Musharraf on Monday warned troops would shoot anyone trying to disrupt the balloting.

I read this headline on the flat panel in the elevator at work today (yes, DC is the land of random flat panel TVs) and I wondered how Musharraf and his cronies don't understand what democracy really means?

I understand that it is a precaution due to the death of late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto but there is a huge difference between taking extra security precautions during an election and shooting people point blank if they are "trying to disrupt the balloting."

Musharraf's failure to elaborate on what it means to try and disrupt balloting also proves dangerous because if you fail to elaborate on such a statement you set no precedent to be held accountable to and can likely do anything and consider it under the auspices of trying to keep the election as clean and without fear as possible.