Robert Reich explains how big money is taking over the privileges of democratic rights, to the exclusion of ordinary people, and to the detriment of citizens who seek to exercise their basic civil liberties. The violence of police against unarmed civilians is absolutely inexcusable, and it is motivated in part by a systemic disregard for the value of the human individual, of basic rights, of citizenship and of the obligation public servants have to work for, not against, the people they are elected to serve. Says Reich: “WE NEED TO OCCUPY OUR DEMOCRACY.”

Today, the 20th of September, 2011, the discriminatory US military policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, which required thousands of gay personnel to serve their country while keeping their private life secret. Honorable people were discharged only because someone else found out they were not heterosexual. In some cases, the ideal military officer for a highly skilled, difficult-to-fill position were discharged despite being the most qualified person for operationally vital positions.

“The strength of America is her ability to undo her faults,” said Alexis de Tocqueville. For nearly two decades, the United States military has lived with a law that hampered its readiness, undermined the shared trust of its service members, and threatened to ruin the professional lives of some of its most committed and selfless patriots. From today, those committed professionals and selfless citizen volunteers, will be able to serve honorably, and openly, improving the readiness and excellence of our military.

The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, ends a tragic example of prejudice ordained by federal law, and helps to restore the dignity and integrity of a nation of law, founded to uphold the equal, natural, universal rights, of all people.

UPDATE: Rebel forces have taken much of Tripoli, celebrate with civilians in Green Square and control the Tripoli airport

Reports from Tripoli, the capital of Libya, suggest rebel forces have taken territory inside the capital, and captured one of Qadhafi’s sons, after a top security official ordered troops to lay down arms and let the rebels in. There are reports of convoys of rebel soldiers moving into the capital, being welcomed and celebrated by unarmed civilians. Some news reports have talked of “uprisings” in the suburbs, and possibly within Tripoli itself.

According to Reuters:

In a coordinated revolt that rebels have been secretly planning for months to end Gaddafi’s 41-year rule, shooting started on Saturday night across Tripoli moments after Muslim clerics, using the loudspeakers of mosque minarets, called people on to the streets.

The fighting inside Tripoli, combined with rebel advances into the outskirts of the city, appeared to signal the decisive phase in a six-month conflict that has become the bloodiest of the “Arab Spring” uprisings and embroiled NATO powers.

A source inside the regime reportedly told Reuters that 376 people were killed, on both sides, in overnight clashes inside the capital. In the village of al-Maya, pro-Qadhafi forces reportedly clashed with the rebels, who took the town, painted the walls to declare their presence and their march to Tripoli, then continued with the convoys flowing into the capital.

According to CNN and the Baltimore Sun:

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) — Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, a son of Libya’s ruler Moammar Gadhafi and a top official in the regime, has been captured by opposition forces, a rebel official said Sunday night.

Ali Said, general secretary of the Benghazi-based Transitional National Council, said that the arrest had taken place in Tripoli. The head of the same rebel group also confirmed the capture in an Al Jazeera interview. There was no immediate reaction from Libyan government officials to the report.

Al Jazeera English reported, on its Libya Live Blog this evening, that one of Qadhafi’s sons, Mohammed, “has surrendered” to the rebels. That marks the closest any of the top-level defections has come so far to Qadhafi himself. With two of his sons now in custody, and his family apparently splitting over whether to fight or surrender, it is expected Qadhafi himself may attempt to negotiate his own surrender.

But Muammar Qadhafi has been defiant, stating as recently as this morning that he would “fight to the end”. This evening he repeated calls for residents of Tripoli and other cities to rush to his defense and to fight the rebel “rats”.

On Twitter, the news is pouring in, with anecdotal reports mixing with video, audio and official news reports. @ArabRevolution posted this re-tweet: “RT @LibyanLion17 AJA Caller – BREAKING – NATO is taking out the walls of Bab alAziziya so that FFs can move in. #Libya #Feb17 #Tripoli“. (“FF” has become Twitter code for freedom fighter.)

@LibyanLion17 posted this update around the same time: “BREAKING – Saadi, Mohammed and Saif al-Islam have ALL been captured by FF. 4 more to go. #Libya #Feb17 #Tripoli“, around 6:00 pm EDT, midnight in Tripoli. Less than half an hour later, reports broke that Muammar Qadhafi himself had fled the country and was in hiding in Algeria. That report has not been confirmed, and NATO’s secretary general was unable to answer questions about whether Qadhafi had left Libya or not.

- – -

UPDATES

At 12:01 am, 1:01 am Monday, Tripoli time, London’s Guardian newspaper reports:

Tripoli resident Hakeem Guja has told the BBC: “We celebrate the victory. The people are very happy and want to thank the Nato forces for helping us.”

A few minutes before 1:00 am, Tripoli time, @LibyanLion17 tweeted “BREAKING – ALJAZEERA – THERE IS NEWS THAT GADDAFI HIMSELF HAS BEEN CAUGHT #Libya #Feb17 #Tripoli“. But Al Jazeera reported only minutes later that “The ICC has confirmed that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been detained, and NOT his father, Muammar Gaddafi.”

The BBC is reporting the International Criminal Court has confirmation that at least one of Qadhafi’s sons, Saif al Islam, has been taken into custody. CNN’s Ben Wedeman tweeted, also shortly after 1:00 am Tripoli time: “When the Rixos minders run away, it means the regime has given up on trying to mold the message. Game over. #Libya #Feb17“.

(1:11 am, Tripoli) From the Guardian’s Libya Live Blog:

12.11am: The International Criminal Court prosecutor’s spokeswoman says it has been confirmed that Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam has been detained, Reuters reports.

12.09am: The Libyan rebels reach Green Square in the centre of Tripoli, Sky News reports.

The US State Dept. is urging Libya’s rebels, and the governing authority under the Transitional National Council, to begin planning for the post-Qadhafi period. According to Reuters:

“Clearly the offensive for Tripoli is under way,” State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said in a statement.

“We continue efforts to encourage the TNC to maintain broad outreach across all segments of Libyan society and to plan for post-Gaddafi Libya. Gaddafi’s days are numbered. If Gaddafi cared about the welfare of the Libyan people, he would step down now.”

A spokesman for the Council, which has been recognized as Libya’s legitimate governing authority, said in recent days that mistakes had been made in the early days after rebel takeovers in the east, and that a plan for secure, non-violent government would be in place once Tripoli falls.

Shortly after 1:00 am, Tripoli time, Reuters reported the rebels had reached Green Square. Other reports suggested the fighting there had ceased and civilians were welcoming the rebels.

At 1:42 am, Tripoli time, Al Jazeera English reported that the rebels had taken control of the Tripoli airport. There have been intermittent reports that fighting had ceased, but news continues to pour in of skirmishes, rebel advances, with no clear sign the regime has fallen, but no clear sign of a forceful ongoing resistance. At 1:44 am, Tripoli time, AJE reported that Libyan state television is “blacked out”, not active.

Reports from journalists in Tripoli that regime “minders” had fled have been taken as a suggestion that the regime is no longer actively seeking to fight the rebel offensive or control the media message. There are rumors the rebels seek to detain fleeing government officials at the Tripoli airport, but no confirmed reports at present of top-level detentions there.

1:48 am Tripoli time: Libya’s ambassador to the UAE (representing the Transitional National Council) tells AJE there is an atmosphere of “jubilation and relief” as cities across Libya celebrate what appears to be the last night of the Qadhafi regime. He said the transitional stabilization team was working to build a non-violent democratic transition process “according to the best practices of stabilization and reconstruction work”.

The ambassador also pledge that there would be no campaign of vengeance against former loyalists or loyalist enclaves and specified that a peaceful post-war was necessary to ensure that the “suffering and pain of so many Libyans and Libyan families does not go in vain”. There are reports at this hour of contacts between US and European officials and representatives of the transitional Libyan government regarding ways to manage the peace.

At 1.59 am, Tripoli time, ThinkProgress posted this report on Twitter: “RT @Reuters: REBELS SAY ALL TRIPOLI IS UNDER THEIR CONTROL EXCEPT GADDAFI’S STRONGHOLD OF BAB AL-AZIZIYAH”.

Representatives of the rebel movement say the Transitional National Council will replace the Qadhafi-era name Green Square with Martyrs’ Square, in honor of the Libyan democracy advocates who died fighting to defend civilian populations against the regime.

2:04 am: @SultanAlQassemi, commentator on Arab affairs, tweets: “Al Jazeera: Sources: Libyan Revolutionaries have taken control of the State TV & Radio building in Tripoli #Libya“. The capture of state media is being treated as an important development for the democracy movement, as Egyptian protest leaders have expressed concern they have not been able to better guide the public debate in the post-Mubarak era.

Unconfirmed cell-phone images are now emerging purporting to show celebrations in the streets of Tripoli.

2:14 am: There are reports on CNN that regime snipers are still holding key positions inside Tripoli, even as rebel forces are said to be holding all territory surrounding Qadhafi’s compound. A statement has been made suggesting the compound is now being seen by rebels as “a five-star prison” for Qadhafi, if he remains inside. There is no confirmed information in the global media about whether clashes continue at the site of Qadhafi’s compound.

11:45 pm EDT, 5:45 am in Tripoli: Al Jazeera is now reporting:

Euphoric Libyan rebels have moved into the centre of the capital, Tripoli, as Muammar Gaddafi’s defenders melted away and thousands of jubilant civilians rushed out of their homes to cheer the long convoys of pickup trucks packed with fighters shooting in the air.

The rebels’ surprising and speedy leap forward, after six months of largely deadlocked civil war, was packed into just a few dramatic hours. By nightfall on Sunday, they had advanced more than 32km to Tripoli.

Zeina Khodr, Al Jazeera’s correspondent, said from the Green Square: “There’s a party in the Libyan capital tonight. The people are in charge of the city. They’ve decided the square is now called Martyr’s Square, the original name. They’re shouting ‘we’re free’ and shooting at a poster of Gaddafi.”

11:17 am EDT, 5:17 am in Tripoli: Update from Mother Jones’ Hamed Aleaziz and Asawin Suebsaeng:

Deborah Haynes, an editor at London-based newspaper The Times, is on the ground in Tripoli. Haynes just sent out an unsettling tweet, indicating that the battle for Tripoli may be far from over: “Just been in Green Square. Gunfire erupted, sending rebels scattering. Then saw eight fresh corpses on way out. Tripoli ain’t secure.”

Also, Sarah Sidner, a reporter for CNN, tweeted around 5:15 a.m. Monday in Tripoli that “Green square nearly empty. We were warned to get out. Rebels say Gadhafi troops advancing toward square.”

12:03 am EDT, 6:03 am in Tripoli: The BBC is reporting there are fierce battles raging in the area around the Tripoli Hotel, where the Qadhafi regime has been basing its media operations. Al Libya TV is reportedly offline, but pro-Qadhafi forces are defending the Tripoli Hotel, and there are reports Qadhafi spokespeople claim as many as 35,000 troops may be in and around the capital, “ready to fight” to fend off the rebels.

The Transitional National Council has said rebels will not occupy the city militarily, if Qadhafi and his family leave power.

12:35 am EDT, 6:35 am in Tripoli: US president Barack Obama has called on Col. Muammar Qadhafi to “relinquish power once and for all.” He added that “Qadhafi and his regime need to recognize that their rule has come to an end”. He said “The future of Libya is now in the hands of the Libyan people,” and said the US would work closely with the Transitional National Council, which it recognizes as the legitimate governing authority.

Obama went on to say that “We will continue to insist that the basic rights of the Libyan people are respected. We will continue to work with our allies and partners in the international community to protect the people of Libya, and to support a peaceful transition to democracy.”

12:49 am EDT, 6:49 am in Tripoli: Al Jazeera English Live, tweeting as @AJELive, reports: “Nasser, #Tripoli resident, says they will let NTC take care of anything, are forming local security battalions, won’t take revenge #Libya“. Reports suggesting rebels are ready to establish law and order and to institute a transition guided by the rule of law are winning encouragement, and optimism that the six-month Libyan war may be ending.

More reporting on the Libyan liberation movement:

• Qadhafi Under Siege as Rebels Move into Tripoli – updates - Aug. 20, 2011
• Libyan Rebels Advance on Tripoli, Take Key Cities - Aug. 20, 2011
• US Now Recognizes Transitional Council as Legitimate Libyan Government - July 15, 2011
• Qadhafi Regime Abuse of al-Obeidi Crime Against Humanity - Apr. 4, 2011
• UN Action in Libya is Bid to Rescue Democracy Movement - Mar. 27, 2011
• Airstrikes Underway Against Libya, as Qadhafi Refuses to Pull Back - Mar. 19, 2011
• UN Security Council Votes to Support Strikes Against Qadhafi - Mar. 17, 2011
• Qadhafi ‘has lost the legitimacy to rule’ - Feb. 27, 2011
• Protesters in Central Tripoli Fired on by Irregular Army Loyal to Qadhafi - Feb. 26, 2011
• Ban calls for action to stop Qadhafi killing… - Feb. 26, 2011
• Qadhafi Declares War on His People - Feb. 25, 2011
• Qadhafi Regime on Brink of Collapse - Feb. 22, 2011
• Qadhafi’s Son Warns of Civil War, as Libyan Military Appears Split - Feb. 21, 2011
• Violent Crackdown in Libya; Bahrain Protesters Take Pearl Square - Feb. 20, 2011
• Qadhafi Crackdown Has Killed at Least 84 - Feb. 19, 2011
• Spirit of Democratic Revolution Spreads Across Mideast - Feb. 15, 2011

When comedians are keeping watch over the deliberate falsehoods dispensed by “mainstream media”, there is something rotten in the culture of our free press. Not because comedians shouldn’t do that work—all citizens should—but because the mainstream media should be committed, at every level, to truth-telling and citizenship. Fox News, in light of the bribery, spying and coercion, scandal engulfing its parent company, has definitively shown how far from that mission its news operation is.

Despite engaging in radical, unfounded and coordinated ideologically-driven crusades against organizations that foster unbiased, non-partisan citizenship and service to the American people, despite its adopting tabloid-style tactics for TV news reporting, despite its relentless accusations, smears and borderline hate speech, against the nation’s chief executive, Fox News is now defending pervasive criminality at News Corp.’s UK tabloids and accusing unbiased media of “piling on” and blowing the scandal out of proportion.

For the record, the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of News Corp., Rupert Murdoch, and his son, James, were called to testify before a select committee of the British Parliament, regarding mounting evidence of a pervasive campaign, over many years, at multiple News Corp. publications, to bribe public officials, illegally spy on innocent civilians, and harass and—according to some reports—intimidate members of the government.

That testimony was anomalous, in part because of the commitment to a free and independent press. But, it was necessary, because the information coming to light so far, throughout years of this developing scandal, suggest there has been a concerted effort to conceal information, kill investigations and use personal, political and commercial influence to obscure the truth. The prime minister of the United Kingdom was forced to extend the current session of Parliament, cut short a trip to Africa, and answer questions about his own personal and professional involvement with key figures involved in the tabloids’ illegal spying.

But Fox News, which has long established its faith-position that all media who do not devoutly, blindly and without remorse, uphold and promote specific tenets of right-wing ideology, are not “balanced” and are in fact part of a vile—use any adjective that fits the animus of the moment (“left-wing”, “communist”, “socialist”, “jihadist”, “terrorist”)—conspiracy to destroy America. Women who claim that women should have rights and privileges of citizenship equal to men are compared to Nazis; Democrats, and the tens of millions of voters that support them, are compared to terrorists and mass murderers.

The level of irrational vitriol and single-party bias at Fox News is now so legendary that around the world, including in tabloid-soaked Great Britain, there is an openly professed fear among public officials and journalists that something as insidious and corrosive as Fox News might emerge there. Laws designed to protect freedom of the press actually include specific provisions designed to reduce the likelihood of the kind of concentration-of-power and intimidation agenda that many believe is the corporate mission at Fox News.

But that aside, the issue of the Fox News reputation for purely biased news reporting aside, it is Fox News that has engaged in a coordinated, persistent and unfounded campaign to smear, undermine, defund and stamp out NPR, the nation’s only public radio service, calling it a socialist conspiracy, a “jihadist inquisition” and accusing it—despite serious analysis showing it to be the least biased radio service in the nation—of pervasive “liberal bias”.

Journalism experts and media analysts are increasingly looking at the anomalous view that there is a “liberal media bias”, which some extreme ideologues on the right have a hard time penetrating. And the clearest explanation emerging from a number of serious studies is literally the problem that extreme ideological conservatives face: that their world view does not correspond to reality, and so serious, credible, unbiased reporting often illustrates a landscape of reality which they cannot tolerate and within which they are not well equipped to debate workable policy solutions.

The Fox News game is a tabloid game—distort, smear, fabricate and exaggerate, remorselessly, and profit from the visceral, primal reaction of an audience which prefers such titillating distortions to information requiring growth, thought, and/or awareness that things can and should be made better in our society. It is the principle of entertaining the public, instead of empowering them. It is Nero playing his fiddle while Rome burned.

Another way to put this is that serious news reporting is about what is actually going on in the world, and though much of the facts to be reported are sad, even tragic, and may indicate extremely disheartening and negative trend-lines, they are reported with solemn respect for the tragedy of human failing. The Fox News tabloid style of reporting deliberately seeks out points of conflict that can be distorted into horrors and threats, and reports on them with glee, passion and hubris, as if to invite the destruction of others in society.

Jon Stewart is not so severe as to allege that Fox News rides an undercurrent of sadistic tendencies, but the absurdity and the tragedy of what the network devotes its airtime to speaks for itself: NPR is, if anything, so unbiased that all you can get there are facts, information and a view of the landscape—some would like to hear more passionate critique and analysis. It is absolutely, and in no way that anyone who is not a diagnosed psychotic could assert, a “jihadist inquisition”.

It is the very soul of what American media should be, if we are all to be citizens of a free republic.

The News Corp. phone-hacking scandal has already come ashore in the United States. The FBI is investigating allegations that News Corp. personnel tried to or did bribe police and/or spy on the families of victims of the 9/11 attacks. Whether there was any such illegal activity at Fox News is not known, and no such evidence has yet come to light. But it would be wiser to distance itself and all of its operations from Mr. Murdoch and those now in police custody than to defend the indefensible or make light of the perverse crime of spying on 9/11 victims.

Gordon Brown, the former UK prime minister and chancellor of the Exchequer denounces “the systematic criminality of News International”, accusing the media conglomerate of “lawbreaking on an industrial scale” and of abusing the rights of citizens, crime victims and the families of soldiers who lost their lives in war, for financial gain by the most cynical methods. He added that Murdoch’s UK tabloids had “brought the rats out of the sewer” and acted in league with the “criminal underworld” to attack the innocent and vulnerable.

Brown accused News International not only of using criminal activity to target and to persecute innocent and vulnerable citizens, but of attempting to engineer a systematic sabotage of the BBC, and to establish a de facto monopoly over British media and politics. He accused top News Corp. executives of using their influence and their personal relationships to intimidate public officials. He alleged there was constant resistance by News Corp. to Labour’s view that the UK needed a diverse media, including financially disinterested news sources, in order to have a free media.

Today, at the White House, at 2pm EDT, Pres. Barack Obama became the first American president to “live tweet”, posting to his Twitter account the question, “in order to reduce the deficit,what costs would you cut and what investments would you keep”, signing it, simply “- bo”. The president then answered questions, selected by “curators” across the country, who sorted through tens of thousands of questions from Twitter users. He had no prior knowledge of the questions, nor did the moderator, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey.

He frequently touched on the subject of education, including the need to adapt to the realities of the 21st century by formulating a realistic and dynamic “lifelong learning” policy environment. He also touched on the complexities of budget policy and the need to reform immigration laws to allow for highly skilled immigrants to help create jobs and restore economic vibrancy to the United States. The central theme of his answers seemed to be the need for public officials to come together and deal pragmatically with practical crises.

Remarks by the President on Osama Bin Laden
East Room

11:35 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good evening.  Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.

It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history.  The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory — hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.

And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world.  The empty seat at the dinner table.  Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father.  Parents who would never know the feeling of their child’s embrace.  Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.

On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together.  We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood.  We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country.  On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family.

We were also united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice.  We quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda — an organization headed by Osama bin Laden, which had openly declared war on the United States and was committed to killing innocents in our country and around the globe.  And so we went to war against al Qaeda to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies.

Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we’ve made great strides in that effort.  We’ve disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense.  In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban government, which had given bin Laden and al Qaeda safe haven and support.  And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al Qaeda terrorists, including several who were a part of the 9/11 plot.

Yet Osama bin Laden avoided capture and escaped across the Afghan border into Pakistan.  Meanwhile, al Qaeda continued to operate from along that border and operate through its affiliates across the world.

And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network.

Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden.  It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground.  I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan.  And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.

Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.  A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability.  No Americans were harmed.  They took care to avoid civilian casualties.  After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.

For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda’s leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies.  The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda.

Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort.  There’s no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us.  We must –- and we will — remain vigilant at home and abroad.

As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not –- and never will be -– at war with Islam.  I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam.  Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims.  Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own.  So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity.

Over the years, I’ve repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was.  That is what we’ve done.  But it’s important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding.  Indeed, bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well, and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people.

Tonight, I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts.  They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations.  And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates.

The American people did not choose this fight.  It came to our shores, and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens.  After nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war.  These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who’s been gravely wounded.

So Americans understand the costs of war.  Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed.  We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies.  We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda’s terror:  Justice has been done.

Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who’ve worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome.  The American people do not see their work, nor know their names.  But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice.

We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country.  And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day.

Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores.

And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11.  I know that it has, at times, frayed.  Yet today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.

The cause of securing our country is not complete.  But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to.  That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.

Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are:  one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.  May God bless you.  And may God bless the United States of America.

END               11:44 P.M. EDT

Weekly Address: “Instead of Subsidizing Yesterday’s Energy Sources, We Need to Invest in Tomorrow’s”

WASHINGTON – In his weekly address, President Obama laid out his plans to address rising gas prices over the short and the long term. While there is no silver bullet to bring down prices right away, there are a few things we can do. This week, the Attorney General launched a task force dedicated to rooting out fraud or manipulations in the oil markets. The President called for finally ending the $4 billion in taxpayer money that the oil and gas companies receive annually. And, we need to continue safe, responsible production of oil at home. But in the long term, we need to invest in clean, renewable energy. That is why the President strongly disagrees with a proposal in Congress that cuts our investments in clean energy by 70 percent.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address on Gas Prices
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Washington, DC

This is a time of year when people get together with family and friends to observe Passover and to celebrate Easter. It’s a chance to give thanks for our blessings and reaffirm our faith, while spending time with the people we love. We all know how important that is – especially in hard times. And that’s what a lot of people are facing these days.

Even though the economy is growing again and we’ve seen businesses adding jobs over the past year, many are still looking for work. And even if you haven’t faced a job loss, it’s still not easy out there. Your paycheck isn’t getting bigger, while the cost of everything from college for your kids to gas for your car keeps rising. That’s something on a lot of people’s minds right now, with gas prices at $4 a gallon. It’s just another burden when things were already pretty tough.

Now, whenever gas prices shoot up, like clockwork, you see politicians racing to the cameras, waving three-point plans for two dollar gas. You see people trying to grab headlines or score a few points. The truth is, there’s no silver bullet that can bring down gas prices right away.

But there are a few things we can do. This includes safe and responsible production of oil at home, which we are pursuing. In fact, last year, American oil production reached its highest level since 2003. On Thursday, my Attorney General also launched a task force with just one job: rooting out cases of fraud or manipulation in the oil markets that might affect gas prices, including any illegal activity by traders and speculators. We’re going to make sure that no one is taking advantage of the American people for their own short-term gain. And another step we need to take is to finally end the $4 billion in taxpayer subsidies we give to the oil and gas companies each year. That’s $4 billion of your money going to these companies when they’re making record profits and you’re paying near record prices at the pump. It has to stop.

Instead of subsidizing yesterday’s energy sources, we need to invest in tomorrow’s. We need to invest in clean, renewable energy. In the long term, that’s the answer. That’s the key to helping families at the pump and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. We can see that promise already. Thanks to an historic agreement we secured with all the major auto companies, we’re raising the fuel economy of cars and trucks in America, using hybrid technology and other advances. As a result, if you buy a new car in the next few years, the better gas mileage is going to save you about $3,000 at the pump.

But we need to do more. We need to harness the potential I’ve seen at promising start-ups and innovative clean energy companies across America. And that’s at the heart of a debate we’re having right now in Washington about the budget.

Both Democrats and Republicans believe we need to reduce the deficit. That’s where we agree. The question we’re debating is how we do it. I’ve proposed a balanced approach that cuts spending while still investing in things like education and clean energy that are so critical to creating jobs and opportunities for the middle class. It’s a simple idea: we need to live within our means while at the same time investing in our future.

That’s why I disagree so strongly with a proposal in Congress that cuts our investments in clean energy by 70 percent. Yes, we have to get rid of wasteful spending – and make no mistake, we’re going through every line of the budget scouring for savings. But we can do that without sacrificing our future. We can do that while still investing in the technologies that will create jobs and allow the United States to lead the world in new industries. That’s how we’ll not only reduce the deficit, but also lower our dependence on foreign oil, grow the economy, and leave for our children a safer planet. And that’s what our mission has to be.

Thanks for listening, and have a great weekend.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) denounces the intent of Rep. Peter King’s (R-NY) “radicalization of American Muslims” hearings, which she says are a waste of time and counterproductive effort to promote religious and ethnic bias. At 5:10 into this video, Rep. Peter King is heard suddenly ordering Ms. Jackson Lee to end her statement at the very moment she decries the “lack of factual basis” for the hearings. King had earlier shouted down Rep. Jackson Lee when she suggested each member of the committee should be allowed to make a statement in support of or criticizing the nature and aim of the hearings.

The allegation of bias has been exacerbated by the fact that Rep. King himself has come under fire for his own past, explicit support for terrorism. In the 1980s, he was a vehement champion of the Irish Republican Army, a liberation organization using terrorist tactics and attacking civilians in order to free Northern Ireland from our nation’s closest ally, Great Britain.

According to the Washington Post:

In 1985, the Irish government boycotted the St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City, the biggest celebration in the Irish American calendar. The cause of its umbrage was Peter T. King, that year’s grand marshal and someone the Irish government said was an “avowed” supporter of a terrorist organization, the Irish Republican Army.

King was so extremist in his views as to call the British government a “murder machine”, and was intensely criticized in New York City, in the Irish-American community, by the Irish government and by the British government, for giving at least rhetorical aid and comfort to a terrorist movement that was actively engaged in killing unarmed civilians.

Skip to 11:59 for emotional statement about sacrifice of Sal Hamdani…

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim-American in the United States Congress, spoke to the Congressional hearing chaired by Rep. Peter King (R-NY), examining the question of the “radicalization of American Muslims”. He told the story of a young, Muslim-American man who gave his life to save others on 11 September 2001. Rep. Ellison’s testimony was emotional, and he fought back tears nearly throughout the statement, telling of the young man’s sacrifice.

Mohammed Salman Hamdani was a paramedic and police cadet, and was vilified after the attacks, with some alleging he was in league with the attackers, simply because of his faith. As Ellison noted, overcome with emotion, “It was only when his remains were identified that these lies were exposed. Mohammed Salman Hamdani was a fellow American, who gave his life for other Americans. His life should not be identified as just a member of an ethnic group or just a member of a religion, but as an American who gave everything for his fellow Americans.”

The Fukushima nuclear plant contains 5 nuclear reactors, which combine to produce the world’s largest concentrated power generation. At least one of the reactors is reported to have radiation levels 1,000 times normal inside one of its control rooms. Today, RussiaToday is reporting that white smoke seen rising from the plant may be due to an explosion. Authorities have warned that some radioactive material may have seeped out into the environment already. There is an ongoing concern that the plant may be vulnerable to meltdown, as plant operators have not been able to resume cooling of nuclear fuel.

Google yesterday launched a “person finder” for Japan, to help people looking for relatives and loved ones who may be lost in a communications outage or in physical danger, due to the earthquake and tsunami. Facebook also has a disaster relief service at facebook.com/DisasterRelief. There is also a surge in information on Twitter at hash-tags like #tsunami or #sendai or Fukushima.

Two nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, are now reported to be unable to cool the nuclear fuel in their cores, and radioactive materials may have seeped into the environment. The reactors reportedly suffered service interruption after the worst earthquake in Japanese history. The magnitude 8.9 quake unleashed a massive tsunami the pushed far inland at Sendai, northeast of Tokyo.

The tsunami pushed as far as six miles inland. Reports of catastrophic damage from debris pushed along by the massive force of the waves have been pouring in from Sendai. Major oil refineries were on fire throughout the day, and Japan’s ambassador to the US told CNN that six million people are without power. As of 10 pm EST, there were reports that Japanese authorities were concerned the affected nuclear reactors might not be able to resume cooling fuel and that if a remedy is not found, a nuclear meltdown could ensue.

The United States, which has 40,000 military personnel stationed in Japan, is sending ships and troops to the Miyagi Prefecture, where the worst devastation occurred, to provide aid and possibly search and rescue assistance. CNN’s Anderson Cooper reported shortly after 10 pm EST that one or more nuclear power plants in Japan have resorted to radioactive venting —the release of radioactive steam— as an alternative means of cooling the radioactive fuel, to prevent meltdown.

The Kyoto News Agency is reporting temperatures are elevated at one of the malfunctioning nuclear plants. At the other, radiation levels are reported to be eight times normal outside the plant, as much as 1,000 times normal inside a control room inside the plant. There is no direct confirmation available from inside the plants. There are reports Japan’s government is rushing to get new power sources —possibly including generators and batteries— to the plants to resume regular cooling of the nuclear fuel.

The number of people dead or missing is not known, though official reports confirm at least 357 people have been killed. While Japan is thought to be the world’s most prepared nation for dealing with earthquakes, it is not known how thoroughly the nuclear industry there was prepared to deal with the violent aftermath of a major tsunami.

Observers have expressed confidence the industry can deal with the emergency in time to prevent a catastrophic meltdown and release of radiation. Critics, however, say the industry may be little more prepared for this kind of unforeseen disaster than BP was to deal with the unstoppable gusher released by the blowout of its Deepwater Horizon drilling rig last year in the Gulf of Mexico.

The scale of the human tragedy in Japan is already breathtaking, and fears of a nuclear accident have sent chills through world media, world governments and the population of Japan. The power station at Fukushima is reportedly 100 times more powerful than the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine, which suffered the worst nuclear reactor disaster in history, more than 20 years ago, and the two power plants combined generate the world’s largest concentrated amount of energy.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, however:

Farzad Rahnema, a Georgia Tech professor of nuclear engineering, had been reading stories that hinted at the possibility of a meltdown at the plant, which was shaken by the massive earthquake there. But he said the details he’d gleaned from those accounts, and from industry reports, suggested that a meltdown was unlikely.

There are safety and containment measures in place that were not in place at Chernobyl, according to numerous reports, and it is possible the authorities could maintain necessary cooling of nuclear materials using substitute power generation, even if the plant cannot be brought back to full power.

At present, however, the world is watching as Japan deals with its worst natural disaster in decades, facing the prospect of thousands of lives lost and the need to rebuild an entire region, while also facing the most immediate danger of nuclear disaster seen since the 1980s. The Japanese government has requested rescue and humanitarian aid assistance from the US military and it has been granted; it is not clear whether there may be high level security contacts relating to advanced nuclear containment methods.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Rachel Maddow reports on the Michigan governor’s legislation giving himself emergency powers, including the power to dissolve local governments, take over cities, unincorporate entire municipalities —the equivalent of erasing them from the political map— and remove elected officials, replacing them with his own unilaterally appointed substitutes.

Conservation activist Tim DeChristopher was found guilty this week of disrupting public business and causing “financial harm” to the government and to private interests, for interfering with a public land auction later found to be inappropriately staged.

DeChristopher told the crowd of supporters gathered at the courthouse that “the sharpest rock on the wildest shore can never break that ocean apart, they can never wear that ocean down, because it’s the ocean that shapes the shore.”

The following is a transcript of the speech he gave after hearing that he had been found guilty…

What the world wanted to see was how you would react. And you have reacted with joy and resolve. You’ve shown that your power will not be intimidated by any power that they have, and that’s the most important thing that’s happened here this week.

Because everything that happened inside that building tried to convince me that I was alone and that I was weak. They tried to convince me that I was like a little finger out there on my own that could easily be broken. And all of you out here were the reminder for all of us that I wasn’t just a finger all alone in there, but that I was connected to hand with many fingers that could be united together as one fist, and that that fist could not be broken by the power that they have in there.

That fist is not a symbol of violence. That fist is a symbol that we will not be mislead into thinking that we are alone. We will not be lied to and told that we are weak. We will not be divided and we will not back down. That fist is a symbol that we are connected and that we are powerful. It’s a symbol that we hold true to our vision of a healthy and just world and that we are building the self empowering movement to make it happen. All those authorities in there wanted me to think like a finger but are children are calling to us to think like a fist.

And we know that now I’ll have to go prison, we know that now that is the reality. But that’s just the job that I have to do. That’s the role that I face. Many before me have gone to jail for justice and if we are going to achieve our vision many after me will have to join me as well.

No one ever told us that this battle would be easy. No one ever told us that we wouldn’t have to make sacrifices. We knew that when we started this fight.

Every wave on the ocean that has ever risen up and refused to lay back down has been dashed on the shore, but it is the very purpose of a wave to rise up, because once it rises up above the horizon it finally has the perspective to see that it’s not just a wave, that it’s a part of a mighty ocean. And the sharpest rock on the wildest shore can never break that ocean apart, they can never wear that ocean down, because it’s the ocean that shapes the shore.

That’s what we’re starting to do here today. That’s what we’re starting to do here this week. With wave after wave after wave crashing against that shore, we shape it to our vision. Thank you all for being a part of that.

(End transcript.)

Robert Redford has written about the verdict:

Part of the statement issued this afternoon by U.S. Atty. Carlie Christensen praising the guilty verdict, alluded to DeChristopher’s actions… “disrupting open public processes and causing financial harm to the government and other individuals.” Really?

There’s something wrong with this picture. Major financial institutions in this country brought the nation’s economy to its knees yet not one person associated with the debacle is in jail. The human consequence of their actions is indescribably profound and not one person responsible for any of it went to jail. And yet the federal government prosecuted this young activist’s act of civil disobedience and he now faces jail time.

Every day, oil, gas, mining and other energy and extractive industries are indiscriminately polluting our air, land and water as the new U.S. Congress works diligently to take away the power of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate their actions and protect the well-being of the nation’s people. There’s something wrong with this picture.

And when you consider that weeks after DeChristopher bid on his 13 parcels, a federal judge in essence agreed with him and blocked the sale of all the parcels, DeChristopher’s prosecution becomes even more troubling. Add to that the fact that the Obama Administration’s Dept of Interior said the overall sale was improper and pulled all the parcels from auction and DeChristopher’s prosecution borders on absurd.

Redford  is only one of many prominent voices who have expressed support for DeChristopher.

More information about the trial, the legal complications of the auction itself and the protest bid by Mr. DeChristopher, as well as ways to contribute to his defense fund, can be found at www.Bidder70.org.

Last week, a man pretending to be oil billionaire David Koch, one of the major Republican donors thought to be behind the concerted operation by Republican governors to strip public employees of collective bargaining rights, spoke with Gov. Scott Walke by phone. During the conversation, Gov. Walker revealed much about his own thinking in relation to using the claim of a “budget crisis” to impose massive cuts on public servants’ compensation and to strip them of basic workplace fairness rights.

On Friday, Republicans in the Wisconsin state Assembly used unusual rules to push through legislation stripping public servants of collective bargaining rights, at 1:00 am. Opponents and Democrats chanted “Shame! Shame! Shame!” at the Republicans as they filed unceremoniously out of the chamber. The vote has been assailed by critics as a political assault on groups and individuals who don’t support the Republican party. Even FOX News has reported that the bill is “pure politics” and that the so-called “budget crisis” is a false claim being used by Republicans to attack their opponents.

FOX News’ Shepard Smith has shocked the radical right-wing by telling the truth about Wisconsin. He explained on air that the motivation for Wisconsin’s governor was clearly not economic or budgetary. He explained that there is in fact no fiscal crisis in Wisconsin. The projected budget deficit is far smaller than what the governor claims.

Smith said he was “I’m not taking a side on this. I’m telling you the story… Facts at times are troublesome things. The Koch brothers have been organizing to bust the unions… This is political.”  He went on to say that ”To pretend that this is about a fiscal crisis in the state of Wisconsin is melarky. It’s duck feathers.”

Smith added that “The really problematic thing is: they were promised this; they worked for this; they were given this in a contract that both sides signed.” He knew he would be offending radical partisans and those who view the cause of breaking labor unions as more important than honoring contracts written into law and the Constitutional principle of basic rights and equality before the law.

He offended the extreme right by telling the truth. It marks a moment of existential self-examination for FOX. Will they defend truth-telling, or will they give credit to the lies and vitriol being aimed by extremists at one of their own?

On Tuesday, thousands of demonstrators protesting the Ohio governor’s plan to eliminate collective bargaining rights for public servants were denied access to their state’s capitol. The refusal to allow them entry last for hours, until finally, thousands were able to enter. The governor has already been accused to trying to thwart opposition to his plan by blocking basic rights and denying the people access to their government.

This ad is now running statewide in Wisconsin. Firefighters and other public servants are joining together to oppose the campaign to eliminate collective bargaining rights in their state. They are calling on all Wisconsinites to stand with them in defense of basic civil rights.

Esperanza means hope, in Spanish. One year ago today, we posted Esperanza Spalding’s enrapturing performance of “Tell Him” at the 2009 White House poetry jam, and today we bring her back to the front page, to honor her for winning “best new artist” at the Grammys. But with all that’s taking place in the world, why write about Esperanza Spalding? Because her win is a sign there is hope we can be more thoughtful about how we make music and why.

One after another commercial vehicle have come on the scene in recent years, professing to study the nation’s talent and giving us all a great show in the process, but more than anything, giving record companies a way to evaluate “where the market is going” and have some chance at backing a sure thing. Extremely talented artists have emerged that brilliantly navigate the waters of stardom and ride the waves of their popularity to ever more… popularity.

It’s both a sign of how shallow some aspects of our popular culture are that Twitter has been ablaze with jokes, insults, surprise and dismay, about someone who was “unknown” winning Best New Artist. The award is not Most Famous Pop-star, but BEST NEW ARTIST. Esperanza Spalding is one of the most promising young innovators in music today, and a real creative artist. This is why it’s worth taking note that the music industry is taking note.

Lady Gaga is an astonishing talent. She can do classical piano, soul, dance music, and somehow always have the right energy and a depth of personal feeling for the music she plays. And she’s very good with the fame game, too. But Esperanza Spalding is not as unknown as people pretend; she played at the White House in 2009 and at the Nobel Prize ceremony as well, along with stars like Wyclef Jean, and is widely respected among people who know soulful jazzy music, both for her raw ability and for her unique style.

She was invited to teach at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music —where she had studied— at the early age of 20. According to a lengthy and impressive New Yorker profile from last year, “By fifteen, she was the concertmaster of the Chamber Music Society of Oregon.” Now, she’s the first jazz musician ever to win the Grammy for Best New Artist.

We need more of this in today’s rapid-fire innuendo-laden society: a reminder of the human scale. Not everything can be fireworks and mirror balls; sometimes it’s important to just honor the music, and it might be, at certain special times, that the best artist isn’t someone aiming to sell out magazines and stadium concerts, but someone who loves making the music people can feel and staying close to where and how it is made.

We should try to think a little more generously about the creative arts. For every Rihanna or Eminem, there are tens of thousands of artists who never earn enough to make a living doing what they love. Esperanza Spalding’s sudden collision with fame illustrates the problem: when someone of such immense talent is seen as a shocking outsider winning something that’s meant for someone already famous —which by definition it’s not— we get a glimpse of how our listening choices are often made for us, and even people of great ability can linger long on the margins without ever being recognized for their accomplishments.

Not every great actor has won an Oscar. In fact, most of them have not. In fact, statistically, it’s probable most have never even been heard of by most filmgoers. Most talented writers have never been on the New York Times bestseller list; in fact, many would argue the two seem at times mutually exclusive, and there is an unfortunate kind of self-fulfilling prophecy in having once been listed. The next time around, the books sell, whether they’re worthy or not.

We often complain that what bothers us about “the world” is government or “big business” or an old boys network that excludes newcomers and innovators, but sometimes, it’s our very own tendency to just reach for the closest thing on the shelf and ignore the quiet genius of people no one else has told us exist. A little curiosity, a little passion, and Esperanza Spalding would not have seemed to shocking a choice.

Let’s hope people will give her a real listen, for their own personal enrichment and enjoyment, before signing away their right to decide whether what pleases their ears has to be already known, top of the charts, or sanctioned by some official pop-music protocol watchdog.

In more than 100 years of Nobel Peace Prizes, only a dozen women have ever won. Civil-rights and peace activist Jody Williams, received the award in 1997 as the chief strategist of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which established the ?rst global treaty banning antipersonnel mines.

Williams believes that peace is de?ned by human (not national) security and that it must be achieved through sustainable development, environmental justice, and meeting people’s basic needs. To this end, she co-founded the Nobel Women’s Initiative, endorsed by six of seven living female Peace laureates. She chairs the effort to support activists, researchers, and others working toward peace, justice, and equality for women and thus humanity. Williams also continues to ?ght for the total global eradication of landmines.

The following is an official transcript of Pres. Barack Obama’s remarks on the departure of Egypt’s Pres. Mubarak and the victory of a non-violent protest movement over an authoritarian regime…

3:06 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. There are very few moments in our lives where we have the privilege to witness history taking place. This is one of those moments. This is one of those times. The people of Egypt have spoken, their voices have been heard, and Egypt will never be the same.

By stepping down, President Mubarak responded to the Egyptian people’s hunger for change. But this is not the end of Egypt’s transition. It’s a beginning. I’m sure there will be difficult days ahead, and many questions remain unanswered. But I am confident that the people of Egypt can find the answers, and do so peacefully, constructively, and in the spirit of unity that has defined these last few weeks. For Egyptians have made it clear that nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day.

The military has served patriotically and responsibly as a caretaker to the state, and will now have to ensure a transition that is credible in the eyes of the Egyptian people. That means protecting the rights of Egypt’s citizens, lifting the emergency law, revising the constitution and other laws to make this change irreversible, and laying out a clear path to elections that are fair and free. Above all, this transition must bring all of Egypt’s voices to the table. For the spirit of peaceful protest and perseverance that the Egyptian people have shown can serve as a powerful wind at the back of this change.

The United States will continue to be a friend and partner to Egypt. We stand ready to provide whatever assistance is necessary — and asked for — to pursue a credible transition to a democracy. I’m also confident that the same ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit that the young people of Egypt have shown in recent days can be harnessed to create new opportunity — jobs and businesses that allow the extraordinary potential of this generation to take flight. And I know that a democratic Egypt can advance its role of responsible leadership not only in the region but around the world.

Egypt has played a pivotal role in human history for over 6,000 years. But over the last few weeks, the wheel of history turned at a blinding pace as the Egyptian people demanded their universal rights.

We saw mothers and fathers carrying their children on their shoulders to show them what true freedom might look like.

We saw a young Egyptian say, “For the first time in my life, I really count. My voice is heard. Even though I’m only one person, this is the way real democracy works.”

We saw protesters chant “Selmiyya, selmiyya” — “We are peaceful” — again and again.

We saw a military that would not fire bullets at the people they were sworn to protect.

And we saw doctors and nurses rushing into the streets to care for those who were wounded, volunteers checking protesters to ensure that they were unarmed.

We saw people of faith praying together and chanting – “Muslims, Christians, We are one.” And though we know that the strains between faiths still divide too many in this world and no single event will close that chasm immediately, these scenes remind us that we need not be defined by our differences. We can be defined by the common humanity that we share.

And above all, we saw a new generation emerge — a generation that uses their own creativity and talent and technology to call for a government that represented their hopes and not their fears; a government that is responsive to their boundless aspirations. One Egyptian put it simply: Most people have discovered in the last few days…that they are worth something, and this cannot be taken away from them anymore, ever.

This is the power of human dignity, and it can never be denied. Egyptians have inspired us, and they’ve done so by putting the lie to the idea that justice is best gained through violence. For in Egypt, it was the moral force of nonviolence — not terrorism, not mindless killing — but nonviolence, moral force that bent the arc of history toward justice once more.

And while the sights and sounds that we heard were entirely Egyptian, we can’t help but hear the echoes of history — echoes from Germans tearing down a wall, Indonesian students taking to the streets, Gandhi leading his people down the path of justice.

As Martin Luther King said in celebrating the birth of a new nation in Ghana while trying to perfect his own, “There is something in the soul that cries out for freedom.” Those were the cries that came from Tahrir Square, and the entire world has taken note.

Today belongs to the people of Egypt, and the American people are moved by these scenes in Cairo and across Egypt because of who we are as a people and the kind of world that we want our children to grow up in.

The word Tahrir means liberation. It is a word that speaks to that something in our souls that cries out for freedom. And forevermore it will remind us of the Egyptian people — of what they did, of the things that they stood for, and how they changed their country, and in doing so changed the world.

Thank you.

END 3:13 P.M. EST

Wael Ghonim, the new face of the Egyptian protest movement, abducted on video in broad daylight by Mubarak’s security forces and held incommunicado for 12 days, addresses hundreds of thousands gathered at Tahrir Square. Ghonim told the massive crowd that now is not a time for parties and factions, but for the Egyptian people to speak with one voice, to put the good of the nation ahead of personal interest, and to demand the end of the regime.

Ghonim was freed after intense pressure from human rights groups and at least one prominent media tycoon. But dozens of other human rights monitors and pro-democracy activists were also taken into custody, and now there are reports they may be subject to a concerted and far-reaching campaign by the regime to abduct, disappear and torture its critics.

Central Cairo was again today the scene of a massive demonstration numbering in the hundreds of thousands, as ordinary Egyptians traveled to lend their support to the pro-democracy movement and call for the end of the regime of Hosni Mubarak. Thousands marched from Tahrir Square to the parliament, denouncing the parliament, which Mubarak filled with 83% membership from his own party in rigged elections last year, and calling for a new government.

It is widely believed that the emotional interview given by Wael Ghonim after his release yesterday from secret security custody. Ghonim was overwhelmed by emotion when asked about protesters who died fighting for democracy and said he is not a hero, he was just a man with a keyboard. Ghonim was abducted in broad daylight, by plainclothes security agents, three days after the protests began, while marching peacefully through central Cairo.

Ghonim’s interview, on Egyptian satellite channel DreamTV, is reported to have changed many minds of people who had not intended to join the protests, but who now see the regime as discredited and the state media, under close control of the regime, as a propaganda mill. Ghonim was welcomed by rousing cheers from hundreds of thousands of demonstrators who chanted his name; he said the movement will not relent; the authoritarian regime must give way to democracy.

The demonstrations in central Cairo today are being called the most massive to date. While the military has been pressuring demonstrators to abandon Tahrir Square and allow Egypt to “return to normalcy”, demonstrators have said the concessions offered by the regime are inadequate and today decided to expand their hold on the nation’s capital, marching to the parliament, where tonight demonstrators are said to be setting up camp.

There were massive demonstrations today in the Nile Delta city of Mansura, north of Cairo, and more demonstrations are being planned across Egypt for this week. According to an NPR report, protest organizers have said they will not abandon Tahrir Square, which is increasingly being seen as the birthplace of the world’s newest democracy; instead, they plan to build up the overnight population there and at the parliament, and to fill squares in cities across Egypt by this Friday.

There are spreading calls from across Egyptian society and from within the protest movement to name Wael Ghonim official spokesperson for the pro-democracy movement. By midnight tonight local time, there were nearly 200,000 supporters signed up to a Facebook-based account to “authorize Ghoneim” as spokesperson for the movement.

According to the Guardian:

Ghonim got a thunderous welcome when he joined a massive demonstration in Tahrir Square on Tuesday, telling the crowd: “We will not abandon our demand and that is the departure of the regime. My condolences to the fathers and mothers who lost sons and daughters who died for their dream.”

Ahmad Mustafa, protesting in the square, described how he had been moved by Ghonim. “I felt I could relate to him. He’s the same age as me, he’s pretty much the same background. I felt so connected to him, he portrayed me and the situation I’m in. Some of my friends who have not taken part in the demonstrations since they started are going to come today because of what they saw yesterday. It has changed something in them. Sometimes you need some kind of spark to get you to go, and that’s good.”

There is mounting concern the regime is planning another wave of arrests and street violence, but the protest movement says they will not be persuaded to accept the regime’s offer to stay in power until September. Today, Omar Suleiman announced Pres. Mubarak was supporting the “consensus” now growing across the nation and will propose constitutional amendments to determine who is “allowed” to run in the next presidential elections. (At present, no party is allowed to challenge Mubarak.)

Protest leaders say the reforms being offered are insufficient and will not end the demonstrations. They say a condition of negotiation is the resignation of Pres. Hosni Mubarak and the unconditional end of the regime. They want an interim government, run by a broad coalition of opposition groups, to oversee the transition to democracy. Wael Ghonim sent out this tweet late this evening: “Dear Egyptians, Failure is not an option #Jan25“.

UPDATE, 11:08 pm EST (6:08 am Wed., Cairo): Reports pouring in through Twitter of violent attacks against demonstrators in New Valley (Wadi al-Gadid), the governorate which encompasses most of the southwest of the country. It is unclear whether the reports have been confirmed, or what led to the deaths, but reaction among pro-democracy activists appears to suggest there is a violent crackdown underway.

There are reports emerging that pro-Mubarak police freed convicts from Wadi Prison so they could rampage in the community and instill fear in the population. The strategy appears to be the same as the one used on Jan. 28 and 29, when various prisons saw mass escapes, apparently facilitated by secret police, and which resulted in the liberation of a Hamas leader, violent rioting and the deaths of well over 200 people.

The unrest is the latest signal the Mubarak regime appears unwilling to relinquish its grip on power or to live up to the promises it has been making of reform and “concessions”.

UPDATE, 11:30 pm EST (6:30 am Wed., Cairo): One report, by the blogger Zeinobia, says a violent response by at least one corrupt police official may be linked to the violence in the city of Kharga, in Wadi al-Gadid governorate. After the chief inspector was transferred away from Kharga, “he returned back along with his officers insulting people telling them they were not men.”

Protests and confrontation allegedly ensued. According to Zeinobia, “the police force used rubber ammo then live ammo. Things got bad to worse and sooner prisoners of New Valley escaped while the state security there used thugs . It is the same scenario happened in the valley of the Nile taking place at our western desert !!”

The website Youm7 tonight has published photographs reportedly showing victims of the violent police crackdown. The men shown were clearly injured in a violent attack. Some are seen holding metal bullets which appear to have been distressed by having been fired.

UPDATE, 11:37 pm EST (6:37 am Wed., Cairo): The following accounts have been published to Twitter during the last 5 minutes, regarding an apparent crackdown in Kharga Oasis, Wadi al-Gadid (New Valley):

girlgeek1
#jan25 There is a massacre going on now in #NewValley, #KhargaOasis,
#Egypt. The police cut off the electricity (cont)http://tl.gd/8mveto

dancernoriko
RT:oghannam latest news was that convicts set to attack museum
and the protesters are preparing molotovs for defense #NewValley#egyjp

tatn
RT @monaeltahawy RT @oghannam the police arrested a lot of youth
randomly and took them to an unknown destination.#NewValley #Jan25

It appears clear that under cover of darkness, attempts continue to subdue pro-democracy demonstrations, or demonstrations against corruption, wherever they are occurring inside Egypt. Today, protest organizers announced they intended to stage mass demonstrations in every corner of the nation as soon as Friday. The regime has been offering modest concessions, while continuing its persecution of opposition leaders and the press.

If you are unable to view the subtitles, click on the CC button at the lower right of the video frame.

This video shows the second segment of series of YouTube posts showing Egyptian democracy activist Wael Ghonim’s emotional interview with DreamTV, just hours after his release from 12 days of secret detention. Ghonim was abducted from a Cairo street in broad daylight on the 28th of January; on Sunday, Amnesty International published information it had received that Ghonim was still in custody of the secret police, was being set up for prosecution on false charges and was likely to face torture.

After his emotional interview, defending the pro-democracy cause as a just and nonviolent movement demanding basic human rights and a democratic process in Egypt, with no room and no interest in violence or property destruction, word spread that people across Egypt had been deeply moved and were inspired to rally to the pro-democracy demonstrators’ cause.

The rest of the interview can be seen here, with English subtitles.

A video from Alexandria reportedly shows Mubarak’s police force shoot an unarmed pro-democracy demonstrator in cold blood. The man was walking in a street, and there were reportedly other demonstrators behind him, encouraging him to walk toward the armed police. The video clearly shows the man shot by the police, without any violent provocation whatsoever.

The video is yet more evidence of the extreme and undue violence of the Mubarak regime’s response to nonviolent pro-democracy demonstrations. While the world has just seen the protest movement erupt onto the scene, the government’s refusal to take seriously nationwide denunciation of police violence and political persecution is what led to the movement’s demand that first of all, Mubarak must step down.

Rights groups and anti-government activists are saying the video is now clear evidence for all the world to see that the Mubarak regime has held onto power by the use of lethal violence and totalitarian measures.

Tonight The New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof reported to CNN that watchdog groups have talled at least 297 deaths so far resulting from the regime’s violent crackdown on unarmed demonstrators. As of today, Hosni Mubarak remains in power, because his forces have been murdering their fellow Egyptians. Calls for charges on crimes against humanity against key regime figures are mounting.

Even as the government has begun to agree to concessions and to begin a process of democratization, there are concerns an employee of Google, reportedly abducted by the regime at the beginning of the pro-democracy protests, faces “serious risk of torture”. There is video showing the moment of his abduction by plainclothes security officers working for the Mubarak regime.

According to the Guardian:

Amnesty International today warned that a Google employee in Cairo, reportedly arrested at the start of the protests, faces a “serious risk of torture”.

Wael Ghuneim (or Ghonim) was arrested by Egyptian security forces on 28 January 2011 during protests in Cairo, eyewitnesses said.

Google said it hadn’t heard from him since then and appealed for information, according to the New York Times.

According to an unnamed internal government source reported to be close to the proceedings against Ghuneim, saying he is seriously at risk of being subject to dangerous false charges, possibly “disappeared” by the regime:

His case had initially been handled by joint task force from General Intelligence and State Security. He was accused of receiving assistance from foreign entities to undermine the stability of, and overturn the government, engaging in saboteurs activity against the dignity of the state, and promulgating stigmatizing disinformation in an online smear campaigns for the benefit of foreign agencies.

He is, now, in the New State Security Complex in the 7th District, Madinet Nassr, North East Of Cairo.

Nobody was able to talk to him, but his file has been seen, and was described as grave.

At the present moment, no one outside a narrow group of security officials has seen Ghuneim since his disappearance. Human rights groups are calling for his immediate and unconditional release, and for an investigation into the individuals involved in his abduction, including the security officials responsible for ordering his arrest.

Friday, for the planned “day of departure”, hundreds of thousands of non-violent pro-democracy demonstrators again massed at Midan Tahrir —Cairo’s Liberation Square—, despite two days of brutal pro-Mubarak militia attacks on demonstrators and journalists. The military today began to play a more active role in securing the square against armed gangs and pro-government cadres.

They blocked all the main entrances to the square, and searched and secured every person entering the square. No weapons and no pro-Mubarak provocateurs were allowed into the square. While some skirmishes were reported in the vicinity, Tahrir Square was again the scene of diverse interests coming together to demand major democratic change and the removal of Hosni Mubarak.

The atmosphere was celebratory, protesters of diverse cultural and political backgrounds prayed together, and the military and opposition movement worked together to ensure the security of the square and the people gathering there. Reports suggested their were long lines of people streaming toward the square, and only a small number of pro-regime gangs roaming the neighboring streets.

In this CNN report, one of the demonstrators describes a return to confidence in the will of the Egyptian people to confront tyranny and establish a legitimate system of free and fair elections. She says any more violence against demonstrators or any further civilian deaths will only accelerate the time after which Mubarak cannot possibly remain in power.

Video from the Guardian newspaper shows massive crowds, described by some as the single largest public pro-democracy protest in the history of the Arab world, at Tahrir Square in central Cairo. Demonstrators urge embattled Pres. Hosni Mubarak to “please, leave now”; one says “Everything is destroyed. What more do you want? Just leave,” while another says “Please, Mr. Mubarak, if you love this country, leave this country.

The demonstrations are being called the “Day of Departure”, and there have been reports across the world media throughout the day that top Egyptian government officials may be in talks with military leaders and foreign governments to discuss a swift exit for Hosni Mubarak. The exact shape of the interim government has not been agreed to or made public, but opposition leaders are reportedly being urged to negotiate with the government to speed Mubarak’s departure.

That hundreds of thousands of protesters turned out has surprised many, as there was such a serious escalation of violence over the last two days and what appeared to be preparations by the regime for a violent crackdown to crush the protests. Across the region, some observers have described a mood of “euphoria”, with one Yemeni parliament minister saying “this is the great Arab revolution” and that corrupt regimes will be swept from the scene.