The transition to civilian rule in Egypt is "effectively over"

i saw this story when it broke early this morning... to me, it's a demonstration of just how tenaciously those who are accustomed to unfettered power and limitless reservoirs of stolen money and resources will finagle to make sure they stay on the top of the pile, the common good and the will of the people be damned...

from common dreams...

'Military Coup' in Egypt as Court Dissolves Parliament

CNN reports:

Egypt's highest court declared the parliament invalid Thursday, and the country's interim military rulers promptly declared full legislative authority, triggering a new level of chaos and confusion in the country's leadership.[...]

"Egypt just witnessed the smoothest military coup," said Hossam Bahgat of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, in a tweet after the high court's decisions Thursday. "We'd be outraged if we weren't so exhausted."

"Egypt is entering into a very dangerous stage and I think a lot of people were caught by surprise," he said.

Riot police and military personnel, some in armored vehicles, were outside the court ahead of the rulings. Military intelligence officers were also present.

After the ruling about Shafik was announced, a crowd of citizens shouted their disapproval. Military police moved to block the road in front of the court -- a major Cairo artery.

Ahram Online reports:

Eliminated presidential candidate Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh on Thursday declared that allowing Ahmed Shafiq – the military's preferred presidential candidate – to vie for Egypt's highest office while dissolving the elected parliament and granting military police the right to arrest civilians represented a de facto "military coup."

"Anyone who believes that Egypt's millions of revolutionary youth will allow this to pass must be delusional," Abul-Fotouh declared.

i spent a great deal of time early last year watching the al jazeera livestream of the tahrir square protests and, finally, the capitulation of mubarak... ever since then, egypt's super-rich elites have been playing the waiting game, keeping all of the mubarak power and money system intact while throwing an occasional bone to the masses... now it looks like they've gone and made a master power play, effectively telling the egyptian people, "tough shit, we're in charge and we DARE you to do anything about it"...

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