Pistons vs New York Knicks	01:30	CET
7:45 PM	ET	Maryland vs Georgia Tech	01:45	CET
8:00 PM	ET	New Orleans Hornets vs Phoenix Suns	02:00	CET
8:00 PM	ET	Northern Iowa vs Missouri State	02:00	CET
8:00 PM	ET	WWE Royal Rumble	02:00	CET
10:00 PM	ET	Utah Jazz vs Golden State Warriors	04:00	CET

Clinton: Egypt Must Transition to Democracy

Clinton: Egypt Must Transition to Democracy: "

Egyptian anti-government protesters pray in front of an Egyptian army tankduring a protest in Tahrir … WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is
calling on Egypt to move toward an orderly transition to democracy, but
says there’s a long way to go.

Clinton tells “Fox News Sunday” that the situation in Egypt is
volatile and complex, as protestors continue to swarm into the streets.

While noting that President Hosni Mubarak has finally appointed a
vice president, she says the U.S. also does not want to see a takeover
of the government in Egypt that would lead to oppression.

The State Department says U.S. citizens in Egypt should consider
leaving the country as soon as they can because of the spreading unrest
there, and other countries were doing the same.

U.S. Advises Americans to Leave Egypt ASAP

U.S. Advises Americans to Leave Egypt ASAP: "

Egyptian anti-government protesters pray in front of an Egyptian army tankduring a protest in Tahrir … WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says U.S. citizens in Egypt
should consider leaving the country as soon as they can because of the
spreading unrest there.

The department says demonstrations against the government of
President Hosni Mubarak have not targeted Westerners, but Americans
should take precautions for their own security.

The U.S. government is also allowing nonessential diplomats and the
families of all embassy workers to leave Egypt at Washington’s expense.
The step builds on a travel warning from Friday urging Americans to
avoid traveling to Egypt because of the unrest.

Americans are advised to remain in their homes or hotels until the situation stabilizes.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will address the situation in Egypt when she appears on five morning news shows Sunday

Tear Gas Causes Anti American Sentiment in Egypt http://ping.fm/wMGJ9

Has Obama Been Tough Enough With Egypt?

Has Obama Been Tough Enough With Egypt?: "

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama tried the impossible:
winning the hearts and minds of Egyptians furious with their autocratic
ruler while assuring a vital ally that the United States has his back.

The four-minute speech Friday evening represented a careful balancing
act for Obama. He had a lot to lose by choosing between protesters
demanding that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak step down from a
government violently clinging to its three-decade grip on the country.

“The United States will continue to stand up for the rights of the
Egyptian people and work with their government in pursuit of a future
that is more just, more free and more hopeful,” the president said.

Yet he offered no ultimatum or specific demand, saying instead that
Mubarak had a “responsibility to give meaning” to his pledges of better
democracy and more economic opportunity.

The U.S. response is challenged by a massive mismatch in the
perception and reality of its power. Despite spending billions in Egypt
to establish a bulwark of American influence in the Middle East, the
U.S. has little capacity to determine whether the 82-year-old Mubarak
weathers the protests or is toppled, analysts and past administration
officials say.

In his first television appearance since protests erupted three days
ago, Mubarak said Friday he asked his Cabinet to resign. He said he
would reconstitute it yet outlined no concrete democratic reform. He
also defended the brutal crackdown on protesters, who’ve faced baton
beatings, water cannons, rubber bullets and tear gas.

Speaking shortly after, Obama didn’t endorse regime change. Nor did
he say that Mubarak’s announcement was insufficient. Instead, he said he
personally told Mubarak to take “concrete steps” to expand rights.

Does that mean that Mubarak should step down after three decades in
power? Should he announce that he won’t run again for president? What
about constitutional changes? Is it time to scrap emergency laws in
place since 1981?

Administration officials would not say.

Obama’s address was the most forceful of the day, but it stuck
largely to the script already set by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham
Clinton and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

“What will eventually happen in Egypt is up to Egyptians,” Clinton
said, noting that the Egypt government could ease tensions by rapidly
introducing democratic reform. “That moment needs to be seized, and we
are hoping that it is.”

“The legitimate grievances that have festered for quite some time in
Egypt have to be addressed,” Gibbs said. “And violence is not the
response.”

The reality is that the United States can do little to control or
direct the anger in the Arab world unleashed two weeks ago when Tunisia
chased its long-time ruler from power. Yet the U.S. can do severe harm
to its own interests by coming out too forcefully for or against the
uprising.

Washington’s perceived ability to pick and choose governments is
limited to a very few places. It does not wield that power in the Middle
East, where Islamic parties completely opposed to the United States are
often the most likely democratic alternatives.

“This is the most serious foreign policy crisis the administration
has faced,” said Aaron David Miller, who worked two decades at the State
Department and is now a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center. “The
paradox is, there is little if anything the administration can do.”

That doesn‘t mean it won’t try.

The White House said earlier Friday it would review the $1.5 billion
in annual aid to Egypt, an unsubtle warning that it still has some pull
with Cairo.

The State Department issued an unusual warning to Americans to avoid
all but essential travel to Egypt at the height of the winter tourism
season.

“The U.S. doesn’t believe revolutions are the way to go,” said Robert
Danin, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a State
Department specialist on the Middle East under President George W. Bush.
“Revolutions are violent. They have unanticipated outcomes.”

Still, rhetoric matters. After spending billions backing its few Arab
friends, the U.S. has damaged credibility in the Arab world, leaving a
narrow space for Washington policymakers.

Without a bold statement of solidarity, it’s tough to see how the
United States will gain the sympathy of Egyptian protesters fighting a
security apparatus that has worked closely with American counterparts
and may be using U.S. equipment to repress them.

Obama aimed high: “The people of Egypt have rights that are
universal. That includes the right to peaceful assembly and association,
the right to free speech and the ability to determine their own
destiny. These are human rights and the United States will stand up for
them everywhere.”

But he tempered the bold idealism of a world of universal rights with
a strong plea for peaceful protests. And he was clear that Mubarak’s
government still had some U.S. support. “We are committed to working
with the Egyptian government and the Egyptian people,” Obama said.

The need for balance is obvious. Completely alienating Mubarak would
be a disaster for the U.S. if his government weathers the storm,
possibly harming cooperation in the Mideast peace process or on
counterterrorism.

Scott Carpenter, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East
Policy, said the United States will have more options once it becomes
clear which side will prevail. “We cannot dictate anything,” he said.

Others decried what they deemed a reactive approach to U.S. foreign policy.

“We don’t side with the regime or the protesters when it matters,”
said Michael Rubin, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. “By
being so cautious and cynical, we end up not winning the hearts and
minds of either side.”