Benazir Bhutto - assassinated by a suicide bomber

[kiwidiva]

Benazir Bhutto - a female political leader who fought to bring modernity, communication, education & technology to Pakistan - was assassinated by a suicide bomber today. She was 54.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/images/692329.jpg
Rest In Peace

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Dec/27/br/br4065821739.html

[Pua'i Mana'o]

I remember holding my breath when I learned that she broke her exile, because I feared at that moment that someone would murder her, sooner or later.

RIP Madame Prime Minister.

:(

[tutusue]

I remember holding my breath when I learned that she broke her exile, because I feared at that moment that someone would murder her, sooner or later.

RIP Madame Prime Minister.

:(
Almost word for word what I was thinking when I heard the news this morning.

[shaveice]

pretty depressing news... thanks for the heads up.

[Leo Lakio]

She was no saint - yet she was progressive in many of her methods. She also knew that there was a strong likelihood that she would not survive long after returning from exile - she had already said her farewells to many friends around the world. But her drive to make changes in the lives of Pakistanis overrode her sense of self-preservation, and she must be respected for making that fateful choice to return.

[Lei Liko]

Cowardly.

Still, like Pua'i Mana'o, I watched her triumphant return to Pakistan on CNN late at night, fearing that someone would do just that.

Her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulfikar_Ali_Bhutto), was the founder of the People's Party. He was executed by hanging for authorizing the murder of a political opponent and is considered a martyr by his supporters.

[LikaNui]

Almost word for word what I was thinking when I heard the news this morning. Ditto from me, Pua`i.
Some fascinating stuff on CNN TV right now showing interviews with her just two months ago, discussing the possibility of her death, and even more fascinating is an e-mail she sent three months ago predicting it and pointing a finger at who she thought would be to blame. (She ordered that the e-mail not be released unless and until she was murdered.) :eek:

[glossyp]

Just when you think life in the Middle East couldn't get more volatile and complicated, this happens. A tragedy on so many levels. She and many others died today and let's not forget the 140 people in the first attempt when she returned to Pakistan in October. We should be holding our breath to see what events are now in store as the country of Pakistan is swept up in outrage, fear and turmoil.

[Leo Lakio]

Just when you think life in the Middle East couldn't get more volatile and complicated...Oh, it would be unwise to think that; there's a LOT more that can happen there (though I wouldn't consider Pakistan as "Middle East" geographically, but there are certainly strong ties to the Islamic world of the Middle East).

[glossyp]

Oh, it would be unwise to think that; there's a LOT more that can happen there (though I wouldn't consider Pakistan as "Middle East" geographically, but there are certainly strong ties to the Islamic world of the Middle East).
I actually debated whether I should describe it as Near East (more accurate), but went with Middle East because of the strong Islamic influence. And you are quite right, there is a lot more that could go wrong.

[Leo Lakio]

I actually debated whether I should describe it as Near East (more accurate), but went with Middle East because of the strong Islamic influence. And you are quite right, there is a lot more that could go wrong.Yeah - for every citation you could find that says "Middle East," you could probably find as many that say not.

And you were absolutely right to also point out that many innocent people died in the attack today, as well as the previous attempt when she first returned from exile. We are very lucky that we live in a region where most political battles are settled without bloodshed, assassination and slaughter (now - the past is another story).

[Random]

Not to sound like a cold, distant detective, but who would benefit from her death? Have they even considered the repercussion of such a deed?

And at the risk of flaming, am I the only one here that shakes his head in disappointment saying, "Those people are hopeless. Why even bother?"

:rolleyes:

[sinjin]

Not to sound like a cold, distant detective, but who would benefit from her death? Have they even considered the repercussion of such a deed?

And at the risk of flaming, am I the only one here that shakes his head in disappointment saying, "Those people are hopeless. Why even bother?"

:rolleyes:"Those people" have better than fifty nukes.

[Leo Lakio]

Not to sound like a cold, distant detective, but who would benefit from her death? Have they even considered the repercussion of such a deed?

And at the risk of flaming, am I the only one here that shakes his head in disappointment saying, "Those people are hopeless. Why even bother?"

:rolleyes:Her opponents think they will benefit. They feel they can control her followers enough to prevent her from becoming a powerful martyr. We shall see if they are right, or blind.

I think we all have a part of us that sighs and wonders about the wrongs of other populations, and while each incident like this will cause some to pull away from the efforts to bring peace to the world, it will draw others into the job. We bother because these are our sisters and brothers in humanity.

[tikiyaki]

And at the risk of flaming, am I the only one here that shakes his head in disappointment saying, "Those people are hopeless. Why even bother?"

:rolleyes:

No, I'm right with you on that. If the oil wasn't there, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be bothering at all. I don't know about anyone else, but I am more than ready for electric cars, or SOME other alternative fuel source.

[Random]

Her opponents think they will benefit. They feel they can control her followers enough to prevent her from becoming a powerful martyr. We shall see if they are right, or blind.
Better to NOT make her a martyr. Instead they did just that.

Whether she was shot by a bullet, struck by a bomb, or in the ensuing chaos she hit her head hard while trying to duck down through the very cramp sunroof, her death is going to cause many instability in that country now.

I think we all have a part of us that sighs and wonders about the wrongs of other populations, and while each incident like this will cause some to pull away from the efforts to bring peace to the world, it will draw others into the job. We bother because these are our sisters and brothers in humanity.
More like a hopeless brother we keep repeatedly bail him out of trouble. At what point do you finally say, "I don't want to be your safety net anymore. I got my own problems"?

[Random]

No, I'm right with you on that. If the oil wasn't there, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be bothering at all. I don't know about anyone else, but I am more than ready for electric cars, or SOME other alternative fuel source.
I think we should be get back to making our own stuff, much to the chagrin of business corporations' love of outsourcing and using outside human resources where labor law is lax or nonexistent.

Personally, I'm in favor of isolationism (what Tokugawa did before the US black fleet came knocking) with keeping an eye on foreign countries resenting us more to the point of using terrorism to get our attention. We no bother them, they no bother us.

[Random]

I wonder if the people who did this, killed two birds with one stone?

I mean, you kill one enemy, and in so doing make another enemy pay the price.

Right now, the followers of Bhutto and many Pakistanis blame her death on President Musharraf, another not-a-saint who oppose terrorism (publicly). It's a classic Machiavellian political move. If the instabilities and the riots forced Musharraf out of office, there will be a power vacuum.

[craigwatanabe]

ya know I was thinking just the same. This act isn't going to make it any easier for the powers that be.

Of course someone will probably blame the Bush administration for this cowardly act. It never fails.

[tikiyaki]

I think we should be get back to making our own stuff, much to the chagrin of business corporations' love of outsourcing and using outside human resources where labor law is lax or nonexistent.



You mean like Biodeisel made from used egg roll oil ? Lots of people are doping that here in LA. I considered it, but it seems like alot of maintanence (filtering etc).
I still think about it alot tho'.

[craigwatanabe]

You mean like Biodeisel made from used egg roll oil ? Lots of people are doping that here in LA. I considered it, but it seems like alot of maintanence (filtering etc).
I still think about it alot tho'.

but ya know in the long run it'll probably be cheaper to import used vegetable oil for biodiesel than to collect it locally.:rolleyes:

But it sounds like a great commodity for China to export all of their wok oil after making all that stir fry.:D

[Leo Lakio]

More like a hopeless brother we keep repeatedly bail him out of trouble. At what point do you finally say, "I don't want to be your safety net anymore. I got my own problems"?Probably when I'm dead, too, my friend. One might call it "enabling," while another might say it's the ticket price for existence on this realm (which sounds rather Christian for someone who professes not to be Christian, eh?)

[timkona]

In the modern day, we are not fighting a religious war. We are not fighting a war for oil. And it is only barely a regional war, unless you consider 1/4 of the planet as the region.

We are fighting a war to vanquish anachronistic cultural practices. It is true that some cultural practices are so vile as to justify all out war.

Bhutto was killed because she was perceived as progressive in her culture.

How can you believe that it is bad for women to drive cars, to become educated, or that dictatorships are preferable to democracy. Bhutto favored modernism, promoted women's rights, AND democracy. May her soul rest in peace.