It might be that Republican Rep. Randy Neugebauer may be the poster child for why Texas should secede from the Union, in that it will keep people like Randy Neugebauer from public view. Neugebauer, who has since admitted to shouting “Baby killer!” before members of the House after the health care bill passed, was supposedly objecting to what he views as pro-abortion leanings in the bill. Much like South Carolina's Rep. Joe Wilson, who shouted “You lie!” at President Obama as he delivered a speech before Congress, Randy Neugebauer couldn't compose himself and be a professional, working adult. It was apparent that he shouted at Rep. Bart Stupak the “baby killer!” after the Michigan Democrat voted in favor of the bill.

Neugebauer denies having directed it specifically at Stupak

Yet Randy Neugebauer apologized to his House colleague anyway. His justification for his remarks – that the health care bill is “a baby killer” – may be his last-ditch effort to squeeze campaign dollars out of anti-abortion groups. Maybe he needed some debt relief?

He Who Shouts Baby Killer may be steamed over receiving less than $ 3,000 from the anti-abortion gallery (dollar figure taken from a Center for Responsive Politics survey). OpenSecrets.org purports that anti-abortion groups might be enticed to get out their checkbooks. A lot of opponents of the health care bill are none too pleased. Former G.W. Bush speech writer David Frum says “It's Waterloo all right: ours.” The Fire Nancy Pelosi petition is circulating, but it's too little too late for those who vowed to fight Democratic health care reform tooth and nail.

Who are He Who Shouts Baby Killer's backers?

According to OpenSecrets.org, “the National Auto Dealers Association, National Association of Home Builders, Quantum Energy Partners, National Beer Wholesalers Association and National Association of Realtors” are big Randy Neugebauer bankrollers. That's just in case you want to know.

Is this the sort of thing that Texans are proud of?

Randy Neugebauer may represent your beliefs, but do you feel that he is scoring points for Republicans with his “He Who Shouts Baby Killer” routine? Mr. Stupak isn't a baby killer. Emotional outbursts rarely affect cool policy decisions. It makes a person look foolish to put it mildly, in the media and among citizens.

Shouting “Baby killer!” at grunt soldiers returning from Vietnam didn't endear that small group of offending hippies to America, either. In both cases, perhaps a lack of information and heads swelled by some vague notion of selflessness without direction were the trouble. Randy Neugebauer would probably have more fans if he were a bit more honest about things. Holding up a sign begging the anti-abortion lobby for money would have been more direct, and perhaps more respectable. He could have also looked into payday loans with no fax as a quick source of funding, though Mr. Neugebauer would have to repay within a couple of weeks.

The vote for health care reform has come and gone, but the fury left in its wake – one that has shattered the peace of Rep. Eric Cantor's district office, among other places on both sides of the political aisle – will not soon subside. According to CNN, Eric Cantor claims that a bullet was shot “through a window” at his district office in Richmond, Virginia. Before that happened, he says that he had received many threatening messages, messages in which he won't reveal since he fears that doing it publicly might inspire others to copycat other violent acts against himself or other republicans.

Cantor says that Democrats are 'fanning the flames' of violent acts

Cantor suggests that Tim Kaine, DNC chair, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland have been doing just that: using those threats made against the pro-health care reform Democrats as a way to strike back. As the Washington politics catchphrase is now becoming violence begets violence, Cantor has stated on record “Enough is enough.” People may need money now, but they don't need to worry about fringe groups preventing their elected officials from representing them accurately.

Bodyguards for the democrats

What is it that takes them to the tea party mentality and takes them beyond rational discourse and straight off into the expressway of the lunatic fringe? More than 10 Democrats have been harassed, according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland. They've been harassed to a point that they feared for their safety, making it important for them to hire more security staff. It all comes down to who wanted to support the health care reform in the end, the broken window, the cut gas line at Rep. Tom Perriello's brother's home and other various threats. The fight is so much worse than anything the pay day loan industry has ever faced.

So much sweat and blood

Oscar Wilde once wrote that “When liberty comes with hands dabbled in blood, it is hard to shake hands with her.” Whether you are supporting imperfect change with possibilities in the future of advances or fighting every last breath to stop a supposed socialist agenda, you might say that liberty drenched in blood isn't worth it. However, others might gladly shake, then lick the blood clean from their hands, savoring each drop. What kind of America do you want for your children?

Pakistan's capacity to produce electricity compared to other states of it's size (geography) and population puts it in the lower 20 percentile among the comity of nations, reports South Asian news service SADATV today.

Combining the three major energy sectors, Hydroelectric, Thermal and Nuclear, Pakistan has an installed capacity of 19.5 GW of electric power.

Turkey is a country similar in size to Pakistan, while Brazil has a similar population scale. Turkey has an installed capacity of over 40 GW, while Brazil produces about 95GW of electricity.

Brazil is a much larger country, with vast water resources; but Turkey is very similar to Pakistan in a number of respects, yet it manages to produce over twice the amount of electricity. Given that Turkey has about one-third the population of Pakistan, this statistics shows that its citizens enjoy 6 times more power than those in Pakistan.

Also noteworthy is that India, Pakistan's arch rival and not the most well managed democracy in the world, has an installed capacity of 150 GW and has managed to significantly decrease power outage in the last 20 years. However, nothing has changed in Pakistan, if not for the worse.

This appalling state of power generation in Pakistan has been widely reviewed and commented upon by its local media. Last Friday, the Nation, an English language newspaper in Pakistan, reviewed the state of affairs and said that the load shedding (intentional power outage) in Pakistan is not only hampering the industry, but also causing unemployment on a grand scale. A report in the News, says that the major city of Karachi suffers from between 3-8 hours of load shedding throughout the Sunday and other Holidays. This is Karachi; the most developed city in Pakistan, with its own, separate electricity board.

The condition is incomparably worse in rural areas, especially the previously militant controlled North West Frontier provinces. These areas have virtually no power, and one hour of electricity a day is considered miraculous.

Thermal power generation produces about 65% of Pakistan's electric power, while the Hydroelectric and Nuclear sectors account for 33% and 2% respectively. Thermal power is generated using oil, natural gas and coal. Oil, which accounts for 43.5% of total energy generated, has to be imported (almost two-thirds of it), while natural gas (39%) and coal (5%) is indigenous. There are vast reserves of natural gas in Pakistan, with 611 billion cu m in Baluchistan alone. Moreover, the government has noted that using crude oil for thermal power generation is not only expensive, but also pollutes the atmosphere; yet a major switch to natural gas power production has not been attempted yet.

Hydroelectricity is generated from the major dams, the Tarbela, Mangela, and the Warsakh dams. The Tarbela is the largest rock and earth dam in the world, and generates 2.1 million kW of electricity. The vast Indus basin has a potential to generate 25 GW of power, despite seasonal wanes, but most of that potential has not been built upon yet.
Pakistan has two nuclear power reactors, one each in Karachi and Chasma, which together produce 425 MW of power, which is about 2% of the country's total. More nuclear reactors for power generation are under approval stages.

There is the need for a three pronged development goal for the future. In the first stages, a quick, stopgap measure of changing from crude oil based thermal power generation to natural gas needs to be undertaken. This measure will not require expensive creation of new power plants or natural gas extraction facilities. Existing thermal power plants could be switched to natural gas fuel, and natural gas production itself could be increased at existing facilities. In the second stage, the vast hydroelectric potential of the Indus river basin should be harnessed to full capacity, producing the 25 GW it is capable of. In the third stage, major cities and industrial hubs should be switched to nuclear power, given that nuclear power, while expensive, is the most dependable source of power.

Both the US and China have been long involved in Pakistan; but while China has historically been more involved in a constructive, peaceful capacity, the US has largely used Pakistan as a base for fighting land wars in Asia. If the US wants to invest more in the economic development of Pakistan, a few areas need its urgent attention.
The US has a very developed capacity in the natural gas industry. Given the progressive economic development of Pakistan, the US will find a major investment in Pakistan's natural gas sector vastly profitable.

Also, as the Special Representative Richard Holbrooke, recently noted, the expulsion of militants from the country has given the US “breathing room” to focus on other aspects of development.

A major energy assessment has been done by the USAID, the US government's international aid department, in this regard.

Another major area where Pakistan needs US help is to fight the seasonal fluctuations of the hydroelectric sector. The sector has an annual capacity of 25 GW, as discussed; however, the problem is that this capacity is mostly expended during a few months of the season, and throughout the rest of the year, the river basins remain dry. This problem can be solved in two ways, one, by building more dams to harness the water throughout the year, and two, to create energy storage capacity to generate energy during the monsoon months and use it during the winter.

Finally, there is the question of nuclear power. This is a thorny issue, and the US has not been forthcoming in developing even civilian nuclear power in Pakistan. However, with a stabilizing political situation in Pakistan, the US should rethink its nuclear strategy and help develop reactors for the major industrial hubs, as China has already begun to do.

Ibrahim Sajid Malick is a veteran journalist who writes for SADATV.com and blogs at www.ibrahimsajidmalick.com

 

The secretary of state confirmed last night to everyone that the voter initiative to legalize marijuana received about 523,531 valid signatures-over 433,971 were needed to get it onto the November ballot. The initiative has many supporters who believe that legalizing pot will not only save the cash-strapped Californian economy, but will also bring in instant cash of tax revenue. Those who don't support the bill suggest that legalizing pot will lead to more crime and large health impacts. Other detractors worry that legalizing gray-market marijuana will decrease the quality of marijuana and significantly harm the budding marijuana industry. {Part 1 of this article covers the Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act in California and the arguments for its passage. Part 2: Arguments against Marijuana Legalization in California covers the arguments against marijuana legalization in California}.

History of marijuana legalization in California.

In 1913, the first state law criminalizing marijuana in the United States was passed in California. Other states were quick to follow. By 1937 the federal law has made the transfer and possession of “Marihuana” illegal for everything except industrial and medical uses.

In 1969 this act was declared unconstitutional; however, the US Federal government kept marijuana in the controlled substance act of 1970. California made medical marijuana legal with Proposition 215 in 1996, reigniting the national debate. Marijuana remains an illegal Schedule I narcotic and is considered to have “no valid medical use” on the federal level.

California measures to legalize marijuana.

The California voter initiative to legalize pot, known as the Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act lays out several limitations on the legal use of marijuana. Anyone 21 or older would be permitted to “possess, cultivate, or transport marijuana for personal use.” Marijuana would be taxed and regulated through commercial sales or production by local governments in California. Individuals would also be prohibited from smoking marijuana in public, smoking marijuana while minors are present, providing to any underage person, possessing the drug on school grounds or driving while under the influence of marijuana.

Marijuana legalization cost-savings argument

Those who support the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act suggest that legalizing marijuana would help save the Californian State a lot of money. California has been using payday cash advances on the state budget to cover all their costs because they are in a huge budget deficit.

Estimates for these savings range from $ 156 million to $ 1 billion. Some of the supporters suggest the law-enforcement is being stretched thin due to the prosecution of those who grow, sell, or poses marijuana; they suggest that the law-enforcement can focus on those criminals and crimes doing dangerous and violent acts. Many of the proponents point out that few deaths in California are due to marijuana while alcohol is the contributor of hundreds of deaths every year.

The taxation argument for cannabis legalization.

While saving California millions of dollars in law enforcement, the Regulate, Control and Tax Act also gives government the ability to tax marijuana. $ 15 billion worth of gray-market and black-market marijuana is sold in California each year as estimated by proponents of the act.

Just one excise tax on the retail sales of marijuana would bring in about $ 1.3 billion a year or even more. Some of the cities and counties in California currently tax medical marijuana. These county and city taxes make as much as $ 350,000 per dispensary.

Job arguments in legalizing pot

Humboldt county as well as other areas in California already have a large marijuana tourism industry. The area brings in millions of dollars a year in tourism revenue through services from medical marijuana dispensaries to schools that focus on growing marijuana. If the marijuana tourism industry in California grew to just one-third the size of the wine industry, it would help to create 50,000 jobs, as pointed out by supporters. It would add the agricultural base in California if hemp were to be legal to produce in state with marijuana being legalized.

The Californian's Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act will be on the November ballot. If you were interested in the arguments against the legalization of marijuana in California, I would suggest you see Part 2: Arguments against Marijuana Legalization in California.

Sources:

The Associated Press

Business Week

Seattle Times

Time Magazine

CNN

California NORML

He was often referred to as the “Heretic King.” The Pharaoh Akhenaten was very likely one of the very first rulers to to institute a religion based on monotheism. As coregent with his father the Pharaoh Amenhotep III, Akhenaton showed no tendency towards a desire to change the religion of Egypt. It was only after his marriage to his Queen Nefertiti that he began to worship only the solar God Aten. It was then that he renounced his ruling name, Amenhotep, assuming the name Akhenaten which translates to “He Who Serves Aten.” Nefertiti changed her name to Nefer-Nefru-Aten which means “Beautiful is the Beauty of Aten.”

The priests of Thebes considered the actions of the Pharaoh heresy, prompting Akhenaten to set up a new court on the east bank of the Nile near what is now Amarna. The king's power could not be questioned although his monotheistic philosophy was questioned by many. This did not stop the people from following Akhenaten and nearly 20,000 made their home in Akhenaten el-Armana, a massive city dominated by brilliant art and architecture.

Akhenaten's faith in the sun disk god, also brought about changes in Egyptian art. It was the first time that Egyptian artists were inspired to create art centered on the capturing daily life rather than death. Stelae – these stone tablet wall reliefs were common forms of art during this period. They were decorated with paintings and text and often intended to commemorate an historic event. They were crafted both for religious and decorative purposes.

although Akhenaton ruled for more than 17 years, little remains of his reign. the Egyptian priesthood sought to eliminate any evidence of the 'heretic Pharaohs' legacy of monotheism. A few artifacts from the time period do remain. One such piece is the Akhenaten and Family wall relief that sits in the Altes Museum in Berlin. The piece is unusual for its depiction of a more natural, 'slice of life' feel that's a far cry from the more regal, posed art seen prior to his rule.

hieroglyphics within the wall relief suggest that the change in style was at Akhenaton's direction. In the scene he is is seen kissing one of his daughters. Queen sits across from the Pharaoh, another daughter plays with her earring. Not all elements of Egyptian art are abandoned. The children are depicted as much smaller than the King and Queen even though they were full grown at the time. This is symbolic of their lesser stature to the King and Queen.

 

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Politicians realize that the population is dummying down, and they often realize that the lowest common denominator is the “mean average intelligence level” of their voters. Therefore, when a political issue comes up they turn on the political rhetoric and they try to simplify the situation into one sentence, which they can use as their mantra for their stump speeches as they go around and try to get votes.

What they don't realize is many of the states that are providing these unemployment benefits are going to go broke, as their tax revenues has also been curtailed due to economic pressures and the bottom of the business cycle.

So, I just expect it because it's not going to change. People all over the world come to this country every year to escape these same dictators who dislike the United States.

Some countries build fences to keep people from leaving… we cannot handle the influx of those trying to get in. You figure it out.

One thing we have to be very careful with is the Old Christian adage; “you shouldn't give a man a fish, you should teach them to fish.” Apparently, the Senators are more interested in getting re-elected in 2010 than they are about doing what is most prudent for our nation's treasury, our state government budgets, and keeping our workforce healthy, and desirable about getting back to work.

After all, why would anyone go get a job if they can get 20 more weeks of unemployment benefits without doing a thing?

This will set up an extremely bad precedence, cause people to be lazy, and we will be sorry in the future that we allowed this to occur. The Senators who wish to extend unemployment benefits are making a huge mistake. And whereas, it might be politically prudent for their own hides, it is about the worst thing we can do if we want to remain productive, and efficient in our economy. Please consider all this

Mafia – mention this easy word and it sends shudders down one’s spine. That’s simply because mafia has earned a nasty popularity for doing bad beyond the unthinkable. These evil acts are portrayed in movies, television shows, news, and in this day and age, on the web.The truth is, the mafia represents power. Genuine mafia households have roots that go way back again to a number of decades ago. These households carry on their shady actions underground, and have grown very effective more than the years. The wealth accumulated more than every generation is passed on from generation to generation.In fact, the mafia has gotten so great at hiding their tracks that the authorities are creating a hard time tracking their activities. They are discovering it even more difficult to trace the sources of cash. Because of this excellent wealth, mafia households are a effective force to become reckoned with. Their shady actions gives them a mysterious aura, and the outside world is dying to know what they’ve been as much as.

But despite their resourcefulness, authorities have been producing development. Surely, they’ve been doing some catching up of late. You will find that the authorities are already producing good progress. Right after all, great usually triumph more than bad. At least that’s what the mafia movies always claim.So besides reading up about the latest and juiciest information, you also get to watch some of the best mafia films of all time. It’s funny how the mafia has always been connected using the films. Perhaps the occasions of the real existence mafia loved ones has all the qualities for making a great movie. After all, who can resist watching a movie about politics, energy struggle, and violence all at the exact same time.

When watching any mafia movie, be sure that you simply have examine up on some fundamental information about mafia structures. Or else it is easy to lose the plot halfway via the movie. For instance, you should know how the Don is in the best of the hierarchy. The Don is in turn served by several advisors and under bosses. So it helps to know who call the shots in the movies. This can help you understand the plot much better, for you’ll start to acquire much better insight into every character’s intentions. So allow it to be a stage to brush up on your mafia general knowledge today, just so you do not miss out on the numerous excellent mafia movies.

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2012 is anticpated to be a momentous year, the 1st winter youth Olympic games is going to be held in January, the United States of America will hold a presidential election and the UK are going to commemorate the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth. But if you happen to be looking forward to 2013 you shouldn't get your hopes up, because based on some predictions, the world is due to end on December 21. If you take pleasure in Christmas, make the most of this year and the following, given that according to the Mayan calendar, they'll be your last. Maybe.

Before Europeans showed up in meso America the populace employed an intricate mix off calendars to record their days.  The Haab or solar calendar, both a timepiece and Mayan art form, was constructed from 18 twenty day months plus a time period of five days named Wayeb to bring the total to 365.

The Tzolkin on the other hand was a cycle of 260 days, thirteen times twenty.  No-one knows quite the reason why 260 days were picked, though it appears the numbers thirteen along with twenty were each important to these early civilizations. There is a probability that it is linked to the time in between a woman's first missed period and the birth of  her offspring, and made it easier to foresee when a baby would be born, however various other hypotheses about crop harvesting and zodiac findings may perhaps be just as correct. Nearly all dates could be set by a combination of the Haab and Tzolin, the period would come together once every fifty-two years, that is approximately once in every life time.

To look at intervals for a longer period than 52 years the Mayans utilized another technique that we now call the Long Count calendar. This technique is found in both Olmec and Aztec art and wasn't invented by the Maya. Dates run forwards from a mythical day zero, the day from the introduction of the present world. Like all civilizations the base units were days, with 20 days in the uinal and 18 uinals in the tun (around a year). A K'atun contains twenty tuns and twenty of these a b'ak'tun. Again the number 13 is important and several inscriptions in Mayan art display the date changing at the end of 13 b'ak'tuns and talked of events that occur on that date. This lead to  the notion that the Mayans anticipated something important might occur near the last day of the 13th B'ak'tun. That day has been calculated to be 21st or 23 December 2012. So what can we expect?

Well according to several scholars nothing in the least. There are several references to things taking place about that point in time in inscriptions, but nothing really concrete, so it's surprising just how much fuss 2012 is creating. A few say there may a religious evolution, while other people refer to a momentous galactic alignment, even though this is based on the location of the galactic equator, which can not be determined, this doesn't seem very likely. But others worry about planet Niburu.

Collision with planet X (or Niburu) has been predicted since the year 2003, but any planet close enough to be within collision with the Earth in 2012 would now be obviously visible to astronomers in the evening sky. Sadly this fictional collision has become confused in the media with the real and expected approach of a large asteroid referred to as Eros that is expected to pass the earth in 2012. Eros is greater than the asteroid which we believe killed the dinosaurs 65 millions years back but since it won't ever end up being nearer than 70 times the distance from the moon, it's unlikely to do any destruction.

Looking at the Mayan calendar is a great reason to consider how we measure time and why, to understand the solar cycles which still dominate our life and also to enjoy the fine art of an intriguing culture. As to getting ready for the end of the world, that still would seem a little premature.

Over 2,500 years ago, Prince Siddharta Gautama was born in what's now called Lumbini in Nepal. He was born a prince and his birth was received all sorts of distinctive signals that suggested a life of greatness. The prince's father went to a wiseman who lived within the kingdom for advice regarding his boy.  The sage man believed that the prince, Siddharta Gautama, might either follow in his father's  footsteps and become a great king or he might become a spiritual leader.

Praying that his son would develop into his heir, the king did his best to separate the prince from those things that could encourage him towards a spiritual existence.  The prince was bombarded by extravagance  and excess, every one of the benefits that his royal position could offer.  Siddharta Gautama proved to be an intelligent student and exceptional sportsman.  He married a lovely woman whom he adored and  they  bore a child.

At the age of 29, the prince discovered that the world surrounding him was much more problematic than he experienced in the walls of his palace.  Out and about amidst the citizens of the kingdom, he  found reality: sickness, old-age and death. The surprise of this finding left the youthful prince shaken. He made the decision then to dedicate himself to ending the suffering. Leaving behind his wife and child, the prince forsaked his worldly possessions and embarked on a spiritual journey.

Guatama began a course of study with numerous instructors to understand their practices. With the help of Alara Kalama, he soon started to comprehend meditation and discovered an exalted form called absorption.  This allowed him to accomplish a state of nothingness where there is no moral or cognitive dimension. Although this was helpful it was clear to the former prince that it wouldn't eliminate the suffering he  had observed.  Guatama carried on his search for other people who could guide him on his spiritual voyage.  Udraka Ramputra, aided Gautama to comprehend a state of neither perception or non-perception,  but this to wasn't precisely what he was searching for. The next step in his journey led Gautama to Uruvilva in North India.  It was there that he chose an ascetic path, living a life of deprival for nearly 6 years. This only led to the destruction of his entire body, weakness and self-destruction. Although it cost him his five followers, Gautama rejected this ascetic lifestyle.

The end of this spiritual journey appeared as far away as ever, so the Buddha sat down under a Bodhi tree and proclaimed that “flesh may wither, blood may dry up, but I shall not rise from the spot until Enlightenment has been one.”  After 40 days and nights of thought and meditation, the Buddha finally achieved Enlightenment.

It is the Buddhist understanding that at that moment he accomplished a state of being that surpasses anything else in the world. Each of our normal experiences are based on preconceptions and circumstances: how we were raised, our encounters, flaws and mistakes. Enlightenment is a state when the convoluted inner workings of life become apparent and the source of human suffering discovered.

For the next 45 years, the Buddha journeyed through much of what is today northern India. He taught the way of Enlightenment to all that desired to understand. This particular instruction came to be referred to as the dharma or “the teaching of the enlightened one.     The Buddha took numerous disciples who subsequently attained their own Enlightenment and they trained others.

Buddhists believe that Buddha attained a state of being that moves beyond everthing else in the world. If typical experience is based on conditions – parental input, mindsets, views, awareness, and so on – Enlightenment is Unconditioned. It was a state when the Buddha obtained insight into the deepest workings of life and for that reason, into the reason for human suffering, the problem that had set Him on His spiritual quest in the first place.

The Buddha statue we often see doesn not represent a god and didn't consider himself as a divine creature. He was simply a man who endeavored to transform himself through self reflection and meditation. Buddhists see him as an ideal and his journey as a guideline which could encourage them on the path to enlightenment.  Most homes that practice Buddhism will display some type of Buddha decor like a statue of Buddha, but this is intended to remind them of their own spiritual journey.

Contemporay Pakistani scholars including Ambassador Hussain Haqqani (Between Mosque and Military) have argued that a shady alliance between army and Mullahs has led to the current abysmal condition of democracy in Pakistan.

Another one of my favorite Pakistani scholar Hassan Abbas in his book “Pakistan's Drift Into Extremism: Allah, then Army, and America's War Terror” has made similar arguments.

Many others, including this humble scribe, have pleaded that America yields tremendous amount of influence on Pakistan army and therefore, has the wherewithal to steer the country on the track of civilian rule.

I have come to conclusion that this hypothesis is flawed for two reasons: i) American influence in Pakistan is limited ii) it is not in American interest to alienate Pakistan army.

When Obama administration decided to align itself with the civil society and announced $7.5 billion in aid through Kerry-Lugar bill, a handful but very loud Pakistani journalists raised so much hell that General David Petraeus had to go to Pakistan and dress down the country's Chief of Army Staff General Kayani.

Gen. Patreause and Sen. Kerry were sent to Pakistan after US President Barack Obama signed a record 7.5 billion dollar package tripling non-military aid to the nuclear-armed Muslim nation to boost its campaign against a virulent Islamist insurgency. Although the Zaradari government defended the package, Pakistan's powerful military sparked a domestic showdown, expressing grave reservations about conditions that hinge some of the funds on efforts to battle Islamist extremism.

United States Central Command chief Gen David Petraeus and Chairman Senate Foreign Affairs committee Senator John Kerry on October 19th last year held separate meetings with the Pakistan Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashraf Kayani and the outcome of those meetings were an immediate yanking of the anti-KLB campaign from Pakistani private TV channels. When Central Command chief Gen David Petraeus went to the GHQ he categorically told Gen Kayani to halt anti-KLB campaign. “Gen. Kayani was told in absolutely clear terms that the Obama administration will not tolerate another Honduras,” said a source very close to this conversation.

In Pakistan, Zardari administration was portrayed by the media as too deferential to the United States. Pakistani journalists who unconditionally support their Army started the campaign against KLB and coalesced anti-Western politicians, and Muslim fundamentalists – implausibly claiming that Pakistan's sovereignty was undermined and the country could end up as a U.S. neo-colony. Some of it is untrue!

To begin with, Pakistan has been an American neo-colony for last six decades and most of that time it was under a military dictatorship. And, most importantly Pakistan has been an American satellite state because of it's army.

Pakistan's military operates on the U.S. financial and technological assistance and it will receive even more support in the near future as it targets Taliban strongholds. Therefore conditions placed by the U.S. Congress on $7.5 billion in economic aid to Pakistan over the next five years should not have been of major consequence to Pakistani generals.

It is undoubtedly true that Pakistani government is too deferential to the Americans. Not that I condone it but this is not new. Bone of contention here was the 'non-military' aid. KLB was historic because it earmarked monies for health, education, infrastructure and civil society.

Pakistan army felt left-out. Although Pakistan army has backed out of KLB but democratic government is still hanging on the balance. NRO, food security, energy crisis all loom over Zardari's head.

From trafficking heroin to grabbing precious land; from taking kick-back on purchase of equipment (sub-marines included) Pakistan army has looted everything we have ever had. Why then, I wonder, Pakistanis only discuss civilian corruption? Managing PR fiasco was easy for the Obama administration. They had to remind the source of opposition of an old proverb: you can't bite the hand that feeds you. Pakistani Generals understood and complied.

But Americans also understood and acknowledged that Pakistan army truly represents Pakistan. Army is back on the table-and part of every session of strategic dialogue in Washington DC this week.

There are clear indications that Pakistan Army and America are strategizing how to engage Allah (represented by Taliban) to create veneer of peace in the region.

To my contemporary political analysts who have waited for Americans to change the course in Pakistan, I respectfully submit: change only comes from within. Pakistan army will rule as long as Pakistani people are ready to tolerate it's reign.

Leading journalist of Pakistan, Ibrahim Sajid Malick who blogs at www.ibrahimsajidmalick.com writes from Washington DC today