"The thing which I greatly feared has come upon me." Job 3:25
Perhaps the dread of Jewish pundits is coming to pass.
Radical groups are rising up in Egypt, in the wake of the power vacuum following the flight of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
The Egyptian interim government has also begun normalizing relations with Hamas and Iran, two states which the previous government spurned, two states on the United States terrorist watchlist, two states inimical to the existence of the State of Israel.
Democracy does not a moral state create!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Riots in Uganda or The Jasmine Revolution Heads South
The Pearl of Africa, land-locked Uganda is facing internal turmoil of its own.
In the midst of a heated election, the opposition is stuck with trying to force out the current, now officially voted-out President.
Not only are the oppressed peoples of Northern Africa resisting oppressive rulers who have gamed the political system to remain in power,
NOW Sub-Saharan states are rebelling against their autocratic rulers.
Who knows how far the Jasmine Revolution will spread?
In the midst of a heated election, the opposition is stuck with trying to force out the current, now officially voted-out President.
Not only are the oppressed peoples of Northern Africa resisting oppressive rulers who have gamed the political system to remain in power,
NOW Sub-Saharan states are rebelling against their autocratic rulers.
Who knows how far the Jasmine Revolution will spread?
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
An Arab Spring in Southeast LA County: Part II
A new, hopeful future is dawning in the corruption-wracked city of Bell.
All newly-elected members have taken charge of the politically volatile city council Even the unindicted member from the previous council failed to win reelection.
First order of business, appointment a new mayor and they have selected their new mayor, Ali Saleh a young man of Arab descent, with a name shared by a corrupt dictator "President" in Yemen, the poorest nation in the Middle East wracked by populist strife.
The City of Bell has weathered its political storms and is undoing the humiliating corruption in the exemplary fashion of participatory democracy. Not just in changing the leadership, but increasing their knowledge and engagement in the political of the town has enabled Bell residents to take back their civic destiny with greater hope.
Let us hope that the Arab Spring spreading across the Middle East will expand into a mild summer of republican government suffused with community involvement. An orderly transfer of power, peaceful yet meaningful moderated by civic enthusiasm, not populist acrimony.
Mr. Tobar writes, "[The residents of Bell] seemed eager to believe once again that government could work in their best interests." The major difference: they choose to play an integral part of that government.
The outline for their improvement in civic virtue has a precedent. In his "Politics", Aristotle outlines an essential dichotomy among different forms of government. Not content to classify types of government based solely on who makes the decisions, he distinguished between governments who rule for their own benefit versus those which rule for the benefit of every citizen in the community. For example, the Ancient Greek philosopher distinguished rule by the majority that rules in its own interest--democracy, with a majority rule in the best interests of all--a republic.
In Bell, the citizens have risen up, removing elected officials ushered into office on the edge of apathetic voter participation. Having now channeled their rage to promote different leaders in a setting of greater accountability, the residents of Bell have ingratiated themselves with the workings of the political process, no longer content merely to sit back and let another oligarchy of infrequently elected politicians make decisions.
Even the demographics of the new council is impressive. For a predominantly Hispanic community, Bell's new council has Hispanic, Arab, Christian, and Muslim working together for all citizens, a republic fitting Aristotle's high esteem.
This is the model Revolution that the world needs to see. This is the model Revolution which the convulsing Arab states need to imitate. Not just removing bad men from power, not just trusting all authority to another group out of touch with the needs of the individual, Egyptians, Tunisians, Yemenis, all must invest themselves in the new political order arising out of the dirty sands of sedate dictatorships.
They must advocate government which extends rights to all, which permits as many as possible to participate in the policy decisions which face their nations; or, at least furnish opportunities to educate the greater majority of Arabs so that they know what to believe. Furthermore, like the citizens in Bell, the people of the Middle East must receive power and authority to practice their separate faiths, to learn about their cultures, and to speak out in protest and redress against their elected leaders.
The Bell Revolution is proceeding at a very promising pace. Let us hope that the Arab States of the Middle East will take the necessary steps to emulate the Revolution which transformed Southeastern Los Angeles County.
All newly-elected members have taken charge of the politically volatile city council Even the unindicted member from the previous council failed to win reelection.
First order of business, appointment a new mayor and they have selected their new mayor, Ali Saleh a young man of Arab descent, with a name shared by a corrupt dictator "President" in Yemen, the poorest nation in the Middle East wracked by populist strife.
The City of Bell has weathered its political storms and is undoing the humiliating corruption in the exemplary fashion of participatory democracy. Not just in changing the leadership, but increasing their knowledge and engagement in the political of the town has enabled Bell residents to take back their civic destiny with greater hope.
Let us hope that the Arab Spring spreading across the Middle East will expand into a mild summer of republican government suffused with community involvement. An orderly transfer of power, peaceful yet meaningful moderated by civic enthusiasm, not populist acrimony.
Mr. Tobar writes, "[The residents of Bell] seemed eager to believe once again that government could work in their best interests." The major difference: they choose to play an integral part of that government.
The outline for their improvement in civic virtue has a precedent. In his "Politics", Aristotle outlines an essential dichotomy among different forms of government. Not content to classify types of government based solely on who makes the decisions, he distinguished between governments who rule for their own benefit versus those which rule for the benefit of every citizen in the community. For example, the Ancient Greek philosopher distinguished rule by the majority that rules in its own interest--democracy, with a majority rule in the best interests of all--a republic.
In Bell, the citizens have risen up, removing elected officials ushered into office on the edge of apathetic voter participation. Having now channeled their rage to promote different leaders in a setting of greater accountability, the residents of Bell have ingratiated themselves with the workings of the political process, no longer content merely to sit back and let another oligarchy of infrequently elected politicians make decisions.
Even the demographics of the new council is impressive. For a predominantly Hispanic community, Bell's new council has Hispanic, Arab, Christian, and Muslim working together for all citizens, a republic fitting Aristotle's high esteem.
This is the model Revolution that the world needs to see. This is the model Revolution which the convulsing Arab states need to imitate. Not just removing bad men from power, not just trusting all authority to another group out of touch with the needs of the individual, Egyptians, Tunisians, Yemenis, all must invest themselves in the new political order arising out of the dirty sands of sedate dictatorships.
They must advocate government which extends rights to all, which permits as many as possible to participate in the policy decisions which face their nations; or, at least furnish opportunities to educate the greater majority of Arabs so that they know what to believe. Furthermore, like the citizens in Bell, the people of the Middle East must receive power and authority to practice their separate faiths, to learn about their cultures, and to speak out in protest and redress against their elected leaders.
The Bell Revolution is proceeding at a very promising pace. Let us hope that the Arab States of the Middle East will take the necessary steps to emulate the Revolution which transformed Southeastern Los Angeles County.
An Arab Spring in Southeast Los Angeles County: Part I
Mr. Tobar:
Your article "At last, goodwill in Bell" (4/15/2011) was moving, comforting, and inspiring.
I was not aware that there was an Arab constituency in the city of Bell.
More importantly, however, the name of the newly-installed mayor, Ali Saleh, caught my attention because of its ironically similarity to embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Of course, Mr. Saleh of Bell is a legitimately elected council member in a Los Angeles municipality, whereas Mr. Saleh of Yemen is an out-dated, overspent autocrat whose long oppression of the Yemeni people is drawing to a protracted end.
The two Ali's bring up significant parallels between the "Bell Revolution" and the Jasmine Revolution spreading across the Middle East.
Like Arab dictators across the Middle East, Bell's previous council abused the law, robbed their constituents with illegal accounting, and consolidated their power grip on the city through arbitrary harassment through civil services. Like the frustrated Arabs from Tunisia to Iran, Bell residents finally revolted against those out-of-touch kleptocrats when the extent of their scandalous hoarding went public in the LA Times. The spark that set off the Jasmine Revolution, however, tragically lighted up from the self-immolation of a wronged fruit vendor despondent of ever receiving justice.
Sadly, unlike the people of the Middle East, the citizens in Bell chose to be uninformed and uninvolved in their government's affairs until the LA Times exposé of the city's exorbitant salaries for its part-time civil servants.
Fortunately, the Bell Revolution, a model turn-over in power, will be imitated by Arab states now reeling from military coups and unyielding popular uprisings. Rather than simply demonizing the previous council members and civil servants, the newly-empowered voters have committed themselves to participating within the political process. They engage their new leaders, whom they have chosen, rather than attempting to do away with the civil system entirely. Confident that justice will prevail against Rizzo and his fellow Pigs at the Trough, Bell residents are invested in making the hard decisions to bring their city back to civic and financial order.
Hopefully, the Bell Revolution will serve as a precursor to future political prosperity throughout the Middle East.
Your article "At last, goodwill in Bell" (4/15/2011) was moving, comforting, and inspiring.
I was not aware that there was an Arab constituency in the city of Bell.
More importantly, however, the name of the newly-installed mayor, Ali Saleh, caught my attention because of its ironically similarity to embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Of course, Mr. Saleh of Bell is a legitimately elected council member in a Los Angeles municipality, whereas Mr. Saleh of Yemen is an out-dated, overspent autocrat whose long oppression of the Yemeni people is drawing to a protracted end.
The two Ali's bring up significant parallels between the "Bell Revolution" and the Jasmine Revolution spreading across the Middle East.
Like Arab dictators across the Middle East, Bell's previous council abused the law, robbed their constituents with illegal accounting, and consolidated their power grip on the city through arbitrary harassment through civil services. Like the frustrated Arabs from Tunisia to Iran, Bell residents finally revolted against those out-of-touch kleptocrats when the extent of their scandalous hoarding went public in the LA Times. The spark that set off the Jasmine Revolution, however, tragically lighted up from the self-immolation of a wronged fruit vendor despondent of ever receiving justice.
Sadly, unlike the people of the Middle East, the citizens in Bell chose to be uninformed and uninvolved in their government's affairs until the LA Times exposé of the city's exorbitant salaries for its part-time civil servants.
Fortunately, the Bell Revolution, a model turn-over in power, will be imitated by Arab states now reeling from military coups and unyielding popular uprisings. Rather than simply demonizing the previous council members and civil servants, the newly-empowered voters have committed themselves to participating within the political process. They engage their new leaders, whom they have chosen, rather than attempting to do away with the civil system entirely. Confident that justice will prevail against Rizzo and his fellow Pigs at the Trough, Bell residents are invested in making the hard decisions to bring their city back to civic and financial order.
Hopefully, the Bell Revolution will serve as a precursor to future political prosperity throughout the Middle East.
Political Facelift Uncovers the Core Ugly, or the Ineffectual Lifting of Syria's Emergency Laws
President Bashar al-Assad has given in to the demands of the growing opposition in Syria. Syrian human rights activists have decried Assad's retraction of power as pure political posturing, a ceremonial repeal which does nothing to alleviate the political oppression of the Levant. Only with a stern call for massive dispersal has Assad's government issued a retraction of the half-century emergency laws.
The lifting of emergency is a graceful political facelift which only exposes the penetrating corruption of the hideous Assad regime.
With Assad's relinquishing of overt supervision over the Syrian nation, the people in theory will no longer fear arbitrary detainment, search, seizure, and arrest at the hands of the State. This rescission of government dominance, however, does not address the long-imposed muzzling of the press and opposition groups against the ruling Baathist party, two essential elements for any free society. Furthermore, extreme immunity protections still safeguard law enforcement from the consequences of their rampant misconduct and torture of dissidents.
If previous revolutionary trends are a reliable harbinger, Assad's ease of his grip on the Syrian people will only embolden them to rise up against the 50-year dictatorship which has harmed them, harassed Israel, harangued the United States, and halted the spread of freedom and democracy throughout the Middle East.
The lifting of emergency is a graceful political facelift which only exposes the penetrating corruption of the hideous Assad regime.
With Assad's relinquishing of overt supervision over the Syrian nation, the people in theory will no longer fear arbitrary detainment, search, seizure, and arrest at the hands of the State. This rescission of government dominance, however, does not address the long-imposed muzzling of the press and opposition groups against the ruling Baathist party, two essential elements for any free society. Furthermore, extreme immunity protections still safeguard law enforcement from the consequences of their rampant misconduct and torture of dissidents.
If previous revolutionary trends are a reliable harbinger, Assad's ease of his grip on the Syrian people will only embolden them to rise up against the 50-year dictatorship which has harmed them, harassed Israel, harangued the United States, and halted the spread of freedom and democracy throughout the Middle East.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Bag the Baggy Pants Prohibition
Despite the parochial subject of Eloisa Gonzalez' article "Florida may soon outlaw baggy pants on students' (LA Times 4/15/2011), I found the core issue which you addressed, or rather your failure to do, very intriguing.
Mrs. Gonzalez outlined the arguments for and against state enforcement of proper dress code in the state of Florida. The Legislators are considering whether to criminalize wearing baggy pants in the state school system. The rationale: "It must be part of our politics to teach our kids how to get a job," claims one Florida legislator. In opposition to the move, the ACLU contends that the law would unfairly target minorities.
This article glaringly ignores a crucial point in the "Baggy pants" debate: Florida's Nanny State encroachment into the proper dress and raising of children.
A fundamental principle in the rise and development of the the United States, it is not the government's responsibility to enforce the expected habits of future job seekers.
More than disproportionally setting up certain students for detainment and punishment, the State of Florida's power grab further weakens the legitimate influence of schools, administrators, and students' families. They are in a better decision to make decisions in the best interest of the child, including what they were, not the remote Florida Legislature.
Mrs. Gonzalez outlined the arguments for and against state enforcement of proper dress code in the state of Florida. The Legislators are considering whether to criminalize wearing baggy pants in the state school system. The rationale: "It must be part of our politics to teach our kids how to get a job," claims one Florida legislator. In opposition to the move, the ACLU contends that the law would unfairly target minorities.
This article glaringly ignores a crucial point in the "Baggy pants" debate: Florida's Nanny State encroachment into the proper dress and raising of children.
A fundamental principle in the rise and development of the the United States, it is not the government's responsibility to enforce the expected habits of future job seekers.
More than disproportionally setting up certain students for detainment and punishment, the State of Florida's power grab further weakens the legitimate influence of schools, administrators, and students' families. They are in a better decision to make decisions in the best interest of the child, including what they were, not the remote Florida Legislature.
The 2011 Peruvian Presidential Elections: The Deception of Democracy
As any high school civics student can recite, democracy is "rule by the people", the literal translation of the much-used and misused word.
Yet many teachers fail to teach that:
1) Democracy as majority rule has been a widely despised form of government for most of Human History.
3) Aristotle, the first political scientist, emphasized in his "Politics" the crucial defining role of human nature in any procedural system of government.. Not content to classify types of government based solely on who makes the decisions, he also delineated between those who rule for their own benefit versus those states which rule for the benefit of every citizen in a community. By his estimates, a democracy was the rule by the many for the many; a republic the rule by the many for all.
2) The Framers of the United States Constitution did not intend for America to be a democracy, which they deemed to be a crass, hyperpartisan system of government that would undermine national unity by the expanse of heated factions contrary to natural rights.
With questionable credentials and political views hostile to the needs of the Peruvian nation, two intolerable candidates are vying for the Presidency:
1) Ollanta Humala, a blood-stained soldier-strongman with philosophical ties to the Venezuelan Marxist President-cum-dictator Hugo Chavez.
2) Keiko Fujimoro, seasoned politician with blood ties to Alberto Fujimori, ex-President of Peru jailed for corruption and crimes against humanity.
Both claim to support the poor without offering any meaningful proposals and without expressly denouncing the hateful policies of their contemporaries or predecessors. Beyond being a characteristic clothespin vote, Humala and Fujimori's candidacy reflects the stymied influence of the Peruvian electorate and the incompetence of Peru's democratic institutions. The candidates troubling backgrounds suggest that they will rule in their own interests or champion one constituency above the others, no matter how widely Peru's impoverished may comprise the nation's electorate.
For a nation that has struggled to assert the rightful independence of its people against the onslaught of rampant corruption and military demagoguery, this Pyrrhic contest underscores the ultimate fecklessness of democracy desperate for republican values, i.e. codification and enforcement of natural rights with mutual trust between all electors and the elected.
Systemically, the most damning fixture of this open yet fundamentally rigged election is that the Peruvian people cannot dismiss both candidates. Every election will have a winning candidate, regardless of how many abstain.
Therefore, the Peruvian people must invest in a civic culture beyond the upcoming election, civil participation which will shape the role of their leaders as opposed to merely sending them into office with the faint hope that they will behave themselves. Peruvians must demand leadership dedicated to republican rule: majority vote transformed into policy in the best interests of all Peruvians.
Yet many teachers fail to teach that:
1) Democracy as majority rule has been a widely despised form of government for most of Human History.
3) Aristotle, the first political scientist, emphasized in his "Politics" the crucial defining role of human nature in any procedural system of government.. Not content to classify types of government based solely on who makes the decisions, he also delineated between those who rule for their own benefit versus those states which rule for the benefit of every citizen in a community. By his estimates, a democracy was the rule by the many for the many; a republic the rule by the many for all.
2) The Framers of the United States Constitution did not intend for America to be a democracy, which they deemed to be a crass, hyperpartisan system of government that would undermine national unity by the expanse of heated factions contrary to natural rights.
With questionable credentials and political views hostile to the needs of the Peruvian nation, two intolerable candidates are vying for the Presidency:
1) Ollanta Humala, a blood-stained soldier-strongman with philosophical ties to the Venezuelan Marxist President-cum-dictator Hugo Chavez.
2) Keiko Fujimoro, seasoned politician with blood ties to Alberto Fujimori, ex-President of Peru jailed for corruption and crimes against humanity.
Both claim to support the poor without offering any meaningful proposals and without expressly denouncing the hateful policies of their contemporaries or predecessors. Beyond being a characteristic clothespin vote, Humala and Fujimori's candidacy reflects the stymied influence of the Peruvian electorate and the incompetence of Peru's democratic institutions. The candidates troubling backgrounds suggest that they will rule in their own interests or champion one constituency above the others, no matter how widely Peru's impoverished may comprise the nation's electorate.
For a nation that has struggled to assert the rightful independence of its people against the onslaught of rampant corruption and military demagoguery, this Pyrrhic contest underscores the ultimate fecklessness of democracy desperate for republican values, i.e. codification and enforcement of natural rights with mutual trust between all electors and the elected.
Systemically, the most damning fixture of this open yet fundamentally rigged election is that the Peruvian people cannot dismiss both candidates. Every election will have a winning candidate, regardless of how many abstain.
Therefore, the Peruvian people must invest in a civic culture beyond the upcoming election, civil participation which will shape the role of their leaders as opposed to merely sending them into office with the faint hope that they will behave themselves. Peruvians must demand leadership dedicated to republican rule: majority vote transformed into policy in the best interests of all Peruvians.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Prosser WIns Reelection in WI
David Prosser, incumbent Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice and staunch, has won reelection bid against Joanna Kloppenberg, the favorite of disaffected public employee unions. Governor Stan Walker and the empowered Republicans favored the incumbent not just for his conservative credentials, but for his certain favor for the law limiting the bargaining rights of public sector unions.
At first glance, the embattled unions seemed able to muster enough support for the liberal candidate to derail Governor Walker's policy. Yet right-wing activists throughout the nation did not rest on the laurels of passing landmark legislation, put poured in money and support to consolidate Justice Prosser's reelection bid. His reelection signals growing certainty that the Wisconsin will defeat any legal challenge against limiting public sector unions.
Political revolutions gradually lose momentum over time, yet the victory of this Supreme Court Justice against the growing liberal backlash signals a consistent commitment by the Wisconsin electorate to rein in debt, stop state spending, and strip sclerotic public sector unions of their bargaining rights.
Despite the criticism and controversy levelled against Governor Walker's policies, the triumph of the Republican Party and limited-government principles have galvanized conservatives throughout the country. They esteem Prosser's success as strong support for Governor Walker's move to limit the power of public employee unions, whose graft-like hold has impoverished state capitols throughout the United States, and whose power may be in sharp decline.
At first glance, the embattled unions seemed able to muster enough support for the liberal candidate to derail Governor Walker's policy. Yet right-wing activists throughout the nation did not rest on the laurels of passing landmark legislation, put poured in money and support to consolidate Justice Prosser's reelection bid. His reelection signals growing certainty that the Wisconsin will defeat any legal challenge against limiting public sector unions.
Political revolutions gradually lose momentum over time, yet the victory of this Supreme Court Justice against the growing liberal backlash signals a consistent commitment by the Wisconsin electorate to rein in debt, stop state spending, and strip sclerotic public sector unions of their bargaining rights.
Despite the criticism and controversy levelled against Governor Walker's policies, the triumph of the Republican Party and limited-government principles have galvanized conservatives throughout the country. They esteem Prosser's success as strong support for Governor Walker's move to limit the power of public employee unions, whose graft-like hold has impoverished state capitols throughout the United States, and whose power may be in sharp decline.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Richard Nixon: Unmasked, Unplugged, Unedited
Richard Nixon accomplished a lot during his Presidency, despite the scandal which plagued him and ultimately chased him out of office.
He made overtures to China to normalize relations with a growing Communist power, which destabilized Communist Russia, the United States' greatest ally at the time.
He engineered the Southern Strategy, ushering in Republican dominance of the White House for seven of the last ten Presidential elections.
He was last the last Chief Executive to impound funds appropriated by Congress in an attempt to stop the rising debt which now burdens this country.
Recently, the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, CA has created a site dedicated to presenting the Watergate Scandal, warts and all. Rather than dismissing the President's role in the government, the exhibit underscores the necessity of promoting a true and complete posterity of the past for the future. This change in museum policy is all the more refreshing, as it comes from scholars deeply invested in preserving the President's legacy.
Watergate was a shameful moment in the history of the United States Government. Yet by exposing the wrongdoing instead of covering it up, the country is better served. No longer having to invest resources in limiting access to compromising knowledge about an influential yet flawed executive, future generations will be able to better appreciated the good which he did accomplish for this country, as well as the effectiveness of the United States Constitutional system to reprimand lawless actions by the government.
He made overtures to China to normalize relations with a growing Communist power, which destabilized Communist Russia, the United States' greatest ally at the time.
He engineered the Southern Strategy, ushering in Republican dominance of the White House for seven of the last ten Presidential elections.
He was last the last Chief Executive to impound funds appropriated by Congress in an attempt to stop the rising debt which now burdens this country.
Recently, the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, CA has created a site dedicated to presenting the Watergate Scandal, warts and all. Rather than dismissing the President's role in the government, the exhibit underscores the necessity of promoting a true and complete posterity of the past for the future. This change in museum policy is all the more refreshing, as it comes from scholars deeply invested in preserving the President's legacy.
Watergate was a shameful moment in the history of the United States Government. Yet by exposing the wrongdoing instead of covering it up, the country is better served. No longer having to invest resources in limiting access to compromising knowledge about an influential yet flawed executive, future generations will be able to better appreciated the good which he did accomplish for this country, as well as the effectiveness of the United States Constitutional system to reprimand lawless actions by the government.
Loneliness and Revolution Part II
There are ample examples in history demonstrating that people revolt not for being taxed heavily, not for being rudely treated, but because they are not allowed to speak out for themselves, they are not permitted to voice opposition against their leaders, let alone participate in government affairs.
Before the American Revolution broke out, the colonists had resisted taxation extensively. They successfully won repeal of the Stamp Act. They smuggled goods to avoid the Sugar, Tea, and Townshend Acts. In the end, their chief complaint against the Mother Country was "Taxation without Representation!" They objected not just to the taxes, but having taxes levied on them without their consent.
The American colon its wanted to be heard, they wanted to have a say in their governance, including taxation. Even following the hostilities at Lexington and Concord, the Second Continental Congress extended "The Olive Branch Petition" to King George III as an attempt to smooth over relations. When the King refused to consider the legitimate demands of the colon its, the American people fought for their freedom to govern themselves, by their own consent.
Consider other, more recent revolutions in history. Despite the widespread conditions of oppression, limited access, and poverty, what instigated populist uprising was the government's refusal to let the people be heard.
The 1830 Revolution in France--King Charles X had shut down the major newspapers before demonstrators took the streets to remove the Bourbon Monarchy once and for all: July 30, 130, Revolution across Paris gives way to the July Monarchy.
The Revolution(s) of 1848--From January to early February of that fateful year, intellectuals and journalists convened in banquets throughout Paris to denounce the unjust laws which were preventing assembly and failing to help the poor in the country. When "Citizen" King Louis Philippe shut down the banquets, the French People take to the streets. Another Revolution overthrew the Provisional government not even four months later.
Now consider the Jasmine Revolution. The spark which set of the political upheaval still engulfing the Middle East all began with one fruit vendor. When complained to the civil authorities after a government official unjustly seized his fruit stand, the police beat him up. Finding no other means of making himself heard, the vendor doused himself in paint thinner before the ministry of his home town, then cried out "How do you expect me to make a living?!" and set himself on fire.
His desperate act of outrage moved his own countrymen to speak out. The nation, which refused to hear him, not had to heed the condemnation of the people which it had for so long oppressed.
Social media throughout the Arab World has allowed young people to communicate without being caught. People from Libya and Egypt to Syria and Bahrain now are rising up, demanding to be heard. Despite having endure extreme privation and humiliation at the behest of their leaders, they are now no longer content to be hushed. With the technology and momentum on their side, the Arabic peoples no longer endure suffering political oppression in lonely silence.
Before the American Revolution broke out, the colonists had resisted taxation extensively. They successfully won repeal of the Stamp Act. They smuggled goods to avoid the Sugar, Tea, and Townshend Acts. In the end, their chief complaint against the Mother Country was "Taxation without Representation!" They objected not just to the taxes, but having taxes levied on them without their consent.
The American colon its wanted to be heard, they wanted to have a say in their governance, including taxation. Even following the hostilities at Lexington and Concord, the Second Continental Congress extended "The Olive Branch Petition" to King George III as an attempt to smooth over relations. When the King refused to consider the legitimate demands of the colon its, the American people fought for their freedom to govern themselves, by their own consent.
Consider other, more recent revolutions in history. Despite the widespread conditions of oppression, limited access, and poverty, what instigated populist uprising was the government's refusal to let the people be heard.
The 1830 Revolution in France--King Charles X had shut down the major newspapers before demonstrators took the streets to remove the Bourbon Monarchy once and for all: July 30, 130, Revolution across Paris gives way to the July Monarchy.
The Revolution(s) of 1848--From January to early February of that fateful year, intellectuals and journalists convened in banquets throughout Paris to denounce the unjust laws which were preventing assembly and failing to help the poor in the country. When "Citizen" King Louis Philippe shut down the banquets, the French People take to the streets. Another Revolution overthrew the Provisional government not even four months later.
Now consider the Jasmine Revolution. The spark which set of the political upheaval still engulfing the Middle East all began with one fruit vendor. When complained to the civil authorities after a government official unjustly seized his fruit stand, the police beat him up. Finding no other means of making himself heard, the vendor doused himself in paint thinner before the ministry of his home town, then cried out "How do you expect me to make a living?!" and set himself on fire.
His desperate act of outrage moved his own countrymen to speak out. The nation, which refused to hear him, not had to heed the condemnation of the people which it had for so long oppressed.
Social media throughout the Arab World has allowed young people to communicate without being caught. People from Libya and Egypt to Syria and Bahrain now are rising up, demanding to be heard. Despite having endure extreme privation and humiliation at the behest of their leaders, they are now no longer content to be hushed. With the technology and momentum on their side, the Arabic peoples no longer endure suffering political oppression in lonely silence.
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