Paging US Secretary of State Who Was Snubbed by #Egypt, Paging.... Paging...

As Japan faces potential nuclear Armageddon, we know the Prez of the US is going to Rio with his family. And where is the Secretary of State, in this time of international crisis?

She goes to Egypt and Tunisia of course.

Good for you Egyptians to snub her. Tunisians, do the same, and send her packing. (Not that she's any use here in the US...)

Mediaite.com reports (3/15/2011):

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Cairo this morning, but she won’t be meeting with a coalition of six youth groups that emerged from Egypt’s revolution last month. In a blunt snub, members of the January 25 Revolution Youth Coalition said “based on (Clinton’s) negative position from the beginning of the revolution and the position of the US administration in the Middle East, we reject this invitation.”

ABC News reports a Clinton spokesperson had no immediate reaction to the snub, but a State Department official told the network a meeting had been planned for Tuesday, and Clinton still plans to meet with “members of civil society and transitional government officials” as she urges “Egyptians to continue on the path toward democracy.”

The snub comes after comments Clinton made as recently as 2009, when she said in an interview with Al Arabiya “I really consider President and Mrs. Mubarak to be friends of my family. So I hope to see him often here in Egypt and in the United States.” Those words–and a perception in Cairo that Clinton was slow to embrace the protest movement–have not endeared her to members of the youth group coalition.

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French Foreign Minister Resigns Over Her Ties With Deposed Tunisian President

Her excuse: "When I am on holiday, I am not foreign minister."

Sure. So it should be OK for her to vacation in Tunisia during the uprising, travel in a private jet of a businessman with ties to Ben Ali and to offer France's support for him with riot police...

I suppose she also sent tear gas grenades to Tunisia as a private citizen.

According to wiki, she had considered running for the President of France in 2007; eventually she endorsed Nicolas Sarkozy.

Succeeding her as foreign minister will be Alain Juppe, current defense minister and former prime minister under Jacques Chirac, and an ex-convict...

The so-called West has no moral authority anywhere any more.

From Al Jazeera (2/27/2011):

Michele Alliot-Marie, the French foreign minister, has resigned following weeks of criticism over her contacts with the former leadership of Tunisia.

Her office announced her resignation on Sunday, saying that a letter had been sent to Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president.

In her letter, a copy of which was seen by news agency, Alliot-Marie made clear she felt she had done not done anything wrong.

"While I do not feel that I have committed any wrongdoing, I have ... decided to leave my job as foreign minister," Alliot-Marie wrote in her resignation letter to Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president.

"I ask you to accept my resignation," she wrote in the letter.

"Since several weeks, I have been the target of political attacks and then in the media, using, to create suspicion, counter-truths and generalisations."

Alliot-Marie became embroiled in a series of controversies over her links to Tunisia after she returned from holiday there last month during the popular uprising that overthrew Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, then president.

Subsequent revelations about her and her family's links to Ben Ali's entourage, and her offer for France to help riot police quell the uprising there, made her position increasingly untenable.

It emerged that during her Tunisian holiday she used the private jet of a businessman allegedly linked to Ben Ali, from whom her parents also bought a stake in a company.

Faced with rising criticism, she announced: "When I am on holiday, I am not foreign minister."

A spokesman for Sarkozy's office declined immediate comment about whether the president had accepted the resignation, which comes amid speculation Sarkozy is planning a cabinet shakeup.

The president is expected to replace Alliot-Marie with Alain Juppe, the defence minister and a veteran conservative who served as prime minister and foreign minister in the 1990s.

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What Is a "Jasmine Revolution" That Chinese Are Talking About?

I suggest they ditch that name unless they are indeed funded by George Soros...

Chinese "pro-democracy" groups are calling for another protests on Sunday in 23 cities in China, reportedly inspired by the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, and now Libya.

And they keep mentioning a "Jasmine Revolution".

Huh? What the hell is that?

It turns out that the Tunisian Revolution is referred by some people in the media as the "Jasmine Revolution", just like other color-coded so-called revolutions in places like Georgia, Ukraine funded and coordinated by the foundations of George Soros and the US government, in which "protesters" show up on the streets with mass-produced flags, T-shirts, and slogans all designed nicely and prepared long before the demonstrations.

I'd never heard the name until I heard about protests in China about a week ago, and I've been following Tunisian, Egyptian, and now Libyan uprising since January.

I don't think George Soros' foundations were behind the Tunisian uprising, nor the Egyptian uprising, the Libyan uprising, the Yemeni uprising, the Bahraini uprising, the Vietnamese protests, the North Korean protests. (They may be behind the Wisconsin public union workers, though.)

Note to Chinese protesters: Mention that strange name to Tunisians, and they wouldn't know what you're talking about. If you want to rise up against the regime, ditch the cute nickname that hardly anyone in the wider world would recognize, and just do it, just like Tunisians and Egyptians did, and Libyans are doing.

The Tunisian Revolution is called in Tunisia "the Sidi Bouzid Revolt".

The Egyptian Revolution is widely called "the 25 January Revolution".

In Libya, when they successfully drive out the Gaddafis and their minions, it will likely be called "the 17 February Revolution". Or "#Feb17#Libya Revolution" - giving homage to the power of Twitter.

No Soros, no color.

Unless, of course, this Chinese "uprising" is indeed being funded and supported by Soros and the US government. If not, the protest organizers would be wise to stop using the word "Jasmine".

(Oh wait, maybe it is indeed funded by Soros and/or the US government.. The US ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman, was spotted in the demonstration in Beijing last week. Huffington Post has the video of him outside McDonald's in Beijing.)

(It also fits wonderfully with the Obama admin, where branding and image are everything. Well, I still remember seeing the faces of people in China, almost in ecstasy, as they celebrated the election of Barack Obama as the president of the United States...)

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The Mouse That Roared in #Libya, #Egypt, #Tunisia, and ...

from Imgur.com gallery. #Gaddafi's of the world, your days are numbered.

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Behind the Tunisian Revolution: Massacre by the Mysterious Militia

Al Jazeera reports that the intentional killing of protesters by the "mysterious militia" in the town of Kasserine near the Algerian border sparked the nationwide revolution that toppled the regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his wife, Leila Ben Ali, a former hairdresser.

And that "mysterious militia" was made up of women.

According to Al Jazeera's Yasmine Ryan, protests across the poorest region of the country since December 17, 2010 got suddenly deadly and sinister in the town of Kasserine on January 8, 2011, when an unidentified militia with sleek outfits appeared, and started shooting people with live ammo.

Then, the next day, the same militia, which included a blond woman, threw teargas canisters into a traditional sauna full of women and children. According to Al Jazeera, "Yakin Karmazi, a seven-month-old baby, died after her lungs were destroyed by teargas." And that, I think, was the beginning of the end.

More from Al Jazeera "The massacre behind the revolution" (Yasmine Ryan, 2/16/2011 Al Jazeera) [emphasis is mine, other than the subtitles]:

.....The following day [January 9, 2011], four agents stormed the women's hammam, a traditional sauna, on Monguela roundabout, where several women were relaxing with their young children.

Rebah Rebhi, the owner of the hammam, said the agents swore at the women and shot teargas into the hammam, blocking them from escaping. When the women, desperate for fresh air, opened a window, agents shot another teargas canister in through the opening, she said.

One of the agents who raided the hammam was a woman whose long blond hair flowed out from beneath her helmet. The other three were men, Gadbar said. All were dressed in black uniforms.

The terrified, semi-clothed women were only allowed to flee the gas-filled hammam after several minutes, coughing and choking. Rebhi's elderly mother had to be hospitalised, as did some of the children.

Saber Rtibi, a 23-year-old who was about to move to France with his father, came to the defence of one of the fleeing women. The young man had just been to the grocery store when he saw his neighbour, Monia Omri, running up the street from the hammam with her young daughter, both coughing from the gas, according to Sourour Abdallah, an 18-year-old who was standing on the street that day.

The blond agent was chasing Omri and swearing at her. Rtibi tried to intervene, but the agent shot him in the stomach, killing him slowly.

After shooting Rtibi, the blond sniper removed her helmet, tossed her hair and blew kisses in the direction of his body, Abdallah and other witnesses present that day said.

Abdallah believes the agents gassed the hammam and insulted the women to provoke a reaction from the youth.

"They were doing that so that boys would come to protect their mothers, so they could shoot them," Abdallah said.

........

The funeral massacre

Security forces tried to forbid locals from joining the funeral procession for Massoudi on January 10. Despite the warning, more than 200 people chose to accompany the young man's coffin through the streets of Ezzouhour to the cemetery.

Sayhi Ahmed, a friend of Massoudi who took part in the procession, said they marched to mark the death of Massoudi, and to protest "for freedom, for rights, for human values and for jobs".

Anti-riot police refused to allow the cortege to pass, however, blocking its route. Security forces launched teargas, while youths responded by throwing rocks.

Shortly after midday, at least five snipers standing on rooftops suddenly started firing on the procession, according to Ahmed. Most of them appeared to be women, he said, wearing helmets and black uniforms, automatic rifles in hand.

Amongst those killed was his friend Mohamed Khadraoui, 22, who was felled by a bullet in the head.

"He was killed in front of me," Ahmed said. "They killed without pity."

Khadraoui's killer, standing on the roof of a cafe, gave the thumbs-up sign after hitting her target.

.....................

Mysterious militia

All witnesses in Kasserine agreed that the "snipers" responsible for most of the shootings were neither part of the regular police, or members of the BOP.

There has been speculation that they were members of the elite presidential guard. But according to a source with ties to the interior ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, the shooters were members of a special militia that was organised independently from the presidential guard, although they were under the same command.

The militia was formed by General Ali Seriati, the former head of presidential security, Rafik Belhaj Kassim, the former interior minister, and Leila Ben Ali, the former First Lady.

It's just sick, sick people. Leila Ben Ali's husband is in a coma in Saudi Arabia, and she's no longer at his side. She may have left her diamonds (along with countless wads of US dollar and Euro) in the presidential palace, but she's got the gold - 1.5 tonnes of it.

And it is beyond cynical to the point of nauseating for the Obama White House and its vassals (like Jesse Jackson) to spin the Wisconsin public union workers' demonstrations as "freedom fighters" like Tunisians and Egyptians. Too bad the otherwise sensible bloggers like him is peddling that meme.

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US Allies in North Africa and Middle East Continue to Kill Their Citizens Who Dare Protest Against Them

While Wisconsin's public union workers, supported and aided by the White House and National Democratic Party (and of course, unions), protest to retain their "rights" to taxpayers' money, the unarmed anti-government protesters in "modern and moderate" Bahrain are being killed by the army under the order from the "modern and moderate" sovereign, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Tanks, firearms, tear gas - supplied by the US and the UK.

The unarmed protesters in Libya are being killed by the security forces under the order from the strongman Muammar al-Gaddafi. Gaddafi's security forces just killed 15 people who were attending the funeral of protesters who were killed by the same security forces during the past week.

Ditto for Yemen, whose ruler, President Ali Abdullah Saleh, has been the good boy for the US and its allies for a very long time (32 years), longer than Mubarak (30 years). Al Jazeera reports, quoting Reuters, that for the first time, anti-government protesters started fighting back with firearms.

The Western leaders are calling for "restraint" from their favorite (maybe not so with Gaddafi, but he's been getting along quite well these few years), moderate rulers in these countries, just like they did in Tunisia and Egypt.

Restraint? What does that mean? Kill less?

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Deposed Tunisian President Is in a Coma

according to The Jerusalem Post (2/17/2011):

Deposed Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali had a stroke and is in a coma, French newspaper Le Monde reported on Thursday.

"The former head of state was admitted to an institution for Saudi princes under a false identity for security reasons," the paper reported. "His condition is worrying."

Ben Ali, who was overthrown by riots in Tunisia in January, has reportedly been ill for several years.

Le Monde also reported that his wife, Leila Ben Ali, "is no longer at his side."

A diplomat told the French daily that "the new acting president in Tunisia is also aware and follows the events hour by hour."

Hmmmm.. Didn't I hear something similar before for Hosni Mubarak?

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Is Algeria Following Egypt and Tunisia?

At least the Algerian government is doing exactly what the Egyptian government under Mubarak did:

1. Shutting down the Internet;
   

2. Releasing the government-sponsored thugs to beat up on the protesters and journalists.

We know how that turned out for the regime; if anything, it further ignited wider protests, and hardened the resolve of the protesters.

But those in a government, despotic or otherwise, are very slow to catch on. (Isn't it, Madam Secretary of the US?)

Two things about Algeria that could make this uprising a bit more trickier for the West:

1. Algeria has a huge reserve of natural gas (8th largest), and also of oil;
   

2. A large Algerian population in western European countries, most notably in France

From Telegraph UK (2/12/2011):

Algeria shuts down internet and Facebook as protest mounts

Internet providers were shut down and Facebook accounts deleted across Algeria on Saturday as thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators were arrested in violent street demonstrations.

Plastic bullets and tear gas were used to try and disperse large crowds in major cities and towns, with 30,000 riot police taking to the streets in Algiers alone.

There were also reports of journalists being targeted by state-sponsored thugs to stop reports of the disturbances being broadcast to the outside world.

But it was the government attack on the internet which was of particular significance to those calling for an end to President Abdelaziz Boutifleka's repressive regime.

Protesters mobilising through the internet were largely credited with bringing about revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia.

"The government doesn't want us forming crowds through the internet," said Rachid Salem, of Co-ordination for Democratic Change in Algeria.

"Security forces are armed to the teeth out on the street, and they're also doing everything to crush our uprising on the internet. Journalists, and especially those with cameras, are being taken away by the police." President Hosni Mubarak had tried to shut down internet service providers during 18 days of protest before stepping down as Egyptian leader on Friday.

Mostafa Boshashi, head of the Algerian League for Human Rights, said: "Algerians want their voices to be heard too. They want democratic change.

"At the moment people are being prevented from travelling to demonstrations. The entrances to cities like Algeria have been blocked."

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"Quantitative" Revolutions and Ben's Endgame

From Zero Hedge:

For over a year now, Zero Hedge has been predicting that in its foolhardy attempt of "inflation or bust", the Fed's actions would sooner or later lead to mass rioting and possible revolutions as a result of surging and out of control food prices (which are just the peak of the alternative investment pyramid - yes, stunningly free money can go into other things besides stocks). There have been those who have claimed that deflation is still a far greater force, despite that the all important shadow banking system made a positive inflection point in ending deleveraging in Q3 (and on March 10 we will know whether the Q3 strength persisted into Q4) as was discussed previously, and today's first time in over two years increase in revolving credit merely confirms this view. Alas, to all who believe that deflation or deleveraging is a greater threat: you have our sympathies, as fundamentally your are correct, and were the business cycle have the benefit of playing out in normal course, all the world's banks would become insolvent and yes, deflation would be rampaging. The problem is that these same people do not realize that to Bernanke (whom we have referred Genocide Ben for precisely this reason) there is no other alternative, and inflation must be achieved no matter how terrible the social cost, or the damage to the monetary system. Regardless, the actions in North Africa are just the start. Commodities will run up far higher, and discontent will sooner or later reach to Asia, and possibly to countries which have nuclear arsenals at their disposal. What happens then is anyone guess. Yet for anyone who is still confused about the ultimate Fed agenda, Dylan Ratigan and Bill Fleckenstein sat down late last week to make it so clear that virtually anyone and everyone can understand what the Bernanke endgame is.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

So what is Ben's endgame? Look at Ben's face in the very beginning of the video when he had to answer a question of whether the Fed had created the condition for Tunisian and Egyptian uprising by printing the extraordinary amount of money.

And don't think that this consequence is "unintended". Just look at his face.

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Did You Know That Connecticut National Guard Is In Egypt Right Now?

to supposedly support the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO). They were deployed on January 15, one day after Tunisians routed out their dictator president out of the country.

From the Connecticut National Guard site:

SHERPA UNIT TO DEPLOY TO SINAI PENINSULA

Unit's Fourth Deployment Since 2003
January 15, 2011

HARTFORD, Conn., - Maj. Gen. Thaddeus J. Martin, Adjutant General and Commander of the Connecticut National Guard, announces that Detachment 2, Company I, 185th Aviation Regiment of Groton, is mobilized and will deploy to the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt to support the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO).

The unit’s mission will be to provide an on demand aviation asset to the MFO commander in support of the mission to supervise the security provisions of the Egypt / Israel Peace Treaty. The unit will also provide the means for the observers to have an aerial view of the area of interest and to conduct personnel and cargo movements between area base camps as well as Cairo and Tel Aviv. [emphasis is mine]

This unit operates C-23C Sherpa aircraft and has deployed three separate times in the last seven years in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

The unit departed Connecticut earlier today for Ft. Benning, GA, for further training and validation.

This aviation unit is commanded by Chief Warrant Officer Four James Smith of Ivoryton, Conn.

(h/t rtspayne)

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Protesters Are Getting Killed in Egypt, As President's Son Flees the Country

It's not being reported much in the US, but Egypt is in turmoil after the event in Tunisia. (What event in Tunisia, you ask? Where's Tunisia? Oh boy.) Protesters want the Hosni Mubarak's regime of 30 years to end, just like Tunisians ended the 23-year rule of their president. They have taken to the streets, and things are getting dicey.

From Telegraph UK (by Samer al-Atrush in Cairo):

Egyptians call for Tunisian-style revolution in 'day of wrath'

Thousands of demonstrators calling for a Tunisian-style revolution in Egypt brought the centre of Cairo to a halt last night after a "day of wrath".

The anti-government protesters demanded President Hosni Mubarak to stand down as they descended on Tahrir Square in the city centre, clashing with police who fired plastic bullets, tear gas and water cannons to prevent them marching on parliament.

"Mubarak – Saudi Arabia is waiting for you," they chanted, a reference to the former Tunisian president Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali, who flew to the Saudi city of Jeddah in the face of anti-government protests 12 days ago.

The protest was the largest seen in Cairo for years, if not decades. Mr Mubarak, 82, has been in power for 30 years, even longer than Mr Ben Ali, who was ousted after an authoritarian 23-year rule.

He has not ruled out standing for re-election again this year, or passing on power to his son, Gamal.

There were also protests in Alexandria and Suez, where two people were killed.

Police normally stamp down quickly on dissent, but reacted calmly at first. "We are all Egyptians," said one senior officer.

But as protesters started hurling stones and stormed through barricades, police moved aggressively to contain them.

Many of those who took to the streets said they were first-time demonstrators, encouraged by the revolution in Tunis. "We should make a stand like men for once," said Akram Suleiman, 28, a lawyer.

In the meantime, Gamal Mubarak, the son of Hosni Mubarak who was widely seen as the successor to his father, fled to the UK with his family. (Joining other notable exiles like Russian oligarchs and ex-Pakistani president...)

Let's see if he has managed to grab some gold like the Tunisian president's wife did...

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Deposed Tunisian President Fled with 1.5 Tons of Gold

or so says Tyler at Zero Hedge, citing Le Monde (with Google translation). It seems it was the wife of the president who had the wits about her to grab 22% of Tunisia's gold reserve and run:

The family of ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia would have fled with 1.5 tons of gold. It is an assumption of the French secret services, who try to understand how the day ended on Friday 14 January, which saw the departure of President and his family and the downfall of his regime.

According to information gathered in Tunis, Leila Trabelsi , the president's wife allegedly went to the Bank of Tunisia to look for gold bars. The governor refused. M me Ben Ali had called her husband, who had also initially refused, then surrendered. She then flew to Dubai, according to French news before leaving for Jeddah. "It seems that the wife of Ben Ali is a party with gold" , said a senior French official. "1.5 tonnes gold, that makes 45 million euros" , translated source.

As of December 2010, Tunisia had 6.8 tonnes of gold as the reserve. So the president and his wife simply took 22% of the nation's gold reserve and fled.

Physical gold and silver seem to be disappearing fast from the market, even without the Tunisian president's wife. Bullionvault.com has run out of silver in Germany.

But don't worry, people, it's just another "bubble", as this expert at this august institution (item No.4) assures us.

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