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

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Mass protests in Egypt against military rule

Click here to access article by Peter Symonds from World Socialist Web Site.

Most mainstream news reports concentrate on Mubarak's health and pair this with the large crowds in Tahrir Square apparently to suggest that the two events are related. This treatment, of course, detracts from the reality of what is happening in Egypt. 

In my estimation this source provides the most accurate assessment about what is actually happening there.
An estimated 50,000 people took part in protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square yesterday against last Thursday’s coup and the establishment of a military dictatorship by Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). Another sizable demonstration took place in the port city of Alexandria.