Net Neutrality--Google--Fairness Doctrine.

[Hammerskjold]

Now... See, I didn't know they made coffee from beans partially digested by Civets. I read up on it, and it seems there are about 450Kg of it processed each year. And... It's good to know that it's ok (halal) if the beans are washed. No shyte! Literally! Bwahahaha!

Don't get me wrong here, at least when I was there, that coffee (kopi luak) is considered a rare, expensive, delicacy. Emphasis on 'expensive'. You probably won't find it in most warung kopi. (I never had it, not out of any squeamishness but due to the price and rarity.)

So my suspicion when I hear some of these mullahs 'halal declaration' on that coffee, is they might be less interested in Allah, and more interested in the almighty Dollah. Read: They're very very interested in getting a cut of the action.

I don't want to overminimize the danger of extremism, in the form of overzealous theocracy, or any other extreme idealogy here. Suharto's ouster left a power vacuum that signalled various factions to try to make a move for the throne.

But in Indonesia's case, the more real dangers are the entrenched corruption, cronyism, military oppressing it's own citizens, and kleptocratic government. Suharto is kicked out, but IMO it remains to be seen if the rest of the problems and shadow players were also thrown out.