now do a comparison with Bush Jr....
- Crimsoninja

*waits*

*waits*
- Crimsoninja

lol

Davies affection

Davies affection
- A_Tree

Davies affection
- A_Tree

you (frank)ed up sprout

you (frank)ed up sprout
- watsonnostaw

Damnit

First, people have a misunderstanding about democracy overall. It has more to do with the structures of the institutions of state than it does with voting for people. For example, in a democracy, the military is non partizan as a rule where as in a totalitarian state like modern Venezuela or Turkey today, the army is used to achieve partizan ends. We see that today where the military is removing by force, observers in the Turkish elections so that, presumably, Erdogan can force a win for himself.

In Egypt, although it was a dictatorship under Mubarak, the institutions were basically secular with a veneer of islam, Christians and Shiia and other non-Jewish minorities managed to live out an existence which was not too too horrible by islamic standards as we would see in Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia etc. where sharia has basically extincted all other systems of thought and governance.

The US was paying out over USD $1B a year to the Egyptian military, most would say as a reward for Sadat’s peace deal with israel but more importantly, to guarantee a military that would work more in the interests of the spirit of democratic institutions etc. This was sustainable and one could see the effects as tourism was a main industry of Egypt and it was reasonably safe and other indicators which, while taken for granted by the world, actually did show some civility there.

Along comes the Arab Spring and the US backed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader who ran a party called, ‘The Freedom and Justice Party’ which was in fact Ikhwan and nothing other than Ikhwan and even used the terms ‘Freedom and Justice’ deliberately so Western backers would believe they were more liberal than Mubarak but in fact they used the terms as defined in the OIC Cairo declaration of Human Rights in Islam, and which was submitted as a legal document to the OIC on behalf of the 50 odd members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the 1990s as an official statement of what human rights must come to mean.

In essence, freedom meant freedom to implement the sharia and justice meant the sharia.

At Mach speeds, Morsi’s government legislated itself more power than Mubarak had, basically eliminating several checks and balances that existed under Mubarak such as judges discretion etc. and as a consequence, the public in Egypt rose up again and in what was likely the largest popular revolution in human history against the Morsi-Muslim Brotherhood regime installed a year earlier by questionable elections and with heavy American support.

*waits*

*waits*
- the_cause2000

for?

A thirsty chicken and a thirsty crow were each given a pitcher of water. First they tried reaching into the pitchers with their beaks, but neither could reach the water. Then they tried pushing the pitchers over, but they were heavy and sturdily built so they would not tip.

The chicken began flapping its wings and strutted up to the crow. "No fair!" squawked the chicken "the greedy farmer hasn't given us enough water." The crow shrugged, and began hopping around the pitcher, looking at it this way and that.

The chicken strutted off and went to complain to the farmer. It squawked and squawked, but the farmer ignored it. It went back to the crow, who was grabbing pebbles in his beak and dropping them into its pitcher with pebbles. "Come with me!" it said, "Let's demand that the farmer give us our water!" The crow ignored it and returned to his work.

The chicken went again to the farmer and decided to take its protest to the next level. It scratched and pecked at the farmer's leg, cutting the skin, until the farmer angrily kicked it away. Indignant, the chicken went back to the crow, squawking more than ever. "That brutal farmer kicked me," it complained. "when all I was doing was demanding my rights."

By this point the crow was standing on the top of his pitcher, happily drinking. He had dropped enough pebbles into the pitcher that the water level had risen nearly to the top. The chicken saw this and walked up to the crow to complain. "Unfair!" it cried. "I want water too."

The crow looked over at the chicken and told him: "I have water because while you were complaining, I was looking for a way to get the water. The first two ways did not work, but I kept trying until I came up with something better. Then I patiently put in the hard work to put my plan into action, and now, finally, I can drink. You can do the same with your pitcher, and you will have water too. You are bigger and stronger than me, so it will be even easier for you."

The chicken strutted over to his pitcher and picked up one pebble and dropped it in and sat down. "This is hard work!" it complained "I'm thirsty and I'm tired."

The crow looked over at the chicken and said "just this one time I will be charitable. You can drink from my pitcher, but next time you must do the work yourself."

The chicken hopped up and stuck its head down. Because its beak was shorter than the crow's, it could not quite reach the water.

"You cheated me!" it cried, "I cannot reach the water!"

"I am sorry," said the crow, "but you are only a few pebbles short. Surely you can do the tiny bit of work yourself."

The crow flew off, its thirst satiated. The chicken scratched at the ground and squawked and squawked but nobody would listen and it stayed thirsty.

A thirsty chicken and a thirsty crow were each given a pitcher of water. First they tried reaching into the pitchers with their beaks, but neither could reach the water. Then they tried pushing the pitchers over, but they were heavy and sturdily built so they would not tip.

The chicken began flapping its wings and strutted up to the crow. "No fair!" squawked the chicken "the greedy farmer hasn't given us enough water." The crow shrugged, and began hopping around the pitcher, looking at it this way and that.

The chicken strutted off and went to complain to the farmer. It squawked and squawked, but the farmer ignored it. It went back to the crow, who was grabbing pebbles in his beak and dropping them into its pitcher with pebbles. "Come with me!" it said, "Let's demand that the farmer give us our water!" The crow ignored it and returned to his work.

The chicken went again to the farmer and decided to take its protest to the next level. It scratched and pecked at the farmer's leg, cutting the skin, until the farmer angrily kicked it away. Indignant, the chicken went back to the crow, squawking more than ever. "That brutal farmer kicked me," it complained. "when all I was doing was demanding my rights."

By this point the crow was standing on the top of his pitcher, happily drinking. He had dropped enough pebbles into the pitcher that the water level had risen nearly to the top. The chicken saw this and walked up to the crow to complain. "Unfair!" it cried. "I want water too."

The crow looked over at the chicken and told him: "I have water because while you were complaining, I was looking for a way to get the water. The first two ways did not work, but I kept trying until I came up with something better. Then I patiently put in the hard work to put my plan into action, and now, finally, I can drink. You can do the same with your pitcher, and you will have water too. You are bigger and stronger than me, so it will be even easier for you."

The chicken strutted over to his pitcher and picked up one pebble and dropped it in and sat down. "This is hard work!" it complained "I'm thirsty and I'm tired."

The crow looked over at the chicken and said "just this one time I will be charitable. You can drink from my pitcher, but next time you must do the work yourself."

The chicken hopped up and stuck its head down. Because its beak was shorter than the crow's, it could not quite reach the water.

"You cheated me!" it cried, "I cannot reach the water!"

"I am sorry," said the crow, "but you are only a few pebbles short. Surely you can do the tiny bit of work yourself."

The crow flew off, its thirst satiated. The chicken scratched at the ground and squawked and squawked but nobody would listen and it stayed thirsty.
- D0PPELGANGER

Beautiful metaphorical story about the Quebec Separatists and Ontario teachers and the GOP.

ForeverFlyer16

Meanwhile, back in the house, the farmer slowly walked to his mailbox and opened his government subsidy check.

Meanwhile, back in the house, the farmer slowly walked to his mailbox and opened his government subsidy check.
- PhillySportsGuy

so that he may continue to provide food at food stamp prices.

Meanwhile, back in the house, the farmer slowly walked to his mailbox and opened his government subsidy check.
- PhillySportsGuy

you read that? lol

you read that? lol
- kicksave856

You can read the first paragraph and know where it's going.

I wonder how this story would go over if the farmer left water for his dog, but the dog couldn't reach it.

You can read the first paragraph and know where it's going.

I wonder how this story would go over if the farmer left water for his dog, but the dog couldn't reach it.
- PhillySportsGuy

or you could just read the poster's name and know where it's going.

You can read the first paragraph and know where it's going.

I wonder how this story would go over if the farmer left water for his dog, but the dog couldn't reach it.
- PhillySportsGuy

people would whine about it in the animals thread for hours and call for the farmer to be killed.

or you could just read the poster's name and know where it's going.
- kicksave856

I'll read one of his things once in a while.

They never make any sense though.

people would whine about it in the animals thread for hours and call for the farmer to be killed.
- dt99999

Name your top 3 threads

Name your top 3 threads
- PhillySportsGuy

no.

Name your top 3 threads
- PhillySportsGuy

gapers
DP
tentacle


or did they have to be on this site?

- D0PPELGANGER

That suit is unacceptable

that dopps changes the subject when challenged


cant blame him i guess