So many points, so litte time!

• LOL!! Seriously, you will also laugh out loud after knowing this! Pakistan's Intelligence agency, the ISI, wants us to talk to them directly!! LOL! "…Lt. Gen. Pasha came clean in stating that the ISI and the Pakistan Army were involved in framing Pakistan's India policy, along with the Foreign Office. He made the oblique suggestion that India deal directly with these three institutions if it had a similar three-way mechanism." Again, LOL! Someone should tell this Pasha dude that it is precisely because we don't have such a "similar three way mechanism" that our country is much more stable that he can ever imagine his to be! No wonder that country is in chaos, eternally. Well, with three power centres (reports are also suggesting that there is a rift between Gilani and Zardari. If true that makes it four power centres!) operating parallelly, what else can you expect but chaos?! You can read the full report here.
  
• Dr. Kalam was frisked and this incident came into light nearly two months after it happened. And then our frenzy media went into a tizzy, and then had debates whether our VIP's are overly pampered! For starters, the protocol only restricts 18 kind of VIP's, with former Presidents also being in the list. Secondly, it is also a major security breach that a person was bodily allowed to touch a former President. As much as the US airline is worried that a former President of the world's largest democracy is a security threat, our security agencies also have to be worried that the same employee can also be a potential threat to our former President. Thirdly, Dr. Kalam did not make this an issue, but we are and I think this time we are doing it rightly so. Sagarika Ghose of the CNN-IBN, eulogises in her blog how Tony Blair stood in the line and how she was impressed with it. Well, Sagarika, I wonder when you will write a blog about the simplicity of Dr. Kalam in many more matters than praising a former Prime Minister who was as responsible as George Bush for the killings in Iraq. I guess that's pardonable, for he stood in the queue at an airport! My point is this - these VIP's represent the state/country for a long time, both internally and externally. These VIP's ensure that the country moves forward ( at what pace is a different debate, but they do it right?). So extending them these small courtesy's in no way jeopardizes the "security threat" of an airline. Continental is guilty, period.
  
• She came, she saw, and she went. I think this is how we can summarize Hillary Clinton's visit to India! Her visit was so "hectic" that she could get to meet our External Affairs Minister (who is also officially her host) for just one hour in her 5 day trip. And just in case you are wondering what the result of that one hour meeting is, read the next point! Before that, I wanted to make one more point. She apparently visited the Taj hotel in Mumbai, and paid tribute in the book there. I think we need to stop this over-hyped obsession with Taj whilst equal or more number of people died at other location during those deadly attacks. This is just plain insulting to the memories of those who died. Maybe, the government should construct a memorial for all those killed in multiple attacks on Mumbai over the years, and that's where people should go to pay homage. Not just the Taj.
  
• After the 1 hour meeting between Hillary Clinton and S.M. Krishna, here's what happened. We will buy military equipment from the US, and then US has the right to inspect all our facilities that use this equipment! In layman terms, the US wants to make sure we don't mis-use these weapons (attack a country that they like), and therefore get the right to inspect our facilities. Please note, they get to inspect our facilities. As if this capitulation was not enough, here's more. The US will choose 2 sites where we can install nuclear plants with the technology they give. Yes, you read it right, US will choose the location for establishing 2 facilities. Read here, if you want to know more details.
  
• And finally, the Foreign Secretary has admitted that the Joint Statement was a case of bad drafting. Excellent, for he agreed to what most people in the country have been shouting from the roof top! Full marks for stating the obvious. I wonder what the government's reaction will now be? Ohh wait, I know what it will be – all of us "read his statement out of context". Here's what Menon said – "One can argue how good or bad the drafting was...you can say it is bad drafting, but the meaning is clear. These things happen, what can we do?"