Before and After

Megan Carpentier:

[O]f course, there are much, much larger political implications to Bhutto's assassination and so the news tonight will likely focus on the implications for us as a country and on the campaign and blah blah blah, yes, it's all really important. But, also, a lot of regular people died today, too. Some of them were poor, some were old, and they died taking advantage of their (current) right of free assembly, which most of us probably take for granted. They died and were horrifically injured participating in the political process of their country, even knowing that in the end it might not make any difference because they might still end up under the thumb of a dictator. ... They had families and lives and probably jobs when they left their houses this morning to see a political candidate speak who probably half-suspected she wouldn't make it to the election alive but ran anyway. And it makes all the backstabbing and machinations of our candidates trying to plant stupid rumors about drug use and out-of-wedlock babies and all the rest of it seem that much more nauseating and petty to me today.

Me, too.

Below are pictures of the campaign rally before and after the suicide bombing. There are more with Megan's post, heartbreakingly illustrating how drastically things can change in an instant.