BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

FUNNY, BECAUSE IT'S ALMOST TRUE. When I was writing and doing comedy there was one truism. No - it wasn't self-deprecation or making fun of others. It was the TRUTH. The truth, when pointed out with all its warts or put up close, under the microscope - is the funniest material you can ever hope to have. Just ask Larry David. That said, Andy Borowitz's piece below is hysterical, because it's almost true: Bush Gives Musharraf Tips on Eliminating Democracy ‘ Benefit From My Experience,’ President Tells Pakistani In what he described as “an emergency mission to help a key ally in the war on terror,” President George W. Bush flew to Islamabad today to give General Pervez Musharraf tips on how to eliminate democracy. Mr. Bush said he scheduled the trip just hours after General Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan and suspended elections “because when it comes to eliminating democracy, I thought my friend Pervez could benefit from my experience.” Speaking to...

Pakistan is in a serious mess - but did anyone notice? By Mary Shaw Things got ugly in Pakistan over the weekend. General Pervez Musharraf, the current president of Pakistan, has gone wild. He suspended the Constitution, and has declared a state of emergency, as of 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 3. Musharraf's goons have arrested his political opponents and judges, lawyers, and human rights activists. The upcoming election, scheduled for January 2008, may be postponed. All private TV channels and international media have been taken off the air. It's basically a police state. And it's quite possibly about to explode. Now consider the following: • The CIA believes [1] that Pakistan is harboring al-Qaeda, including Osama bin Laden. • Pakistan has nukes [2]. • That is a very volatile part of the world to begin with. Uh-oh. My local press [3] has been silent on the issue. Thank goodness for the Internet, the international press, and the unfortunately named but politically as...