no surprises

Freedom of speech and the press is a wonderful thing. Just ask any of the 17 predominantly Muslim countries whose economies did not collapse when Wall Street’s banker-initiated global financial meltdown wiped out the savings and retirements, the home mortgages and jobs of the 99% sitting at their kitchen tables, trying to figure out how to make ends meet. And they are the lucky ones. The 1%-induced poverty has whole families sleeping in their cars – all except Mexicans who have some sense that sleeping in cars is stupid. Instead they sleep 24 to a room in a house with one bathroom. Still better than using gas station restrooms.

In 1979, Imam Khomeini was first to declare independence from Washington, London and Tel Aviv (USUKI) by overthrowing the wicked Shah of Iran and his dreaded CIA-trained SAVAK. Muslims throughout the world saw what the Iranians had done so it would only be a matter of time before they too would break the shackles and stranglehold of USUKI. As we have seen in recent days, that day has arrived. Just as Iran never looked back, neither will anyone else; starting with Libya and Egypt, unless you count Iraq and Afghanistan. This is what Juan Cole and Robin Wright predicted in 1979, and have chronicled over the years.

See Juan Cole at @jricole and at his daily Informed Comment posting at juancole.com. And see Robin Wright @wrightr on Twitter, and at her blog.

Professor Cole commented today on the life and death of Chris Stevens and the fledgling Libyan government. See Obama Plays Hardball and Egypt’s Morsi Folds.

And note Robin’s timely article, Don’t Fear All Islamists, Fear Salafis, posted about a month ago at The New York Times.