By virtue of the authority vested in me, I'm going to call on all America to celebrate vice.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2011 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.  I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.

Can't get enough?  Here's the full Monty:

http://mmsweb.a.state.gov/asp/notices/dn_temp.asp?Notice_ID=15242

Think Pakistan is Self-Defeating? Welcome to India.

The common Western view of India is that its conservative Muslim rival Paksitan is inferior in every way and that India represents progress by leaps and bounds.

Once one gets there, however, one wonders if it really doesn't come down to the fact that Israeli students and dharma bandits are more free to roam India than Pakistan.  Does the presence of falafel at Indian tourist sights really mean India is that much more progressive?

Sudha Ramachandran writes a finely balanced account of the distance that remains to be traveled by "the good guy" in the fight for South Asia here:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/ME25Df01.html

From the dark days, before hope

It's only when I see things like this that you remember the extent to which even I would get caught up in the zeitgeist of hope for Obama and despair over the callousness of the Bushies towards the world.  Nor am I certain that I can be proud for not having voted my conscience. 

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-02-01/the-state-departments-school-for-revolutionary-bloggers/full/

Is D.C. America's West Bank?

Joel Mowbray's article questioning the value of Mid-East experts of the usual "fix ye first Palestine and all will be right with the Middle East and the world" stripe is excellent reading. 

Fixing what ails the Palestinian society will not be easy, nor can it be done quickly.

Nevertheless, it will be easier in the West Bank than in almost any other Arab state. West Bank Palestinians are well-educated, live in a compact area and once again enjoy a vibrant economy.

More important, they have been exposed for decades to the functioning democracy - warts and all - of the Jewish state, including its protections for basic freedoms and minority rights. Polls have shown that when asked what type of government they want, Palestinians have said they would like one modeled on Israel's.

West Bank Palestinians would seem ripe for accepting real democracy. Unfortunately, the Western nations that have long been crucial to propping up the Palestinian economy have ignored both corruption and the incitement that has poisoned the culture.

And I just started thinking that D.C is kind of like that, too  D.C. would be one of the first 3rd world emirates to become a real democracy if it weren't for all the 3rd party influence.  You have to give it that.

Rundown of International Wackiness

Viz:

Japan's torch of cool is defiantly held aloft by its shock-haired adolescents whose capricious embrace and manipulation of the freakiest aspects of modern consumerism, fashion and technology frequently dictate what the rest of the world will be wearing (we mean you, Lady Gaga) and doing with its thumbs.

http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/life/12-coolest-nationalities-earth-050844#ixzz1BqrVU5KA

USAID IG: Pakistan Aid is still Unmonitored, Ineffective

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704364004576131431122824922.html?mod=wsj_share_facebook

Is Bush's Freedom Agenda Being Vindicated by Egypt and Tunis?

http://www.lawweekly.org/?module=displaystory&story_id=3207&edition_id=169&format=html