It all seems so long ago now. It also seems like it was just yesterday.
Egypt was one of the places that spawned the so-called "Arab Spring," remember? Masses of people stormed the streets to oust a dictator. They elected another man, who himself was turned out of office.
The uprising swelled, then it subsided. Now it's swelling again.
The acclaimed PBS documentary series Frontline broadcast a searing special on the Egypt crisis in September 2013 and has reposted it, reminding us of the turmoil that erupted in a country ruled by iron fists and boots.
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I have a particular interest in the Egypt crisis. Two years ago, when the spring "bloomed," some friends of mine were traveling through the Middle East on a Holy Land tour. They had planned to visit some sites in Egypt before traveling to Jordan and Israel. Then all hell broke loose.
One of my friends, formerly of Amarillo and now living in Lubbock, phoned me from his Cairo hotel, where he and his party were holed up. They had booked a flight to Tel Aviv, Israel and my friend -- knowing I had some friends in Israel -- asked me who he could call there in advance of their arrival. I gave him some contact information for someone I had met in Tel Aviv in the spring of 2009. They got in contact and when their flight arrived from Cairo, my friend Yehuda greeted my West Texas friends with open arms.
Everyone got out safely.
The crisis continues at varying degrees of intensity. The unrest, tumult and violence has spread to Iraq and Syria.
Egypt, the land of exquisite antiquities, is among the places that spawned this tempest.
It's worth seeing Frontline's coverage of it yet again.
