NBC Nightly News reporter Richard Engel held up a tear gas canister on the air to show that it was stamped “Made in the USA.” But something else he said on the January 28, 2011 newscast struck me:
But what’s scattered on the streets of Cairo right now are these little canisters. These were the tear gas canisters that were fired by all those riot police today. And if you look at them closely, they say clearly in English, “Made in the USA.” Egyptians have been picking them up, they’ve been looking them over. And from an Egyptian perspective, it does seem like Mubarak and the United States are working together. So the U.S. is walking a fine line here.
Strange perspective they’ve got over there.
Thank you Richard again for your hard work.Truly offering the facts and correct details.Please be careful and get back safelt.
RG
I would love to have that clip to share with friends. Someone post a link to it if they can?
Haha the nightly news is a joke. Anyone who has half a brain knows the close connection with Us and dictator Mubarak.
“…The United States is heavily investedâ┚¬”Âpolitically, economically and militarilyâ┚¬”Âin the Mubarak regime. Its reluctance to dispense summarily with the dictator is not an expression of sentimentality. Rather, the United States fears that the too rapid ditching of Mubarak will undermine the confidence of other dictators on the CIA payroll in the reliability of Washington. However, in the final analysis, Mubarak’s fate is a secondary matter. Of incomparably greater concern to Washington is the survival of the Egyptian military and security services upon which capitalist rule depends.”
“At the moment, the Obama administration is concerned that an attempt to use the army to crack down on the protests could lead to the military’s collapse. It is not certain that the troops can be relied on to shoot down citizens on the streets of Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said and other cities, which might be the only way to save Mubarak…”
“…Washington is aware that whatever government it sponsors will not end the political crisis in Egypt. It is impossible for any capitalist regime to meet a single one of the social or political demands of the massesâ┚¬”Âfor jobs, an end to poverty in the cities and countryside, and the abolition of the brutally repressive police agencies. Nor will a bourgeois regime end Egypt’s alliance with Israel, which has been an essential component of the country’s strategic role in the Middle East since the trip of President Anwar Sadat, Mubarak’s predecessor, to Jerusalem in 1977. The venal Egyptian bourgeoisie is too complete an appendage of American imperialism to carry out such policies.”
“The Obama administration’s strategy, therefore, is to prepare the military, behind the façade of a phony â┚¬Ã…“reformâ┚¬Ã‚ administration, for a future brutal crackdown on the working class. One can be certain that behind the scenes, the Pentagon is conducting a detailed inventory of every regiment, brigade and branch of the Egyptian military to determine which forces can be relied upon…”
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/jan2011/per…
The Egyptians need us to demonstrate our solidarity more than ever and I think we need to display our annoyance and impatience to the Obama administration.
Excellent commentary, sverdlov!…I DO love Richard Engel, though. He’s a TRUE journalist amid a sea of obsequious, corporate whores.
Yup….. Made in the USA.Ever been to Egypt?It is not just non lethal crowd controlling tear gas canisters that has that mark.It is food…medical supplies and damn near everything in sight it seems at times.Hope they notice that too
Thank god for the tear gas canisters otherwise Egyptians would’ve never suspected that Mubarek was working closely with the US! thay should hold on those canisters, they’re hard evidence!
Engle is right, “a fine line,” which is really more like a razor blade. Because of the Treaty with Israel part of the deal was all that money every year since 1979. Most of it goes to military and crowd control equipment with only about $28 million to help the people of Egypt.
Engle is on NBC and all of its parts including MSNBC line up.
Aciloo N. is right, and Americans better realize that their “foreign aid” is actually being funneled straight back into U.S. “defense” industries. If you’re a worker for these industries you better pray for more “foreign aid”!
Jane once our money is in gov coffers it is their to do with as they please.Another reason to not trust big governmnet
US “Foreign Aid” is a joke! It never reaches the “person in the street.” All of goes to various dictators and/or their military forces.