Bennie Bhutto (looseheadprop - firedoglake)

[swag]

http://firedoglake.com/2007/12/27/bennie-bhutto/

. . .

Her family, for reasons never explained to me, had told her that someday she would be the leader of her home nation and in order to achieve that she would need the credibility in the eyes of the western world that would come from a premier western education--they decided that the Harvard/American connection would be more valuable than the connections she would get if she was educated in Europe.

She seemed to believe in this preordained destiny and did not fight it. She said it was her obligation. I thought the whole thing sounded crazy, how could her family just DECIDE to make her a national leader? I mean, a Harvard education is a wonderful thing, but not every Harvard graduate goes on to lead a nation. I used the word "preposterous" more than once to describe her life plan. Later, I learned just how wrong I could be.

She was so convinced that she would become Pakistan's leader, she said the only one way that could not happen, would be if her brother killed her first. One of her brothers was furious that she, a worthless girl, had been chosen by the family instead of him--a not girl. I read in the newspapers years later that one of her brothers had been killed and that her niece blamed Bennie for it. I always wondered if that was the brother who had threatened her so many years before.

She was a bright young woman and SOOOO interested in human rights and world events, and certainly made me feel uninformed. She was one of the people who got me started on my news addiction, because she insisted that you could never read a news story from just one source. You had to read the same story in several different papers if you had any hope of getting an accurate feel for what happened. Even then, she was a savvy consumer of information.

She grew into an elegant, self-possessed and powerful woman. By her very existence as a leader, she elevated other women in Pakistan and around the world. She lived a brave life and did not let fear stop her from doing what she was trying to do.

Other people can analyze what her death means in political terms, in human terms. An intelligent, thoughtful woman is gone from this world, and I am saddened to learn that.

[College Liberal]

1. Thanks for posting this

Today was a sad day for the citizens of the world.....

[aaronbees]

2. Thank you for posting that, Swag

She certainly seemed like a fascinating woman. I found her determination admirable, even if she was a flawed leader. It's a great loss.

:kick: