Vying for control of Egypt

If you had any wonder who or what some of the Egyptian protesters have in mind for Egypt, you should read these posts:

• It Begins… Muslim Brotherhood Leader Tells Egyptian Army To Prepare For War With Israel
Muslim Brotherhood calls for war against Israel

There are actually many groups vying for control of Egypt, several that are democratic in nature, but the media and Muslims like to concentrate on the Muslim Brotherhood who were not a part of the 1st protests.

For a good analysis of the Egyptian situation see this site:

• Institutional Weakness & Egypt's Future

“Egypt is at a critical time in its history and it is more important than ever that we join Christians in Egypt in praying for the future of their country,”

Mervyn Thomas, chief executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide

OpEd News thinks Salvia connection critical piece

They say:

…That fact is significant, possibly crucial, in understanding how a young man became increasing unstable and transformed from a deep emotional depression into a raving maniac that decided it was the right thing to stalk a sitting United States Congresswoman and then purposefully wound 19 strangers…

Newsweek ties Salvia to Tucson Shooter too!

Newsweek/Daily Beast has more on the effects of Salvia and they spoke to Doctors who had some interesting things to say about the relationship of the drug and psychological disorders.

Did Hallucinogen effect Tucson shooter?

In the same NY Times story about Loughner hating Bush it also had this line.

Several of Jared’s friends said he used marijuana, mushrooms and, especially, the hallucinogenic herb called Salvia divinorum.

Doing some research on Salvia I found the following:

Dangerous Effects
Salvia divinorum--like other hallucinogens--often causes permanent damage to the brain; this is especially true in users in their teens and 20s because the brain is still developing at this age. Lasting effects include clinical depression and schizophrenia.

Read more: Facts About Salvia Divinorum | Garden Guides http://www.gardenguides.com/93699-salvia-divinorum.html#ixzz1BJgzT7X6


Q. Are there psychiatric dangers associated with Salvia use?
A. Probably there are for some individuals. Acutely, salvinorin-A induces what could be termed a "toxic psychosis," in other words one may see visions, hear voices, have bizarre thought patterns etc. This is normal when tripping. The acute effects of Salvia (both desirable and undesirable) wear off very quickly. However for some people the overwhelming strangeness of the Salvia experience (or perhaps some direct effect of salvinorin in the brain) can trigger panic attacks. Some individuals with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders (even if in remission) might experience a Salvia induced relapse, or exacerbation of their condition. People with Borderline Personality Disorder even when not on any drug often depersonalize, self mutilate, make suicide gestures or attempts, commit antisocial acts, and get into fights. Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder might become even more unstable when under the influence of Salvia. Although some individuals with depression have reported that Salvia has lifted their depression, for others it could make a pre-existing depression acutely worse. For such an individual there may be risk of suicide. However, no Salvia related suicides have been reported. If you have a psychological condition and want to use Salvia, please use discretion and first consult your doctor.
http://www.salvia-divinorum.com/salvia-faq-health.html

I don't know if anyone else is looking into this, but I find it interesting that his friends said he "especially" used the drug which leads me to believe he was strongly using it. On top of that, it looks like his behavioral changes started at about that same time. I would love to know what a Psychologist thinks about the association between the drug and his actions.