Eggs Laid by Tigers

One white-bearded elder "mentioned proudly that England's Queen Elizabeth II had visited in the 1950s.

"'That all seems like a dream now, like rocking on a swing with your eyes closed,'" said the man, a retired police officer named Sherzada."

Swat once was the Switzerland of Pakistan, not then though to be "lawless". The people are pleased that the Taliban are gone. The article in today's Washington Post gives ample reason for the public hatred of the Taliban, and it also illustrates the government's inability to enforce even the local holiday schedule.

The Pakistan army is making the people safe from the Taliban, but at a great price to the people. One hopes for better from General McChrystal and our Marines.

Pictures of Swat:

"There but or the Grace o gGod, go I." Or perhaps one of these old guys is I, ans I, he. What do I know?

Where tourists used to stay.

Why tourists stopped going, when the Taliban ruled.

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Raising the same problem for McChrystal, ask the New York Times to search the village of Kohat, district capital for kohat District, in the "lawless' tribal areas. You will find here and here and here and here news articles of bombings by the Taliban and once by the U.S. resulting in significant deaths, considering Kohat's small population. How do you prevent suicide bombings.? How do you prevent accidental killing of civilians by our own bombs? McChrystal seems determined to attempt making folks safe, so that they will be encouraged to themselves take up arms against the Taliban. McChrystal's vision is daring. I wish him well with a full heart. His unclassified report to the president is here, in case you missed it. It is well worth reading. The talking heads do not do it justice.