We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Egypt’s Youth Present Demands to Military

by Mohamed Abdel Salam from Bikyamasr

The latest development in the direction of real democracy in Egypt:
The Coalition of Youth representatives, which included representatives of al-Wafd Party, Mohamed ElBaradei’s reform group, and Muslim Brotherhood youth along with youth not associated with a political movement, presented a list of demands to the council.