Egypt-like protests can't happen here despite what some nutters would like to believe

[LLStarks]

Frequent, fair elections with smooth transitions of power (save for a hiccup every 100 or so years) obviate the need.

For a situation like Egypt, there'd have to be groups of 50k or 100k people on the streets in NYC, LA, DC, and Chicago. Per city and simultaneously.

The Tea Party protests and Iraq War protests don't even come close. Full-on anarchy simply doesn't happen here. The WTO Seattle riots in 1999 are about as close as we get.

Even when times are bad; we, the people, have the power to peacefully bring about change.

[NuclearDem]

1. K&R

Very very true.

[Swede]

2. Egypt had 30 years of brutal,autocratic rule before this happened.

So,no,it won't happen in the USA.

[Lucian]

3. How?

By voting? HA! In Presidential Elections, we have the choice between a corporate shill or a corporate shill-lite.

How does that bring about change?

-1

[LLStarks]

8. The alternatives to voting don't scale well with respect to current levels of corruption. nt

[Lucian]

13. The only way we can get rid of the corruption in our government...

is to overthrow it. Get everyone out of there. Maybe, just maybe, after that, we'll actually gave a government free of corporate pull.

[SidDithers]

10. The vast, vast, vast majority of Americans disagree with you...nt

Sid

[Lucian]

11. Well, the vast, vast, vast majority of Americans are idiots.

[Codeine]

16. The vast majority of humans are idiots.

Americans are nothing unique in that regard.

[Lucian]

18. Touche.

[fascisthunter]

4. yes, with hack voting machines

we get the impression that we have some say... but we aren't allowed to verify if that is true due to corporate ownership of these machines. How stupid to go along with our election system the way it is...

[LLStarks]

20. Verifiability is constant problem. Voting machines should be regulated like slot machines. nt

[BeFree]

21. Stupid is correct

The very idea that we place trust in one or two companies to tell us how we voted is stupid.

[Fumesucker]

5. You call what happened in 2000 "a hiccup"?

The Supreme Court is revealed as corrupt to the core and that doesn't even register on your radar?

[LLStarks]

14. Yes. 1824, 1876, 1960, and 2000 are outliers to the norm of elections in the US. nt

[Fumesucker]

17. It was an "outlier" that may well have ended up breaking the country..

Both financially and politically.

We and our children will be paying the price for the 2000 election for many more decades.

[purrFect]

6. famous last words

[Starry Messenger]

7. Don't speak too soon. nt

[eShirl]

9. "groups of 50k or 100k people on the streets in NYC, LA, DC, and Chicago. Per city and simultaneousl

Actually when you put it that way, it sounds very possible.

[LLStarks]

19. I'd put those numbers as a lower limit. Million Man March levels of 400k would be more realistic. nt

[toddaa]

12. The illusion of freedom

"The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater." - Frank Zappa

[cali]

15. it may not happen here under current circumstances

but imagine food shortages, oil shortages and then think about it.

[Marr]

22. If you think our electoral system provides a mechanism for the public to enact change,

...I'll have to disagree. It probably does provide a little pressure valve for public outrage by providing the illusion of popular control, but it's only an illusion. Our government responds to popular demands when the alternative is bad for business (strikes, the threat of violence, etc.) or when those popular demands don't affect big business in any way.

[LLStarks]

25. I don't think a clean-house government would do any better to responding to the pulse of America. nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

23. It Isn't The Number Of Revolutionaries But The Number Of People The Revolutionaries Represent

The revolution in Egypt seems to enjoy broad popular support. If there wasn't broad popular support the army would have already crushed them.

Ditto for here...

[justiceischeap]

24. Part of the reason for the uprising in Egypt isn't political -- these are unemployed

poverty stricken people who want a better life. Many of the people on the streets are what we'd consider middle class. These people may be employed but they're underemployed; doctors, engineers, etc driving taxi cabs. So, yes they want a better government but it's not for the sake of democracy insomuch as they want to be able to eat and live comfortably.

I can see people in the US, if the unemployment continues to rise and the divide between the classes mirrors that of Egypt, then they will rise.