Solidarity

The two news stories capturing my attention right now are the dire political situation in Pakistan and the writers' strike.

I've commented before about Musharraf. He's a petty dictator who acts in his own interest, not that of his country. He needs to be removed. He should have been taken out of office years ago. Now the climax. Arresting the opposition--1500 is the last number I heard. Shutting down the Supreme Court. Declaring martial law. He sounds like a desperate man. I hope the current chaos will lead to the death of his leadership. Pakistan deserves better.

The writers' strike captures my imagination because I am a writer and I feel solidarity with those whose work is being exploited. I know the feeling. I can do without the late night talk shows. If necessary, I can do without my soap opera. :-) And the truth is I won't even miss the primetime shows. I rarely watch TV in the evening.

Pakistan is working for the rights of the people to have truly democratically-elected leadership--not a third-rate dictator who has been propped up by Western support. The writers is working for their right to be paid fairly for their work and retain the economic rights to their work. Writing is not as easy as it looks and, considering the amount of work going into each piece--whether it's a novel or a TV screenplay, writers almost never get paid enough.

There are other people whose rights are being trampled, from Guatanamo to Myanmar. This is a beginning.