Last night I went to sleep some time after hearing President Hosni Mubarak's speech to the Egyptian people (and to the world). I was laughing at him, and angry at him. Egypt's peaceful protestors want him to step down and yet he refuses and hangs on to any tiny bit of power he can have. He said he would not go up for re-election in September. The voices of many Egyptians do not want him until September; they want him gone now.
This morning I woke up to a tragedy. I stayed in bed for 3 hours, reading tweets that were scrolling quickly, almost too quickly for my big eyes to read. Then I watched footage on the live Al-Jazeera English stream on youtube all the way through brunch. I had to stop.
Here are some of the tweets I retweeted as I was reading this morning, from when I woke up to earlier in the day today. Some of them broke my heart, some of them made me laugh, and some of them made me want to scream:
@Laithyounis: What kind of leader would set his country on fire just to remain for 7 more months? #mubarak #egypt #jan25
@Themoornextdoor: Friend in #Egypt:"My friend just received orders from his state-wned company 2 go join pro-Mubarak protests" #Jan25
@Manal: My husband @alaa is now under attack by Mubarak thugs & some ppl dare to ask me to tone it down #a7a #jan25
@monaeltahawy: Please I beg of you do not say "pro-#Mubarak protesters". They are thugs. Hired thugs. Say thugs! #Jan25 #Egypt
@Saudiwoman: RT (translation) @waelabbas thugs were paid 500 Egyptian pounds from the national party treasury & this info from reliable source
@weddady: Dear lord! RT @BloggerSeif: omg I have someones child, I have a child. 2 yrs max, green eyes, says his name mahmoud. Tweet it for me” #JAn25
@weddady: CONFIRMED ON ALJAZ RT @Firas_Atraqchi: Hearing from different sources that #Egypt museum is under threat of going up in flames #jan25 #cairo
@nohaHMsafar: To those burning the museum; have u 4gotten where a lot of Egypt's $ comes from? TOURISM, u might as well crush the pyramids while ure @ it
@meedan: just talking with a journalist friend who was clubbed and beaten after three thugs heard him filing a story from his phone. #jan25 #violence
@ethatkamal: Bab El Louq URGENTLY needs Alcohol, Betadine, Plastic gloves, garbage gloves, plastic dishes, cotton, antibiotics, painkillers. 0122406441
@TheTruthNetwork: BREAKING [#Egypt #Jan25 #Mubarak] Suha Al Naqqash - News anchor person at Al Nile news quits because of inaccurate news reporting
@monaeltahawy: I salute the breathtaking courage of #Egyptians who held strong in#Tahrir Sq vs #Mubaraks's revenge. U fought for all of #Egypt.#Jan25
@mariamali7: Police are out in the checkpoints and are arresting people on their way home from the protests. Be careful! Please RT#Jan25
@DarthNader: Now I remember why I never watch Robert Gibbs or anyone from the Obama admin. for that matter. Cause I'm not masochistic.
@paulocoelho: "The Alchemist" takes place in Egypt. I've been there 3 times, AND I talked to people. Tahrir Square is not a surprise
@occupiedcairo: RT @MohammedY: WE STILL HOLD TAHRIR SQUARE #Jan25#Egypt
@NadiaE: I will not be intimidated by Mubarak thugs. Break my camera and my eyes will photograph. Cut my Internet connextn and i will use pen &paper
@halmustafa: RT @ajtalk: news of human shields moving to Tahrir Sq to protect protesters and no fire in Museum #jan25 #Egypt
I am rooting for the peaceful protestors who were attacked by thugs. I do not care if they genuinely want Mubarak or not (although I believe they are manipulated by Mubarak, myself), they are thugs who have injured over 400 people and killed a few (at least one, hard for me to confirm) as I type.
Twitter moves fast, dispensing news that is correct, incorrect, opinionated, biased, whatever - and I love it. I have never felt so connected and alive.
My heart goes out to those peaceful protestors who wanted change and took it into their own hands.
