Why is Egypt protesting and USA not?

Hi there, I’m just reading more into the Egyptian situation and such and (I'm Canadian btw) I'm just curious about something I’ve read on Wikipedia..
Emergency law Main article: Emergency law in Egypt
Emergency Law (Law No. 162 of 1958) was enacted after the 1967 Six-Day War, suspended for 18 months in the early 1980s,[30] and continuously in effect since President Sadat's 1981 assassination.[31] Under the law, police powers are extended, constitutional rights suspended, censorship is legalized,[32] and the government may imprison individuals indefinitely and without reason. The law sharply limits any non-governmental political activity, including street demonstrations, non-approved political organizations, and unregistered financial donations.[30] The Mubarak government has cited the threat of terrorism in order to extend the emergency law,[31] claiming that opposition groups like the Muslim Brotherhood could come into power in Egypt if the current government did not forgo parliamentary elections and suppressed the group through actions allowed under emergency law.[33] This has led to the imprisonment of activists without trials,[34] illegal undocumented hidden detention facilities,[35][36] and rejecting university, mosque, and newspaper staff members based on their political inclination.[37] A parliamentary election in December 2010 was preceded by a media crackdown, arrests, candidate bans (particularly of the Muslim Brotherhood), and allegations of fraud involving the near unanimous victory by the ruling party in parliament.[30] Human rights organizations estimate that in 2010 between 5,000 and 10,000 people were in long-term detention without charge or trial.[38][39]

So ... this Emergency law seems to be damn near everything that happening in the U.S right now is it not? (minus a few things such as the donations and the demonstrations) I mean ESPECIALLY where it says that the government may imprison individuals indefinitely without reason... Isn’t that the patriot act?
So.. why the hell isn’t the U.S getting up in arms about all the bills that have been passed behind your backs?
I mean seriously if the US population stopped being so damn passive, they wouldn’t be in the situation there in right now?
you have SO many people, SO many guns, SO much aggression, why the hell is your country taking what the government is doing to you? I mean here in Canada, if there's something we don’t agree with, we don’t bend over (net rates etc) So why do you? You have more people in one state than we do in our entire country but yet you act like the government outweighs you.... WHY?
I mean seriously... Think about it. Look at the Egyptians.> they are PISSED... they are MAD and their standing in cloths tossing crap at cops... What is the US doing? living, going about their day and passively awaiting the next bill that will change or limit your life!
Man. I'm sorry if this post pisses anyone off but seriously...I feel for America I really do. Not because of "terrorists" or " threats" but because of the outright bullsh*t going on right in front of your eyes that your entire country is taking?
I'm sorry but look at the facts, you have a population of almost 312 MILLION people You know what your military and Navy have? I'm betting that it doesn’t equal your population
I'll pray for your country to find its strength because in its strength the world will be the place it should be, no government should be able to do what it’s done to your country ( and others). I'm sorry for your situation.

Thank you so much (fellow Canadian) *I took the time to read our (long) paragraph simply because you were, Canadian*

I thank you, for taking the time and effort to create this thread... I had it 'in my head' for a while... and never really figured out quite how to relay it... but bravo...

Bravo indeed...

M

reply to post by srbouska


The military population cannot match the civilian population in numbers but their guns can. People have families and stable lives (for now) and to be honest no one would want to put their families at risk.

reply to post by MavRck


Thanks, it just really pisses me off to see SO many people SO many families and SO many doomed children because of the passiveness of a countries people. Dont get me wrong it is absolutely not 100% the citizens of americans fault... EVERYONE world wide is becoming more and more passive.. Television, movies, 3D tv, I phones all of that cr*p is turnign people into passive zombies... but you dont see our Prime minister in Canada saying "oh look everyones busy watching the news in the gulf of mexico about the oil spill.. QUICK pass BILL after BILL that we dont want the public paying attention too... whats that FDA food bill? PASS IT! quick! "
But in the US. my goodness if there is something on the news that is able to divert the attention of 300 MILLION PEOPLE then lets pass as many laws as we can, lets make this disaster worth it.
Its the combination of a passive entertainment system (MEDIA) and a absolutely EVIL government.
I mean there's a lot of conspiracies out there truly the biggest one is right in front of your face. you are NOT free in your own country anymore wake up!!
Your idea of freedom is what they LET you have...

reply to post by srbouska


fluoride in the water and football on the tv would be my assumption. Americans, well the majority, have become too lazy and dependent to actually revolt. The media is also painting a different picture inside the US than the rest of the world.

reply to post by Serizawa


Thats Exactly it!! false stability .. i mean it's a stable life for now but only because the image is there of a stable society.
When you have a hole in a boat, you dont sit in it just because your comfortable.. you start planning. You start teaching your kids to swim so that when the tide comes.. they'll know what to do.
Comfortability and stable family life is only an image. If the US continues to take whats given to them.. they will most definately not be able to have many "stable " families.
The whole union of family is a debate in itself in the US but i'm talking about the future freedom of a nation...
your country used to be something strong....
its true there's more guns in the military than in civilians hands ( stronger ones at least ) but sometimes sacrafices need to made in order for the future to survive...
isnt that what our parents did for us ?
Why isnt the US doing the same for their kids?

reply to post by srbouska


It's like giving a bunch of sheep orders and expecting them to follow. It's just not going to happen, But what makes you think it is only going on the US?

There is an interesting study coming out that claims to take factors into consideration that would make uprisings/revolutions (or the tendency for) predictable on a scale. For instance: the study claims that Egypt's uprising could have been predicted years ago, had certain factors been paid attention to. Upcoming warnings are for Saudi and China. The full study has not yet been released, but here is an idea:

What Science Teaches Dictators About the Likelihood of Revolution

Now, if this study is on target, you will note that ratio between Actual and Perceived democracy and personal freedoms play a major factor. At this point, US and other Western leaders do not have to worry about large scale, government changing uprisings unless the gap between Actual and Perceived democracy and personal freedoms changes to an extent that the people feel what they have come to expect is greater then what they are receiving.

Excerpt:

The scientists are not revealing their 90-country scores yet, pending the actual publication of the study, but they are tipping their hands a little. Watch your steps, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and, yes, China. Your negative democratic gaps are growing dangerously wide — partly as a result of the Internet, which provides your people with a window on the way things are done in other, freer parts of the world. Algeria and Malaysia, alas, your system of government will probably hold. The positive gap created by the relative cupful of democracy you allow your people is already more than what they had come to expect.

reply to post by Serizawa


Oh my friend i dont belive its just happening in the U.S. The thing is the US used to be such a prideful strong country and its been deminished to a lot of passive people being RUN by their government.
I just think that if the U.S was the country that it SHOULD be... a model country... the way it used to be....it would be benificial for the US to help other countries. but at the state its in, and still going to try and "assist or occupy" other countries, all its doing is spreading its diseased political beliefs.
There is so much worse going on in other countries I agree, and I think they should all stand up . But more directly US right now because it hink the future is hinged on the US whether we like it or not.

1. Constitutional rights have not been suspended. People's actual rights and what they think they are "entitled to" or "have a right to" are not the same.

2. U.S. citizens are not being held indefinitely by the Patriot Act. People who were in the US, but not citizens, may be being held indefinitely in an undisclosed location.

3. An Autocratic regime is not what we have in the US, though it feels like it with 2 parties being the dictators. Egyptians are protesting that autocratic regime.

4. Is it "Canadians bash America" day on ATS? I only ask because this is the 2nd thread on this topic I saw posted today. Or are people in Quebec trying to use the Egyptian situation and perceived US tyranny as a reason to begin pushing an independent Quebec again? - Just curious on this one.

reply to post by indianajoe77


Thanks for those pointers, so your saying your happy with your government?
and i'm not bashing the U.S if you read what i'm writing, i Feel for the citizens, I want to see them succeed so if being angry FOR the U.S is bashing, i apologize if thats how you feel but i feel for people and its sickening.

reply to post by srbouska


They know exactly what they are doing, The want all of us to lose faith in our governments and suggest a new world order, America's wound is not as deep as it looks. The U.N/NATO will deploy their soldiers if any form of violence that they U.S army cannot handle.

reply to post by Serizawa

That is a good point but i just see this falsity... The governments of the world want the people to lose faith in them so that they can create ....one big "government"? why would the people of the world have faith in ONE government if they didn’t have any faith in hundreds?

reply to post by srbouska


"Anyone who is entirely happy with their government is an idiot" - Indiana Joe

I was addressing a number of points in your post that I thought were a little inaccurate.

The 4th point, truly I was quizative about. This really was the 2nd thread of similar topic posted by a Canadian today. I was just wondering if there was a conspiracy? - tongue firmly in cheek.

reply to post by indianajoe77

Fair enough Friend. I absolutely give you props for yoru points but no, i dont think there's any conspiracy.. just an average ATS day
I am seriously not bashing the US tho.. I do feel for them and its like a tipping point where if the U.S doesnt do something fast , tis gonna affect a lot more than just North america.

Originally posted by indianajoe77
1. Constitutional rights have not been suspended. People's actual rights and what they think they are "entitled to" or "have a right to" are not the same.

2. U.S. citizens are not being held indefinitely by the Patriot Act. People who were in the US, but not citizens, may be being held indefinitely in an undisclosed location.

3. An Autocratic regime is not what we have in the US, though it feels like it with 2 parties being the dictators. Egyptians are protesting that autocratic regime.

4. Is it "Canadians bash America" day on ATS? I only ask because this is the 2nd thread on this topic I saw posted today. Or are people in Quebec trying to use the Egyptian situation and perceived US tyranny as a reason to begin pushing an independent Quebec again? - Just curious on this one.

I dont think anyone is bashing US, it is just clear to the rest of the world that US is being tyranical globally, its just the US residents being fed false information. All these guys are saying is that it is time for US residents to put an end to this imperialism that is spreading globally. I dont think any US citizen is happy with the government, i dont think they want their children to be put on medication when they are perfectly healthy and sane. All these guys saying is that there are countries much worse than US but US revolution will trigger world wide shock to the rich elites, will get support from every country, almost 6 billion people will support that revolution.

We have our rights stripped away, pay way to many taxes, poor Healthcare system, and are constantly being recorded and tracked by the US Government. BUT I guarantee this if you was to take away our fast-food and shutdown the power grid there would be a Revolution in America. Sad if you think of it.

I'm not sure but I would imagine if you would research it there are Americans who are ready to stand up and fight and give their life if need be. (Although the CT'S on the US Naval ships are probably listening to them right now)

To be truthful, I feel a little offended by your post. I'm an American, yep. I don't feel as if I live in a dictatorship and I feel pretty good about the freedoms I have. I still prefer to live here than anywhere else. I consider myself fortunate and have a good life. I'm happy. There, I said it. I'm not ashamed or embarrassed to be American. Have a great day!

Originally posted by queenofsheba
To be truthful, I feel a little offended by your post. I'm an American, yep. I don't feel as if I live in a dictatorship and I feel pretty good about the freedoms I have. I still prefer to live here than anywhere else. I consider myself fortunate and have a good life. I'm happy. There, I said it. I'm not ashamed or embarrassed to be American. Have a great day!

Classic ignorant post by an extremely arrogant human being who is a citizen of a country thats killed more people directly or indirectly than both world wars combined, you are the "perfect" example of an educated free thinker! Thank you

reply to post by srbouska


I'm guessing because they don't flouridate the water over there in Egypt.
That's what they get.
Anyone knows that an unflouridated population will revolt against oppression.