Tunisia

States of Emergency

We were thoroughly impressed with Algeria's 19 year "State of Emergency".

Until we read the following article at Slate.

Algeria are newbies when it comes to this kind of thing.

Egypt has had it goin' on since 1981.

Syria since 1963.

Isreal doesn't have a 'State of Emergency" per se', but rather "emergency regulations" since 1945.

And the good ol' USA?

We have not one, but two "States of Emergency"

The first from the Carter Administration was put into place during the Iran hostage crisis, and subsequently renewed by every President since.

The second ... as though one weren't quite enough ... was declared by the second George Bush after September 11, 2001, and subsequently renewed by Barack Obama.

As always, click on the photo for the entire piece ... it's short.

Can't We All Just Calm Down?

Egypt has been in a continuous "state of emergency" since 1981. Are any other countries under perpetual emergency law?

By Angela TchouPosted Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011, at 5:39 PM ET

On Wednesday White House press secretary Robert Gibbs called on the Egyptian government to lift the state of emergency that it's had in place continuously since the 1981 assassination of president Anwar Sadat. Are any other countries in an ongoing state of emergency?

OK, here's my question, "So,where the hell was Robert Gibbs on this thing before the shit hit the fan?

Just axin'.

Now that's what I call a buyout

From the Telegraph U.K.

Tunisian former president's wife "fled country with £38 million in gold"

That's 62 million in dollars.

By Adrian Blomfield, Tunis 9:30PM GMT 17 Jan 2011

Click on the photo for the entire story.

Tunisian protesters were goaded to new pinnacles of indignation on Monday as it emerged that the former president's wife, Leila Trabelsi, spirited 1.5 tonnes of the central bank's gold onto the aircraft that flew her and her family to Dubai.

Intelligence officials in Paris told Le Monde, the French newspaper, that Mrs Trabelsi visited the bank last month, when protests were gathering momentum, and instructed the governor to hand over gold ingots worth £38 million.

Although he initially refused to comply, the personal intervention of the former president ensured that the gold was handed over.

The disclosure of Mrs Trabelsi's final act of avarice has enraged Tunisians, but not surprised them. The first lady's love of showy opulence and reputation for grasping corruption made her and her equally unpopular nephews the country's principle hate figures.

Three days after they ousted their president, Tunisian protesters returned to the battle-scarred streets of Tunis yesterday to demand the complete purge of former regime loyalists from government positions.