Friday, July 5, 2013

Last Call For Sanity In Egypt

So, you're the Egyptian military, and you've just taken over the country and kicked out the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi.  What's the next thing you do so that you can try to calm things down and can fake the whole "this isn't really a coup" deal?

If you answered anything other than "Use military force to close the neighboring border with Gaza and the Palestinians" than congratulations, you're better at this than the actual Egyptian military!

An Egyptian official says the country's border crossing with Gaza Strip in northern Sinai has been closed indefinitely, citing security concerns.

The decision comes hours after suspected Islamic militants attacked four sites in northern Sinai, targeting two military checkpoints, a police station and el-Arish airport, where military aircraft are stationed.

The military and security forces responded to the attacks. One soldier was killed and three were wounded.

Gen. Sami el-Metwali said Rafah passage was shut down on Friday. He didn't say when it would be reopened. Some 200 Palestinians were turned back to the Gaza Strip after the order.

So at this point it's starting to look like maybe, possibly, kinda, that the Muslim Brotherhood didn't just evaporate into nothingness and might still have a tiny grudge with the Egyptian military.  That's rapidly turning into the beginnings of one of those fabulous sectarian civil wars we keep hearing about.

Army troops opened fire Friday on protesters demanding the reinstatement of toppled President Mohammed Morsi, killing at least one, as supporters of the Islamist leader rallied across Egypt chanting "Down with military rule!"

The shooting threatens to escalate Egypt's confrontation, with Morsi's Islamist backers rejecting the army's ousting of the country's first freely elected president. Some heavily armed extremist groups have already vowed violent retaliation against the army, and before dawn gunmen in the Sinai launched a major attack on military facilities.

The army shooting came when hundreds of protesters marched on the Republican Guard building in Cairo, where Morsi was staying at the time of his ouster Wednesday night before being taken into military custody at an unknown location. The crowd approached a barbed wire barrier where troops were standing guard around the building.

When one person hung a sign of Morsi on the barrier, the troops tore it down and told the crowd to stay back. A protester put up a second sign, and the soldiers opened fire, according to an Associated Press photographer.

Several bloodied protesters fell to the ground. One had a gaping, bleeding wound in the back of his head. Other protesters carried the body into a nearby building and covered his head with a blanket, declaring him dead, according to AP Television News footage.

So yeah, hell of a week in Egypt, folks.  Going to get worse before it gets better, and should Israel decide "Hey, we should probably do something about all these Egyptians with US weapons next door" then things get awesome.

And by "awesome" I mean "crap."

There Is An Alternative To Grimes For Liberals

And that's Ed Marksberry, who at least is a liberal Democrat and not, well, Alison Lundergan Grimes.



Unfortunately when Ed ran against Republican Brett Guthrie in KY-2 in 2010, he got stomped by 35 points.  He's a huge long shot against Grimes and an even bigger one against Mitch.  But actual liberals in Kentucky do exist.

They just don't have any support from the Ky Dem Party.  Especially when their candidate is the daughter of the former long-time party boss.

I know I've said I'd support Grimes over McConnell, but that's because I know Marksberry hasn't a shot in hell at winning.  And that's too bad.

Not So Amazing If You Ask Me

Pro tip:  Things that can be sung to the tune of the theme song of "Gilligan's Island", most of Emily Dickinson's poetry.  Things that cannot be sung well to it?  Amazing Grace.  Take it away, Sen. Ted Cruz!



My soul hurts.  A lot.  I thought I would share the pain.  At first I thought "This guy couldn't carry a tune in a magnetic containment field specifically designed for convenient transport of musical pieces" but apparently the problem is everything sounds like the theme to Gilligan's Island to the guy.

Is there a classification for that affliction?  Cruz Syndrome, perhaps?  Who knows.

StupidiNews!

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