Thailand and Hyde Park

Today my favorite country to visit had its government overthrown by a military coup. This is the 18th coup Thailand has experienced since 1932, when it became a constitutional monarchy. The coup is reportedly "to resolve a nearly year-long political deadlock and stop 'rampant corruption.'" I know Thaksin, their now-ex-prime minister, is a corrupt bastard, but it seems like a military coup is a little extreme. Maybe if I had been paying closer attention to their political situation I'd understand better. But this statement, from a Reuters article, is sobering:

Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party was expected to win a re-run tentatively scheduled for late November, increasing pressure on his opponents in the military and the old establishment to resort to removing him by force.

The military says they're protecting Thailand, but Thailand was prepared to re-elect their corrupt leader. They say they want to protect democracy, but pointing guns at your opponents isn't a very good way to achieve that.

And Closer to Home...

Without consulting community leaders, and with absolutely no sense of irony, the city of Chicago whitewashed several murals on the walls of the 47th Street viaduct. Here's some information on the murals and their destruction, from a letter written by one of the painters, and images of what the murals used to look like. The city has admitted that it was a mistake (but how can you accidentally paint that much?), and the murals will be repainted, so at least there's some good news.