Things in Pakistan are not looking particularly good. Islamic fundamentalist youth are storming shopping centers and threatening video store owners, which must be a terrible quandry for the State Department since the videos are 100% bootleg. To condemn oppressive fundamentalism or the copyright infringers? They're of course taking the middle road, and staying silent. Who would have thought US copyright lawyers and the Taliban would be on the same team?

Meanwhile, the tribes in Waziristan are thrilled because for the first time in years their war drums are getting a workout. And no, I'm not using a colorful turn of phrase, they really are excited that they get to bang on war drums, something the Taliban hitherto had not allowed (too musical?). But the Taliban has approved a jihad against Uzbek militants in the area - something everyone can get behind, I guess...

At any rate, the uptick in fundamentalist activity has my middle class Pakistani friends and colleagues scratching their heads and shooting worried glances at each other while the government begs a crew of fundamentalist school girls to please stop kidnapping people and vacate the children's library. Chucking a bunch of schoolgirls in jail, regardless of their backing by stick-wielding men, is presumably perceived as too great a risk for sparking Ulema outrage. The big argument for the current military government is that it is the only force that can keep fringe elements at bay. Yet the Taliban operate with impunity, and they can't handle a group of militant schoolgirls. Hm...