How Specific Were Egyptian Protesters’ Demands?

Why Do American Protesters’ Demands Need to Be More Specific than those of the Egyptian Protesters?

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The Main Demand of the Egyptian Protesters … Throw the Bums Out

The main demand of the Egyptian protesters was that Hosni Mubarak and his cronies leave power.

Why should the demands of the American protesters be held to a higher standard?

As former IMF chief economist Simon Johnson notes, the American finance industry has effectively captured our government in a “quiet coup”, a state of affairs that is at the center of many emerging-market crises, and that recovery will fail unless we break the financial oligarchy that is blocking essential reform.

Inequality in America is worse than in Egypt (or Tunisia, Yemen or most Latin American banana republics).

The U.S. has become a kleptocracy, an oligarchy, a banana republic, a socialist or fascist state … which acts without the consent of the governed. There is a malignant symbiotic relationship between the governmental leaders and their cronies, which makes a handful rich on at the public trough (in the same way that the Mubarak family raked in between U.S. $40 and $70 billion dollars through bribes and cronyism).

Remember, Mubarak pretended that he was going to offer concessions or negotiate several times. But the protesters would have none of it. They demanded Mubarak leave.

The same government despots (Bernanke and the rest of the knuckleheads at the Fed, Geithner, and various other Goldman alums and proteges of Robert Rubin) and the same Wall Street manipulators (Blankfein, Dimon, etc.) are still on their thrones causing mischief. Nothing will change while these guys are still in charge.

Why can’t Americans – like the Egyptians – demand that the bums be thrown out?

While America’s protesters don’t need to give any list of official demands (see this, this and this), breaking up the unholy alliance which is destroying our country and removing vampires from both government and Wall Street who are most responsible for blocking reform is a perfectly good demand all by itself. As Gordon Duff – senior editor at Veterans Today – says, it’s “time for regime change” in the U.S.

The Egyptian Protesters’ Other Demands

The Atlantic provided a translation of the Egyptian protester’s demands in January:

The second demand of the Egyptians was for the cessation of emergency law. This is – believe it or not – applicable to America. We have been in a constant state of national emergency – and perhaps a suspension of the Constitution through “continuity of government” operations – since 9/11.

The third demand was for freedom. Given that Obama is trying to expand spying well beyond the Bush administration’s programs (indeed, the Obama administration is arguing that citizens should never be able to sue the government for illegal spying) and that the U.S. government uses anti-terrorism laws to crush dissent, tortures people it doesn’t like – sometimes even U.S. citizens (see this and this) – and also assassinates people it doesn’t like … even U.S. citizens (update) … we’re not very free.

Justice was the fourth demand. If you think we have justice in modern America, read this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this and this.

The fifth is for a non-military government, which serves the needs of the people. We want the same in America. See this. Americans want our troops brought home, but Obama has implemented plans for war throughout the Middle East crafted by the Neoconservatives a decade (or more) ago, and gotten us into 7 (oops …8) wars. The U.S. itself has also become highly militarized.

The sixth demand was for the constructive administration of all of the country’s resources. In fact, America’s resources are being raped by and for the handful of looters, just like Egypt’s were.

And see this.

These demands – throwing the bums in Washington and Wall Street who caused this mess, ending emergency law, restoring our freedom, justice for all and the enforcement of the rule of law (throw all of the guys who caused this crisis into “pound-me-in-the-ass prison”), a non-militarized government, and the use of the nation’s resources in a way which most benefits the American people – are pretty good for America, as well as Egypt.

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Postscript: The Egyptians are currently struggling against a brutal military who is refusing to hand over power to the civilian leadership. The situation is currently serious, and is not getting much press in the U.S.

Some argue that the military crackdown moots the successful revolution against Mubarak and shows that it didn’t do anything constructive. Others argue that the revolution against Mubarak was successful, and must be judged on its own merits, and that a second revolution is now needed against the Egyptian military. The fifth demand – formation of a non-military government – has not yet occurred. So in reality, the original revolution is still continuing.

Some also argue that the Arab and American protests are part of a destabilization campaign orchestrated by various unsavory groups. I don’t know whether or not there is any truth to such allegations. The Occupy Wall Street organizers I know are good people who are working hard to fight for freedom, justice and economic stability for the American people, and are not the pawns of any group whatsoever.