Better late than never...

Or is it? The ruling military authoritarian junat in Myanmar is finally going to allow international assistance into the country. This comes nearly three weeks after the cyclone, which to me is a perfect example of dictatorial rule run amok. Of course, if we had an international body with an interest in promoting human rights and welfare maybe they could speak out on this issue... Or maybe they could offer political cover witha quote like this from Ban Ki-moon:

"He has taken quite a flexible position on this matter," Ban said.

Even with the countless "it's so good of them to allow this help" quotes, we did get a glimpse of candor from the UN World Food Programme:

Despite restrictions imposed by the junta, the organization says it's been able to distribute food to half a million people. Still, more could have been done had the WFP been given greater access to those in need.

"It's virtually impossible to quantify," Prior [UN spokesman] said of damage done by the lost time. "We've done very significant work during that time."

I would offer this as another example of how without transparency and freedom for the citizens a government (junta, political party, autocrat) in power not only can, but invariably will fail to act in the best interests of the citizens. This is of course a take on the old adage about absolute power, but is one that should not go unnoted.