Paks Americana

F-16s for everybody! Just sign this release saying that you've got your Islamic militant problem under control.

Actually, we're arming Pakistan and India not so they can fight each other, but so that China's efforts to improve relations with the subcontinent are met with equal in love and attention from the United States. It's another so-crazy-it-might-work scheme from Condi and the kids at State.

And it works fine as long as both parties are throwing rose petals like they were today (between intermittent gunfire) when the 'Peace Bus' crossed the border. But if the old rivalry between these two countries flares into open hostility, we will have provided them with the tools to make each other even more blowed up.

Why can't we equip our weapons systems with something like DRM? For those of you who don't sleep and breathe technology, DRM is a media protection scheme that prevents digital property (like songs and albums) to be used in any context besides those that the manufacturer intended. It prevents privacy. Supposedly.

If the functional equivalent was implemented on an F16, the pilot would be required to call the State Department - and if his or her country was still in the good graces of the U.S. a code would be provided that would unlock the all the missiles and bombs.