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The Spectacle Blog
American conservatives should be more supportive of the Egyptian protesters, because the same slipshod “logic” that has been used to smear them also has been used to smear the Tea Partiers.
Indeed, the Left discovers within the Tea Party movement a few wholly unrepresentative instances of questionable racial rhetoric and racially-tinged signs; and it declares that the Tea Party is racist and animated by a hatred of black people. This is not true, of course, as anyone familiar with the Tea Party movement knows.
Similarly, we know from independent and credible firsthand accounts, as well as the protesters’ own own statements and actions, that anti-Semitism and a hatred of Israel are not the driving force behind the Egyptian uprising.
Instead, the protesters are deeply disillusioned, angry and dissatisfied with the Mubarak regime. They resent its authoritarian political rule and its inept and regressive public policies which have stymied political and economic progress in Egypt.
Now, the analogy is inexact because anti-Semitism is, in fact, widespread in Egypt and the Middle East. By contrast, in America — and certainly within the Tea Party movement — racism has been marginalized.
Nonetheless, in both instances — for both the Tea Partiers and the Egyptian protesters — there is a rush to smear and discredit legitimate democratic opposition based upon the actions of those who do not really speak for and to the opposition.
American conservatives, who have been smeared too often themselves, should not sanction the smearing of others, especially our democratic allies overseas.
View all comments (37) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by John R. Guardiano
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/02/09/smearing-the-egyptian-proteste
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Ken (Old Texican)| 2.9.11 @ 4:53PM
John,
I'm sorry. You just fail to see it.
OK, let me spell it out in one syl a ble words.
I am not a gainst the mos lem bro ther hood be cause they are ant i sem i tic.
I am a gainst the bro ther hood be cause they are ant i ev ery thing ex cept Shar i a.
Are we clear now?
The brotherhood will come out on top. Why?
because they have absolutely NO reins on their cruelty. None. They are on allah's side you see.
Please get your head out.
John Guardiano | 2.9.11 @ 5:07PM
Ken,
Based on your logic, the United States should have opposed Poland's Solidarity trade movement, too, because, well, "the communists will come out on top"!
I reject your defeatism! The Brotherhood in Egypt today is no more powerful than the communists were in Eastern Europe a generation ago.
But even if you're right, and I'm wrong, doesn't that mean we redouble our efforts to facilitate a better and more favorable outcome in Egypt?
What is the alternative to democratization? Mubarak is 82 years old, remember, and has cancer. He can't live forever!
So what do you propose?! A new Egyptian strongman?! Which one? And how, exactly, do you propose that we put this new strongman in power?
To paraphrase Winston Churchill, liberal democracy is the worst form of government except for all the rest.
Regards,
John
Occam's Tool| 2.9.11 @ 5:14PM
Sorry, John. This is going to go "one vote, one time." It will turn out very badly. Ken is correct. Watch and learn.
By the way, I like Chicago Stuffed Pizza from Nancy's, although I can live with a family sized stuffed pizza from Papa Murphy's... Let me know what you like in that general price range, and we'll call it a bet. There's a Papa Murphy's in my area, and I'll be happy to mail a gift certificate. I'll be happy to have it shipped to the Spectator, or mailed, if you win, and I HOPE YOU DO.
John Guardiano | 2.9.11 @ 5:17PM
Occcam's Tool,
Thanks, but you're missing my point. Of course there are no guarantees with democratization. There also are no guarantees if Egypt gets stuck with a new autocrat.
My point is that we shouldn't simply watch from the sidelines and "hope" for the best. We should actively intervene to effect a more favorable outcome.
Regards,
John
Warrior | 2.9.11 @ 5:48PM
Couldn't have been written any better than if Jimmy Carter had said it himself.
John Guardiano | 2.10.11 @ 1:42AM
Warrior,
Study history more closely. Jimmy Carter did not intervene; that was the problem. I'm proposing the exact opposite of what Carter did, in fact, do -- or rather did not do.
Regards,
John
Occam's Tool| 2.9.11 @ 5:49PM
I agree we should intervene, but we should have no doubts that we're working with people we ordinarily wouldn't want within a thousand lightyears of us.
Again, I'll accept as read that the reason that they're revolting has nothing to do with antisemitism or sharia. Nonetheless, most of them are revoltingly pro-sharia and antisemitic.
Occam's Tool| 2.9.11 @ 5:15PM
Poland was a Western civilization. And that makes all the difference.
Patriot| 2.9.11 @ 6:48PM
Good point. The Solidarity movement also had Reagan, Thatcher and Pope John Paul II to help and guide them. Look who we have now. No wonder we're pessimistic.
Ken (Old Texican)| 2.9.11 @ 7:22PM
John,
Straw-man argument.
Poland has NO similarity to Egypt.
Under ground, Poland was Roman Catholic. (Christian).
Under ground and above ground, Egypt is Muslim/Sharia waiting to happen in full bloom.
Anybody who could keep the murderous SOBs contained is my friend ...clear enough?
Please copy/paste my words on your hard-drive!
Before you are my age and my international experience, you will be embarrassed....or be-headed
...It will be too late.
Knothead, we are in a world war...a declared world war...by our enemies............Islam.
In all sadness
Sigh.....you have not lived with these people, or negotiated with their "leaders" as I have.
You sir are jerking off!
Warrior | 2.9.11 @ 5:04PM
Ken is correct. You all keep overlooking the little things like 70-80% of the protesters support Sharia law and if given a chance they will become the modern day equivalent of Iran after the fall of the Shah. You guys keep acting like Mel Gibson is inciting the crowd.
Jonathon| 2.10.11 @ 3:19PM
Where are you getting these numbers? 70-80%? Look at the pictures of the crowds, the vast majority are secular, no long beards, lots of women without their heads covered... One reporter described how when the Muslim Brotherhood began chanting "Allahu Akbar" the crowd drowned them out and forced them to stop. Coptic Christians surrounded those muslims who kneeled to pray during Friday prayers to protect them from NDP vigilantes, then held their own prayer service in Tahrir square on Sunday. Again and again we see examples of this crowd as desirous of anything but sharia law. Then you come up with a figure of 70-80%. I'm pretty sure you are just making these numbers up, and doing us all a disservice with your misinformation, rumor mongering and lies. I cannot for the life of me understand why conservatives are so terrified of a movement that demands democracy, freedom and human rights.
Clint| 2.9.11 @ 5:05PM
"The April 6 and Khaled Said groups have emerged as the organizers of the anti-Mubarak coalition.Leftists, socialists and pro-labor people know that the movement takes its name from April 6, 2008, when a series of strikes and labor actions by textile workers in Mahalla led to a growing general strike by workers and residents and then, on April 6, faced a brutal crackdown by security forces. A second, allied movement of young Egyptians developed in response to the killing by police of Khaled Said, a university graduate, in Alexandria. Both the April 6 group and another group, called We Are All Khaled Said, built networks through Facebook, and according to one account the April 6 group has more than 80,000 members on Facebook. The two groups, which work together, are nearly entirely secular, pro-labor and support the overthrow of Mubarak and the creation of a democratic republic."
Occam's Tool| 2.9.11 @ 5:10PM
"sand monkeys," Clint. You have all the believability of Roman Polanski on child rape on any Middle East issue. Sorry. You said it, I didn't. You are an antisemite condemned by your own filthy utterences.
Ken is absolutely correct. We have to fear the imposition of Sharia in Egypt. That will be bad in many ways. It is true, their reasons for revolting may not be about antisemitism and sharia, but they are ALL ABOUT that.
What you know about Jews, Arabs, and the Middle East, Clint, can fit into the tip of one of your condoms---not much.
Clint| 2.9.11 @ 5:37PM
Yeah, Obsessed Israel Firster Agenda Freak Tool Job. Sand Monkey Joe Egypt's Want Jobs & Freedom.
This Ain't Rocket Science Plastic Pseudo-Intellect Bloviator Tool Job.
Occam's Tool| 2.9.11 @ 5:46PM
Is there even a point insulting you? Your grammar's wretched, your vocabulary is pathetic, and, as I've pointed out...never mind. I'm just not going to answer you anymore, Clint.
Clint| 2.9.11 @ 6:03PM
Good!
Ken (Old Texican)| 2.9.11 @ 7:36PM
Doctor,
I shall.
Clitoris/Clint is truly embabarrassing to the Tea Party patriots.
he is the guy we try to muffle in public.
Obviously he has nothing better to do than drop turds in the punch-bowl...but in his caps...
CLINT IS NOT A TEA PARTIER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Clint| 2.9.11 @ 7:46PM
Come To Our Friday Night Valley Forge Patriots Tea Party Meeting & Let's See Ya Muffle Me Kenny The Squirrel Israel Firster Chickenhawk.
Ken (Old Texican)| 2.9.11 @ 8:24PM
See you there. wimpy. I'm the tall guy wearing the brown cowboy hat.
I'm the guy who will back-hand you with my finger-tips...hoping and hoping you will react.
You know it's fun being able to jump in my own plane and kick ass in person.
What do you look like, wimp?
Ken (Old Texican)| 2.9.11 @ 8:33PM
See you in Phoenixville, twerp. There is an airfield only eleven miles away.
Clint| 2.9.11 @ 11:28PM
I'm Gonna Be There & I'm Gonna Expose You Here At American Spectator, If You Don't Show Up.
You Better Show Up Gutless Chickenhawk Kenny The Squirrel Coward.
P.S, That's Wings Field ( Lottsa Guys With Vowels In Their Name For You To Confront Coward Bigot)
Clint| 2.9.11 @ 11:49PM
Good,If Ya Start Somethin' Physical,Then I Can Legally Kick Your Ass ,You'll Never Hear The Man Count Ten Coward Israel Firster Kenny The Squirrel.
You Better Be There Or I'll Expose You Here At American Spectator Coward Chickenhawk.
Clint| 2.9.11 @ 11:52PM
I'll Be Wearin' My Essex Troop Blazer. Ya Can't Miss Me.
You Better Show Up Or I'll Expose You Here At American Spectator Israel Firster Coward Chickenhawk.
WJ| 2.10.11 @ 8:26AM
Ken is quite the internet hero. Brazenly tossing out insults that will have slapped and screaming like a little girl in the real world.
It's a shame the fool has to hijack rational threads with his overly emotional responses. If I didn't know better I would say Kent is a woman.
All American American| 2.9.11 @ 5:27PM
Uhh, is it April Fools Day or something? Cuz this article has got to be a JOKE.
84% of Egyptians support the death penalty for adultery. A similar number support death for leaving islam. Yup. Just like the Tea Party.
Good Lord.
Maybe certain "conservatives" will see the true threat islam poses to our way of life when their daughters are in burquas?
Prolly not. They'll just be happy to pay the jizya.
Cato| 2.9.11 @ 5:41PM
The Muslim Brotherhood is a fascist totalitarian organization dedicated to the imposition of fascist theocracy ,Iranian style. Their leader just a few days ago called Iranian system a "good one" and praised Ahmedinejad, saying that Egypt needed the same type of government. They routinely call for war against Israel. the protesters routinely call Mubarak a traitor and a puppet of Israel. We are supposed to be so stupid to believe that this is about democracy? It is perfectly immaterial what the majority of protesters believe (btw they believe that Israel should be destroyed and sharia imposed); the real problem is that in the chaotic situation that emerges and that American administration exacerbates by its amateurish actions, the probability of falling of Egypt into the hands of Islamofascists increases dramatically.
The Muslim Bortherhood is the best organized opposition force, organized along the Lenininst lines. Their leaders learned the tactics of revolutionary work from Lenin and Mussolini. They don't have to be in the frontline to be in the control of what is going on.
PCC| 2.9.11 @ 5:49PM
Dear Mr. Guardiano,
Of course, you're right.
And the pessimists have no answer to the question, "What is your preferred alternative, and how do you get there?"
The pro-democracy protesters deserve our support.
Ken (Old Texican)| 2.9.11 @ 7:45PM
You poor silly "persons" .
(PCC and Guardiano)
You both will wake up...way too late.
Once again we knuckle draggers will have to drag you out of the slime.
John Guardiano | 2.10.11 @ 1:45AM
PCC,
Thanks for your kind and supportive comments. Appreciate it. You may be the only here who agrees with me! But that's OK. I don't mind.
Best,
John
WJ| 2.10.11 @ 8:28AM
Mr. Guardiano - I agree with you on Egypt. I have been infuriated to see how quickly conservatives have lost their love of freedom. Supporting Mubarak is no different than the US supporting Saddam in 1980s.
Occam's Tool| 2.10.11 @ 11:35PM
I'm not so sure that it will repay us to support them. I don't think these people are very nice, and they tend to support sharia law. I'm not a big fan of sharia. In short, I would watch this one unfold over the next few weeks and see where things are going before leaping in. Foreign policy is not best made to fit a 24 hour news cycle.
With the Iranians, we KNEW that the regime they were revolting against were are declared enemies, and that the protesters were pro-American. Not intervening there with maximum force in favor of the protesters was a BIG mistake.
In the 1980s, we had bigger fish to fry than Saddam. Now, our fish to fry ARE the Islamofascists and their supporters.
Carmen Gindi| 2.17.11 @ 1:21AM
I, too, agree with you, Mr. Guardiano. I'm an Egyptian Christian, and I have seen the terrible effects of Muslim religious intolerance against Christians and vice versa, but what is so wonderful about our revolution is that it was not galvanized nor sustained by any religious group.
I have seen many examples of fear and hatred between Christians and Muslims during the Mubarak era, but I have never seen Muslims protect Christian churches by creating human shields around them as I had seen in the days of Tahrir square.
Only in Tahrir square had I seen Christians create a human chain protecting Muslims from plain-clothed police while Muslims prayed on Friday. Only in Tahrir square have I heard Muslims and Christians sing patritoic Christian hymns together, pleading to God to protect Egypt, quoting a verse from the Bible, "Blessed is Egypt, my nation".
All kinds of barriers dissipated in Tahrir square. Men and women, boys and girls took turns leading the slogan calls that shouted Mubarak out of office. The hatred and bullying of the Mubarak thugs were met with a different spirit in Tahrir square. That was the same civil, kind spirit that led so many protestors to go back and clean Tahrir square right after the revolution. The Tahrir square spirit is not the spirit of hatred, radicalism, and sectarianism. This was an inter-faith spiritual experience combined with a secular drive to oust a totalitarian dictator. That original combination was unprecedented historically. So please don't compare us to Iraq, to Palestine, to Iran, etc.. We, Egyptians, are a totally different breed.
So many people commenting here are sadly associating the revolution with radical Muslim jihadists. How unfair to dismiss our beautiful revolution as just another hateful war.
John Guardiano | 2.10.11 @ 1:46AM
Ken,
We may disagree on this one; but from all I can tell, you're still a good man! (Or at least a good commenter!)
Regards,
John
Clint| 2.10.11 @ 2:23AM
Apparently, John Guardiano,You Missed Keeny The Bigot's Posts Over At Goldstein's : Egyptian Tea.
"Ken (Old Texican)| 2.9.11 @ 7:29PM
I'm very sorry, Aaron.
Arseholes like Guardiano sadly have a vowel on the end of their names.
(See, John, I am anti-vowel)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vowels have hated semites for two thousand years. Take a deep breath and get over it."
This Dude's Nuts & Lookin' For A Problem.
Mike W| 2.10.11 @ 8:31AM
I appreciate the Spectator having an open forum for comments but when you have an obvious drunkard like the Texican posting willy nilly , perhaps it is time for some controls.
In reality, I should probably just quit reading the comments. The neo con moooslim hating meatheads haven't had an original thought or idea in years.
Occam's Tool| 2.10.11 @ 11:27PM
Clint,
Coming from "sand monkeys," it's clear that you have no room to talk. Honestly, given that you are 3 foot 6 inches with a 3 inch head, you should be pretty easy to pick out of a crowd.
And Ken, I knew he wasn't a tea partier, because I am one. Have fun, and be careful around the no-neck mutant.