Egypt and Tunisia. What it proves no matter how it turns out.

Tweets coming out of Cairo from one hour ago from this blogger

justimage matthew cassel 

All soldiers on other side of fencing at tv bldg look sympathetic to protesters. Very emotional scene. 

Army general on other side crying and shaking hands with protesters. 

Crowds growing outside tv bldg, some tried to push down fencing other protesters stopped them. 

I am sure many of us who read this blog are activists or former activists. I am also sure we have had many discussions where we have tried to convince people to get organized and prepare for the struggles to come. And I am also sure we have heard again and again the argument that things will never change and people will not fight. Well Tunisia and Egypt smash this argument for once and for all. And I could go through the many many examples in other countries in the recent decade or two where the multitudes took to the streets and brought down regimes or tried to bring down regimes.

I am making this point here because I think that while there are many lessons to be drawn from the events in Tunisia and Egypt one of the most important for all of us is that people will fight to improve their lives, that people will not be kept down for ever. So the argument is not will people fight but it is will there be an organization, a channel through which they can fight when the time comes. So to all those who think it is not worth organizing Egypt and Tunisia is a decisive answer. Such people cannot with any justification any more claim it is not worth their while organizing as people will not fight. Egypt and Tunisia no matter how things turn out shows that people will struggle. The task and responsibility for all who think the systems under which we live are wrong is to organize.

To another point. The mass privately owned for profit media in the US are giving non stop coverage to the events in Egypt. It is truly theatre and drama on a mass scale. But they as usual are missing a few conclusions that flow from the events. It is not only in countries such as Egypt and Tunisia that mass movements take to the streets and change things. This is also true of here in the US. The mass workers movement of the 1930's, the black revolt of the 1960's, the anti war and womens' movements of the 1960's and 1970's. This country is presently in a terrible mess. Bogged down in wars abroad. Mired in terrible debt. The rich getting richer while the poor are getting poorer. A totally corrupt ruling class and system where laws are passed based on how much money lobbyists, that is bribers give to politicians. This will end one day. Here too we will see the millions and tens of millions take to the streets. In anticipation of this the union leaders must break from their support of capitalism and the left and radical movement must break from their inertia and passivity, break from ultra leftism and left sectarianism.

Sean.