The world is STILL on fire! Are you paying attention?

By Shannon

In America we tend to suffer from two afflictions:  willful blindness and having the attention span of a gnat.  Perhaps this is due to our long term prosperity.  Perhaps it is because we’ve become used to microwaved food, first-date sex, and instant news on the internet.  No matter the reason, the first step in solving the problem is admitting there is one.  

Hi!  My name is Shannon and I’m self-absorbed more often than I’d care to admit.

When things don’t affect us directly and/or they happen “over there” we may be glued to the TV or other news source for several hours… and then we move on.  Moving on too quickly might cause us to miss something.  The world is still on fire!  Are you paying attention?

Pic from http://www.wired.com/

Is anyone else wondering about the global chaos?  Why now?  Why so widespread?  The 1960s were a time of upheaval for our nation, but was the world on fire then too?  I don’t see evidence of it in history books. 

Here’s a quick re-cap of the last two and a half months.  Research the thing and see if you can find any commonalities or any reason that can answer the questions:  Why now?  Why so widespread?

12/16/10 –       the world was relatively calm

12/17 –            Tunisian police slap Mohamed Bouazzizi, aged 26, for operating a cart with no

permit.  Bouazzizi responds by setting himself on fire.  Revolution begins.

12/24 –            Tunisia is on fire – protesters start setting things on fire.

12/27 –            Tunisian Labor Unions organize protests in Tunis, Sousse, Sfaz, and Meknassi

1/7/11 –           U.S. urges peaceful protests

1/14 –              Tunisian President Ben Ali steps down – 68 dead according to some reports

1/28 –              Egypt’s Day of Rage because police slapped 24 year old Gamal Hassanein

Obama addresses Egyptian protest

1/30 –              Exiled Islamic extremist Rachid el-Ghannouchi returns to Tunisia

2/3 –                Yemen’s Day of Rage

2/10 –              Egyptian Labor Unions involved in organizing throughout the Revolution say, “This Revolution will never stop until Mubarak goes.”

2/11 –              Egyptian President Mubarak steps down.  Around 400 dead.

2/13 –              Egyptian Parliament dissolved and Constitution suspended – Military takes over

2/14 –              Bahrain’s Day of Rage

                        Iran’s Day of Rage – seems to die out quickly.  (The few nominal government allowed unions that exist seem to be at least minimally involved.)

                        Wisconsin Labor Union Protest begins.

2/17 –              Libya’s Day of Rage – thousands dead as of this post.  (Libya does have Unions, but with the limited news coming out of Libya thanks to its tyrant who knows if or how the unions are helping the movement.)

                        Wisconsin Democrats run away like little girls.

2/18 –              White House issues a statement about Bahrain, Yemen, Iran, and Lybia

2/20 –              Bahraini government withdraws soldiers and provides protesters with electricity and food while they camp on the street.

2/21 –              In Egypt, Islamic extremist group Muslim Brotherhood begins political party.  Their spokesman says, “When we talk about the slogans of the revolution - freedom, social justice, equality - all of these are in the Sharia (Islamic law)." 

2/23 –              President Obama speaks about each country in a press conference.

2/25 –              Bahrain calls for a National Day of Mourning for those who have died in the protests.  The Bahraini Labor Union calls for a general strike so that all citizens can continue protests.

2/25 –              Iraq’s Day of Rage – aided by Labor Unions

By the way, Egyptian unions have sent pizza to Wisconsin protesters.

Now several other states in the U.S. are experiencing Union protests at the Capitol.  A 50 state protest has been called.  

I support people’s rights to freedom and liberty.  I abhor tyrants like Mubarak and Gadhafi and Ahmadinejad.  I support people’s right to an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work.  I oppose the fact that unionized “government workers cost the states $40.10 per hour in wage and benefits, while workers in the private sector only cost on average $27.88 per hour. In case you’re doing the math, which you should be, that’s a 44% difference." See here.  Get rid of union subsidies and Wisconsin can afford more teachers.  I support the right to peacefully assemble, but I abhor chaos.  

Also, I can't help but wonder what "the other hand" is doing in the moments when we forego willful blindness and focus for more than a nano-second on the union-organized global chaos.