Gandhi Is Smiling!

The people of Egypt have proven once again that the path to change is peace. Or perhaps I should say peaceful protest. The people of Egypt displayed remarkable restraint and co-operation. They defended each other, and themselves when attacked, but otherwise were remarkably peaceful and resilient. 

"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?" Mohandas Gandhi


 When the Berlin Wall came down, when the Marcos Regime was ended, and now in Egypt, non violent protest  has been the hallmark of each. This is a time of change, let us hope that Egypt continues to move towards a government and constitution much more inclusive and representative of all the people. This will be a rapidly changing story as they move towards a new constitution and government. I hope this opportunity blossoms.
As the winds of change blow across the planet, we can only hope that peace and cooperation continue to prevail. Protest movements are sprouting up in many places, Bahrain, Iran, Algeria, and Libya are all mentioned as locations of protest. All will not succeed, we can only hope for real change that will bring some measure of fairness and equality to the people of these and other nations.
 Speaking of other nations, I think of Saudi Arabia. This nation is a glaring example of all that is wrong in this world. It is a viciously repressive regime, a kingdom, to be exact. Decades ago the US govt. tied it's fortunes, our lives and livelihoods, to this brutal regime. We the American people need to learn and understand that our very way of life is at present tied to the continued repression of the Saudi people. It won't last much longer. The Saudi/US collusion runs deep and gets complicated very quickly, but it boils down to a system of financial/power collusion. When the people of Saudi Arabia overthrow the vicious and corrupt Saudi regime, life as we know it will change. The change will be very difficult for the US and it's people. Our economy, such as it is, relies on "cheap" oil, in ready and abundant supply. These supplies will be interrupted, how much, and how consistently remains to be seen, but you can count on it having a negative effect on our anemic economy.
  As populist movements for freedom and representative government sweep across the globe, lets stand on the side of humanity. We should not side with brutal corrupt regimes, not even for the obvious selfish reasons of continuing an unsustainable system founded on corrupt regimes and unsustainable policies.