Free Speech, Free Press, Fuhgeddabouddit!

An Azeri Writer has been condemned to death by an Iranian ayatollah, Salman Rushdie-style, for perceived insults to the Prophet Muhammed.

The BBC, in its permissive latitudinarianism, reports the story as matter-of-fact run-of-the-mill news from the Middle East and the fact that Azerbaijan is a place where British Petroleum has a huge stake in oil-investment upstream would never enter into the journalistically-challenged British propaganda network.

Oh, and the Republic of Georgia is where the pipeline from Azerbaijan passes through on its way to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, whence the crude oil is shipped to refineries in the UK. And if Georgia were a person, Vlad the Empoisoner would have already administered Polonium 210, because the Azeri oil competes with Soviet exports to Europe, which the former-Sovs wish to have completely under their control through oil blackmail. Vlad, the Short, almost invaded Georgia last month after it threw out four of his FSB, the successor to the KGB operatives, as they were planning their assassinations of senior Georgian politicians---0ops, maybe got a bit ahead of the curve there! Vlad the Short just signed a big agreement with Iran, concerning the sale of anti-air missiles for an oil and gas agreement.

Every story has its subtext.

Between Vlad's poison-purveyors and Ahmedinejad's nutty basijis, I'd hate to be that poor Azeri journalist.