Remember the Egyptian revolution or at least the ousting of President Mubarak? Today people are voting for a new government. There is much joy about the burgeoning political discussions and openness. Egyptians are engaging each other about the future of their country. Bu there are mixed feeling about the meaning of the elections. Some find hope and see it as a bridge to change. Others see it is as not worth participation and continue to call for greater change.
Both sides in this discussion are right. The Egyptian military has not agreed to give up power to civilian oversight, so the elections could be viewed as a farce because the civilian government does not hold the final say on matters of importance. However, it is obvious that much has changed. Egyptians now openly talk and disagree about who should and should not lead their nation. Demands for reform and change, which at one time would have been forcefully crushed, today continue and impact the process albeit under threats of violence.
Checkout this CNN clip to get an idea of what is happening there.
Michael T. McPhearson, a native of Fayetteville North Carolina was a field artillery officer in the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division during Desert Shield /Desert Storm, also known as Gulf War I. Michael joined the Army Reserve 1981 as an enlisted soldier at the age of 17 and attended basic training the summer between his junior and senior high school years. He is a ROTC graduate of Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina. His military career includes 6 years of reserve service and 5 years active duty service. He separated from active duty in 1992 as a Captain.
Now living in Newark, New Jersey, Michael is currently the National Coordinator for United for Peace and Justice. He is a former Executive Director of Veterans For Peace.
His volunteer social and economic justice activist work includes membership in Veterans For Peace, the Newark based People's Organization for Progress, Military Families Speak Out, the American Civil Liberties Union and the former coordinating committee member for the Bring Them Home Now campaign against the U.S. occupation of Iraq and Secretary of the Saint Louis Branch of the NAACP. Michael is the publisher of the McPhearsonReport.com.
Michael's son joined the Army in January 2004 and served one tour in Iraq. He separated from the military in 2007.
In December of 2003 Michael returned to Iraq as part of a peace delegation to examine the state of the occupation firsthand. He has also traveled widely within the United States and to Istanbul Turkey and Bologna Italy as a speaker on the U.S. peace movement and world peace.
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