I applaud the people of Egypt for their courage and tenacity. With relatively peaceful, yet spirited protests (not one person was killed), they changed the course of history for their country. Tens of thousands of Egyptians voiced their disdain for President Mubarak and forced him to resign his thirty-year stronghold on the presidency. Mubarak, a former air force commander, rose to power by Islamic radicals shortly after the assassination of Anwar Sadat.
It was well documented that throughout his rule, Mubarak showed a near obsession with stability, rigged elections, and a hated police force accused of widespread torture to ensure his control. He resisted calls for reform even as public bitterness grew over corruption, deteriorating infrastructure and rampant poverty in a country where 40 percent live below or near the poverty line. And to further illustrate Mubarak’s total disregard for his people, his fortune is estimated to exceed eighty-billion-dollars. While his people starve, he counts his riches.
Can we all learn something from this stunning demonstration that the people do have the power to effect change? Even under the most extreme dictatorship, it’s possible to promote democracy without the use of guns, bombs, or missiles. It is utterly amazing that a Middle Eastern country accomplished such a feat without any meddling from other countries.
This historic event begs a very significant question: could the people of Iraq and Afghanistan accomplish the same thing without intervention from the United States and other allies? We do have egg on our faces, don’t we? Tens of thousands of people have died. And to what avail? There is no peace in Iraq or Afghanistan, and democracy is nothing more than a distant dream. Perhaps Saddam Hussein could have been ousted in the same way?
There is a profound lesson here; one that history will write.
DM Annechino's Blog 
Excellent to see an uprising come from within a country and lets hope that following tunisia and egypt that there is a whole lot more decrpit despots looking over there shoulder in the middle east and asia. Primarily thanks to the internet and social networking that this has facilitated change. Small glitch in your facts dave alst time I looked approx 380dead and thousands wounded which is a couple more than none.
Quick questions why have countries now come out and bagged him for having 80 Billion fortune when all the governments around the world knew he was robbing the country blind and depositing it in switzerland, Britian and the US also vast property holdings around the world. little late to be outraged when they helped facilitate it. Hopefully wikileaks can provide us with more info along these lines.
Apologies for the incorrect facts. I hadn’t read that anyone was killed. All life is precious, but there is no comparison to the number of people killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and the uprising in Egypt.
this is true, Dubya, Blair and Howard the coalition of the blind will certainly be questioned at the pearly gates as to why they have the blood of a million innocent civilians on their hands.
Amen! When historians write W’s legacy, I predict that he will be labeled the worst president in history. And Dick Cheney is Satan himself.
No such thing as satan Dan, but cheney is definitely a dumbass, money hunger, duplicitous shit who made some incredibly bad decisions in trying to enrich his personal wealth under the cover of a war on terror.
I don’t think it’s wise for us to engage in more religious dialogue. I do believe in Satan. Look around you. The world is his playground.