Well was listening to Al Jazeera talkng to a poli sci professor

[nadinbrzezinski]

from Qatar, talking about the PRO Mubarak supporters, which are very real.

So let me show you the two types he identified.

State workers who work a the ministry, who may or may not be directly paid to go to a demo... (they are directly benefiting from the patronage system)

And the old men and women who feel sorry for Hosni (and themselves for not doing this earlier, my view)... as the strong leader. I see that a tad with my dad in another country, who feels sorry for Calderon since the Congress does not jump at his mere presence.

I told you the other day that he does have support... Those are the two main groups I identified. Now I guess it is time to throw AJE under the buss too, but every revolution has losers... guess what? These are the losers, and they are afraid for their future. Hell, Wednesday I met the son of a high level ministry worker, who is in the States getting a degree. As he put it, they know Hosni is an ass, but if he goes they don't know if they will have a job.

This is again, part of the script I keep referring to.

[hlthe2b]

1. No.. you are right...

I feel like I know how my former colleagues would come down on all this and have confirmed this with the few I've been able to reach via email or very brief skype message. But there are a handful, that clearly were holding middle class jobs as a result of the patronage system that I am not totally sure would be embracing the protests and revolt--even as I clearly recall their expressing their dissatisfaction and dark humor at Mubarak's form of "democracy." I've not yet been able to touch base with them and may hold off a bit longer for that reason....

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. For good reason this young man did not tell me

which ministry, and I am knowledgable enough NOT to press. Suffice it to say that he was worried for them, wanted so bad to be THERE not here, and knew that getting his engineering degree from an American School would better his prospects of working in his field.