Uzbekistan

Ok, I know little about Uzbekistan (or any of the other "stans" for that matter) so haven't felt like I have much to add about the recent massacre. But some think the lack of attention by the blogosphere means hypocricy is afoot.

Let me just say that I do not feel any attachment to the Uzbek government. And this mass killing is revolting. We should be against it and we should do what we can as long as we recognize that as a national security issue it is second tier at best.

We have bigger things to worry about than mere mass murder. I'm sorry, but we aren't doing a whole lot about Tibet, either. Or Zimbabwe. As the anti-Iraq War side is fond of saying, we can't stop all despots.

So what the Uzbek government did was a crime. And the situation deserves attention. But we can hardly put this on the front burner and I don't know nearly enough to comment more than this.

Perhaps that will change. That happens, too. But in the meantime, let this post stand as my statement that I'm horrified at the incident and not just looking away because the government there has helped us in the past.