Opinion

Protesting in 2011 now involves technology

Has 2011 become the year of protest and demonstration?

In most recent events, the current country to revolt against its leaders is Libya.

Right now its leader Muammar al-Gaddafi has declared he “will die a martyr” in Libya. Protesters are out in the streets asking to stop his oppressive ruling.

In return Gaddafi has sent militarized units and hired mercenaries into those streets and turned them into a war zone. It’s too bad Egyptian ex-president Mubarack can’t tell Gaddafi he’s doing it all wrong and just step down.

For the first time in years, we are able to witness an event in a grander scale thanks to social media.

For some, that’s hard to understand. This is the era where even a Jets football coach can be filmed tripping a Dolphins player during a professional game.

Protesting has become the potent tool for demonstrators as it was back in the 60’s during the Vietnam conflict.

Combined with the Internet, it’s a formidable opponent against governments and their security forces.

It’s interesting to be able to witness such a chain of events roll out before us.

First Egypt along with other Arab countries, then Libya and now it’s happening here in the States.

Our neighbor to the East, Wisconsin, is having trouble with its own government leaders. Governor Scott Walker is proposing a bill that would strip most state employees of any collective bargaining rights.

Is it anything like Egypt? Not in the slightest, but what’s happening in Wisconsin can spread to other states such as Ohio and Illinois.

Protesters are taking it to the streets and to their Twitter accounts and prove that governments should be more watchful of their people than vice versa.

For now we can follow along and see how 2011 will play out as far as protesting.