* Let’s face it, democracy is still a work in progress in this country. Lest we forget: Al Gore’s loss, recent voter suppression efforts and the inability of 60 senators to agree with 90 per cent of Americans on gun control. Not “exceptionalism’s” finest hours. And to expect “democracy” out of the Muddled East is to misread reality. Stability without brutalizing dictatorship is as high as the bar goes for the foreseeable future.
* For those looking for signs that Egypt’s Arab spring is actually transitioning into something progressively encouraging, this can’t be welcome news. Convictions for blasphemy, especially among Christians, continue to increase. Not that Egyptians are shocked. Criminalizing blasphemy was enshrined in the Islamist-backed constitution that was adopted in December.
* Bolivarian revolution update: With some 15,000 killings a year, Venezuela’s homicide rate is now the 5th highest in the world, according to United Nation’s statistics. The murder rate doubled during the14-year reign of the late President Hugo Chavez. And this just in: Outsized inflation is no longer such a galvanizing concern. Locals can now add toilet paper to the list of chronic shortages, which already includes medicines and basic food items.