the battle for Cairo

[StlSluggers]

When I saw this, I thought of you, Art:

No, Social Media Did Not Ignite a Revolution

This is good news for you. It means your posts now resume the #1 spot as the most important thing Facebook has accomplished.

[Art Vandelay]

In all honesty, I was being a little factitious with that post anyway. Even if facebook had led--or even contributed--to the revolution, it still wouldn't have overtaken me for importance.

[StlSluggers]

In all honesty, I was being a little factitious with that post anyway. Even if facebook had led--or even contributed--to the revolution, it still wouldn't have overtaken me for importance.

I figured as much. I was trying to give you a magnanimous way to reclaim the title.

[StlSluggers]

Now, here's a guy who grasped hold of current events an totally co-opted the headlines to push his own agenda:

Fed dictator Bernanke needs to be toppled

It's worth the thread just to see how often he says "dictatorship" preceded by either "Bernanke" or "30-year".

[StlSluggers]

Bahrain Protest Quashed by Violent Gov't Raid
At Least 4 Killed as Security Forces Rain Tear Gas Down, Storm Camp of Thousands Demanding Greater Freedom

(CBS/AP) Updated at 7:27 a.m. Eastern.

MANAMA, Bahrain -- Armed patrols prowled neighborhoods and tanks appeared in the streets for the first time Thursday after riot police with tear gas and clubs drove protesters from a main square where they had demanded sweeping political change in this tiny kingdom. Medical officials said four people were killed.

Police cars with flashing blue lights encircled Pearl Square, the site of anti-government rallies since Monday. Barbed wire was set up on streets leading to the square, where police cleaned up flattened protest tents and trampled banners.

The country's Interior Ministry issued a statement later Thursday claiming 50 police officers were injured as protesters in the square assaulted them with knives and swords. The statement blamed the protesters for the violence, saying the crowed ignored repeated warnings from authorities to leave the area.

Opposition leader Ibrahim Sharif, however, told the BBC that there had been no warning, and that many women and children were among those sleeping around Pearl Monument as the security forces launched their attack at about 3 a.m. local time.

A prominent opposition lawmaker from the Bahraini parliament's minority Shiite bloc told the Reuters news agency, meanwhile, that at least 60 people were missing after the raid in Pearl Square. He said his entire bloc, 17 of 40 parliamentarians, were quitting their jobs in protest.

Lots more in the link at the top

video of the attack

[Neato Torpedo]

Gaddafi next?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/fe ... fears-gone

[bleach168]

It's good to be dictator.
Qaddafi has 40 femme fatale virgin bodyguards.


edit: ok, in trying to bring you pictures, I saw why some of these women were still virgins. Ugh... you shall not be getting pictures.

[StlSluggers]

Two Libyan fighter pilots defected Monday, fleeing with their jets to Malta. The pilots told Maltese government officials that they had been ordered to bomb the protesters, Reuters and other new sources reported.

Good for them.

[AquaMan2342]

You gotta wonder if Libya is next.....if Egypt has a reason for revolution, the Libyans are probably salivating at the thought.

Not that difficult to figure out that major protests would take place in Libya after what happened in Egypt. The two states are relatively similar and much like the Rose Revolution in 2003 you will see states in similar positions to Egypt start to gather the confidence to at least protest.

EDIT: Some sources are saying Gaddafi is seeking exile in Venezuela

[AquaMan2342]

It will be interesting to see how various European leaders react to the Libyan situation considering that's where many of them (particularly Italy) get a lot of their oil.