Nepe. Ashu and Go Da Baa.. LOL. Man. You write damn good Nepali. Pokhta! Ashu. Almost every posting you put out tends to have a predictable paragraph .... You disagree with me. And that is just fine. I am Ashu. I would think that would be obvious. That it is okay to disagree. "Sure, your job may be in molecular biology, but your passion clearly lies in molecular politics. And who do you fancy yourself as-- some sort of Nepali Ayatollah.." This is cheap. In the era of globalization and the internet, participation in an online forum like this one is as much a contribution as any in offline Kathmandu. A lot of journos in Kathmandu read these Sajha threads. And these Sajha threads often provide room for more bold talk and disagreements than any in the traditional Nepali media, or even political discourse. Come to think of it, what do they do in the US Congress? They talk. That is what they used to do in the Pratinidhi Sabha. Talk is action. I am appreciative of Nepe's presence here. Although I have no idea who he is offline. "That is why, you are atavistically and viscerally unable to even accept the possibility that there may well be OTHER ideas out there that do not match your own. " That might be, but Nepe's ideas are more progressive than that of most others. "A clash of opinions, however vehemently expressed, need not frighten you or anyone else." But half the time you are talking about the person and not his ideas or views. nispaksha Thanks for the larger font size for Nepali words. Much easier on the eyes. Ashu: "..my disappointment with the political parties' repeated failures to rein in the king when there were opportunities to do so....Seeing how the fights within Koirala dynasty is playing out, it does make me wonder whether all we will see is the mere eplacement of the Shahs with the Koiralas! ..... Until we get out of this terrible fix, this strange impasse..." This is insightful. Ashu's/Deuba's SuperModel 5: Elections For A New Parliament: How feasible is this? How big a roadblock are the Maoists? Do they have what it takes to prevent it from happening? This is a question on facts. nispaksha: "..problem with agitating party's agenda in terms of their inability to clearly state that they are there for a republican movement.." True. They just have not been able to take that final step. If the king is as unreasonable as you say he is in not going with your demands, what good do you still see in him? My latest thoughts on the monarchy: - http://www.geocities.com/paramendra/2004/nation2.html Ashu: "Why is it that when it comes to republicanism, you guys are so CERTAIN about it .." Those like Nepe who are die-hard republicans are saying it makes sense as a better, more democratic idea. This is presented as an idea. I guess there will continue to be undercurrents of "personal" comments here. Despite that, we are managing to have a pretty thought-provoking discussion. Unlike anywhere else that I can think of online. DadaGiri. A republican democracy would not be a cure all. It will merely be a tool with which am empowered people can better meet their challenges. The whole child soldier thing is a major shame, a crime, a major violation. I can live with this option.