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A Dash of Pepper

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Moments when it's better to say nothing
By SHEILAH PEPPER
The Gazette Staff
I think that President Obama, to his own detriment, is overexposed on television in particular. However, its one thing to be seen prattling on about the joys of socialized medicine or cap and tax legislation. It's quite another when discussing an international crisis such as the situation in Egypt.
It's a cardinal rule for writers to write only about those things they know about. I know little of real substance about the Middle East, and I have little, if any, in-depth understanding of the Arab world. Long ago, I read some of the works of the Arabist Harold St. John Philby, Sr., but that is no substitute for real experience living in the region.
Recently however, I've had the impression that the people who have little real knowledge of the region can't resist opining while the few with real knowledge are relatively silent.
The press began blathering about the push for ‘freedom' emanating from Tahrir Square in Cairo. It's my personal impression that Egypt's poor economy and the price of basic foods were the factors motivating the crowd. They had simply had enough. I don't think that there is any broad push for democracy of the Jeffersonian variety in Egypt or elsewhere in the Middle East. Cairo may have an air of modernity. But the Middle East is still a region where female genital mutilation is not entirely uncommon and just a few years ago, there were reports of a slave trade in young people.
Shari'a law forms the basis of Egypt's code of laws, and communications are run by the state. I can't see any immediate creation of institutions we would view as ‘democratic.' However, the emerging role of the Internet, Twitter and Facebook in all of this is extremely interesting. Can an autocratic bureaucracy stay ahead of the young people using the new forms of communication?
Obama seemed prudent at the outset, but then dumped President Mubarak, saying he should leave office "now." It depends what the definition of ‘now' is. Then Frank Wisner, who had spoken with Mubarak ostensibly with state department permission, came home and said Mubarak should stay. Subsequently, the state department and Secretary Clinton came out and threw cold water on Wisner's comments.
The President has spoken on this matter at least three times as of this writing. The administration seems confused. Perhaps they should have initially gotten together, agreed on a simple statement then clammed up, regardless of pressure from the press.
One thing that comes through clearly from all the smoke in Tahrir Square - the Egyptian people have a strong sense of dignity. They, not America, will be the ones to decide their future, unless, of course, hidden elements spring forward and set the country on a road to a regime much worse than Mubarak's.
There are moments in life, and also in the life of this nation, when the best course is to remain silent.
Obama, the people around him and the people at the U.S. State Department need to ponder the benefits of just being quiet and allowing the back corridors of diplomacy to do the heavy lifting.
One other thing comes through clearly out of the haze: We absolutely must start developing our own home-grown sources of energy - coal, fossil and nuclear. We have enough shallow oil shale in the West, currently blocked by the EPA, to assure us energy independence. We are not doing nearly enough to exploit our offshore resources as well as those in Alaska. Modern oil drilling and refining will not harm the environment. But the current administration is turning a blind eye to the energy needs of a modern economy. Perhaps they want us to go back to pushing plowshares. At any rate, windmills and solar panels won't get the job done.
Sarah Palin was correct. Our current energy policy is a roadmap for disaster.
Copyright©2011SheilahPepper