My thoughts on the situation in Egypt

As a self labeled progressive, I fully support the people's uprising in Egypt. Men like Mubarak are anathema to everything I believe. Through the use of intimidation, imprisonment, torture, manipulation and suppression of opposition Mubarak has held for 30 years his seat of power in Egypt. It is high time he was ousted, and even better, because the revolution is so widely televised, it is happening in such a humiliating way, where every day he just looks worse and worse in front of the world as a whole.

But with every revolution since the French one 200 years ago, we have to be wary. We should throw our support behind those who are calling for freedom, but beneath them there likely is lurking an insidious threat more dangerous to freedom and liberal representative democracy, the head choppers. It was probably during the French Revolution that those who craved power for their own nefarious agenda learned a very valuable lesson, if one's views are not taken seriously in a new government established after a revolution, then start cutting of heads. If one starts committing a campaign of atrocities, the people will become intimidated and one's power will increase. Another great example of this is the Russian Revolution. After over throwing the czar the Menshiviks shared power with the Provisional Government and a leader in the Socialist Revolutionary Party Alexander Kerensky eventually ascended to the position of Prime Minister. While in power he promoted freedom of speech and had many political prisoners released. And while there were still wrinkles to be ironed out, it looked at if the revolution was headed in the right direction. But there was a little bald bespectacled man who was living in exile in Switzerland, and backed by Germany, who feared he might turn his own revolutionary sights on them, began a campaign of terror in Russia, and eventually through a campaign of violence and manipulation managed to wrest control of Russia and enact his own personal vision of the prefect people's state. That man was Vladimir Lenin.

My point is we have to be wary, and I hope that when and if the US government puts any kind of real support behind these revolutionaries, they do it with full knowledge of what may be lurking beneath. And please understand I am in no way implying the Muslim Brotherhood is that shadow, they are very much in the forefront of things, they have done nothing to hide themselves. Also they are not considered a radical terrorist group, and even al Qaeda considers them to be "sell outs". In my limited knowledge I don't see them as the threat. However there could be a threat we do not know about. Not because this is a Muslim country, but because it has happened time and again. Do I have any answers? No. The only thing I can say is support those who wish to wrest power from the tyrannical, and establish a free, representative democracy, but be careful. And to those who are laying their lives on the line to win their freedom, I say keep your eyes on the prize, but watch your backs.