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The light in New Mexico is just so way way harsh......... it is sort of amazing.......... but sort of way tricky.................. Morris himself stepped out in the end....... thought I should buy the rotting old car in the foreground and do it up......... I told him....... as a photographer I kind of liked it the way it was and where it was right now.......... :-))
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Hillary Clinton was good on praising Iranian dissidents who took to the streets today in Cities of Iran......... it really is incredibly brave of them............ they must desperately want freedom.
Iran's government had been busy praising the people on the Streets in Egypt.......... But Iran's rulers won't be standing any dissents on their own streets...... they were cracking down with full force although its difficult to see that as foreign journalists are excluded ......... Iran's leaders had been pretending people of Egypt wanted an Islamic dictatorship like their own. The people in Egypt might yet get a Muslim Brotherhood State not so different........... But that is not what they want....... They overwhelmingly want prosperity and freedom. But sadly I am afraid structural problems inherent to their society mean they won't necessarily get a liberal democracy with its attendant freedoms and wealth.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali.......... is quite interesting on the problem of the Islamic society and the Islamic crowd...... I fear she maybe correct......
"The protesters must begin by acknowledging the factors that create an environment where tyrants thrive. For too long, outside forces have been the scapegoats of the Arab street. It is easy to blame the Zionists and America. It is harder to admit one’s own shortcomings."
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7aa8dbe0-33c9-11e0-b1ed-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1E0AbPQ00
The foreign journo's...... who in my opinion are one of the primary factors allowing these protest movements to happen at all.... just by letting the people see what is happening.... and then allowing the movements be protected from being crushed by force..... again just by letting people see what is happening...... Those journalists are still being blamed and physically attacked as outsiders and spies in Egypt...... even by the protestors nominally protesting for freedom and democracy......???
Egypt's State Media had of course been telling the people foreign press are spies and agent provocateurs......... Muberak implied he was being manipulated out by foreign forces.......... All this plays to strong currents in Egyptian and Islamic thinking............
Today...... Gaddafi was praising the people of Egypt and urging The Palestinians to revolt against the Israelis............. his language was all about humiliation and submission.......... he apparently does not worry about his 40 year humiliation of his own people through his dictatorship in Libya.........
I would love the people of Egypt to live in democracy ........ and the people of Iran and Libya too.
Maybe the fervor in Egypt can carry them through to democracy............ and the whole "Stand up people of Egypt"........... "be proud" ......... will lead to a democracy............ but today as the soldiers were starting to remove protestors from the square ........... I can't help worrying they are all trapped by their own thinking.............. Democracy is so much more than just voting......... the problems of Iraq neatly demonstrate overthrowing the dictator is one thing....... Growing a liberal democracy is something else............It really needs modern secular thinking......... hopefully they can somehow collectively allow that.
Cheers Jez XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
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.... The photography and slightly mad life of reportage artist Jez Coulson ....