Tuesday, September 13: Stop Giving Egypt Money
Or at least help us overthrow the military government bro, come on
Every year for the past 30+ years, the number one recipient of US foreign aid has been Israel. Not surprising given the strategic relationship of one settler-colonial state to another. But fun fact, for almost 35 years the number two recipient of US foreign aid has been Egypt, receiving tens of billions of dollars over decades. Every year the US sends $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt, to maintain good standing with the bloodthirsty murderers governing the country.
This year, it appears some members of Congress want to withhold about $300 million of that money in hopes of motivating the Egyptian governments to demonstrate something resembling basic human rights. Unfortunately for Congress (and especially unfortunate for Egyptians), Egypt’s government has a pretty piss poor human rights record. To quote the State Department’s most recent annual report:
Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings by the government or its agents, and by terrorist groups; forced disappearance by state security; torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by the government; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary detention; political prisoners or detainees; politically motivated reprisals against individuals located in another country…(it’s a really long list)
But it wouldn’t be America if there wasn’t a loophole. A built-in waiver allows the president to ignore the human rights conditions on national security grounds. And of course, nearly every year the president has used this option to keep that delicious $1.3 billion tradition going. Meanwhile the number of political prisoners in Egypt continues to grow, and the violence and brazenness of state security is limitless as the government feels no pressure to change its tactics. It’s an odd feeling, watching one country you call home actively destroy itself with the enthusiastic support of the other country you call home.
Side Items
Amtrak strike?? Cancel any plans you had involving travel by train, it looks like we’re days away from a national railroad strike! Rail workers across the country are demanding additional sick time and protesting against penalties for missing work. This would be the first railroad strike in almost 30 years and it would drastically affect supply chain issues across the country
The Emmy’s took place yesterday, if you care for that type of thing. Yesterday’s big winners included Quinta Brunson for her amazing work on Abbott Elementary, Succession for making us all pay attention to rich people’s problems, and Ted Lasso for allowing Americans to think soccer is cute and fun when it’s actually stressful and often heartbreaking
The primary season wraps up today as Delaware, New Hampshire and Rhode Island hold the final primary contests before election day in November
Rapper PnB Rock (born Rakim Hasheem Allen) was shot and killed at a Roscoe’s House of Chicken N’ Waffles in Los Angeles yesterday. His name joins that of Pop Smoke, Nipsey Hussle, and a long list of other talented young men taken before their time