The recent assassination of Benazir Bhutto proved the volatility of young democracies. Two things have shown bright through this tragedy:
1) Americans should have a greater appreciation for the civility with which our political process is conducted. We often complain (me being the first) about the lack of true communication, abundance of hypocritical rhetoric and divisive language involved in our U.S. politics. Although it’s ridiculous we have to put up with these destructive elements, it’s gratifying to realize we don’t have to (and never really had to) endure this kind of violence.
Some might point out three political assassinations in our history (Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, John F Kennedy). But these weren’t assassinations endorsed or supported by political movements. These were conducted by an individual or very small group of extremists. They are by far of a different nature.
2) The quote from Bhutto’s son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari concerning revenge and democracy is just beautiful.
“My mother always said, democracy is the best revenge.”
The power in that statement is incredible. The people who assassinated Bhutto are those who are anti-democracy. But democracy will prevail.
Ever wanted to know exactly where Santa is on Christmas Eve? Well, usually you would have to wait for the news or something similar. But this year, the traditional Santa trackers (
But I am excited to start experiencing a boy and having a little more testosterone in the house. We will still be outnumbered though (still 5-2 [including the dogs]).