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Scary Foreshadowing

I was reading an article about the recent escalation in violence and tension in Egypt. As I was reading it, I got a chill, because I could see exactly the same thing happening here in the US very soon. Here’s part of the news report with a few locations and names changed:

The political unrest gripping Washington turned ugly Wednesday, as groups of supporters of President Barack Obama charged antigovernment protesters in the city’s main square, sparking bloody clashes.

WSJ’s Margaret Coker reports from Washington clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters are spreading despite calls from the military for the protesters to disperse.

Conflicts escalated through the day as the two groups faced off, chanting slogans at each other, fighting and hurling missiles. Protesters at two entrances to National Mall—by the Smithsonian Museum and the route from downtown DC—came under attack from men heaving rocks and running into them with scooters and motorcycles.

The clashes, coming after Mr. Obama refused protesters’ demand that he step down immediately, marked a dangerous new phase for the confrontations. Earlier Wednesday, an army spokesman appeared on state television to ask protesters to return home to help restore order.

Obama supporter Jesse Thompson, 37 years old, said the protesters have pushed things too far by refusing to back down even after the president agreed to pursue reforms.

“The situation is unacceptable,” the air-conditioner technician and union member said. “The majority of protesters are young people and aren’t aware of their actions and consequences.”

John Jones, the leader of the opposition’s loose coalition, said in an interview that he had heard government supporters were sending men to the National Mall to attack protesters and warned against acts of violence. Attacks on demonstrators, he charged, would make it difficult to conduct negotiations with “a regime that is a bunch of thugs.”

In Arlington, a town in northern Virginia, a group of protesters took to the streets after prayers in solidarity with protests in Washington.

A succession of rallies and demonstrations, in Utah, Seattle, New York and Philadelphia have been inspired directly by the popular outpouring of anger that toppled Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

At the downtown entrance to the mall, groups of Barack supporters started organizing charges, running up and down the street creating mayhem. Protesters responded there by forming a human barrier three to four people deep to keep the Barack supporters out.

Steve Smith, a 22-year-old graduate of Liberty University and a member of the Tea Party, an opposition group, grew visibly shaken as the men began hurling rocks over the human barricade. One man on the protesters’ side pulled out a pair of large light bulbs from his backpack and threw them at the Barack supporters. He was quickly shouted down by protesters chanting “peace.”

Susie Johnson, 47, a lawyer who joined the protests, believed the violence was started by the thugs for hire that are a standard feature of Democrat electoral politics. “They’ve come to create a civil war,” Ms. Johnson said. “They’re doing this to make war so the army will step in to end the demonstrations, because we won’t leave.”

Eyewitness, however, said they saw members on both sides hitting each other with sticks. Some came away injured, with their heads bleeding. There were no signs of intervention by the police or military even when a number of men marched to the National Mall on motorscooters and motorcycles and began running into people, as well as hitting and whipping them. A few minutes later, they were stopped by protesters opposed to the president.

“They forced the people to get off the bikes, and they have beaten them badly,” said Tim Schumann, a translator. Other witnesses said pro-Barack protesters tore down banners denouncing the president as they advanced across the National Mall.

In some areas, reporters were attacked by those who believe that the long-time ruler deserves to remain power.

The result was a dramatically different scene than the almost carnival-like atmosphere that prevailed in the National Mall on Tuesday. Some 250,000 protesters turned out for a rally, many with their families in tow.

The clashes were a reminder of the high stakes for the many Americans who have benefited from the regime and rely on it for work or status. Many pro-Barack demonstrators also expressed skepticism about the motives of the opposition and its leaders.

“We don’t want Ron Paul or any Tea Party agent,” said Boone Latrobe, 38. “We want to continue with Barack until stability is formed and the end of his presidency. We want the presidency to be changed in a peaceful and smooth way.

Scary, isn’t it?