It bears repeating that…

… fundamentalists do not respect secular authority.  They do not recognize the government of man as legitimate, only the government of God.  It’s something to keep in mind while watching how the State Department and Obama’s foreign policy team deal with the attack on US embassies in the Middle East.  It’s unlikely that secular authorities in those countries could use too much force without provoking even more backlash and is why Hillary Clinton has been careful to not put too much emphasis on the governmental authorities to handle it.  The responsible authorities and reasonable people that must use persuasion to bring some order to the chaos are the religious leaders.

It’s a tricky situation.  Whoever made and released that video knew what they were doing.

Roger Ebert is also pondering what I’m pondering.  Here is his post on the subject of inflammatory films and their mysterious makers.

Joy to the World

I walked into the cafeteria a few minutes ago to see the TVs tuned to Egypt. I was watching with a big smile on my face when someone asked me, “Are you Egyptian?”, to which I replied:

“We’re all Egyptian today.”

The story of Egypt 2011 is all about people, determined and with solidarity, not backing down in the face of overwhelming odds against them. Those people stood up to thugs, bloodshed, and the fear of the secret police. We witnessed the terror of their struggle behind the barricade and watched the sun rise to find them still there. Like a flag waving over the ramparts and a night of bombs bursting in air.

I am amazed and in awe of the Egyptians, a mighty nation for many millennia.

But the struggle is not over. It has just begun. Right now, it is very important to maintain solidarity with each other, to not descend into factionalism and to trust one another. Because there will be forces that will want to tear this triumph apart.

Make peace with your neighbors as quickly as possible and get back to work. Toppling a nation is euphoric but keeping your liberty is an ongoing struggle.

As the Egyptians have shown, it is worth the effort.

For years, the middle east has been a hopeless case of immovable objects and irresistible force. We may find that the Egyptians have forced the region into a higher energy state but the dynamics of the situation may lead to a more stable resolution down the road.

So, let’s all “Walk Like an Egyptian” today. Buckle down tomorrow. People around the world offer the Egyptians their sincere Congratulations.