However many miles away, an attack on democracy anywhere in the world, affects us all. Former Pakistani prime minister, Benazir Bhutto (who in 1988 became the first female leader of a muslim country) was assasinated today during a political rally in Rawalpindi, near the nation's capital of Islamabad.
As many of you know, Bhutto had returned to Pakistan after eight years of exile. She was the front runner for her Pakistan People's Party and with overwhelming support from the people she looked to sweep the upcoming general elections, restoring democracy to Pakistan after years of dictatorship.
Bhutto's father was Prime Minister of Pakistan until he was ousted in a coup and subsequently assasinated by the new government. This prompted Bhutto do dedicate her life to bringing freedom and democracy to a Pakistan she saw in turmoil, but one she knew could one day be a free democracy. Even during her self-imposed exile in Dubai, she had been an ardent supporter of opposition forces to free Pakistan from the heavy-handed government it still labors under.
Whatever your political inclinations, consider that the world has lost a remarkable woman today. And even if you don't care about the political climate in a country you will probably never even see, please know that the world is a little poorer today. It has lost of a freedom fighter.
"Democracy is only a dream: it should be put in the same category as Arcadia, Santa Claus, and Heaven." - H. L. Mencken
Benazir Bhutto: 1953 - 2007
6 comments:
I hope you wrote this immediately after your depraved comments on my blog. Quite the shift.
Pakistan was already a country on the brink. Bhutto was one of the people keeping it from going over. Bad news for us all.
This is a side of Severo I didn't know existed. Either that or I hacked his password and started posting as him.
Either way, I know I spend too much following international current events when I heard this on the radio this morning while hauling off my trash and actually jerked forward in my seat and gasped in shock. It really doesn't surprise me that a political figure in Pakistan was assassinated, but she was one of the few bright spots in that country's future.
But to be fair, I'm not entirely convinced of the level of horribleness that is embodied by Musharraff.
I am also shocked to see this side of Severo. I'm still kinda waiting on the punchline.
geez you guys. don't you know that the judgemental, vapid, immoral and uncaring Severo (or fake Severo, as i call him) is merely a facade?
i would have thought you three, of all people would be more astute.
this fake severo persona i've created will serve me well one day during my standup comedy special on HBO and/or during the writing for an NBC sitcom about my life.
who wants to watch a sitcom about a sad, sensitive guy interested in international politics? NO ONE.
by the way, Jacob, I don't want pressure you into any political inclinations, but Musharaff reminds me of another dictator (Zimbabwe's Mugabe). I think that he puts up a shining facade for the U.N. and particularly for the U.S., securing her as an ally. But like other dictators he rules with an iron fist. Why do you think the Pakistani people were clamoring for Butto's return and for her election as Prime Minister in January? But don't be naive about the U.S.'s intentions either. i think while they're fully aware of Musharaff's shortcomings, they just choose to look the other way because he provides them with an important ally (however politically unstable) in southeast Asia. They need him so they'll never totally condemn his government. And he needs the U.S. so he HAS to tolerate his opponents (like Butto) to make it APPEAR that he wants democracy.
I'm not saying he's perfect, I'm just saying that I don't think he's on the level of a Mugabe or Kim Jong Il where they're fucking insane and ruining their country because of it.
Pakistan has some serious issues and I'm not actually sure its western provinces are ready for a democratic government. No government there has ever had an easy time of it. Bhutto may have actually had even more of a problem with those areas because she's a woman and I'm not so sure fundamentalist muslims were going to be keen on negotiating with a woman with more power than them.
And it's not that we didn't know the persona was an act. We'd just never seen even a glimpse of anything else, so it's still a surprise to be exposed to it.
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