Archaeo-Blogger Paul Barford has suggested that the US State Department Bureau of Educational Affairs is helping to organize a "spontaneous demonstration" in favor of the MOU with Egypt through its Facebook page for Egyptian students. If so (I didn't see anything myself on the webpage), that should be of interest to the press, grown-ups at the State Department, and members of Congress. This, of course, is just the kind of thing the Egyptian Military Dictatorship has been doing for decades-- turn out those dependent on the state (here those who rely on the US State Department and Egyptian Governments to get visas and student aid) to "demonstrate" in favor of the government and its programs. Frankly, I suspect this is a bit of an attempt at humor on Barford's part, but we will see. If true, it would indeed be a sign of some desperation if not another example of "extra-legal" behavior.
Addendum (5/29/14): Barford's latest suggests this is no joke and that any planned demonstration will be a "spontaneous one" by "students." But only the most gullible should believe that based on the orchestrated efforts of the Egyptian cultural bureaucracy, the archaeological lobby and the State Department's "Cultural Heritage Center" to date. For more, see here at pages 6-8. And there is an additional irony; while people can still demonstrate legally here (with proper permits), that is no longer the case under Egypt's military dicatorship.
Addendum (6/5/14): Looks like Barford is a jokester afterall. It turns out no one showed up to demonstrate.
Ah Mr Tompa, you have created a world first...managing to get two words never before seen in the same sentence:- 'Humor' and 'Barford'.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it was my impression his comments contained a veiled threat of violence - of the very kind he continually complains that's waged (evidence-free of course) against him whenever he lapses with regular monotony into 'victim mode': The familiar sign that he's losing an argument when up against a superior intellect.
Regards
John Howland
England