Gun Nuts Media

Uncle rightly points out that a lot of people here aren’t going to understand why the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan is going to make the planet a less safe, slightly more nasty place.

Aside from the fact that it now seems that Al-Qaeda was behind her assassination; to truly understand the political ramifications of this you have to go back to the 1980’s.  Before 1988, Pakistan hadn’t had a national election in more than a decade, and people who advocated for democracy had a tendency to wind up dead, as they so often do in totalitarian regimes.  Among the people who were calling for democracy and were then elected was Ms. Bhutto’s father.  In 1984, Ms. Bhutto became the leader-in-exile of the Pakistan People’s Party, which while center-left and kind of socialist certainly beats the crap out of a fundamentalist Islamic state.

In ’88, when she returned to Pakistan, the PPP won the largest number of seats in Pakistan’s first election in over a decade, and Bhutto became the first woman to become head of state of a Muslim state.  It only lasted for two years, as she was dismissed under corruption charges.  In ’93, she was elected again, and then dismissed again in ’96 under more corruption charges.

Now, the corruption charges are under some significant debate, as Bhutto and her family have always maintained that said charges were the fabrication of extremist elements within the Pakistani government who wished to see her disgraced.  Whether or not they will continue to investigate beyond her death remains to be seen.

The reason why this assassination is bad tidings especially now must be viewed in light of the political turmoil under which Pakistan is currently embroiled.  Bhutto has constantly been pushing for, you guessed it, more democracy.  Her party was able to maneuver a deal with Musharraf to get amnesty for Bhutto, which allowed her to return to Pakistan this October.  Since that team, she’s been heavily involved in the turmoil surrounding Musharraf and the Pakistani presidency, again advocating for a more democratic system of government.

As you can imagine, being a woman calling for democracy in Pakistan can make someone somewhat unpopular; Ms. Bhutto contracted with several foreign security firms to provide for her safety (they seem to have dropped the ball here – ed.), as she had been receiving a near constant stream of death threats from hardline elements.

I don’t think Ms. Bhutto was perfect, far from it.  But what she did represent was a voice for more open government in one of our erstwhile allies.  It’s extremely disheartening to see that she’s been murdered, especially be elements of Al-Qaeda.  What it means in a political sense is that Pakistan is in for a long dark road, and as our primary ally in that region, it’s going to have a profound effect on our national security policy.  While I doubt that it could lead to an all out war in the region (although it’s possible for other reasons); the continued targeting of moderate elements attempting to bring reform to Pakistan will only lead to a further destabilized middle east.  Remember, Pakistan has nuclear technology, and the last thing the West wants is that kind of tech in the hands of a fundamental government.

Is it just me, or has Remington sort of been on the surge lately?  First their very own black rifle, now they’re acquiring Marlin:

Remington Arms Company, Inc. (“Remington” or “the Company”) the only manufacturer of both firearms and ammunition for Hunting, Law Enforcement/Security, Government & Military applications in the United States, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Marlin Firearms Company, Inc. (“Marlin”). The transaction is expected to close by the end of January 2008.

Now, since Marlin owns H&R, the makers of my beloved single shot rifles, I wonder what affect, if any, Remington’s purchase is going to have on the cost of said rifles.  My noted preference for single shot break opens not withstanding, one wonders if this part of a greater trend for Connecticut firearms manufacturers.  First Winchester, now Marlin, who’s next?

Another travel day, this time from Seattle to Indy by way of Wisconsin. Weather seems to be nice, and I have a crappy/awesome sci-fi novel to amuse myself with on the plane.

Today’s travel gripe is the word “pre-board”. Since I’m just ripping off an old Dennis Leary bit with that gripe I won’t go into further detail, but it really does annoy the hell out of me. You can’t pre-board anything. You’re either boarding, or you’re not.

That concludes today’s travel gripe. Here’s to hoping I don’t set off the bomb detectors at Sea-Tac.

Minneapolis/St. Paul is a pretty big place. It was probably about a half mile walking from where our flight arrived to where our next plane departs from.

Observation: the amount of gadgetry that we carry to go about travel is truly staggering. When I was young warthog at the Academy, I flew with nothing but my wallet and a combo cover. Now, I have 2 phones, an iPod, and chargers for them all. That doesn’t include Mrs. Ahab’s two phones or her iPod.

It is nice I suppose, as all this technology does allow me to live blog my travel woes from my Blackberry.

No offense to my dad, but the TSA is full of retards. I am always mildly insulted when I damn near have to strip naked to clear security, while some high school dropout roots through my personal belongings.

Today, to add insult to injury, my boots set off the bomb residue detector. Apparently, pyrodex residue on my shoes is enough to get the job done. That, or the wanker checking me can’t read the electronic display.

More updates when we get to Milwaukee or Minneapolis or whevever the hell we’re going for our first layover.