As Pakistan collapses into a state of martial law, the United States is stuck in a painful predicament in our support of military commander and Dictator Pervez Musharraf.

I was appalled at our support of Pervez when he took power through a military coup. I was appalled at our support of Pervez during his numerous human rights violations since seizure of power. This most recent act and the United States support that followed it are not surprising, but just as appalling, if not more.

As we are thrust into the new technological storm, complete with waves of new breakthroughs and advancements in the way we shop, eat, consume, and live, one aspect of people’s lives that has changed most significantly is the way we communicate. Sites dubbed “social networking sites” have taken over face to face contact, letter writing, and even email. New advancements in sites like MySpace and Facebook have attempted to encompass all aspects of our lives. Technology may hold many keys to progress and understanding, but as social networking sites grow at a seemingly never-ending rate and are so highly valued by our society, we may have reached a rather stagnant period of development.