In other news:

A military coup in Honduras

Well, great, of course. The first military coup in Central America since Reagan's 1st term! Somewhere Elliot Abrams is rubbing his sweaty palms together in glee (nah, just kidding Elliot). What's that you say? The head of the Honduran military, whom President Zelaya tried to fire, was trained at the School of the Americas (or, I'm sorry, the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation - nice one, PR flacks)? Yes, there's a shock. At least it sounds like it was relatively bloodless. & the Obama admin has taken a surprisingly firm line for the deposed president. Meanwhile Hugo Chavez threatens military intervention. An empty threat, I'm sure - how exactly would his soldiers & equipment get to Honduras? - but even for Chavez that's some cheeky bluster.

Actually, I should most likely shut up w/commentary since Honduras is the Central American country I know least about - tho it is generally troubling re: stability in the region - it always feels like Guatamala, for example, is on the verge of this kind of chaos, but worse. To say nothing of Mexico . More links as things develop if I have time to post. Here's a Honduran-American dude who presumably knows what he's talking about.

In other news the Iranian streets quiet down under the threat of Basij clubs (& worse). It was heartbreaking to watch/follow, a bit like the Prague Spring I imagine, tho that must have been even worse. The fact that I knew down to my bones that the brutal crackdown was inevitable didn't make it any easier to watch, either. Surely the best course available at this point is some kind of non-confrontational (well, not direct confrontation at least) tactic like a general strike. Can't meet the iron fist of the security apparatus head on.

A miracle aside it looks like the clerics under Khameini & the IRGC will hold on. At least in the short run - but Iran is a country w/very serious problems. Crap economy, widespread heroin addiction, plummeting birth rate. Increasingly paranoid security forces that appear to become more devoted to their own existence & power w/each passing day. A large, restless population of young people w/very few bright prospects. It is a very, very precarious situation...

On the domestic front Obama admin's energy bill passes in the House by the skin of its teeth & not even that, really, will not make it thru the Senate. Our elected legislators remain largely deadlocked on energy, health care reform, budget. Senate votes to pay for a bunch of complex & incredibly expensive weapon systems (i.e. alternate engines for F-35) that admin wants to cut out of the budget - a lot of it has the feel of retaining high-paying manufacturing jobs more than anything to do w/security.

Meanwhile, bridges & roads crumble, etc.