Egyptian Islamic Democracy: Pharaoh swap

Peanut Gallery: Ah… Egyptian Democracy in action… the pesky little inconvenient truths of the Arab Spring… swapping one dictator for another.

Good thing we backed the moderate transformed Muslim Brotherhood candidate. What’s that? He’s the new Pharaoh?

Nothing to see here folks… move along.
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Egypt’s Morsi Takes Dictatorial Powers

Egypt’s president on Thursday issued constitutional amendments that placed him above judicial oversight and ordered the retrial of Hosni Mubarak for the killing of protesters in last year’s uprising. Mohammed Morsi also decreed immunity for the Islamist-dominated panel drafting a new constitution from any possible court decisions to dissolve it, a threat that had been hanging over the controversial assembly.

Liberal and Christian members withdrew from the assembly during the past week to protest what they say is the hijacking of the process by Morsi’s allies, who they saw are trying to push through a document that will have an Islamist slant marginalizing women and minority Christians and infringing on personal liberties. Several courts have been looking into cases demanding the dissolution of the panel.
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Ladies- give thanks… you don’t live in Saudi Arabia (unless, of course, you do)

Peanut Gallery– Ladies, does your husband know where you are, whom you are with, and what you are doing? Did you ask his permission before you left your home today? Do you have a male driver to escort you?

(I know, some of you might like your own driver. The rest- not so much.)

Sound surreal… not in Saudi Arabia.
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Electronic tracking: new constraint for Saudi women – FRANCE 24

Click here for full story: http://www.france24.com/en/20121122-electronic-tracking-new-constraint-saudi-women

AFP – Denied the right to travel without consent from their male guardians and banned from driving, women in Saudi Arabia are now monitored by an electronic system that tracks any cross-border movements.

Since last week, Saudi women’s male guardians began receiving text messages on their phones informing them when women under their custody leave the country, even if they are travelling together.

Manal al-Sherif, who became the symbol of a campaign launched last year urging Saudi women to defy a driving ban, began spreading the information on Twitter, after she was alerted by a couple.

The husband, who was travelling with his wife, received a text message from the immigration authorities informing him that his wife had left the international airport in Riyadh.

“The authorities are using technology to monitor women,” said columnist Badriya al-Bishr, who criticised the “state of slavery under which women are held” in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

Women are not allowed to leave the kingdom without permission

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A Heapin' Plate of Conservative Politics & Religion

By Tom Quiner

I played this song at last night’s Thanksgiving Mass at my church. I love this old Irish tune and posted a beautiful instrumental version above performed by the O’Neill Brothers.

The lyrics by Jan Struthers are worth reading this Thanksgiving Day:

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Lord of All Hopefulness

Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever childlike, no cares can destroy,
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
Be there at our labors, and give us, we pray,
Your strength in our hearts, Lord at the noon of the day.

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
Your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
Be there at our…

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