To Our Egyptian Friends...

[Elessar]

If any of our readers, members or lurkers are residents of Egypt, be careful and stay safe tonight... It sounds like the sun may rise tomorrow on a new reality for the Egyptian government and the Egyptian people and it's very dangerous there right now.

[enterprikayak]

The govt shut off the internet in Egypt last night, and phones, electricity, and water are apparantly under threat as well today. :


http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/0 ... -shutdown/


Man, even trying our best, I don't think most of us here in N. America can have *any* concept of what it's like to live in that world. Where there are fires at night from bombs and the gov't is shutting off your inet access. It's like a Star Trek planet....but it's totally real.

___________________________________________

Here's a blog post from this site that was put up 17 hours ago:

To all the people of world

The people in Egypt are under governmental siege. Mubarak regime is banning Facebook, Twitter, and all other popular internet sites. Tomorrow the government will block the 3 mobile phone network and the internet completely. And there is news that even the phone landlines will be cut tomorrow, to prevent any news agency from following what will happen.

Suez city is already under siege now. The government cut the water supply and electricity, people, including, children and elderly are suffering there now. The patients in hospitals cannot get urgent medical care. The injured protesters are lying in the streets and the riot police are preventing people from helping them. The families of the killed protesters cannot get the bodies of their sons to bury them. This picture is the same in north Saini (El-Sheikh zoyad city) and in western Egypt (Al-salom). The riot police is cracking down on protesters in Ismailia, Alexandria, Fayoum, Shbin Elkoum, and Cairo, the capital, in many neighborhoods across the city.

The government is preparing to crackdown on the protesters in all Egyptian cities. They are using tear gas bombs, rubber and plastic pullets, chemicals like dilutes mustard gas against protesters. Several protesters today have been killed when the armored vehicles of the riot police hit them. Officials in plain clothes carrying blades and knives used to intimidate protesters.

All this has been taken place over the past three days during the peaceful demonstrations in Cairo and other cities. Now, with the suspicious silence of the local media and the lack of coverage from the international media, Mubarak and his gang are blocking all the channels that can tell the world about what is happening.

People who call for their freedom need your support and help. Will you give them a hand?

The activists are flooding the net (youtube and other sites) with thousands of pictures and videos showing the riot police firing on armless people. The police started to use ammunition against protesters. 15-year old girl has been injured and another 25 year old man has been shot in the mouth. While nothing of these has appeared in the media, there is more to happen tomorrow. Will you keep silent? Will you keep your mouth shut while seeing all these cruelty and inhumane actions?

We don’t ask for much, just broadcast what is happening

blog post from this site

[Silverbullet]

EK, not Egypt, but Tunisia, Algiers, Pakistan, Bangledesh. I have lived in that world. I have seen some things that would curl your hair. It is far removed from our world.

In Afghanistan a man feels naked if he doesn't have an AK. If you looked cross eyed at one of his females look out that AK will be used. Honor.

SB

[enterprikayak]

Yeah, the internet/technology gap is *not* the only thing that separates your generation from mine. I have often looked around at my buddies and been amazed at how we just don't even *consider* having to be drafted, etc. Waiting in the rain for a bus is as uncomfortable as any of us is likely to ever be. It's not even an option. It's like: I'm not worried about being attacked by ducks either. Just isn't gonna happen. It's just something "out of the movies".

But my hubby's grandpa has a hipful of German shrapnel. Just 2 generations removed. It's certainly NOT just out of the movies.

The 2 different worldviews are so far removed, it's amazing we get along at all actually!

However, one of my friends, the one who drills for oil, is either stuck in Cairo right now, or just managed to get home to Canada a few days ago. I am trying to get in touch with him to figure out which it is.

[Transwarp]

But my hubby's grandpa has a hipful of German shrapnel. Just 2 generations removed. It's certainly NOT just out of the movies.

Actually, it's ZERO generations removed. Our soldiers and sailors are over here putting their lives on the line everyday.

I wish I could have some confidence that these recent uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia will result in change for the better. Alas, my fear is that they are about to exchange their secular dictatorships for even more radical islamic dictatorships, and we'll all be worse off.

Hope I'm wrong.

[Silverbullet]

What is the saying "Be carefull what you wish for, you might get it" Change is not always for the better as Transwarp has noted.

SB

[Linda]

What is happening in Tunisia and Egypt is hard to grasp for those of us who have never lived under such conditions. I am glad that some people that are part of the Triaxian Silk community can give us some insight into this.

[Silverbullet]

Linda, it is difficult to explain a completey different Mind set. It is so alien to ours.

Heck, yo uwould be surprised at the difference betweena German and a Dane or The Dutch. Close neighbors but in some ways worlds apart.

I lived 17 years in Europe, 2 years in the Magreb (North Africa), 7 years on the Indian Sub-continent and 2 years in China. You know where I went in to cultural shock? When I came back to the U.S. When I retired I had not lived more than a year or so in America in 35 years. Trying to explain a diffierent cultur and way of life is one heck of a chore.

SB

[enterprikayak]

Jon my friend who was working in egypt just called. His contract ended and he got into vancouver 6 days before the "Friday of Wrath". Thank God. He said it was MENTAL there that last couple of weeks. Just he said, like, the tension in the air was so think, you could literally cut it with a knife.

He's off to brazil in a couple of days.

[Kotik]

It's only 22 years ago that we east germans did the same as the egyptians, so I feel very close to them at the moment. From what I experienced and judging the fact that the egyptian army refuses to shoot at their own people, I would say that Mubarak's days are numbered.
It's pretty much the same thing as Oct. 7th 1989. Hundreds of thousands were on the street protesting against a dictatorship and the soviet army refused to get involved (as opposed to 1953). That was the turning point which ultimately resulted in the fall of the Berlin wall. Let's wish for equal success for the Egyptians.

[justTripn]

Hear! Hear!

[Silverbullet]

As long as Hard Line Islamic clerics don't take over.

SB

[Kotik]

It's turning ugly. Pro-Mubarak thugs are throwing Molotov cocktails at demonstrating people. What a bloody barbaric behaviour According to latest news, way over 600 injured. REST OF STATEMENT DELETED Kotik can probably guess why. CAREFUL PEOPLE. -jT

[Kotik]

REST OF STATEMENT DELETED Kotik can probably guess why. CAREFUL PEOPLE. -jT

Just stated the obvious. People (like me) who actually lived in a dictatorship have a slightly different (and more violent) view, Accept your deletion though, I can understand that my words were disturbing for people, who (luckily) never had to experience it.

It's 1989 all over again and I feel very close to the people in Cairo and Alexandria, please disregard my words as I'm not exactly objective on the matter I'll leave for Alexandria tomorrow. Egypt needs suport now. Can't sit at home when people are giving theior lives for basic freedom.

[Silverbullet]

Koti, I have lived in four Dictatorship: Algeria Bulgaria, Pakistan, China. Not pretty but people learn to live with anything.

Stay the Hell out of Alexandria. all you will acconplish is to make work for the German Embassy. You can get your butt shot off easily. When the blood fever hits no questions are asked as to what nationality one is. If you are in the way you are liminated. Send Money if you want to help.

SB