Hold on a minute!

I know the Egyptian military is being criticized for standing by while protesters clash in the streets.

Well, what the hell do you want them to do?

I can see the appeal behind having some heavy armour backup when you're a rebellious teenager hurling rocks, and I would be slinging stones with the best of them if all my friends called me up and told me they were going downtown, but getting the military involved in civil matters is a bad idea because you are escalating the force. By a lot. You don't give riot police guns, you don't deploy the National Guard for security and you don't bring a grenade to a boxing match. I would hope that the people in charge are more responsible than that and I'm convinced the US administration is principal in urging restraint with their secretive backroom deals (as is their way).

So shooting is out, what's the next best thing? Well, I guess it'd be trying to segregate the violence with their armoured columns. Which is what the army is at least attempting to do through the melee in the streets, so credit to that.

7 dead? That's a papercut compared to what'll happen if some yahoo hijacks the .50 cal off an M1's turret. And when you have people outnumbering tanks a thousand to one, something is bound to happen if you give it reason.

Made in the USA, baby. Made in the USA.