Arab World Protests

[nacho]

So, I just want to say this -- I don't have a problem with Gadhafi. He dresses like he's in a 70's blaxploitation sci-fi, and he's surrounded by a 500-strong all-female bodyguard of beautiful virgins who are also the most elite troops in Libya. You can't go wrong!

[RottingCorpse]

He really does look like the type of guy Fred Williamson is going to clock in the third act, doesn't he?

[nacho]

It's awesome, really.

[nacho]

I'm actually starting to pay attention!

Libyan ruler Col Muammar Gaddafi is battling to retain control of Tripoli and areas in western Libya as protesters consolidated gains in the east and foreigners continued to flee.

I figured:  Tunisia.  Okay.  Egypt. Yeah, whatever. And all the others were fairly minor.

But now half of Libya has fallen and, it looks like, the writing is on the wall for Colonel Fred Williamson and his Virgin Squad.

I started reading about the Arab World Protests:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010%E2%80%932011_Arab_world_protests

There's a list of the countries involved and the results. Some protests were pretty easy -- like demanding the end to Patriot Act-style rules, and sacking PM's, and forcing "presidents" to end their terms.

Some have relentlessly torn down their countries. Which is kind of awesome, really.

What I love is that Libya knew about the Feb. 17th protest date for a couple months. Their only attempt to avoid it was to throw out some ham-fisted rent assistance programs. So, you know, duh.

The unsung protests the news doesn't care about:

Djibouti -- Another case where the "president" has been in office for 34 years and suspiciously wins every election.  Currently, the country is at a standstill and the protesters have even killed cops who tried to break them up forcibly.

Bahrain -- So far, the government has tried to buy off protesters by giving every family $2000, and they've released all political prisoners... And still an estimated 12% of the population has risen up and occupied the major cities.

The "World protests":

Albania, Serbia, and Greece are all in an uproar. General strikes, Albania's now-comical socialist party, and any old excuse to cause a ruckus in Serbia.

China's been having a war of attrition with mobs of protesters who are gathering like frightened cattle, standing silently, then moving along. The larger battle there is being waged online.

Kazakhstan's president is quietly stepping down in April. 

Cameroon protesters set today as their "day of rage." No reports I've seen yet of unrest.

And... Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio! The state governments have, pretty much, been shut down by Democrat's (mainly organised unions) either walking out of the legislature or occupying the capital buildings (as is currently the case in Wisconsin). This is unrelated to any of the other protests, and much more civilized and non-violent. But, still... What's going on in the world?

[RottingCorpse]

It's the Arab revolution, man. Was bound to happen sooner or later.

[nacho]

Whoops... Libya's oil just ground to a halt. Clinton says that "we will explore options" to stop government violence against protesters.

Ready for blood, kids?

[Cassander]

yeah!  wait, can't we just pay natives to do it? 

[monkey!]

But, still... What's going on in the world?

People are beginning to realize more, and more, that governments of the world are not in place for benefit of the people but are largely there to control the population for the benefit of the governments, industries, and financial systems.

Even in the so-called 'democratic' countries a dawning realization is happening that democracy is really just another word for the minority controlling the majority for minority interests, without the majority having any input... in less rich countries of the world these systems of governance are called "regimes," or "dictatorships."

In the U.S. and much of Europe, including the U.K., what say does the population have over how their lives are controlled by the minority other than choosing which colour of tie is worn by the 'elected' President/Prime Minister/Chancellor? Even that choice is media-manipulated.

Even in France, land of the relaxed yet efficient socialist system, allowing liberal enjoyment of holidays, two-hour lunch breaks, and fine alcohols/foods, has been turned down the road of ruin since the arrival of Sarkozy: not long ago when Sarkozy wanted to raise the age of retirement (stealing years of peoples' lives so they'll work more to cover the financial mis-management by the minority - the government - and their wanker banker friends) the whole country turned out in uproar against this proposal. What happened? The minority told the majority to shut up because they were going to do it anyway. In what way is that a democracy?

The same kind of thing happens in the U.S. and the U.K. every year: the minority do what they want in pursuit of minority benefit and the majority either has no say over what happens or else they aren't aware until the new policies/laws/taxes are in place.

Furthermore, the old tactics of fear-mongering citizens into a blind acceptance of giving up their liberties for a feeling of security from the dangers presented to them by the media are beginning to fail.

Hence, people are beginning to revolt in one way or another, and the internet is going to be a very important means of facilitating this, which is why governments are doing their best to tighten the old strings of control by attempting to remove 'net-neutrality', by trying to pass bills allowing for an "internet kill-switch" but, of course, under the guise of it being for our own SAFETY.

[nacho]

Split the thread.

God, Monkey.  Great post.  Inspiring, even. I'm, certainly ready for shake-ups to reach closer to the first world. If only to cure the soul-crushing apathy and ignorance surrounding me every day.

So -- bring it on! I want to see tanks on North Capital St. before I die.

[monkey!]

It's only a matter of time, Nacho.

The walls of the paper-money castles are crumbling.

[nacho]

So, you know, this qualifies as a "revolution" now, not a "protest." I love how all the news folks have lumped this in with everyone else... But when you're taking over cities and fighting pitched battles against government soldiers... Well, you're at a new level.

Third grade reporting from CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/24/libya.protests/index.html?hpt=T1

Benghazi, Libya (CNN) -- The Libyan capital was a ghost town Thursday morning, witnesses said, as anti-government protesters declared victory elsewhere after reportedly seizing control of the country's third-largest city.

Misrata -- also spelled as Misurata -- is now in the hands of the opposition, who have driven out the mercenaries, according to witnesses and multiple media reports.
Witnesses and multiple reports also said that the town of Az Zintan was under opposition control.

[nacho]

It's only a matter of time, Nacho.

The walls of the paper-money castles are crumbling.

Thank god. Because I'm one of those guys who thinks the end of Fight Club was a hopeful promise of a very welcome possible future.

But, in reality Monkey, it'll be a long time before the Big Boys fall. The US has a version of the Chinese pillow defense on shit like this.  Look at the recent collapse. It's really no biggie.  It hurt people, it fucked things up, but I didn't notice it. Very few did. Belts tightened, there were scary things happening, but it wasn't the collapse it could have (and probably should have) been.

So it'll take more than the second great depression to even faze most of us over here. And that's not even enough. It'll put us on the streets, but the government will throw stimulus money at us and buy us off with the usual platitudes. We'll need an even heavier and more sustained hit to reactivate our peabrains enough to make us demand change.

[nacho]

I love shit like this. What, do they think it's 1850 or something?

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Gaddafi's son, disputed the death tolls that have have been reported since the protests began 10 days ago, saying allegations that hundreds have been killed are a "joke."

"Tripoli is quiet," he said in an interview aired on Libyan state television. "Life is normal."

The junior Gaddafi said Libya intends to provide Western journalists on Friday access to Tripoli, the capital, and other cities, so they can corroborate the government's claim that the country remains under Gaddafi's control.

It's like a scene from a Zucker brothers-inspired history of the world movie.

[nacho]

The Beeb's map has a wonderful domino feel to it:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12570279

Kind of helps put all the stories in perspective. At least for those of us who played the hell out of Europa Universalis or Rome Total War. Gaddafi's retreating as the cities fall from east to west. So, eventually, he'll hole up in that last city with a bunch of peasant troops and we'll have to storm his walls, which can be a bitch if there aren't enough missile troops.

[monkey!]

It's only a matter of time, Nacho.

The walls of the paper-money castles are crumbling.

Thank god. Because I'm one of those guys who thinks the end of Fight Club was a hopeful promise of a very welcome possible future.

But, in reality Monkey, it'll be a long time before the Big Boys fall. The US has a version of the Chinese pillow defense on shit like this.  Look at the recent collapse. It's really no biggie.  It hurt people, it fucked things up, but I didn't notice it. Very few did. Belts tightened, there were scary things happening, but it wasn't the collapse it could have (and probably should have) been.

That's because it was only numbers on a computer screen, Nacho. It wasn't like all of the cattle of middle America died of pox, or the forests of Germany were ablaze.

T'was nothing but some numbers representing "money"/credit, that doesn't and never did exist, on a computer screen. A man-made "crisis" regarding man-made fantasies, that they use to scare the populations into believing they are GOING TO DIE MUST DESTROY ISLAM!