Egypt has been at the center of civilization since before the dawn of recorded history and signs of humanity are evident as far back as 10,000 BC. The rise and fall of Pharoic dynasties, pharohs, and kings, and foreign occupiers has always been a mainstay of Egpytian history. The great Egyptian dynasties which were founded in 3150 BC eventually fell to the Persians in 343 BC. The Persian rule lasted a short 9 years until a Alexander the Great, a westerner liberated Egypt in 332 BC and founded Alexandria, an important center of the Hellenistic sphere that served the western world. The Ptolemaic dynasty was annexed by the Roman empire after Cleopatra VII was captured by Augustus and committed suicide. Egypt remained in a Roman-Byzantine state until it was briefly taken over by the Persians once again in the 7th century AD until the Muslim Arabs absorbed Egypt after defeating the  Byzantines. In the middle ages the Muslims lost control to the Turcs and the Ottoman Empire but not before influencing much of the country with a Sunni Islamic culture that persists till present day. Even Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt in the late 18th century briefly until the Brits came in and pushed the French out. Modern day Egypt has been just as plauged with war and power struggles and has been complicated by the establishment of an Israeli state after WWII. In 1981, President Sadat was assassinated after making a historic visit to Israel which resulted in a peace treaty being signed.  Hosni Mubarack succeeded Sadat after his assassination. And here we are today…

Today Mubarack once again defied his people and asserted he will remain in power after the Egyptian governement sent communications and indications to its people and the U.S government that Mubarack would be stepping down. Egyptian people are gathering by the hundreds of thousands as they have been for the last two weeks. Today has been the largest crowds since these protests began and they are angrier then ever after Mubarack slapped them in the face last night. It remains to be seen if these mostly peaceful protests will become violent.  The army has resisted harming the protesters but it also remained neutral as Pro-Mubarack supporters unleashed violent acts against Egyptians and foreign journalists. With the will of the Egyptian people as well as the U.S government funding the Egyptian military, I find it highly unlikely the military can remain loyal to Mubarack and his regime for much longer without losing credibility and power themselves even though they have just announced they are backing Mubarack until a transfer of power can take place. Mubarack has very few military options without enflaming the world and has arguably no control over a country that wants him out. If history gives any insight Mubarack is only fighting the inevitable.

Will the protesters march on the palace?

Will the army resort to violence if that happens?

Will there be a coup d’etat?

Will the U.S remain an influence over the Egyptian government after the transfer of power, however that happens?

Will a real democracy take root?

Will the Muslim Brotherhood take control?

Egypt will fall. It’s just a matter of who’s hands it will fall into this time.

Just a few thoughts that come to mind when thinking about the violence that broke out in Tuscon recently. Senseless because it troubles me that people think in a way that enacting unconscionable violence and resorting to killing people will some how “wake up” America and solve the ailments of our society, whatever they may be. We seen the same sort of senselessness in 1995 when Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck bomb killing 168 and injured 450 people including many children with the intention of enacting revenge for the debacle in Waco in the hopes of sparking a revolt against a tyrannical federal government. I digress. I’m disgusted at the evil intent and viciousness. The depth at which Jared Lee Loughner [allegedly] had to descend to in order to plan, coordinate, and execute such a wicked premeditated act of assassination and mass murder. And absolutely heartbroken that same viciousness can turn on an innocent child with the same maliciousness as a blameworthy adult. For argument’s sake, I can comprehend why a politician may be targeted. I can comprehend why one may turn on the politician’s constituent’s. But the wretched audacity to turn a gun on a nine year old child that has yet to define their own political motivations. This is something that I will never  understand and can only attempt to grasp by my conception of pure evil.

No one can ever know what was churning though this man’s head and we can only connect the dots of his communications to try and decipher his motives. One of the most telling is the question he posed to Gabriel Giffords. “What is government if words have no meaning?”  This question was also the final thought in Jared Lee Loughner’s Final Thoughts video. In my opinion, one of the eeriest videos of a series of ridiculous videos.For one, just because of the music employed that someone so obsessed with conspiracy theories, mind control, and brainwash would employ in order to condition its disciples. It’s as if Jared Lee Loughner envisions himself almost Charles Manson-esque meets John Adams as he tries to recruit followers and spark a revolution by establishing his own linguistic “currency”.

He begins the video, in his own words, by mocking the reality of the attention deficit disorder of this country [and others], as hypermedia has exacerbated our sense of newsworthiness,  by accusing 95% of the population of forgoing their own dreams. This is followed by a series of logically structured statements that attempt to redefine the alphabet, words, and language. “Currency” as he calls it, inciting followers to create their own and distribute it amongst the masses. And what seems to be a preconceived defense to his current legal issues, he attempts to almost excuse himself by logically asserting that he is “unaware of his motor acts” due to his state of “conscious dreaming”. Following the logically formatted statements he attempts to falsify attempts by the government to call him a terrorist by using a logical fallacy to challenge the validity of the government’s claim against him. He discusses receiving a bible before a U.S. Military MEPS recruitment test after filling out an application where he left his beliefs blank which I interpreted as having no philosophical basis on which these attacks were based. He concludes by claiming the majority of U.S citizens have never read the Constitution and therefore do not have to accept any of its laws but encourages people to read it to uncover the treason within it, retake ownership of property and land and form new laws by way of revolution.

Wow! Now, I’m no linguist and I may not even be literate in his view but that was a little more in depth then I wanted to get into his thought process. He’s probably right about the 95% of the population forgoing their dreams and the majority of citizens never having read the constitution but so what!  That’s what we have kids and lawyers for. That’s not an admittion of me forgoing my dreams. Just a bad joke and I have read the constitution and its ratifications.   Even if his claim to the United States brainwashing and manipulating people by “controlling grammer” through ratification held up, I don’t see how he can justify his actions of cold blooded mass murder in his own mind. It’s not 1776 and the population of the entire United States is not a mere 2.5 million people (plus the local natives and slaves).  Your not going to spark revolution in this day and age with over 300 million people across a manifested destiny, even if you had a full fledged million man militia behind you. Governments will tax you. Politicians will lie to you. Police will trample your civil rights. Judges will side against you. And lawyers will empty your pockets anyway. But it is that fucked up system that is unlike any other system in the world that most of us are proud to be a part of and to spark a revolution you do it within the organizations that make this system function (or not function), and not by setting your cross hairs to the head of a congresswoman who represents tombstone and the wild west’s  ok corral and definitely not the head of a nine year old girl . This guy is no John Adams. Or Charles Manson for that matter. But, I’ll tell you what he is. He’s a fucking nut!

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The devastating earthquake in Haiti began the year and spewed horrible images of human suffering and carnage that are simply unforgettable. Images that unfortunately are ingrained into the consciousness of us all. Baby Boomers, X’r, and the millennials. More so then hurricane Katrina, this may have been the one world event that actually impacted the millennials into action as many of them who are now of age volunteered or donated via  text messages or other means in large numbers.

Health care reform became a reality in March that will have an impact on generations to come. It was an act that caused much emotion from people as they were fed a slew of misinformation. The perceived “socialization” of health care seemed to carry an evil connotation, especially to the baby boomer generation as McCarthyism is programmed into their psyche. This played a role in the “public” option being dropped from the reform in order to get it pushed through the House and Senate which will be attributed as a failure of the Obama administration.

The BP oil spill in April in the Gulf of Mexico was an event that angered us all. Unlike the Haiti Earthquake, it was an event that we felt hopeless about and their wasn’t much that any generation could do about it. This dragged on well into the summer and reeked havoc on the Gulf Coast and undermined the lively hoods of baby boomers to the millennials.

In July, the United States and Russia swapped prisoners out of the blue in a story that brought back images of cold war era spies, espionage, and feelings that many baby boomers and X’rs thought were long gone. I wasn’t sure if I should crawl under my desk as we were taught in elementary school in the early 80′s nuclear fire drills. I doubt the millennials felt the significance of this story and probably just conjured up a plot for the fourth Bourne movie.

In late July, WikiLeaks released thousands of documents relating to the Afghan War which started a new conversation on the freedom of speech in the new information age and the balance of national security and transparency in government. Claiming to have over 250,000 cables of American Diplomats from the mid 1960′s to 2010, WikiLeaks released many of these which caused much embarrassment for the United States government to keep its diplomatic conversations secure. In what seemed to be a smear campaign by the U.S government, the leader of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, was accused of rape and was forced to turn himself in as InterPol closed in on him. This has interested each of our generations as we all have a stake in the outcome.

In August, Kagan was seated on the Supreme Court. This was the second appointment of the Obama administration and will truly be the President’s legacy well past his term and affect future generations to come.

Also in August, President Obama addressed the country from the Oval office and announced the end of combat operations in Iraq. Although this was merely a symbolic “mission accomplished” , it signified the turning of a page to refocus energies on the economy and the Afghan war which was good news to the X’rs and echo boomers as they are the ones serving in Iraq and trying to find jobs.

In October, a federal judge ordered that the policy of “Dont Ask Dont Tell” stop being enforced. Although it would take some weeks of politicking from judges, Congress, and the President to finally repeal the law in December, it is the end of an era and a victory for civil rights and will affect X’rs and Y’rs alike as well as future generations to come.

Also in October, the Chilean miners were rescued after months of being trapped deep underground. It was an event that the Facebook’r generation watched in their news feeds in real time as the miners came up one by one and people seemed to be inspired to post status updates. It was an event that reminded us on how resilient the human spirit is and scientifically was important because it was the longest time that humans have survived underground which was significant enough that NASA was closely involved and studying the rescue. And for everyone who was watching live as miner #2, aka Super Mario was brought up it was an inspiring scene to watch as he broke out into the Chilean national anthem and got the audience to chant along. That was pretty awesome.

November 2, the Democrats were shellacked in the mid-term elections as Independents swung there votes the way of the Tea Party. The Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives which forced Obama to extend Congress’s session almost till Christmas in order to push through a slew of legislation, including extending unemployment benefits by compromising for a $850 Billion tax cut to the wealthiest Americans,  before the Republicans can gridlock the Democrats with there control of the House.

In late November, the North Korean government attacked a South Korean Island which was the first land attack since the Korean war nearly 60 years ago. Baby Boomers such as my high school architectural teacher were especially interested in this story as many had fought or can actually remember the Korean War first hand. The MASH generation? Sorry, I didn’t get that show,  but loved the theme song. To many X’rs and millennials, this barely seemed to raise eyebrows and is somewhat expected of  the nutcase we’ve come to know as Kim Jong-Il.

These were some of the most important events that shaped 2010 from a cultural and political perspective, although there are countless others, especially from everyone’s personal perspectives. We all witness events and things that shape us and ultimately influence our generations on a daily basis. The world continues to get smaller, as information flows at the blink of an eye, and social graphs expand even to the baby boomers populous. Some of (you) are the events and things that shape and influence others. This year I was lucky enough to find a source of inspiration and I’m hoping I can tap into that in 2011.

So its a few days after the mid-term elections and I just can’t understand how fickle the American public is. It is amazing to me the “hope” we voted for two years ago and seeing some progress to that hope, that it is construed as socialism due to all the right wing rhetoric flying back and forth, even with the Public Option not being included in the health care bill. What the fuck? American’s are so uneducated and misinformed with fear. Sure Obama should of held to his guns and demanded the public option instead of appeasing the right wing and settling on Bob Doles plan, but you know what, he still got the plan through and something the republicans couldn’t do years ago. Not only did he get the plan through he averted the worst economic downturn since the great depression by passing the stimulus package because Bush era economic policies threw this country into the worst tail spin that I have ever seen. For that the Dems get labeled as Socialists. Well I rather settle with socialism then be thrust into a state of anarchy and rally round the family with a pocket full of shells! And I’m not a socialist! I believe in this experiment we call capitalism, although as we are learning, laissez faire does not work and regulations need to be implemented to protect us from ourselves. The unemployment rate may be high but this whole thing could of been a hell of a lot worse. Another presidential promise Obama and the Democrats have lived up to is ending the war in Iraq. Sure their are still troops their and probably always will be secure a proxy government but combat troops were out in August! Afganistan will be the next promise Obama needs to live up two before the 2012 campaign and I’m hoping he will stick to his promises their and get our troops home.  He did all this while dealing with one of the worst man-made disasters to hit our shores with the gulf oil spill. So why the Democrats did not come out to vote on Tuesday is disgusting to me. It does show how young and immature our youth is when they can’t even come out to vote to get Prop 19 passed to legalize and decriminalize marijuana. Keeping people in jail is big business and the prison lobbyists won this battle over the lazy pot smoking democrats who couldn’t remember Tuesday, November 2, 2010 is the day that we go to the polls. Ridiculous! But I am especially disgusted with my independents who I thought were smarter and would hold their ground. 2 years isn’t a long time, especially in Washington DC where it takes years to get done what it takes months to achieve at the local level. And to look at everything that was accomplished in this short two years and now you want to gridlock the system once again! Unbelievable…

I think Bill Maher articulates this better then I….

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No doubt there will still be troops occupying and providing support and training in Iraq until kingdom come. That was to be expected. Hell, we still have troops in Japan, Germany, and South Korea. But the Iraq war has symbolicaly come to an end!

The Pilgrims first came to this country to escape religious prosecution and our founding fathers amended the Constitution to insure religious freedoms by creating the Bill of Rights. For those who don’t seem to understand what the Bill of Rights are, they are the first ten amendments to the U.S Constitution. How ironically,  it is the second amendment that gives us the right to bear arms. Oh now it rings a bell. Must be kind of like selective hearing. Even more importantly than our right to bear arms is our right to religious freedom, speech, press, assembly, and petition. The very first amendment contains the language that insures this:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Flash forward about 220 years later and in todays context and you can interpret this to mean Muslims can build (or expand in this case)  a Mosque 4 blocks from ground zero. Is it in bad taste, hell yes. But, do they have the right. According to the fundamental principles that this country was founded upon, yes. Ground zero may be hallowed ground.But even so they have the absolute right. The same things that make our country great are the same things that our salt in our wounds.

So to watch the Republicans try to snowball this and derail Obama and the Democrats this November is just disgusting to me. They are preying on the emotions and in some cases the ignorance of Americans. If people can listen to what Obama is actually saying they are consistent in what all Americans should believe.  It is what we celebrate the fourth of July for. It is what our soldiers are overseas fighting and dying for.  Here is what a snippet of what he said in context:

That is not to say that religion is without controversy. Recently, attention has been focused on the construction of mosques in certain communities – particularly in New York. Now, we must all recognize and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of lower Manhattan. The 9/11 attacks were a deeply traumatic event for our country. The pain and suffering experienced by those who lost loved ones is unimaginable. So I understand the emotions that this issue engenders. Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground.

But let me be clear: as a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are. The writ of our Founders must endure.

We must never forget those who we lost so tragically on 9/11, and we must always honor those who have led our response to that attack – from the firefighters who charged up smoke-filled staircases, to our troops who are serving in Afghanistan today. And let us always remember who we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for. Our enemies respect no freedom of religion. Al Qaeda’s cause is not Islam – it is a gross distortion of Islam. These are not religious leaders – these are terrorists who murder innocent men, women and children. In fact, al Qaeda has killed more Muslims than people of any other religion – and that list of victims includes innocent Muslims who were killed on 9/11.

Since no one seems to understands English anymore and took that as an endorsement to build a mosque near ground zero, Obama had to clarify his statements to those vocabulary challenged. This is in no way, shape or form a contradiction or a retraction of his earlier statements.

I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there. I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding. That’s what our country is about. And I think it’s very important, as difficult as some of these issues are, that we stay focused on who we are as a people and what our values are all about.

As is typical of Obama, the words are precise and if people can get over the emotional ties for just one minute and comprehend the words that are coming out of his mouth and what he is inferring I see no reason why these statements should inflict an emotional reaction that will yields Democratic seats this November. Unfortunately they most likely will because of these American idiots who don’t understand their own language!

To appease the Israeli’s, the F-15′s will not be armed with some of the more sophisticated weapons systems such as the long-ranged standoff systems used for offensive air-to-land and sea attacks. But even more importantly this deal seems like a move by the Obama Administration to entice the Israeli’s into committing to a big ticket purchase of the more sophisticated Joint Strike Fighters. Now I’ve  got to give it to the Obama administration for the creative thinking to stimulate the U.S aerospace industry. But hasn’t that industry been dead for the better part of a decade,  at least here in California where a large sector of our workforce were devastated in the 90′s. Those that remain were out on strike just a few weeks ago. So it seems like too little too late but I’m digressing from the bigger picture.

Now, unlike the United States government, whom just happens to be the largest exporter of arms to the world, I’m no expert on arms dealings, or Middle Eastern affairs, economies, or even terrorism for that matter. But my common sense tells me that equipping the Saudi Arabian government with some of the most strategically powerful man made machines that have ever been produced in order to keep in check the expansionism of a state that has no where to go but nuclear and annexed by the mess that is Afgahnistan and Pakistan is a bad idea. To sell an American hallmark that was built by hard working American citizens who proudly branded our Made in the USA stamp upon to a foreign government who is more like our crack dealer then our friend is un American. If I remember correctly, the majority of the 911 terrorists were Saudi’s and I simply can’t understand how we can trust their kings and princes with their bullshit aristocracy. Ya I’ll buy their oil to get me around town tomorrow but I will never trust the motives of a government whose citizens ruthlessly murdered thousands of our citizens. Some might say well they need us for our Benjamins as much as we need them for their black gold? To that I say China has just overtook us as the leading consumer of fossil based fuels. Whose to say in twenty years allies our no longer allies and enemies our now friends and our own technology is used against us, Israel, and the gains that Americans have bled for in the middle eastern dessert. Now I understand some of the reasons that the Obama administration and the previous administrations have chosen to deal with these bastards but I don’t have to like it.

I was excited to hear that today. Minus Coachella and Rock the Bells  in 2007 which were just east of LA and both large festivals, the LA band hasn’t played a show in Los Angeles in ten years. Considering one of there last performances in LA was at the Democratic National Convention and got shut down by 2000 police in riot gear shooting rubber bullets and getting some “stick time” in, as they(cops) like to put it, this rare LA show is welcome news to Angelino’s whom have largely opposed SB1070 in masses. So a show at a legendary and intimate venue like the Hollywood Palladium with the most politically influential and loudest voices in the Rock and Hip-Hop world is gonna be off the hook! Now the problem is gonna be getting in? I’ll have to figure that out as they haven’t yet announced when tickets are going on sale and its just 8 days away!

True to their roots of political activism, led by the revolutionary Zach de la Rocha, RATM are catalysts of the democratic process and are doing what they do best. Using there massive influence and turning awareness into action by galvanizing the masses and changing the system from within to act upon policies that don’t make sense all in the name of freedom and democracy. Awesome! I hear after the show Zach de la Rocha is leading a convoy straight from the Palladium into the heart of Flagstaff, Arizona for a coup d’etat! Who’s in?