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Title: A People’s Uprising Against the Empire
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URL Source: http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/egypt-peoples-uprising168.html
Published: Feb 1, 2011
Author: Lew Rockwell
Post Date: 2011-02-01 13:16:27 by Capitalist Eric
Keywords: None
Views: 9244
Comments: 15
Those of the young generation, people too young to remember the collapse of Soviet-bloc and other socialist states in 1989 and 1990, are fortunate to be living through another thrilling example of a seemingly impenetrable State edifice reduced to impotence when faced with crowds demanding freedom, peace, and justice. There is surely no greater event than this. To see it instills in us a sense of hope that the longing for freedom that beats in the heart of every human being can be realized in our time. This is why all young people should pay close attention to what is happening in Egypt, to the protests against the regime of Hosni Mubarak as well as the pathetic response coming from his imperial partner, the US, which has given him $60 billion in military and secret police aid to keep him in power. The US is in much the same situation today as the Soviet Union was in 1989, as a series of socialist dominoes toppled. Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia all experienced dramatic meltdowns, while the Soviet regime, supportive of these systems since the end of the Second World War, sat by helplessly and watched. Leaders made vague statements about the need for peaceful transitions and elections, while the people on the ground completely ignored them. What has sparked the uprising? There are economic considerations, of course. A good rate of inflation in Egypt is considered to be 10%, and currency depreciation works as a massive punishment against savings and capital accumulation. Unemployment is high, about the same rate as the US, but is even higher for young people who are worried about the future. Economic growth has been much better in the last decades thanks to economic reforms, but this tendency (as in the old Soviet bloc) has only worked to create rising expectations and more demands for freedom. It remains a fact that nearly half the population lives in terrifying poverty. The core of the problem, it appears, relates to civil liberties and the very old-fashioned conviction that the country is ruled by a tyrant who must go. Mubarak tolerates no challenges to his martial-law rule. There are tens of thousands of political prisoners in the country, and it is easy to get arrested and tortured simply by calling the dictator names. The press is censored, opposition groups are suppressed, and corruption runs rampant. Mubarak’s will to power has known no bounds: he chooses all the country’s elites based solely on personal loyalty to himself. Mubarak has ruled for 30 years and yes there have been elections every six years, but these are widely seen as for show only. Opposition candidates end up prosecuted for a variety of invented crimes. Democracy in Egypt is merely a slogan for one-party rule. And this is striking: the main excuse for his martial law is one that is all-too-familiar to Americans: the war on terror (and never mind the terror dispensed by the warriors themselves). Probably a more substantive issue concerns the digital revolution and the opening up of the entire world through the Internet – a species of the very thing that the US cited as the reason for the anti-Soviet uprisings of the late eighties and early nineties. Many young people in Egypt are as connected to the world through social media as American teenagers, and enjoy access to the sights and sounds of the modernity that the regime so opposes. To understand what is driving the protests, consider the date that they began: National Police Day on January 25. This is the holiday created by Mubarak only in 2009. Talk about misjudging the situation! And sure enough, the government’s response was to jam nearly all Internet communications and shut down all cell-phone service on the day of the planned protest. But it didn’t work: Thanks to what is now being called "hacktivism," the revolution is being broadcast around the world through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, even as Wikipedia is being updated minute by minute. And the Al Jazeera English live feed has, as usual, put biased US media to shame. Meanwhile, official government voices in the US have been pathetically behind the times. Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton have been refusing to describe Mubarak as a dictator, while lamely urging a transition to an election – run by and ruled over by the Mubarak regime. The protest leadership immediately saw that line for what it was, and rejected it outright. It is unbearably obvious that the US is nearly alone in more-or-less supporting Mubarak, but that is exactly what you would expect of the imperial backer of the despot. What are the protesters’ demands? It is not complicated. As in 1989, the one demand is that the dictator go. This makes complete sense and is the only solution that accords with what is right and just. This and only this will establish the basis for a transition to anything. What follows after that is really something that has to be worked out by the Egyptian people, who have had their voices muzzled for far too long, and not by the CIA. What the uprisings underscore is a fundamental reality that the world too often forgets. It gets to the core of the relationship between any government and any people, in all times and all places. The people far outnumber the government, and for that reason, and even when the government is heavily armed, every government must depend on some degree of consent to continue its rule. If the whole of a people rise up and say no, the bureaucrats and even the police are powerless. This is the great secret of government that is mostly ignored until revolution day arrives. More than the anti-Soviet protests of the late 1980s, the Egyptian uprisings reveal what might eventually come home to the empire itself. Under the right conditions, and at the right time, there might come a time when the consciousness will dawn right here at home. It could happen here for the same reason it could happen anywhere. Government knows this, and hence its accumulation of weaponry and relentless propaganda. The difficulty for the State comes when its will to power generates what Thomas Jefferson called "a long train of abuses" that create a burning desire within people to rise up and demand freedom, since, after all, it is the right of a people, is it not, to alter and abolish the form of government under which they are forced to live.
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#1. To: Capitalist Eric, mcgowanjm, Brian S, Lucysmom, go65 (#0)
When the Republican base - white - armed - rubes - start to realize the ideology they were tricked into worshiping of the GOP - remember many of the working GOP white guys used to be Democrats and into union jobs and into factory work, etc - the so called Blue Collar Democrats - and that this ideology is a failure because their good paying jobs are now gone and never coming back, that they are poorer, their children will not have as good a life as they did - if all that suddenly comes to a light in their dim minds - then they will react in a way that I think will make Egypt's protest seem a walk in the park because there is nothing more anger inducing than a worshipper who realizes the gods he was following turn out to be fake gods. All these "Capitalist Eric's" online who praise this GOP ideology pushed on by radio jocks, and FOX babes and others of the right wing noise machine will be the ones who when they crack and realize it was all a con job on them - they will go postal.
"Keep Your Goddamn Government Hands Off My Medicare!" - Various Tea Party signs.
You can't screw lug nuts into tires for 8 hours a day and expect to get paid $73 an hour with benefits any longer. Robots can do it cheaper. People who study math, science, engineering, and computer science can and do make a ton of money today. So what's the problem? The problem is the rotten, failed public school system that doesn't know how to provide kids with the proper math and science foundation to study math, science, engineering, and computer science in college. Go to ANY graduate program in math, science, engineering, and computer science in ANY college in the U.S. and what do you see? Foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, Indians, and Russians/Eastern Europeans. But hey, let's continue to close our eyes, click our heals together, throw money at the failed teacher's union, and hope for the best. ***** Average Labor Costs — UAW represented (per hour worked) Chrysler $75.86 U.S. Japanese Transplants Labor Cost Comparison Honda - $42.95 Indeed. Critical thinking is THE skill to have. Combine that with an education in something... oh, I don't know.... "MARKETABLE?"... and you will do quite well, indeed. My guess is that goobwinson has a BS degree in something really meaningful... Like sociology.
"There will be no more money when the U.S. dollar has no value, until that time we can keep printing more." -- go65, LF's answer to Ben Bernanke -- We always like cool X-rays, right? Those are bogus figures.
"Keep Your Goddamn Government Hands Off My Medicare!" - Various Tea Party signs.
I was thinking the same thing. This is a sociology or poly-sci major.
Those are bogus figures. These are the real numbers bozo They come from Chrysler I've warned you before, I am a total numbers guy. Most of the compensation are benefits including healthcare and lavish pension provisions. The hourly wage is ok. It's the other stuff, like the lavish pension provisions that are the real killers. Lavish pensions give GM an average of a 1,800 per car cost disadvantage over the Japanese.
LOL. While his addled brain could have latched onto damn-near ANY useless degree, a Poli-Sci major would certainly explain his servility to the socialist movement. Too funny.
"There will be no more money when the U.S. dollar has no value, until that time we can keep printing more." -- go65, LF's answer to Ben Bernanke -- We always like cool X-rays, right? Those are bogus comparisons because workers in other countries get govt run universal health care and govt subsidized pension plans.
"Keep Your Goddamn Government Hands Off My Medicare!" - Various Tea Party signs.
Again, you have a reading comprehension problem. The comparisons were between U.S. plants controlled by the UAW with U.S. plants owned by the Japanese. If I wanted to compare UAW plants to those in other countries, the comparison would be much more dramatic. You crack me up. I post some numbers and you claim their are "bogus". I showed you the data and you didn't understand it.
There are many things that go into the mix. People don't choose a car based on price alone. Young families don't buy Volvos because they're cheap or choose a Honda over a Ford because the Japanese car cost less.
Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains. Thomas Jefferson
Very true. Please read my blog about American car companies from 2 1/2 years ago: General Motors: Farwell and Adieu? The news that General Motors stock hit a 54 year low last week shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to anyone who has been following the company for a while. GM is hemorrhaging money so fast that it will need to raise $15 billion to cover their operating expenses over the next two years. They are now facing the very real possibility of bankruptcy. As a result, GM is now considering laying off thousands of white collar workers and selling off some of their brands. GM’s problems aren’t new and are only partially related to the current high price of gasoline. Their problems go back several decades, when they started to let their dominance of the U.S. auto market slip away to the Japanese and then the Koreans. GM has lost over half of its market share over the last four decades. It’s now at 20%. General Motors has had some of the most brain-dead management in the industry, starting with Roger Smith who fostered the worst labor relationships in Detroit. At one point their relationship with labor was so bad that GM's UAW leadership were indistinguishable from suicide terrorists, determined to punish the company even if it meant killing themselves in the process. GM also suffered from three decades of poor, uninspiring design, where for a while most of their cars pretty much looked like a wedge of cheese. Like all U.S. auto companies, it took GM too long to figure out that producing qualitiy cars actually cost less, not more, and results in higher customer satisfaction and stronger brand loyalty. They were also completely clueless on how to compete in international markets. For example, they used to constantly whine about how Japan was unfairly closed to them. When I went to Japan for the first time in 1998, I noticed three things: A.) The Japanese drive on the left side of the road, like the British, B.) there were a lot of German cars on the road, and C.) there were very few American cars. The problem was that the U.S. auto companies took forever to sell cars that were suitable for the Japanese market (i.e., with the steering wheel on the right side). The complete misunderstanding of the market, along with their chronic quality problems doomed GM, Ford, and Chrysler in Japan. They also have a maddening plethora of largely indistinguishable brands including Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac, Saturn, Cadillac, and Buick. Let’s not forget about Oldsmobile, which GM shut down a few years ago. Yes, they also have Saab and Hummer, but these are niche brands which are also not doing well. Finally, years of overly generous pension arrangements have spun GM’s costs out of control. The cost of supporting GM retirees is more than $1,600 per car. Shutting down a brand is a costly proposition, in part due to state franchise laws. In 2001, GM spent $1 billion to buy out Olds dealers and close some plants. Litigation with dealers dragged on for years and the final cost of shutting downs Olds is estimated to be $2 billion. Throttling back on production isn’t an easy answer either, given GM’s union agreements which stipulate that they can’t close a plant or lay off workers without stiff penalties no matter how bad the losses become. Plants must run at 80% capacity or more whether they make money or not. Even if it stops its assembly lines, GM must still pay laid-off workers and also foot their extraordinarily generous health-care and pension costs. So, what’s the answer? I for one can’t think of any reason why General Motors as a single entity makes sense any longer, because they just don't seem to be able to get out from under their own history. They have proven to be too big, old, and stodgy to undertake any serious reform. The only real answer may be to break the company up and let the market reallocate the resources to more productive uses.
This is really worth the time it takes to listen. A car plant in Fremont California that might have saved the U.S. car industry. In 1984, General Motors and Toyota opened NUMMI as a joint venture. Toyota showed GM the secrets of its production system: How it made cars of much higher quality and much lower cost than GM achieved. Frank Langfitt explains why GM didn't learn the lessons—until it was too late. Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains. Thomas Jefferson
Here's the sad part: Who creating the Japanese manufacturing system? An American -- J. Edwards Deming. After WWII, America manufacturers wouldn't listen to his view about producing quality products. The Japaneses listened. He went to work for them. After the Japanese nearly destroyed the American car companies, they started to listen. American companies are producing much better cars than they used to. My wife and I both drive Chrysler's. I have a 5 year old Jeep Liberty and she has a brand new Dodge Caravan. I grew up in Detroit and I'm so happy that we can drive these cars because they really are good cars. But they can't stand still. Coming up next is Indian manufactures who are going to be all about cost and fuel efficiency. We can't have the government lock in the status quo. That's the point. Companies have to be free to compete. If they can't compete they need to go away so that other American companies who compete can tap into their money and talent.
Yes, I know about Deming. But they can't stand still. Coming up next is Indian manufactures who are going to be all about cost and fuel efficiency. Republicans think its all about "drill, baby, drill".
Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains. Thomas Jefferson
I say this without any hyperbole, but the US is willing to have millions of Arab oppressed, killed, and tortured to preserve the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. I strongly and firmly believe that. When you wonder how you got to Stalingrad. ;}
#2. To: Godwinson (#1)
(Edited)
their children will not have as good a life as they did
Ford $70.51
General Motors $73.26
Nissan - $41.97
Toyota - $47.60
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. -- Winston Churchill
#3. To: jwpegler (#2)
Godwinson: their children will not have as good a life as they did jwpegler: People who study math, science, engineering, and computer science can and do make a ton of money today.
Here's one of our own American Socialist,
"godwinson," resident socialist goober.
#4. To: jwpegler (#2)
#5. To: Capitalist Eric (#3)
(Edited)
My guess is that goobwinson has a BS degree in something really meaningful... Like sociology.
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. -- Winston Churchill
#6. To: Godwinson (#4)
(Edited)
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. -- Winston Churchill
#7. To: jwpegler (#5)
poly-sci major.
Here's one of our own American Socialist,
"godwinson," resident socialist goober.
#8. To: jwpegler, lucysmom (#6)
#9. To: Godwinson (#8)
Those are bogus comparisons because workers in other countries get govt run universal health care and govt subsidized pension plans.
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. -- Winston Churchill
#10. To: Godwinson (#8)
Those are bogus comparisons because workers in other countries get govt run universal health care and govt subsidized pension plans.
#11. To: lucysmom (#10)
There are many things that go into the mix. People don't choose a car based on price alone.
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. -- Winston Churchill
#12. To: jwpegler (#11)
Throttling back on production isn’t an easy answer either, given GM’s union agreements which stipulate that they can’t close a plant or lay off workers without stiff penalties no matter how bad the losses become. Plants must run at 80% capacity or more whether they make money or not.
#13. To: lucysmom (#12)
(Edited)
Toyota showed GM the secrets of its production system: How it made cars of much higher quality and much lower cost than GM achieved.
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. -- Winston Churchill
#14. To: jwpegler (#13)
An American -- J. Edwards Deming.
#15. To: Godwinson (#1)
they will react in a way that I think will make Egypt's protest seem a walk in the park
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