Poonte is absolutely right. There should never be ANY preconditions to Democracy because Democracy is the "be-all end-all" and is universally applicable. No matter what the odds may be, we should keep on clinging on to the type of democracy we thrived in during the nineties, indefinitely. Another reason we should push for democracy is because being seen as a democrat helps win over advocacy groups like ICG to our side. Never mind what the ICG says or writes, as long as it is for our position and we can play the "fighting for democracy card," we should come out on top. Plus, we can feel good about ourselves and ICG can feel important because god forbid if their analysis is wrong, we can stay in Nepal and kill each other and ICG can get even more funding to provide even more ?coherent? analysis. Also, in the current situation, being seen as an "full democrat" will definitely attract the undivided attention of other followers like Pramod Aryal and his Nepali Congress friends. All we have to do is make sure there is enough and alcohol (for the alcoholics) and cigarettes (for the chain smokers) and we can be sure for entertainment like the kind Pramod provided for us in Dallas. Who gives a damn whether Gyanendra is related to Pritvi Narayan Shah or not? Trying desperately to prove that Gyanendra is not royal blood proves only one thing ? Pramod and his ?handlers? in Nepal must be desperately out of their god damn minds. Kedar Shrestha may not be the right man for the Ambassador job? but this rant coming out of Pramod?s mouth is like the RCCC convicting Deuba ? the rant becomes proportional to amount of guilt and in the end, Mr. Shrestha will be Ambassador and Mad Dog (MD) Pramod will still be an idiot. Sorry for being sidetracked but Pramod?s Oscar nomination performance deserves ridicule. With people like him calling for an end to monarchy, Gyanendra needs no friends. Getting back to the point.. everything Poonte says is 100% correct. In fact, it reads exactly like a paragraph from a book called ?Democracy for Idiots ? How to topple a regime and take its place.? Stop all this bull shit and focus on how you plan to assassinate Gyanendra, control the army, integrate the Maoists and eliminate the top 10% of all political parties (Mad Dog Aryal does not qualify). If you want ?with the people, by the people, for the people, on the people, to the people, in the people, with the mandate of the people? etc.? then start by doing something other than trying to sound so intelligent and democratic. Go the Maoist way so after we take over Nepal, we can collectively rid the country of all idiots once and for all?. Starting with the Gyanendra and ending with the ?I love Nepal so much, I am going to play Congressi politics in Atlanta" or the "I am a democrat and speak for Nepalis while I pretend to be a Nepali politician in New York? types from our midst. Nepal not only need a Republic, it needs a system that keeps the ?do-ers? and eliminates the ?say-ers.?