Great Moments in Democracy: Egyptian Farmer Arrested for Naming Donkey After General

A farmer in southern Egypt was arrested Saturday after putting the military chief's name and an army-style cap on his donkey, and eight people were detained elsewhere in the country for spraying anti-military graffiti.

The arrests point to a long-standing taboo in Egypt against criticizing the country's powerful military, an offense magnified amid the ongoing crackdown on supporters of the country's ousted President Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood.

The farmer, Omar Abul-Magd, was arrested late Friday in Qena province for allegedly insulting Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi when he rode the donkey through town, reported the state MENA news agency.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Government refrains from calling the military coup in Egypt a coup so they can continue to send billions in military aid. When the military takes over from a popularly elected government, it is a coup, regardless of whatever the apologists in the administration think.

Now, honestly, I prefer the military government in Egypt over the Muslim Brotherhood directed "democracy", but we have a law.  Using the expedient of "it's not a coup until we say it's a coup" is not the way the leader of the worlds greatest republic should act.  If they don't like the law that restricts them from supporting a coup, they should work openly to repeal it.

Nude Protest Over Egyptian Constitution

in Sweden where it's sort of safe:

Uncensored version here.

Of course, this didn't go over well back home.

An Egyptian activist filed a complaint to the general prosecutor calling for the citizenship strip of Egypt’s controversial Alia al-Mahdy, commonly known as the “nude poser,” for protesting naked against the country’s newly-adopted constitution.

The plaintiff, Mahmoud Abdel Rahman, accused Mahdy, who protested naked in front of the Egyptian embassy in Sweden, of tarnishing the image of Egypt and deriding religion. Abdel Rahman also called for placing Mahdy on a watch list so she can be arrested when entering Egypt.

In his charges, Abdel Rahman stated that Mahdy “wrote on her naked body statements condemning the constitution with the help of two female activists from FEMEN, an international women’s rights organization.”

He added that Mahdy then headed to the Egyptian embassy in the Swedish capital Stockholm and the three of them stood there stark naked. “By standing there naked, she tarnished the image of Egypt and derided religion,” Abdel Rahman wrote in his complaint.

How's that Arab Spring thing going?

Lifted from the Jawa Report.

Wombat-Socho linked this in the mega-Rule 5 compendium "Body Love" at The Other McCain.  Also picked up by the Classical Liberal in his Rule 5 post "Pistol Grip Pump."

How's That Arab Spring Thing Working Out?

A rhetorical question.

Charter enshrining Shariah at core of Egypt crisis

One of Egypt's most prominent ultraconservative Muslim clerics had high praise for the country's draft constitution. Speaking to fellow clerics, he said this was the charter they had long wanted, ensuring that laws and rights would be strictly subordinated to Islamic law.

"This constitution has more complete restraints on rights than ever existed before in any Egyptian constitution," Sheik Yasser Borhami assured the clerics. "This will not be a democracy that can allow what God forbids or forbid what God allows."
...
According to both supporters and opponents of the draft, the charter not only makes Muslim clerics the arbiters for many civil rights, it also could give a constitutional basis for citizens to set up Saudi-style "religious police" to monitor morals and enforce segregation of the sexes, imposition of Islamic dress codes and even harsh punishments for adultery and theft — regardless of what laws on the books say.

Egyptian president rescinds decree that gave him sweeping powers, but issues revised version

After Saturday's talks, the president issued a new decree in which the first article "cancels the constitutional declaration" announced on Nov. 22, the spokesman for the dialogue, Mohamed Selim al-Awa, told a news conference held around midnight.
...
The new decree excluded some elements from the old decree that angered the opposition, including an article that gave Morsi broad powers to confront threats to the revolution or the nation, wording opponents said gave him arbitrary authority.

Another article in the old decree had put beyond legal challenge any decision taken by the president since he took office on June 30 and until a new parliament was elected, a step that can only happen when a new constitution is in place.

That was not repeated, but the new decree said that "constitutional declarations including this declaration" were beyond judicial review.

That diplomacy is just so damned smart...

On the other hand, some things are looking good in Dubai:

Arab Fall: One Man, One Vote, Once

Egypt's Morsi Claims Dictatorial Powers

Morsi’s broad assertion of control came less than 24 hours after a diplomatic triumph in arranging the cease-fire in Gaza had given new credence to Morsi’s international bona fides. And it raised questions about whether Egypt might be headed to a return of its Mubarak-era arrangement on the world stage: a country praised for bringing stability to a volatile region and tolerated for abusing rights at home.

Muslim Brotherhood officials said the measures were necessary to ensure the country’s full and healthy return to democracy.

“This level of immunity for presidential decrees is indeed unprecedented, but it is necessary, and it is controlled by a time frame” that ends with the election of a new parliament, said Gehad el-Haddad, a senior Muslim Brotherhood adviser. “This constitutional declaration cements the way forward in terms of time frame and powers.”

Way to go!  Looks like we've traded a fairly mild mannered old pro-western dictator for a younger, hot blooded, Islamist.  Now, that's Smart Power (TM)!