100,000 and 200,000 demonstrate in Cairo, more demonstrations in other Egyptian cities

[No Elephants]

CAIRO — More than 100,000 Egyptians protested outside the presidential palace in Cairo on Tuesday, fueling tensions over Islamist leader Mohammed Morsi's seizure of nearly unrestricted powers and the adoption by his allies of a controversial draft constitution.

The outpouring of anger across the Egyptian capital, the Mediterranean port of Alexandria and a string of other cities pointed to a prolonged standoff between the president and a newly united opposition.

Morsi's opponents, long fractured by bickering and competing egos, have been re-energized since he announced decrees last month that place him above oversight of any kind, including by the courts, and provide immunity to two key bodies dominated by his allies: The 100-member panel drafting the constitution and parliament's upper chamber.

<snip>

The large turnout in Tuesday's protests – dubbed "The Last Warning" by organizers – signaled sustained momentum for the opposition, which brought out at least 200,000 protesters to Cairo's Tahrir Square a week ago and a comparable number on Friday to demand that Morsi rescind the decrees.

The huge scale of the protests have dealt a blow to the legitimacy of the new constitution, which Morsi's opponents contend allows religious authorities too much influence over legislation, threatens to restrict freedom of expression and opens the door to Islamist control over day-to-day life.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/04/egypt-protests-presidential-palace_n_2239474.html


When was the last time 100,000 or 200,000 demonstrated in a U.S. city about abuse of our Constitution?

Population of Egypt: about 82.5 million

Population of the U.S. about 315 million.


Population of Cairo approximately 17 million, about one third of whom are under age 15. Literacy rate, around 52%.

http://www.mapsofworld.com/cities/egypt/cairo/population.html

(Most of the population of Egypt lives near the Nile River.)

Still, the population of New York City is over 8 million---and public transit to NYC is pretty good. So, how many showed up to support Occupy Wall Street?

I have no idea why the nation that began with an armed revolution against what was then the world's best military machine has become so incredibly docile.

[Enthusiast]

1. I suspect the reason the American people appear to have grown so complacent

is because they fall into one of several dominant demographics.

They are working too many hours on a demanding job while balancing the needs of their family. They are exhausted.

They have health issues that restrict their ability to participate in activist groups like Occupy. That would include me.

They are the victims of a media that spoon feeds them misinformation that they are not equipped to recognize as false.

They still have satisfactory jobs and insurance/health care and have yet to encounter a serious ailment only to discover they have inadequate health care.

[No Elephants]

2. No doubt, all those things are true.

Plus, I think some feel that nothing they do will change anything.

But, I also think think some are apathetic, some are lazy and many are sheep-like. And I don't get the sheep-like ones at all. Then again, I always seem to be a little different than the majority.