Change through peaceful protest

Those Egyptians in the streets are the real people. They represent people all over the world that want freedom and democracy and are willing to go out into the streets and protest peacefully for their rights.  Even in the face of thugs sent out to foment discord they held strong.  Their triumph goes against all the propaganda spewed by the powerful all over the world that change can only come about through violence. 

This is a complete slap in the face to those who believe the gun is mightier than the soul of a nation. The Egyptian people are now directly involved in creating a new future for Egypt and themselves; they wanted change and they persevered in the streets to get rid of a regime they considered out of touch.

Rulers are measured by how they treat the governed; Mubarak failed to gain the complete trust of his people.  He failed over and over again with his dictatorial mandates, his tyranny, repression and torture and the people have had enough.  The people in the streets haven’t just told Mubarak to leave they also told Al-Qaeda that violence is not the way; they have proved Al-Qaeda wrong. They have shown that peacefully demonstrating can bring about positive changes.

The people hope Mubarak is gone for good. i’m still apprehensive about those he left in place, they are the old guard still operating under a police and military mind set.  i hope the Egyptian pro-democracy campaigner Mohamed ElBaradei is right about what he told the Associated Press. "This is the greatest day of my life. The country has been liberated after decades of repression," He said “he expects a "beautiful" transition of power.”

If the actions of the protesters over the last two weeks are any indication of a will to move forward without violence, the odds are in their favor.  If the military steps aside and lets the different factions unite to create a new government then the people of Egypt have every right to expect a “beautiful transition.”

Our President last night had the moral courage to stand with the Egyptian people and i applaud him for it.  Here is the speech he made.

Statement of President Barack Obama on Egypt

The Egyptian people have been told that there was a transition of authority, but it is not yet clear that this transition is immediate, meaningful or sufficient. Too many Egyptians remain unconvinced that the government is serious about a genuine transition to democracy, and it is the responsibility of the government to speak clearly to the Egyptian people and the world. The Egyptian government must put forward a credible, concrete and unequivocal path toward genuine democracy, and they have not yet seized that opportunity.
As we have said from the beginning of this unrest, the future of Egypt will be determined by the Egyptian people. But the United States has also been clear that we stand for a set of core principles. We believe that the universal rights of the Egyptian people must be respected, and their aspirations must be met. We believe that this transition must immediately demonstrate irreversible political change, and a negotiated path to democracy. To that end, we believe that the emergency law should be lifted. We believe that meaningful negotiations with the broad opposition and Egyptian civil society should address the key questions confronting Egypt’s future: protecting the fundamental rights of all citizens; revising the Constitution and other laws to demonstrate irreversible change; and jointly developing a clear roadmap to elections that are free and fair.
We therefore urge the Egyptian government to move swiftly to explain the changes that have been made, and to spell out in clear and unambiguous language the step by step process that will lead to democracy and the representative government that the Egyptian people seek. Going forward, it will be essential that the universal rights of the Egyptian people be respected. There must be restraint by all parties. Violence must be forsaken. It is imperative that the government not respond to the aspirations of their people with repression or brutality. The voices of the Egyptian people must be heard.
The Egyptian people have made it clear that there is no going back to the way things were: Egypt has changed, and its future is in the hands of the people. Those who have exercised their right to peaceful assembly represent the greatness of the Egyptian people, and are broadly representative of Egyptian society. We have seen young and old, rich and poor, Muslim and Christian join together, and earn the respect of the world through their non-violent calls for change. In that effort, young people have been at the forefront, and a new generation has emerged. They have made it clear that Egypt must reflect their hopes, fulfill their highest aspirations, and tap their boundless potential. In these difficult times, I know that the Egyptian people will persevere, and they must know that they will continue to have a friend in the United States of America.