Michael Totten posted an article at Power Line Blog about the current situation in Egypt. Michael is a reader-funded foreign correspondent and foreign policy analyst who has reported from the Middle East, the Balkans, and the Caucasus.
Michael's work has appeared in a wide variety of respected publications, but he made his name on the Internet. Michael won the 2007 Weblog Award for Best Middle East or Africa Blog, he won it again in 2008, and was named Blogger of the Year in 2006 by The Week magazine for his dispatches from the Middle East.
Michael's book The Road to Fatima Gate: The Beirut Spring, the Rise of Hezbollah, and the Iranian War Against Israel will be published by Encounter Books this April (and it is available for pre-order now). He is a former resident of Beirut.
Michael's article was about an Egyptian blogger known as Egyptian Sandmonkey. His is a friend of Michael's and Michael posted the last thing that Sandmonkey had blogged. Please follow the link to Power Line to read what he wrote.
Egyptian Sandmonkey was arrested and later released by the Egyptian authorities. He is among the protestors of the current government and is working toward freedom for the Egyptian people.
Following are the last two paragraphs from Egyptian Sandmonkey's last post:
"Now, just in case this isn't clear: This protest is not one made or sustained by the Muslim Brotherhood, it's one that had people from all social classes and religious background in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood only showed up on Tuesday, and even then they were not the majority of people there by a long shot. We tolerated them there since we won't say no to fellow Egyptians who wanted to stand with us, but neither the Muslims Brotherhood not any of the Opposition leaders have the ability to turn out one tenth of the numbers of Protesters that were in Tahrir on Tuesday. This is a revolution without leaders. Three Million individuals choosing hope instead of fear and braving death on hourly basis to keep their dream of freedom alive. Imagine that.
"The End is near. I have no illusions about this regime or its leader, and how he will pluck us and hunt us down one by one till we are over and done with and 8 months from now will pay people to stage fake protests urging him not to leave power, and he will stay "because he has to acquiesce to the voice of the people". This is a losing battle and they have all the weapons, but we will continue fighting until we can't. I am heading to Tahrir right now with supplies for the hundreds injured, knowing that today the attacks will intensify, because they can't allow us to stay there come Friday, which is supposed to be the game changer. We are bringing everybody out, and we will refuse to be anything else than peaceful. If you are in Egypt, I am calling on all of you to head down to Tahrir today and Friday. It is imperative to show them that the battle for the soul of Egypt isn't over and done with. I am calling you to bring your friends, to bring medical supplies, to go and see what Mubarak's gurantees look like in real life. Egypt needs you. Be Heroes."
Egyptian Sandmonkey is the kind of man I would like to see leading Egypt in the future. He understands freedom and that it has a price. Godspeed, sir.
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