Bhutto assasinated :(

[Too Tall]

Without intelligent conversation and strong opinions, the Dark Ages seem more a reality than past history.

[rwsaunders]

Seemed like she was some sort of link to sanity in that area. Why the hell would she expose herself like that in the car? We'll never know.

[93legendti]

Not sure, why this one should put you over the edge. Assassinations, sadly, are almost a common occurrence:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...sinated_people

Pakistan
Liaquat Ali Khan, (1951), Prime Minister
Meena Keshwar Kamal, (1987), founder of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, 1988, 10-year President of Pakistan .
Abdullah Yusuf Azzam, (1989),
Fazle Haq, (1991), governor of the Northwest Frontier
Iqbal Masih, (1995), anti-child labor activist
Siddiq Khan Kanju, (2001), former foreign minister
Benazir Bhutto, (2007), former Prime Minister
Afghanistan

Habibullah Khan, (1919), emir of Afghanistan
Mohammed Nader Shah, (1933), king of Afghanistan
Mohammed Daoud Khan, (1978), president of Afghanistan
Adolph Dubs, (1979), U.S. ambassador
Nur Mohammad Taraki, (1979), communist president
Hafizullah Amin, (1979), communist Prime Minister of Afghanistan killed during Soviet invasion
Mohammed Najibullah, (1996), president of Afghanistan from 1986 to 1992
Ahmed Shah Massoud, (2001), leader of the Afghan Northern Alliance
Abdul Haq, (2001), Afghan Northern Alliance commander killed by remnants of the Taliban
Abdul Qadir, (2002), vice-president of Afghanistan
Abdul Rahman, (2002), Afghan Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism
Abdul Sabur Farid Kuhestani, (2007), former Prime Minister of Afghanistan

India

Mohandas Gandhi, (1948), Independence leader
Indira Gandhi, (1984), Indian prime minister
Rajiv Gandhi, (1991), former Indian prime minister, son of Indira
Beant Singh(Chief Minister), (1995), chief minister of Punjab
Phoolan Devi, (2001), bandit queen turned politician and activist for people of lower castes
Abdul Ghani Lone, (2002), moderate leader of Kashmiri Muslims
General Arun Shridhar Vaidya, Chief of Army Staff, Indian Army from 1983 to 1986.

Lebanon

Sami al-Hinnawi, (1950), Syrian head of state
Kamal Jumblatt, (1977), Lebanese Druze leader
Tony Frangieh, (1978), Lebanese Christian leader
Bachir Gemayel, (1982), president-elect of Lebanon
Maya Gemayel, (1979), daughter of president-elect Bachir Gemayel
Rashid Karami, (1987), Prime Minister of Lebanon
René Moawad, (1989), President of Lebanon
Dany Chamoun, (1990), son of late president Camille Chamoun
Elie Hobeika, (2002), Lebanese militia leader
Rafik Hariri, (2005), former Prime Minister of Lebanon
Bassel Fleihan, (2005), Lebanese legislator and Minister of Economy and Commerce
Samir Kassir, (2005), Columnist at "An Nahar" daily Lebanese newspaper, long a fiery critic of Syria
George Hawi, (2005), former chief of Lebanese Communist Party
Gibran Tueni, (2005), Editor in Chief of "An Nahar" daily Lebanese newspaper
Pierre Gemayel, (2006), Minister of Industry of Lebanon
Walid Eido, (2007), member of the National Assembly
Antoine Ghanim, (2007), member of the National Assembly


Japan
Okubo Toshimichi, (1878), Prime Minister of Japan
Ito Hirobumi, (1909), First Prime Minister of Japan
Hara Takashi, (1921), Prime Minister of Japan
Hamaguchi Osachi, (1931), Prime Minister of Japan
Takuma Dan, (1932), zaibatsu leader
Inukai Tsuyoshi, (1932), Prime Minister of Japan
Takahashi Korekiyo, (1936), Prime Minister of Japan
Isoroku Yamamoto, (1943), Japanese Admiral
Inejiro Asanuma, (1960), Socialist Party of Japan chairman
Hitoshi Igarashi, (1991), translated The Satanic Verses into Japanese
Hideo Murai, (1995), one of the leading members of Aum Shinrikyo
Koki Ishii, (2002), Japanese politician
Iccho Itoh, (2007), Mayor of Nagasaki

Philippines
Julio Nalundasan, (1935), Ilocos Congressman, young Ferdinand Marcos tried but acquitted for the slaying
Jose Abad Santos, {1942), Supreme Court Chief Justice
Aurora Quezon, (1949), former First Lady of the Philippines
Ponciano Bernardo, (1949), mayor of then Philippine capital Quezon City
James Gordon, (1967), Olongapo City mayor
Juan M. Alberto, (1967), Catanduanes governor and GSIS president
Guillermo de Vega, (1975), Executive Secretary and Board of Censors head
Joe Lingad, (1980), former Pampanga governor
Benigno Aquino, Jr., (1983), senator and politician, leader of the opposition against Ferdinand Marcos
Cesar Climaco, (1984), famed mayor of Zamboanga City and prominent opposition leader
Evelio Javier, (1986), Antique governor and ally of then presidential candidate Corazon Aquino
Emma Henry, (1986), police officer and film actress
Elvira Mangahan, (1986), actress, host and fashion designer.
Rolando Olalia, (1987), head of the Kilusang Mayo Uno
Lean Alejandro, (1987), prominent student activist leader
Jaime Ferrer, (1987), Interior and Local Government Cabinet Secretary
Roy Padilla, Sr., (1988), Camarines Sur governor, father of Robin Padilla
James N. Rowe (1989), US Military advisor
Moises Espinosa, (1989), Masbate Congressman
Bonifacio D. Uy, 1989, Ilagan, Isabela mayor
Eduardo Batalla, (1989), AFP general
Oscar Florendo, (1990), AFP general and spokesperson
Francisco Abalos, (1992), Lanao del Norte governor
Jose M. Crisol, (1993), former Defense Department official, leading counter-insurgency tactician
Tito Espinosa, (1995), Masbate Congressman
Alberto Berbon, (1996), DZMM senior editor and journalist
Rolando Abadilla, (1996), controversial Marcos era military officer
Clarence Aragao, (1996), human rights lawyer
Marcial Punzalan, (2001), Quezon Congressman
Rodolfo Aguinaldo, (2001), former Cagayan governor and Congressman
Filemon 'Ka Popoy' Lagman, (2001), founder of the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP)
Romulo Kintanar, (2003), leader of the New People's Army (NPA)
Arturo Tabara, (2004), leader of Revolutionary Workers' Party
Henry Lanot, (2004), former Pasig City Congressman
Romeo Sanchez and Abelardo Ladera, (2005), local Filipino politicians and
William Tadena, (2005), clergyman with the Philippine Independent Church, by anti-NPA vigilantes
Marlene Esperat, (2005), Sultan Kudarat journalist and Department of Agriculture officer
Fausto Seachon, (2005), former Masbate Congressman
Amir bin Muhammad Baraguir, (2006), Sultan of Maguindanao
Renato Marasigan, (2006), Pasig police chief
Fernando U. Batul, (2006), DYPR broadcast journalist/commentator, former Puerto Princesa City, Palawan vice-mayor
Noli Capulong, (2006), Bayan Muna activist and pastor
Sotero Llamas, (2006), former Rebel Leader, activist and former governatorial candidate of Albay
Delfinito Albano, (2006), Ilagan,Isabela Mayor
Pablo Glean, (2006), Makati business manager and bodyguard of Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay
Alberto Ramento, (2006), bishop of Independent Church
James Bersamin, (2006), Board Member of the 2nd District of Abra
Luis Bersamin, (2006), Congressman of Abra
Federico Delgado, (2007), Citadel officer, businessman
Julia Campbell, (2007), Freelance journalist and U.S. Peace Corps volunteer
Jomel Bocalbos, (2007), Makati deputy chief of police (killed by robbers)
Alioden Dalaig, (2007), Law Department Chief and Director of COMELEC
Joseph Del Rosario, (2007), COMELEC Officer from Cavite
Wahab Akbar, (2007), Representative form Basilan

Sri Lanka
V. Dharmalingam, (1985), MP, Manipay, by TELO aligned to Indian Intelligence Agency
K. Alalasunderam, (1985), MP, Kopay, by TELO aligned to Indian Intelligence Agency
A. Majeed, (1987), former MP, Mutur, by Tamil Tigers??
Vijaya Kumaratunga, (1989), movie actor turned SLFP-SLMP politician, by JVP.
Stanley Wijesundara (1989), Colombo University Vice Chancellor, by JVP.
V. Yogeswaran, (1989), former MP, Jaffna, by dissident group of LTTE aligned to Indian Intelligence Agency
A. Amrithalingam, (1989), former MP, General Secretary, TULF, by dissident group of LTTE aligned to Indian Intelligence Agency
K.Gunaratnam, (1989), business entrepreneur, by JVP.
Rohana Wijeweera, (1989), founder of JVP, by Sri Lankan Armed Forces
T. Ganeshalingam, (1990), Minister, North East Provincial Council, by Tamil Tigers
Sam Tambimuttu, (1990), MP, Batticaloa, by Tamil Tigers
P. Kirubakaran, (1990), Finance Minister, North East Provincial Council, by Tamil Tigers
V. Yogasankari, (1990), MP, Jaffna, by Tamil Tigers
K. Kanagaratnam, (1990), MP, Eastern Province, by Tamil Tigers
Ranjan Wijeratne, (1991), Minister of State, Defence
Ranasinghe Premadasa, (1993), President of Sri Lanka, by Tamil Tigers
Ossie Abeygunasekara, (1994), member of Parliament Sri Lanka, by Tamil Tigers
Dr. Gamini Wijesekara, (1994), member of Parliament Sri Lanka, by Tamil Tigers
Weerasinghe Mallimarachchi, (1994), member of Parliament Sri Lanka, by Tamil Tigers
G. M. Premachandra, (1994), member of Parliament Sri Lanka, by Tamil Tigers
Gamini Dissanayake, (1994), Presidential candidate, UNP, member of Parliament Sri Lanka, by Tamil Tigers
Thomas Anton, (1995), Deputy Mayor, Batticaloa, by Tamil Tigers
Arunachalam Thangathurai, (1997), member of Parliament Trincomalee
Mohammad Maharoof, (1997), Member of Parliament (MP), Trincomalee, by Tamil Tigers
Sarojini Yogeswaran, (1998), Jaffna Mayor, by Tamil Tigers
S. Shanmuganadan, (1998), Member of Parliament (MP), by Tamil Tigers
Ponnudurai Sivapalan, (1998), Jaffna Mayor, by Tamil Tigers
Neelan Thiruchelvam, (1999), Member of Parliament (MP) and TULF leader
C. V. Gunaratne, (2000), cabinet minister, by Tamil Tigers
Joseph Pararajasingham, (2005), Tamil MP in Batticalo, by GoSL supported para-military Karuna Group
Lakshman Kadirgamar, (2005), foreign minister, by Tamil Tigers
Vanniasingham Vigneswaran, (2006), Tamil rights activist by by GoSL supported Karuna Group
Parami Kulatunga, (2006), army general
Nadarajah Raviraj (2006), Tamil National Alliance politician, by SL paramilitary Group
S P TamilSelvan (2007), Tamil Tigers Political Leader, by Sri Lankan Air Force aligned to Indian Intelligence Agency

[thwart]

Good article from the NYT:

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/200...aos/index.html

[Avispa]

Yeah, that was the saddest news I read yesterday...

[Ray]

Originally Posted by 93legendti

Not sure, why this one should put you over the edge. Assassinations, sadly, are almost a common occurrence:

Very true, but this one is particularly bad because its a country WITH nuclear bombs teetering on the edge of extremism in a way they haven't since they've had the bomb and at a time when the entire region is less stable than its been in quite a while.

Whether she could have done anything about it had she lived and been elected is an open question, but sadly academic now.

-Ray

[93legendti]

Originally Posted by Ray

Very true, but this one is particularly bad because its a country WITH nuclear bombs teetering on the edge of extremism in a way they haven't since they've had the bomb and at a time when the entire region is less stable than its been in quite a while.

Whether she could have done anything about it had she lived and been elected is an open question, but sadly academic now.

-Ray

I don't disagree, although ranking "bad" assassinations is not something I can do. I think they are all bad, even in the many countries with nuclear weapons that have endured and survived political assassinations.

[Viper]

Sadly, I wasn't even surprised to hear the news yesterday am. I watched it throughout the day and it was deepy sad to watch her speech a few weeks ago when she offered, "I do not believe anyone will try to kill me, I am a woman and it is against Muslim faith to do so..."

In a region of chaos and puppets, she seemed so sincere, honest and capable; her voice reminded me of Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Archbishop Tutu. In a landscape which seems bleak and dark, Ms. Bhutto was a shining light.

For her, Ms. Bhutto:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgZYlTpRoRc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xqjsP9Un8I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIZXeP5Wzew

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFJsQ5a0g4M

One Tree Hill

We turn away to face the cold, enduring chill
As the day begs the night for mercy love
The sun so bright it leaves no shadows
Only scars carved into stone
On the face of earth
The moon is up and over One Tree Hill
We see the sun go down in your eyes

You run like river to the sea
You run like a river runs to the sea

And in the world a heart of darkness
A fire zone
Where poets speak their heart
Then bleed for it
Jara sang his song a weapon
In the hands of love
You know his blood still cries
From the ground

It runs like a river runs to the sea
It runs like a river to the sea

I don't believe in painted roses
Or bleeding hearts
While bullets rape the night of the merciful
I'll see you again
When the stars fall from the sky
And the moon has turned red
Over One Tree Hill

We run like a river
Run to the sea
We run like a river to the sea
And when it's raining
Raining hard
That's when the rain will
Break my heart
Rain
Rain
Break my heart

Rain...raining in the heart
Raining in your heart
Rain...raining to your heart
Raining, raining...raining
Raining to your heart
Raining...raining in your heart
Raining in your heart..

Oh great ocean
Oh great sea
We run to the ocean
Run to the sea

μάρτυς -- one who bears witness...who bears one's body as a testament to belief and sacrifice...how some cats can sophistically twist this beautiful act of love and fidelity into a justification for taking another's life, before taking their own, i don't get....

as a species, we have a gift for destroying the best examples of ourselves

[sellsworth]

I had the great fortune to attend a speech by Bhutto a few years ago at Lake Tahoe. It was obvious to me why she has been so influential. She was very charismatic and intelligent. Her message of tolerance and understanding was inspirational. I really admire her for going back to Pakistan when she knew that her life would be in danger - she certainly didn't take the easy way out.

[Ahneida Ride]

Originally Posted by Ray

Very true, but this one is particularly bad because its a country WITH nuclear bombs. -Ray

Nuclear weapons .... Kinda colors the discussion. If not, it had better.

[jerk]

the long and short of it is that musharref has an opportunity here. the army needed a bougeois ally to counterbalance the growing aliance between the disenfranchised muslim street and the tribal boondock 13th century comtingent. its sad, but it could also be the lynchpin that finally allies the middle class, educated elite with the army thereby preventing wjat happened in Iran. remember the vast number of middle class Iranians wanted the sha gone too.....
suffice it to say, Musharraf is no better or worse than anyone any Islamist/tribal alliance would put in his place...except for the fact that hes more than happy to let the us airforce use Pakistan's airspace....which pretty much means hes our man untill soviet asia runs out of oil.

its a sick stupid world out there, and the cynic in me says this wasnt perpetrated by people oitside the ruling pakistani junta.

jerk

[norman neville]

and a poor career move for a perceived puppet of the us to go back to pakistan about now. at least busharraf still has the military and the isi behind him, so his oppenents can expect a world of hurt and possibly a glow-in-the-dark crater when and if he bites it.

every member of bhutto's immediate family met a death by violence except her mother.

her husband, asif zardari, was known in pakistan as mr. ten-percent, always with his hand out. keep in mind, bhutto was ousted twice, and not because she was a great and forward-thinking leader. apparently she was pretty close to being the proud recipient of an interpol warrant because of all the plundering of pakistan under her watch and the amazing growth of her personal fortune at the same time.

if she represented hope, it was the hope of the west, desperate to stop some truly unsavory anti-american fellas from getting access to pakistan's nukes, as opposed to the truly unsavory, somewhat-supportive-of-american-interests fellas that have 'em now.

the american and european media loved to portray her as some sort of leading-edge, cosmopolitan middle-eastern, or south asian, political leader. she could sling the bs to make westerners go all gooey--she wasn't sent to oxford and harvard for nothing; unfortunately, her time in office showed that she was nothing more than the continuation of her family business, the political corruption which has sought to plunder that part of the world for it's own selfish gain.

it is truly tragic that so many other people died with her yesterday. and now the us needs the general president busharraf more than ever.

[norman neville]

Originally Posted by jerk

suffice it to say, Musharraf is no better or worse than anyone any Islamist/tribal alliance would put in his place...except for the fact that hes more than happy to let the us airforce use Pakistan's airspace....which pretty much means hes our man untill soviet asia runs out of oil.

its a sick stupid world out there, and the cynic in me says this wasnt perpetrated by people oitside the ruling pakistani junta.

jerk

the assassination may very well have been musharraf using the isi to poke washington in the eye, saying 'i'm your dog and i'll bite'. he must have hated bhutto since he surely knows that there's not room for more than one american lickspittle at the head of his dirty little country. well, now she's gone and perhaps he's proven his worth. if he can keep it together for another 11 months, at least.

no matter what, the us will keep tight control of the purported leadership of both afghanistan and pakistan, because it's all about the oil (and gas).

[1centaur]

Originally Posted by norman neville

no matter what, the us will keep tight control of the purported leadership of both afghanistan and pakistan, because it's all about the oil (and gas).

This would be great if true. So far, neither the US Treasury market nor the US stock market is voting in favor of the "tight control" scenario.