Benazir Bhutto R.I.P.

As we modern Americans struggle with the concept of having a woman President, Pakistan has already had a woman leader. Since Benazir Bhutto left Pakistan that country has gone down a rabbit hole of radicalism, dictatorship, and tyranny. Todays assassination should come as no shock at all. I doubt that Benazir Bhutto would be shocked at todays events. Unlike many so-called leaders she was willing to risk her life to help her people. While other so-called leaders make lofty pronouncements on how we will fight this or that, she went into the den of thieves herself, knowing how long the odds were. In the poem Beowulf, not the stupid movie, the hero, after many years is faced with having to defend his people again. Even though he has many warriors with him, all abandon him to face the evil alone. He too dies, but in his death a legend is born.

There are many powerful warriors in this world, who day by day stand by and do nothing while evil is left to foment. We will stick with Musharef because we, above all, want stability, failing to realize that he offers nothing of the kind. Strongmen are not strong. Nations that need strongmen are weaklings wallowing in turmoil, on the edge of anarchy, revolution, or oblivion. I would cast off this military tyrant. Better to be rid of him than stupidly cling to him hoping for the best.

Yet even with todays tragedy we must not falter. Human beings have seen so much tragedy and will continue to see such days. We will go on and things will get better. In the darkest days of WWI or WWII things seemed mighty bleak, with body counts in the tens of thousands a month coming to our papers and rumors of extermination camps or mass gas attacks in the trenches, and oddly shaped mushroom clouds over irradiated cities. But we muddled through and will continue. We are a tough lot, human beings, we will come through all the trials and tribulations.

In ten thousand years we will be facing other problems, and tragedy and triumphs. We will still be muddling through then too.