Troubles Abroad and Gratitude Here

As you prepare to greet guests flying in for Easter, or prepare to take a journey yourself, take some perspective about the miserable waits and lines you or yours are sure to encounter at the airport over the next few days. While the inconvenience is massive, we simply forget how hard the government has been working to keep travel safe for all of us. We have been relatively free from attack. As we feel more safe, our tendency to complain mightily about the fallout from it increases. We tend to forget, or not even read about, problems elsewhere in the world. Consider the following:

Google news is currently blocked in Pakistan. This block happened after the horrific bomb blast in Karachi on April 11, 2006. This block has brought the city of Karachi to a standstill, and more people are at home. Many of them have turned to the internet for more information. One of the best sources of information on current events is Google News, and consequently the government has blocked it along with many other websites.

This is a sad day for the entire country. The stench of fear is in the air, and the government is adding to it by restricting access to information.