Book Burning In Cairo

It pains me to hear that the richest library in Cairo has been decimated by fire. Many experts feel the threat of foreign intervention, under guise of protecting historical sites, is high. The 213 year old Scientific Center was the oldest in Egypt and held over 200,000 rare and irreplaceable maps, manuscripts and books.

Egyptian restorer salvaging burnt and damaged books.

This is a travesty that will never be fully mended while rich historical information is, once again, lost forever.

The library was established in 1798 by Napoleon Bonaparte during the French invasion and named L'Institut d'Egypte. The original manuscript of the "Description de L'Egypte" (Description of Egypt) was destroyed in the blaze along with "irreplaceable maps and historical manuscripts preserved by many generations since the building of the Scientific Center in August 1798 during the French Campaign" says, recently military appointed, Prime Minister Ganzouri.

What's left of ancient document, "Le Description de L'Egypte"

Several Egyptian archaeologists suspect a conspiracy to destroy maps and evidence of Egypt's borders. Professor of archeology Ayman Hassan al-Dashan argues that the military council is either an accomplice to the arson or is incapable of distinguishing protesters from saboteurs.

While the military didn't lift a finger to arrest those involved or attempt to save the building; they took minute by minute photos to capture the chaos.

The firemen arrived very late; enabling time for the fire to engulf the entire building along with all it's irreplaceable collections. Experts warn similar acts of sabotage and the inability to control them will make foreign intervention a likely reality. Ganzouri labeled the tragedy "arson committed by the protesters who portrayed no patriotism in protecting the symbols of the historical civilization of this nation."

 It seems this has all been an effort to demonize protesters, undermine the state and bring about foreign occupation.

At least 10 people were killed although the death toll is still uncertain. Ganzouri denies the use of live ammunition by his forces while 6 of those dead were killed by gunfire. The devastation of these crimes and the events that follow will go down in history. Violence against Arab Spring protesters by military and riot control continues to rise along with the death toll.

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U.S. Declares End To The War In Iraq

The United States military and President Obama announced the official end to the war in Iraq while an estimated 16,000+ private contractors will remain as diplomats in Baghdad. They'll head the biggest United States Embassy in the world; right in the capital of Iraq.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta held a flag lowering ceremony in Baghdad and Obama gave a speech to returning troops at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The Iraqi media was denied access to the ceremony in Baghdad completely and very few of it's people were permitted attendance. Both painted the picture of a just cause, a stable Iraq and a reliable government; elected by it's people. In reality, Iraq has the most corrupt government in the world and listening to both figures turned my stomach.

Panetta: "The mission of an Iraq that could finally govern and secure itself has become real."

Obama states; at the end of his speech "Unlike the old empires, we don't make these sacrifices for territory or for resources. We do it because it's right."

The Iraqi constitution permits provincial autonomy, raising longtime sectarian tensions, while The Islamic Republic of Iran holds the power. They are already divided by race and the threat of religious division is high. The backbone of their constitution is the Islamic Sharia while these ancient religious rules were not in place before the war.

This has led to oppressed Sunni seeking a complete split from the central government and the women are legally worth half a man. 

There could be as many as 2 million widows in Iraq; it's impossible to take accurate counts because of internal displacement. After twenty years of ongoing war and sanctions, there is an entire generation of illiterate people with no schooling. The people are 99% poor and 1% rich. The cities are in shambles with none of the major buildings rebuilt. The roads are torn up and unsuitable to drive on. The health care system has been destroyed. Women in Fallujah can't bear children without birth defects.

American soldiers and the Iraqi people are suffering from unknown diseases because of chemical weapons used by the U.S. military. 

British Petroleum and other major oil companies are operating in Iraq's green zone while the people are not informed of the terms. They hire foreign workers while Iraqi workers are treated poorly and paid significantly less. The country has huge electricity issues with far reaching effects. To say we've made their lives better is a detestable fiction.

Arab Spring protests in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Jordan, Libya and Yemen, just to name a few, are fighting back against the mass corruption. Here in New York we have Occupy Wall St, that has sparked an international Occupy Movement, with people from all walks of life and corners of the earth. We have a global awakening that history has never seen but we did not go to war "because it's right".

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