I didn't see a thread about this, they turned off their internet last night. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M-Xz9fIPx this sums it up in a video.

For those who don't know, Egypt has been ruled by the same guy for 30 years. They've been our second largest foreign aid recipient for many years, essentially an ongoing bribe for them to play nice with Israel. Now when we should be able to stand with the protesters seeking real democracy, we're forced to essentially say, "We're going to wait and see who wins."

To top it off, Mubarak has been seen as a Western puppet, which of course means any new government will have a dim view of the US. And will probably not appreciate loosing the revenue stream of billions in US $. I guess on the plus side, we get to keep that money. It seems a lot like a re-run of The Shah and Iran circa 1979. The name of the most popular anti-government organization in Egypt? "The Muslim Brotherhood"

Turning off the internet is important because it shows how desperate they are. Coincidentally, OpenLeaks.org launched the same day, it's goal is similar to WikiLeaks, except they won't self publish the information, they'll funnel it to traditional media outlets, and hopefully they won't have a media whore of a leader. It's interesting to see the ramifications of these leaks in fueling the fire across North Africa.

WARNING: This video shows someone who isn't a threat getting shot:
http://www.frequency.com/video/teen-gunned/2311267

So my take-aways from this has been:

* Anyone who says we need an internet kill switch, is OK with trying to remove the ability of the public to intercommunicate.

* Ham Radio license & gear, packet radio: time to do it

* The US needs to do The Right Thing, not the Politically Convenient Thing

* Be able to consistently and accurately bat at 400+ meters

H.