. i_f jyu, i think we will have to agree to disagree on what constitutes autocracy for me, trying to hang on to a kursi by political machinations is corruption, killing 14 people to prove that you are the master and commander is autocracy. i guess you have a different viewpoint. but that is your perogative, my worldview dosent allow me to cut off your communications, or for that matter, to imprison you for your thoughts no one doubts the power-hunger of the current politicos but as of this moment the only way they can stay in power for the long haul is if the majority of their short-term decisions are the right decisions. if you agree that their utilization of the mass movement was a 'brilliant tactic', you cannot go and accuse them of extreme stupidity in the same breath as for the maoists, what was the main thrust of their hatred? where was the finger pointed? the feudal monarchy and its attendant evils. remove that and you remove their most potent recruitement tool. and i happen to agree with them on this one. id rather that 10,000 kids got a high school education than one bloodline buy new bullet-proof jaguars every year. but then, if you choose not to free yourself of this mental slavery, that is your perogative. my worldview allows me to fart in your general direction, but it does not allow me to lob cannisters of teargas and back to the maoists. i am of the opinion that the top echelon leadership comprises of enough hard-nosed realists who recognize that a communist nepal is untenable to india and thus has no chance of long-term survival. their best hope of a socialist nepal lies with the political mainstream, not outside of it. they may huff and puff for the moment, but they have to placate their own cadre that they arent abandoning the revolution. i think you are right in assesing that the maoist problem will not 'be solved anytime soon'. however, i think we have differing ideas on how this situation will play out. a) the monarchy is not abolished, retains its 1990 powers. in this case, the conflict continues unabated. therefore,in insisting that the king is all-benevolent, sir, it is royalists like yourselves who pose a danger to the nation. you are so hung up on the idea of the royalty defining the country that you miss the forest for the trees. im not blaming you for the maoist violence of yesterday, but i might blame you for the continued maoist violence of tomorrow b) the monarchy is reduced to an absolute ceremonial role there will be factions within the cadre that cannot accept this on ideological grounds and will rebel, even if some factions accept it. the size of the split i cannot pretend to even gauge. however, this will mean continued bloodshed. i dont know about you sir, but id rather a white elephant was put out to pasture than any more nepali lives lost. again, im not blaming you for the crimes that the maoists commit, but surely you must recognize that your stubborness leads to their hardening, and altho you do not pull the trigger you do provide them the ideological gunpowder. parallel to this, the army gains new legitimacy in the fight against the rebels, which opens up another avenue for some army general to declare martial law or throw his weight behind the monarchy, in which case we are back to square one c) now imagine a republic goint back to my original point, who can the maoists now point fingers at? you say 'the bourgoise government'. i say your clutching at straws to justify your position. my worldview allows me to point out to you are wrong, it dosent allow me to shoot you but such considerations never stopped your divine monarch, long may he live i_f jyu, come the next elections, join me and together we will vote deuba and girija out of office. maybe paras can run for president. why dont you vote for him?