Sickening

Just in case you don't feel like clicking on the many many links provided in my last post, or you wanted to know more about our very depressing "democratic experiment", here is more post-referendum roundup: Baheyah ( a Kifaya member) posts more pictures ( also here , here and here) of the violence perpetrated by the Pro-Mubarak demonstrators against the Kifaya protesters. Alaa gives his own account of being attacked by the NDP goons during the demonstrations while the police didn't interfeere and was actually asking him questions while the demonstrators were attacking him and injuring his leg and head and breaking his glasses. The police were more interested in getting his camera then protecting him. He ended up losing his laptop as well. AFP has an article in arabic that shows a picture of beat up female Kifaya protesters getting arrested, and dragged by police in civillian cloths. Al Jazeerah reports that the voter turn-out was very low in cairo compared to the rural area, which in turn are not expected to have more then a 30%- 35% turnout. The article estimates voter turnout in cairo to be between 5-30%. Al Ahram reproted that they expected the turnout to be more then 70%, and for some reason had pictures of Alaa and Gamal Mubarak putting in their votes as well. Orientalism's Photo Essay has sparked a good discussion in its comments section. Al-Arabiyah (another arabic article) reports the different methods NDP Business men were bribing people so that they can go and vote in the referendum. Methods to encourage the "democratic process" included: an offer of 30 EGP and a dinner meal; 40 EGP and 4 bottles of Soda ; and A pill of Viagra ( i am not kidding) and a dinner meal or their monetary equivelant in EGP. And last but not least... Abu Aardvark has an excellent round-up himself, the only drawback is that it's filled with criticisms against Laura Bush- who just visited Egypt and - for praising Mubarak's reforms as a small step in the road to democrcay during her visit. As if somehow if she didn't praise it, they-NDP goons- wouldn't have done what they did yesterday to the demonstraters. Check out the other picture of a female demonstrater getting beat up in the middle of that post. Now if you excuse me, i have to go throw up. Nope, i am no longer suffering from a cold. This is just a side-effect of our own democracy in action. I am sure if you read those links you would udnerstand. Have a nice day!