148

Hi all.

Breaking the silence.

This is Egypt tonight from my perspective only, after the announced clinical death of former President Hosni Mubarek.

Mubarek's clinical death is unfortunate, and untimely, and ... well ... distracting.

Quick thoughts:

I hear from some Muslims (I've become much more aware over the years that "all" statements are dangerous, diversity rules...) that they are not supposed to speak of the dead for a period immediately after death.  I don't know how this age old rule applies to clinical death.  This might come in to play in the near future.

Soon, in about 36 hours, the new president of Egypt is to be named.

The democratic elections have been compromised on different levels, not to mention the SCAF (once perceiving possibly the new president might be "problematic" removing even more power from the position of president and assuring the military would maintain control).  These elections were fought for by the people, and many died in the name of a "free and democratic state".

Other candidates lost favor for various reasons along the way to this election.  One candidate in particular, Muhammed El Baradi, who understood democratic processes very thoroughly, insisted "constitution before elections" and was sidelined very early and not allowed to run.  At the time, many Egyptians understood he was somehow evil, or not a good choice for a leader.  I think he was a threat.  My imagined idea:  "Wait, that guy really understands democracy?  Get him out...we have an election to win..."

I believe today, many Egyptians wish he could have had more influence.  Were his name on the ballot against either of the two current candidates, he'd probably win by Mubarekesque numbers.

In a political chess match, the power who has been the power for 60+ years continues to win.  Dynasties, regimes, kingdoms, or other continuously sustaining political power systems aren't successful by accident.  They are proof that effective systems provide intended results.  To change one leader is easy, to shift the institutionalization of a county's political system is not so easy.

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Some here are cruel beyond imagination, and while I am prone to conspiracy theory ideas, I actually take a different stance on the clinical death of Former President Hosni Mubarek.

Mubarek's "death" should not even be a footnote at this moment.  No one should lose sight of a much larger issue.

Officially, 900 people died in Tahrir Square during and around the revolution in January 2011.  Not one person has yet been accused.  Unofficially the numbers are much larger.

Today in Egypt:

Millions continue to live below poverty levels.

Thousands starve daily.

Millions are uneducated.

Children work abusive hours.

Women have limited rights.

Men have limited rights.

Children have limited rights.

Many Egyptians are continually calling for fairness, a right to speak, and a chance.  Their voices are squelched via arrests, deprivations, physical and psychological tortures, internet and media and censorships...and on, and on, and on.

Hosni Mubarek was only one man.  He was the point man in a corrupt political system which thrived upon keeping it's citizens down via a military state.

Those pulling his strings have continued to avoid losing power despite the "revolution" in Egypt that has been ongoing for one and one half years. Because he was never really the power, and only one who gained (however tremendously) from his position, we can treat his death as sad, but should not be distracted from the greater problem that exists in Egypt.

Pay attention to the news, but read between the lines.

Hope to provide another update soon,

Be well.

131

In this blog, I am recounting the opinions of many Egyptian citizens I have talked with over the past couple of years.  While these opinions don't accurately represent any one individual, this blog is more an amalgamation of those thoughts, utterances, and conversations.

Here in Cairo, today is "Civil Disobedience" day.

Around Egypt, people are calling for silent, peaceful, disobedient actions to send a message.  They are calling for strikes from work, peaceful protests, and generally are trying to get the message out that they are not happy with one fact:

One year after Mubarek stepped down, little has really changed.

Mubarek was the top dog in the military forces.  Removing him allowed for the possibility of change: it gave hope to many Egyptians who before had none.  One year later, who is in charge?  The other top dogs in the military regime.

Many Egyptian people, especially those who were active in the revolution to begin with, are not happy with this.

So, the call for a peaceful protest.

There are many who are very afraid that it will become something more.  I'm holding out for peace.

Further thoughts on the arrests of the NGO workers arrest last week here in Cairo.

Here is a brief summation of "facts" that I've gathered over the past 131 weeks in Cairo from speaking with Egyptians from diverse backgrounds.  If there are errors in this post they are present only because we as people are fallible and subject to misinterpretations, misunderstandings, and the like.  But, I have done my best to give one perception of Egypt from many locals points of view.


This is in need of, and may receive a few edits soon.  But in the interest of publishing without further delay, here it is:

Mubarek accepted money from the U.S. for 30 years.  In 2009, Hillary Clinton went so far as to say she considered "President and Mrs. Mubarak to be friends of my family", and even until the near end (February 2011) when she was suggesting Egypt was "stable" again referred to him and the regime as family.

This enraged the revolutionaries and many other citizens in Egypt.  Why?

Mubarek for 30 years, beat, tortured, and killed Egyptian citizens.  Along the way, he promoted everyone in his family or close circles of friends to positions where they could also abuse and through graft and corruption rape the population of Egypt for whatever they wanted.  Look no further than his and his families bank accounts, the current trial for murder and more, and the unavoidable reality here that somewhere around 1/2 of the 80+ million people live in poverty.

At the same time, members of the military own anywhere from 25-45% of the private industries in the country, depending on your source.

It seems to many Egyptian people that the United States was willing to give money to a brutal man whom many Egyptians disagreed with.  These same Egyptians were unable to voice their opinions publicly for 30 years out of fear.

Now, because of the arrest of 29 NGO workers, the U.S. is publicly renouncing Egypt in the media and threatening cessation of aid.  This seems puzzling (given the previous arrangement) unless you look only a scratch more beneath the surface.

It would seem Egypt has become reliant upon money from the United States.  Years and years and years of handouts will do that to a country.  Now, these funds have become a significant reality for Egypt, and any individuals or political parties in power stand to gain from the money.

If they are no better than Mubarek, it would seem the U.S. will turn a blind eye to dictatorship, graft, and murder.

So what did he do that made him "family"?

Mubarek protected the interests of the U.S. government.  His reward: unimaginable power and freedom to cross any human rights line imaginable, and not be held accountable.

The current government official who is responsible for the arrest of the NGO workers worked for Mubarek.  She has for a long time.  When he went, though, she (and many others that were pit and parcel a part of his regime) did not.  However, her want to arrest and shut down NGO's (based upon a personal vendetta against one in particular that caused her individual hardship) was squelched by Mubarek.  Shutting down NGO's is not acceptable, and he would not allow it.  Why?  This could lead to problems.

Most Egyptian people like NGO's.  Even the salafists - a party many claim to be afraid of - learned how to organize and run a democratic party in these same NGO's.

But, you see, spreading ideas like human rights, access to education, and democracy is often frowned upon by authoritarian states or dictatorships - they don't like these ideals as they do "undermine" the established government.

Murdering thousands via the creation of a corrupt police state?  Well, it seems that was in the name of democracy and keeping peace in a country under "Emergency Police Law" - on their books as legal military crack downs in emergency situations.  They have been that way for over 30 years, despite any wars, uprisings, or other logical triggers for the law.

This meant Egyptians were not legally allowed to criticize the government, not allowed to meet in large groups in public, they were treated as oppositions to the authorities - almost as enemies of their own state.

Public educational systems were ruined.  Rife with corruption and designed to fail, the intellectual life and opportunities of many Egyptians were stolen from them.

So all this banter, that many are taking when they read news reports of the current U.S. relations with Egypt, is being taken for a bit more than it's worth.

And more, when the ruling power is still the same ruling power that has existed for 30 years, the same one the Egyptian people do not want, and the same one that has been "okay" for those 30 years, this threat begins to seem it is directed at a different audience all together.  It seems if the Egyptian people want the money to continue to stream from the U.S., they better get more aggressive in removing the military state that was allowed (or encouraged as seen by some) to be created by the same U.S.

Talk about mixed messaged to millions of starving people.  It's no surprise any group who wants to spin politics here can.

This is the U.S. simply training the new Egypt, and any who wish to move to power in it, how to play ball.  It doesn't matter who gets in power.  There are a few things that you cannot do if you run a country called Egypt.  Check out this recent article for an interesting angle.

Don't mess with the Suez canal, don't disrupt peace with Israel, and don't arrest 29 U.S. citizens in Egypt.

After that, it's up to you to run your country.

This ends the summary of the state of the state as translated for this blog by me.

130.1

This is me undermining my own blog by doing a "Hey, look over there" tactically placed on top of the heap.  

A move like some people have mastered when playing with two year olds; designing trick plays in sports; when mystifying crowds at illusionist or magic shows; or when running governments.

Sometimes, the focus is on the wrong things.

So, here in my vegetable picture, guess the cost to the nearest .1 of a dollar.  Winner gets nothing.

Hint - the price is between $0.10 and $10.00

130 - Detachment

Hello again,

Unprecedentedly boring post coming - be on alert.  My apologies in advance, but it's kind of the point.

It is strange living in a country where 19 of your fellow countrymen are being tried for contributing to unrest in the country.

I won't say much about that, but before I do I should tell you this much.

I woke up this morning after only about four hours of sleep.  I had taken things very easy on the weekend, so found myself very rested going in to the final night of the weekend.  We normally work Sundays, but had yesterday off in honor of the Prophet Muhammed's birthday.  We are the only school I know of that honored the day in this particular way, but a day off is a day off, so it was welcome.  Being as I was caught up on sleep, I found as the night wore on I was both tied up in the midst of a good reading of a novel last night, and also caught up in the local and world news - including the Super Bowl - and was not much interested in sleeping.

I still woke up at 5:30 and caught the latest online news, had a bit of breakfast, and got ready for the day.  It was an uneventful start to my day.

I hopped on the same bus I ride every day, and had many of the same morning conversations.  Sports, school, traffic, weather; strangely enough the topics don't seem to change with the scenery - I could have been in Lincoln chatting over coffee at Village Inn.

I arrived at school, and found the same sights, sounds and smells of everyday. The halls were full of noisy students carrying backpacks full of books, usually the same backpacks that go home each night and return the next day unopened.  (It's the same backbreaking exercise I remember in Nebraska.  Middle Schoolers especially are buried under the weight of knowledge, and their spines are the biggest victims of this educational process.)  Lunches were being scarfed down by young teenagers at 8:00 a.m., droopy eyed older teenagers were sluggishly making their way to class, prematurely clinging to coffee cups full of cocoa, latte's, or some other diluted version of the adult drink rightfully contained within.

Once in my room and at work, I found I was unusually unbothered.  One student came in to ask a 30 second question and left about 15 minutes later.  Other than that, I was able to work quietly for most of the morning, and it was a very productive one.  I was happy to get more planning done in one day than I had completed all of last week.  (Grades were due last week.)

I took a break for lunch and met with a few friends, then went back to work teaching a section of ninth grade English before I had a collaborative planning meeting with colleagues to finish off the day.

That was my day, much like every day.  Nothing strange, nothing unusual.

Life here usually goes like that; and then you read the news.

Having taught journalism for a few years, I remember all the lessons about perception; truth.  How it's not easy to get to the reality of things, and how many working on deadline just do their best to say it how it is.  Today, when I returned to my apartment, I read about ten articles on how two governments have different versions of a story; how this has created a conflict, how both are pointing fingers and making threats to each other, and how people are taking sides.

Since last Wednesday's soccer tragedy when scores lost their lives, each day is a bit like this.  I begin and end the day with the news, but everyday am disappointed that what is said is only such a small part of the picture.

So this brings me around to the main point.  With everything that is occurring here, you should know that I am absolutely fine.  I want for nothing, and have all the amenities of home.  I work for a conscientious employer who takes precautions as necessary to ensure I am as safe as can be.  I do live in a country that seems to be becoming more unstable by the day, but to date the overriding power of the average Egyptian to be a good and supportive person in the midst of government instability is the true power here.  There might be 100 million people in Egypt: 99 million + are just like me.  We eat, we sleep, and we enjoy peace and stability.

So for now I've returned to my home where I plan on finishing out a quiet evening.  I can hear the children playing outside on the street, their laughter and energy exudes a calmness about the neighborhood.  Other than that and the dull sound of car engines and horns running further off in the distance, it is very calm and quiet.

For my part, I'll likely order food in (or eat those leftovers that have been waiting for me) and fall asleep in the middle of a chapter again.  Oh, and the news will probably be on in the background.

128

Hi all,

Life is funny sometimes, and often has a sense of sarcasm; of irony.  Or maybe just this English teacher sees it that way. 

Today, in school, I give a session on bloggers and blogging for what could be potentially an entire student body presentation - all high school students are invited.  In reality, it will likely be me, a few students, maybe a few teachers, and the crickets.  And, at least the crickets will be listening.

But in preparing for the presentation I have remembered quite a few things, some of which had to do with my original intent in creating this blog, and other things that are and always have been out of my control. 

When I arrived in Egypt, I decided I wanted to have a clear voice explaining to my family, friends, former students and others what the day to day realities were like of living in a foreign country in general, and living in Egypt specifically.  I hoped that sharing my experiences would give provide some with entertainment, others with knowledge and cultural awareness, and still others with courage to understand that the world isn't such a terrible place. 

That was 128 weeks ago, in 2009.  I started out pretty well, and wrote 28 entries over the next year. 

Then, something happened.

Part of my presentation today will reference the blogging and reporting of Khaled Saeed.  It is on this point I must take a moment to reflect, for his story has affected the course of this blog more than any other single event.  And his story today reminds me I should be a little more brave.

You see, I've been so afraid to write about anything bad for fear there could be ramifications (like bad people would come find me and hurt me) that to my discredit I have also stopped writing about the good. 

Since his death, I've written only six new blogs. 

I think of my childhood and adult lessons.  I think of what it means to speak or to maintain silence. 

Egypt can be scary.  If I believed every rumor, everything I read in the news, heard on the T.V., or even heard on the street, I'd have left long ago.  There are lots of speculators and lots of speculations, and many are nerve-wracking.

I live in a country that is changing, and change can be hard.  It can be especially hard if the people wrestling for power are corrupt, have selfish intentions, or are willing to take extreme measures to ensure they either gain or maintain that power.  This is happening here now.

And, it would be very easy for me to reprint many of those speculations here.  This is what Khaled Said did.  Published information he felt it was important for others to know.  In a world where we all now have a "veritable Guttenberg Press in our bedrooms" (thanks NETA speaker whose name I can't remember 2005ish) he decided to print in a blog what could not and would not be printed in government controlled media publications. 

Of course, worse things than what Khaled Said reported on happen here regularly, and they are generally not spoken about...at least not in open forums.  Of course, people discuss them privately and in confidence with those they trust.  Of course, most Egyptians are really kind, well intentioned people who want better for their families, their neighborhoods, their government and their country.  Or course, most are optimistic about that future.  But of course some are clinging to power and to the old ways of corruption, greed, and violence that have kept them in power for so long.

And of course, you don't read about most of it.

There are laws on the books.  One cannot say anything bad about the President.  One cannot say anything bad about Egypt.  And there are laws which cast a bigger net, so most people are cautious in choosing what not to say.

What we all see on TV, frequent camera shots of Tahrir Square in downtown Egypt is only the tiniest tip of the iceberg.  In the majority of Egypt people approach their problems with a very respectable quiet demeanor yet a steady push.  The majority of people I know are kind and warm hearted - they would never raise a hand against another.  Yet the power in the country rests solidly in the hands of a minority who put their own private interests over those of the majority of the Egyptian people.

This week marks the anniversary of the events of last year's uprising.  January 25th, formerly "Police Day" is still honored as a public holiday.  Most people are off work that day.  We can expect to see Tahrir Square again on the news.  Many people are staying home, yet a few still will again go to Tahrir to protest those things that are not talked about in print.  And, if those protesters push, the army will likely not sit idly by and watch.  It would not surprise if Friday the 27th becomes an important day.  As last year showed, if things go badly during the week, many people may choose to use Friday as a gathering day to show unity and stand up for their rights.

So, whether this week is peaceful (as the Egyptians say, "In sha Allah" or "God Willing") or if it takes a sad turn we will see.  In either case, the events of the next seven days will be a clear sign of the state of the state moving forward. 

With all intentions of blogging more frequently: the good, the bad, and the life,

Scott