Opinions/Editorials
See other Opinions/Editorials Articles
Title: This Is Just the Start (Arab revolution)
Source:
New York Times
URL Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/opinion/02friedman.html?_r=1
Published: Mar 3, 2011
Author: Thomas Friedman
Post Date: 2011-03-03 12:07:32 by go65
Keywords: None
Views: 1444
Comments: 4
THE OBAMA FACTOR Americans have never fully appreciated what a radical thing we did — in the eyes of the rest of the world — in electing an African-American with the middle name Hussein as president. I’m convinced that listening to Obama’s 2009 Cairo speech — not the words, but the man — were more than a few young Arabs who were saying to themselves: “Hmmm, let’s see. He’s young. I’m young. He’s dark- skinned. I’m dark-skinned. His middle name is Hussein. My name is Hussein. His grandfather is a Muslim. My grandfather is a Muslim. He is president of the United States. And I’m an unemployed young Arab with no vote and no voice in my future.” I’d put that in my mix of forces fueling these revolts.
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: go65 (#0)
You can add - an young Arab with a college degree - and no job.
"Keep Your Goddamn Government Hands Off My Medicare!" - Various Tea Party signs.
Proving once again, that YOU ARE A RACIST.
Socialist ass-hats think "There will be no more money when the U.S. dollar has no value, until that time we can keep printing more." And yes, that IS from LF's answer to Ben Bernanke, go65, leading disfunctional and delusional socialist of the forum. "You want me to kill THE ENEMIES of Jappos, I'll kill THE ENEMIES of Jappos, Rebs, or Sioux, or Cheyenne... For 500 bucks a month I'll kill whoever you want. But keep one thing in mind: I'd happily kill you for free." Algren, "The Last Samurai" I suspect that Friedman has been in at least as many countries as I have. He has learned nothing. Friedman is trapped in the early 20th century "great man" theory of history. Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, Roosevelt, Kennedy... "Great" men (not good men, but powerful men) changed our destiny. Friedman desperately wants Obama to be the next "great man" who controls history. This revolution is different. It's a revolution driven by information. Average people in the middle are on Facebook, Twitter, and email talking to their friends an relatives living in America and other western countries. They also watch cable stations like CNBC international and Al Jazeera. They know more about the world around them than any generation that proceeded them. They see our freedom. But they don't hate it like the neo-cons believe. They are envious of it. What they hate are their rulers who deny them this freedom. I do agree with Friedman on one point -- we are only seeing the beginning. There are dozens of tyrannies in the middle east and Africa that will eventually fall as part of this information awakening. That is a good thing.
I hope so, unfortunately often the end result is further oppression or instability, but we'll see.
Since January 3, 2011, Republicans have controlled the power of the purse.
And I’m an unemployed young Arab with no vote and no voice in my future.”
#2. To: go65 (#0)
in electing an African-American
#3. To: go65 (#0)
(Edited)
"Everything that can be invented has been invented."-- Charles Duell, Commissioner of US Patent Office, 1899
#4. To: jwpegler (#3)
That is a good thing.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]