Egypt's foreign policies were pretty stable for decades. Instability won't be welcomed by Israel or America.

Army versus Brotherhood battles just got ratcheted up substantially, because Morsi's win puts Brotherhood and its allies in better position to resist army rule than ever.

Exiting gracefully with big money makes sense to capitalists, but to soldiers less so.

"This describes every month since 1979, or 1954 if you prefer.    Yawn."

See here: "On the eve of the vote to choose Egypt's first president since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, this pervasive lawlessness is the biggest change in daily life since the revolution and the most salient issue in the presidential race. Random, violent crime was almost unheard-of..."

You are correct.  My drunken state led me to allude the Muslim Brotherhood was constantly plotting the overthrow of the regime, and my belief in legitimate journalism led me to believe that nothing bad ever happens in closed dictatorships.  Of course the Mubarrak regime never suffered internal resistance, and of course internal strife never happened, and since the regime let the free press operate, there were never terrorist actions committen in Egypt, and hence, were never reported by western journalists.  Since there wasn't any internal strife in Egypt since the aftermath of Suez, I am wrong:  Egypt should be regarded as a far superior American ally than Pakistan and a better frenemy than Russia or China.  My bad!

You should have stuck with your headline and first sentence and been done with it, but you can't help yourself either. Your bad, indeed.

China has no "free press" either, but we still hear about thousands of major demonstrations in China every year. We don't think of their regime as being in trouble because of all those demonstrations, but they take place anyway. Now, if you really see no difference between holding demonstrations (or even engaging in some terrorism) and electing your candidate to your country's presidency in (relatively) free elections, then we have nothing further to discuss on this matter.  

If we never hear about anything bad happening in closed dictatorships, how come we heard about Egypt's recent revolution? And how do we hear anything about what has been going on in Syria?

I thought of you almost immediately after posting that. Of course, now that you've driven David Palter away, no one remains to argue with you (that "those stupid Muslims don't deserve human decency") and you remain stuck with me, Alf, and straw men. My basic point was that on Plastic, people would have discussed Egyptian politics; here, not so much.

For decades, Egypt's military has been in charge. Muslim Brotherhood activists often rotted in jail. No change? Really?

And you assert this even as attacks on Israel from Sinai have increased dramatically? (Oh, I forgot, you don't care about Israel.)

I thought of you almost immediately after posting that.

I hope I was wearing pants!  This ain't craigslist!

Of course, now that you've driven David Palter away,

I did no such thing.  DP was never a member here, and I haven't driven anyone from this site.  

For decades, Egypt's military has been in charge. Muslim Brotherhood activists often rotted in jail. No change? Really?

Well, no.  Gadsby has the facts correct, but I was more asserting that the Muslim Brotherhood and the Egyptian military have been rivals for decades.  Its not a new facet of that society.  

Oh, I forgot, you don't care about Israel.

Will you come the fuck on?  I care about Israel, I just don't have a reckless blind loyalty to that nation.  You are the one with an anti-Semitic streak, not me.

1. I don't know what you look like. I don't even know if you would be wearing pants or dress, really.

2. Sure, David Palter was here. Not as David Palter, of course, but he was certainly here. We messaged some before he departed. He claimed you drove him off Plastic and drove him off TnT. But what do I know?

3. Yeah, Alf was way right. Furthermore, although military and Brotherhood have been at it for decades, to be sure, Brotherhood has never been remotely this close to real power.

4. I still vividly remember when I was generally presumed to be nothing more than sockpuppet for one of Plastic's (many) Jewish contributors. [Someone who wasn't recklessly or blindly loyal to Israel either, but who would have had something cogent to say about current events in Egypt. I know, that was then...] But now I've apparently gone from closet Jew to outright anti-Semite. [That must explain why I've been modding some of Alf's comments up recently.] Which might be consistent with my caring as much about, say, New Zealand or Poland as Israel.

You know you'd prefer to imagine him in a dress.

He claimed you drove him off Plastic and drove him off TnT. But what do I know?

You know nothing, Jon Snow.  But know this:  He's a fucking liar.  I did no trolling to DP on Plastic, and whatever "abuse" I laid to his sockpuppet here was no worse than I've given to zyx, gerrymander, port1080, p0157, thefadd, improper, Ephraim Gadsby, T_Slothrop, Haggis,  novy, joshv, ms_sue,  tjb, anywhere, and many others.  Did those names quit like little babies?  No? Exactly.  So shit on you for trying to start some bullshit, and shame on him for being a coward and a sockpuppet.

Brotherhood has never been remotely this close to real power.

My point was they've always been close to "real" power, and they are no closer or further than they've been since 1954, and their actual effect on Egyptian society won't change or diminish.    

Which might be consistent with my caring as much about, say, New Zealand or Poland as Israel.

I'm an American, and my loyalties lie in that nation.  I'm also racially part Finnish, German, Russian, French, Japanese(! true!!), and Iroquois, to name other blood of mine who may have been "enemies" of America before 1977.  Am I responsible for their current governments?  

 You seem aggressive and vengeful, someone not to provoke

I'm not vengeful.    And I like provocation, since it makes good conversation. However! I don't suffer liars, bullshit or having words put in my mouth.    I'd appreciate it if you didn't accuse me of things you've got no proof or verbatim quotes to back up, and I'd advise you to let David the Coward Palter to speak for himself and his sockpuppet instead of you white knighting for him.  Its unbecoming of you.

I neither play Game of Thrones nor serve as anchor on ITN.

I didn't claim DP was telling me God's truth, I merely reported what he told me, in response to your claim that he was never here.

If you claim Brotherhood was always close to real power because Islamists offed Sadat, you might as well claim that Charles Manson was close to real power in America because one of his followers, Lynette Fromme, tried to shoot Gerald Ford.

Lots of folks around here seem to blame me for Belarus' government, so what's wrong with blaming Jews for Israel's government or Americans for America's government too? You ask if you should be considered responsible for, say, Russia's government, and I ask in turn if you think you should be considered responsible for your own government, let alone Russia's. Most Americans I know don't.

Vengeful? Absolutely. You should read your own stuff. You seem angry, put off, or in attack mode much more often than you seem to be engaging anyone about anything. As for BS, we all have different definitions of what that means, don't we?

I didn't claim DP was telling me God's truth, I merely reported what he told me, in response to your claim that he was never here.

You were played, my friend.  Having gone through my posting history, I have to assume that DP was skeptic, and I was no more an asshole to him than I am to you or port1080 or zyx, and since those names aren't little babies, I hold him to that standard: The internet is rough, so man up and give as good as you get.  You get it, and if I'm rude to you, its because I assume you are adult enough to take it.

If you claim Brotherhood was always close to real power because Islamists offed Sadat, you might as well claim that Charles Manson was close to real power in America because one of his followers, Lynette Fromme, tried to shoot Gerald Ford.

Squeaky wasn't part of the military honor guard for President Ford, so your comparison isn't accurate. The Brotherhood was involved with Sadat's assassin.  Manson didn't have an inside mole.  Random acts aren't equivalent to infiltration.

Lots of folks around here seem to blame me for Belarus' government

I haven't seen any other person here besides me "blame" you for fleeing the country instead of rebelling against Lukashenko. Canada is nicer and safer than Belarus, apparently, but don't blame the TnT crowd for making fun of you.  I stand alone, and I'd thank you not to libel the rest of the folks here.

so what's wrong with blaming Jews for Israel's government

Because random non-citizen Jews don't have a say in Israel's affairs..  

You seem to assume that because a handful of rich Americans meddle in Israel's politics, all American Jews agree with Likud.  Get off it.  

I ask in turn if you think you should be considered responsible for your own government

I vote, so I am.  I'm OK with that, and I do what I can do oppose it.  Have you not listened to Soylent Gringo?

You seem angry, put off, or in attack mode much more often than you seem to be engaging anyone about anything.

I am angry and put off.  I'm also intelligent and engaging.  I'm a self identified troll, so quit acting so shocked.But! I'm a human being and I've bared my soul to the likes of idiots and decent people.  Which are you?

You may not like me, but I'm fucking honest and I'm real.   You are defending a sockpuppet and arguing for a concept, not a reality.  

Wow, this DP stuff seems to upset you as much as you upset him. (Skeptic wasn't his most recent incarnation on this site, but that hardly matters.) I didn't really care that much to begin with. Maybe I should leave it alone now.

Perfect analogy it wasn't. Maybe I should have used something based on Hassan-i-Sabbah instead.

By way of clarification, there was no Belarus and no Lukashenko when my family got to leave CCCP.

Random non-citizen Jews no doubt have little say in Israel's affairs, but that portion of American Jewry that contributes to various Jewish and/or Israeli charities provides substantially more money to Israel every year than America's government provides in direct aid. Non-citizen Jews that ante have at least as much say about Israel's affairs as sabras.

Thanks for taking responsibility for your government. Only recently, people were laughing about my use of that term, but if it doesn't feel like their government to them, at least it feels like your government to you. Good.

I know I ought to listen to Portland bands just because I could drive there in four or five hours.

Shocked? Why should I be when you confirm my statements?

But as for "honest" and "real", both my mother and my sweetie wield those words as weapons of war, so pardon me if I cringe somewhat when I hear them. It has been made clear to me that I do not qualify as fucking honest or particularly real. Maybe I phone it in from outer space or something. Anyway, psychology doesn't work for me, and its practitioners usually strike me as dangerous potential adversaries stalking prey. I may think I qualify as human being, idiot, and decent, depending on when you look, but I still find it irritating to be looked down upon or judged by people who think themselves superior, regardless of any education or other merit to their self-opinion.

I recently met a hot, nice chick from Belarus. That's all I have to add.

I feel such ethnic pride as would be appropriate.

Omar Sharif slaps woman.

Mubarak's "morale down".