A harbinger in Pakistan...

Thank Pakistan for giving us a small taste of what we can possibly expect from the Bush/Cheney junta in the next year.

As a reaction to the arrival and popularity of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the attacks on her caravan leaving 158 dead and hundreds maimed, President Musharaff has clamped down on civil demonstrations, declared martial law, suspending the "Constitution" and refusing help from the FBI and Scotland Yard to investigate the bombing.

Remember, Musharraf is the chosen "friend" of the Bush administration, who originally seized power in a coup in 1999. It was Musharraf first in line to receive bribes, excuse me, aid payments when Bush cobbled together his coalition of the killing to fight terrorism. And how much help has Musharraf been? Well, for one thing, Osama bin Laden is still reportedly hiding out in the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan...

One has to wonder why Bush feels his "hands are tied" in dealing with Pakistan. Could it be because in his dark twisted heart of hearts he knows he may have to resort to some of the same tactics Musharaff is using?

As I've asked before in this space, is it really to much to believe that, in the event of political or social unrest, the Bush administration would suspend the next election and declare martial law?

In an invited commentary on CNN.com Bhutto raised several issues of a nature we may find ourselves dealing with in the months to come. The issues have to do with peaceful assembly, free political expression. I encourage my readers to check out the entire article, but here is an interesting excerpt:

On my return to Pakistan last month, throngs of people turned out to welcome me back home. The demand to ban grassroots political activity is a suspicious prelude to what could be an overt attempt to rig the upcoming elections. All people who believe in the process of democracy should reject this attempt to undermine public participation in the campaign and set the table for what I believe would simply be a fraudulent election.

Note that fraudulent elections, which we have certainly had a taste of in the United States, are one of the 14 Points of Fascism.