Basically the "President", Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, has been in power for 30 years, and people are calling him a dictator not a President. There are hundreds of thousands of protestors taking to the streets. The "pres" shut off the internet in Egypt. I know what you’re thinking, and no I did not know that was possible either. Some reports say the police have disappeared and other reports say the police are looting houses. Neighborhoods literally have all able bodied men out to defend their property with whatever means they have, sticks, rocks, etc. Egypt is a huge ally to the US in the Middle East because it is a "democracy" and is largely Muslim. But Isreal is also our ally, and if protestors take over, then the Muslims will truly run Egypt and it could be dangerous for Isreal. Supporters of this Muslim take over include Obama, Clinton, Boehner, and everyone else in the U.S. political spectrum. The U.S. is in a sticky spot, and it is kind of insane. Read Al-jazeera, they have the scoop in Egypt. They're the number one news station for Arab nations, and they've actually been banned from broadcasting in Egypt because they are telling the truth. Al-jazeera means "the island" in English.
Journalists are being attacked for simply taking pictures of the event and trying to relay the events outside of the country. Hillary Clinton has insisted that they allow the journalists to report the events to other people within Egypt and the rest of the world. Right now there is so much hear say because of the instilled fear journalists have to relay any information. Many anti-government protestors have formed. Mubarak appointed vice president Omar Suleiman, the former intelligence chief. This appointment only caused for more riots and division within the country.
After reading and hearing about everything going on I realize just how lucky I am to live in America. The fears that I have are in no way comparable to what the civilians are dealing with in Egypt. Having to stand outside your home and defend it with any random object you can find is a thought I cannot even comprehend. The people that are in place to protect civilians are M.I.A. and the country is basically split and left to defend them-selves when riots break out.
Not only is the violence surprising and disturbing the fact that the news is not being circulated very well and in some cases it is being conveyed falsely is mind boggling. At any point in time I can get on the internet or turn the TV on and have immediate access to any events occurring in the world. Being shut off from a serious disaster in your own country would be very unnerving.
Al-jazeera has a live streaming video updating the most recent events, well at least until that gets cut off too. It has shown video clips of some of the rioting going on. The violence that I have seen leaves me speechless, and yet again, feeling lucky. In the twenty years that I have been alive I have NEVER feared being attacked by rioters or gang members. The attacks caught on video are pretty violent and a little disturbing. I could not imagine being a part of it.
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