Coming to America I realized after looking at the blurb about the writer of this article that I have seen him at a talk in San Jose. I had watched his play "The Domestic Crusaders" and then afterwards there was a Q & A session between the audience, the playwright and the actors. I thought the play examined rather well the various ways in which a Pakistani family has been affected post 9/11 in the US, and Wajahat Ali came across as rather intelligent in his responses - along with the writer Ishmael Reed.

It is a pity that he could not use a little more restraint in this article. His attempt at humor, which some of this appears to be, actually goes a little too far, and his remark about Zardari nuzzling the bosom of Sarah Palin is just as tasteless as he makes the entire meeting between them to be, if not more.

Coming to America Majha #77

This is not about Masadi being critical about all of Pakistan's leaders on their pro-American policies. I know that he is as well, and I have agreed with him on some of his points.

This is about Masadi taking what happened prior to the meeting between Zardari and Palin, talking about playing into stereotypes of "inferiors" to the white man because he expressed admiration for her supposed beauty and teased the cameras and her about wanting to hug her, and then using that to declare Zardari's political and personal submission to the white man. It is about how certain people are embarrassed and shameful about this, and talking about how it shames our nation. If this shames our nation, then by golly, we are making a mountain out of this, to avoid even more shameful things that are happening in Pakistan. That have already happened. Things that are also to be blamed on whitey.

Are certain "Pakistanis" prepared to share the blame for anything?

I believe I have overstayed my soujourn here on this board, and do not wish to belabor the point any longer. It is clear that Masadi and I are not going to agree on this.

good night

Coming to America masadi #71

No, that does not elude me masadi. What eludes me is your way of thinking, but since that is often eluded me, I choose to let it remain so.

Furthermore, to use this to talk about US dictatorship over Pakistan via the PPP is ludicrous. To quote George Carlin, who says this about his own America, "This country was bought and sold and paid for a long time ago. . ." Maybe this does not apply to Pakistan completely, but blaming "US dictatorship" on someone has to go a lot further back than Zardari. All this is being used to declare Zardari as incompetent (which I will reserve judgment on) and is fueled by a lot more than just anti-americanism.

I am not the best at reading journalistic Urdu anymore - never was - but I did read per HP's recommendation the column which Javed Chowdhry wrote and he makes a very good point about what other "leaders" have done while Pakistan remained quiet, and these are much more shameful than what happened between Palin and Zardari. And if you are going to be so critical of this Masadi, then you must criticize the behavior of more than a few of our men, including our pious ones, and not blame it on submission to the white man. . . . I mean I have never liked Asif Ali Zardari very much, but this is not on.

Coming to America majha:

and why is that? i am trying hard not to read your mind.

Coming to America masadi:

greetings to you, our sometimes misguided warrior!

a few things, and you and I will agree to disagree on this.

1) what Zardari did is no symbolic gesture of "submission" to the white man and his standards. what he did really does not go that deep. *pun not intended*

2) and nowhere have I said that sexism is a "small" thing, or that Zardari may not have sexist tendencies, implicit or explicit. What I am saying is that what Zardari said, in effect is no different from what Sherry Rehman said about her looking so good (there's a reason she's the info minister I guess). Now if wanting to give her a compliment and a hug make him an ass, that is your opinion, and I'm not going to change it. But why are we so focused on what Zardari did, when Ms. Rehman said pretty much the same thing?

3) I still have been thinking about the Bangladeshi female leader remark, and you know, Zardari would have found a way to charm her as well, albeit differently, but he would have, because that is part of his way of communicating. I am not saying it is the best way. But I certainly don't think this is the reason to keechar uchalo on him. Wait until he actually has to act on those declarations he's been making. Tab dekheNge.

Coming to America masadi: your constant reference to baal bacha reminds me of an anecdote having to do with the fact that either my cousin's grandfather, or his friend or both were rather hard of hearing.

one of them asked: baal bache theek?

the response: khha pi aaye!

Eid Mubarak to you! Peace out!

The Health and Medicinal Benefits of Nadeem:

This was funny. . . and since you're poking fun at just about everyone and everything, I cannot complain about what I thought I wanted to complain about.

Vaisey, aren't you hosting, or on a Talk Show yourself, or is that old news? :)

Coming to America masadi: would he have said that to a bangladeshi female leader?

masadi, I am probably one of the few women here at chowk who thinks that this whole zardari-palin meeting was blown out of proportion. and i think you're seriously contributing to it as well. there are really more important things that are going on in this world than to worry about whether zardari made an ass out of himself or not by flirting with the palin.

And when you ask if he would have treated a bangladeshi female leader the same way, that is an unfair question. The two situations, cultures are completely different, for one thing. . .consider all the reactions to what he did right now, it's not a matter of would he have done the same thing, would he even have been able to in that public of a manner. I think that is what gets more than a few the most, is that he did that publicly, and so there is all this hai hai.

Coming to America masadi LOL.

Hotel Babylon: The Marriot Hotel Explosion tahmed sahib: i read something different in what feroz said. He thinks the nation is in denial, and hamid is confirming this. Read what he wrote again. . .

The question, which the nation needs to ask is whether it is willing to accept the reality of who did this act; who was responsible for it. . .

Educational Practices in Private Schools in Pakistan satya: are you a complete idiot? that was a rhetorical question by the way. I was not educated at a convent and my mommy would not let me eat Cadburys unless it was a very very special occasion.

now do the virtual race a favor and bugger off. you would not know "satya" if it slapped you in the face.

There is no ‘honour’ in killing What would make us a better, stronger nation: dealing with the issue, or burying it in the sand?

Definitely dealing with the issue.

Educational Practices in Private Schools in Pakistan are you men talking about the St. Mary's in Lahore or the one in Pindi? I went to an all-girls private Muslim school so I can't relate to any convent education, but I do agree with much of what ijaz has said in #35.

and St. Anthony's and Don Bosco in Lahore, two thumbs up!

Alcohol and Teenagers: A Lethal Mixture trust hamid to say that drinking is better than praying and fasting. although in more than a few folks' cases it just might be true!

I am actually in agreement with hamid about sending boys off to kill or be killed in the service of their country at the age of 18, but not putting a drink in their hand. That is bollocks. Alcohol is associated with all things "mad, bad, and dangerous" but putting a gun in someone's hand is not?

Alcohol and Teenagers: A Lethal Mixture I agree with ejaz about individual responsibility but good luck educating that to people who want to place responsibility squarely on other peoples' shoulders.

isn't that why we have laws?!

kukku, enjoy DC!

Alcohol and Teenagers: A Lethal Mixture This is interesting. . . it only seems like a few years ago - almost two decades - since they decided to make the legal drinking age 21 for most if not all states, and now they want to change it again? When I first moved back to the US, the legal age in Idaho was 19.

It does not really matter whether they change the legal drinking age or not, men and women will still find a way to drink alcohol. I had my first beer when I was in freshman dorm, and none of us were "legal" at the time. . .

Kulharee, I am with your boys on this one. :)