The editor of Sri Lankan paper the Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickramatunge, was shot dead January 8 on his way to work. It was not unanticipated -- Wickramatunge had already faced multiple attempts on his life, including a hail of machine-gun fire on his home, for his outspoken positions against the civil war and government corruption that racks his country. However, he was an editor until the end, writing an editorial to be published after his death.

The full piece, "And Then They Came For Me," is on the Leader website, but I had trouble accessing it this morning; however, the Guardian has an excellent and extensive edit that offers all you'll need to understand why this man's life rights should be acquired immediately. And if there's a bidding war, so much the better; it's the least his family deserves. Excerpt below:

The Sunday Leader has never sought safety by unquestioningly articulating the majority view. Let's face it, that is the way to sell newspapers. On the contrary, as our opinion pieces over the years amply demonstrate, we often voice ideas that many people find distasteful. For instance, we have consistently espoused the view that while separatist terrorism must be eradicated, it is more important to address the root causes of terrorism, and urge government to view Sri Lanka's ethnic strife in the context of history and not through the telescope of terrorism. We have also agitated against state terrorism in the so-called war against terror, and made no secret of our horror that Sri Lanka is the only country in the world routinely to bomb its own citizens. For these views we have been labelled traitors; and if this be treachery, we wear that label proudly.

Many people suspect that the Sunday Leader has a political agenda: it does not. If we appear more critical of the government than of the opposition, it is only because we believe that - excuse cricketing argot - there is no point in bowling to the fielding side. Remember that for the few years of our existence in which the United National party was in office, we proved to be the biggest thorn in its flesh, exposing excess and corruption wherever it occurred.

Indeed, the stream of embarrassing expositions we published may well have served to precipitate the downfall of that government.

Neither should our distaste for the war be interpreted to mean that we support the Tamil Tigers. The LTTE is among the most ruthless and bloodthirsty organisations to have infested the planet. There is no gainsaying that it must be eradicated. But to do so by violating the rights of Tamil citizens, bombing and shooting mercilessly, is not only wrong but shames the Sinhalese, whose claim to be custodians of the dhamma is for ever called into question by this savagery - much of it unknown to the public because of censorship.

What is more, a military occupation of the country's north and east will require the Tamil people of those regions to live eternally as second-class citizens, deprived of all self-respect. Do not imagine you can placate them by showering "development" and "reconstruction" on them in the postwar era. The wounds of war will scar them for ever, and you will have an even more bitter and hateful diaspora to contend with. A problem amenable to a political solution will thus become a festering wound that will yield strife for all eternity. If I seem angry and frustrated, it is only because most of my compatriots - and all the government - cannot see this writing so plainly on the wall.

It is well known that I was on two occasions brutally assaulted, while on another my house was sprayed with machine-gun fire. Despite the government's sanctimonious assurances, there was never a serious police inquiry into the perpetrators of these attacks, and the attackers were never apprehended.

In all these cases, I have reason to believe the attacks were inspired by the government. When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me. [Guardian]

Ever hear of William Zantzinger? He was the real-life villain in Bob Dylan's "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," a song that describes how, in 1963, the then-24-year-old Maryland farmer killed a 51-year-old black barmaid by striking her with his cane after deciding she was too slow in bringing him a bourbon. In his drunkenness, he also knocked his own wife to the ground and hit her with his shoe; nonetheless, June Zantzinger protested his prosecution thusly: "Nobody treats his niggers as well as Billy does around here."

Zantzinger served six months for the crime; in 1992, he served another 19 months for 50 misdemeanor counts that included serving as a slumloard for substandard housing that the Maryland Real Estate Commission described as "ramshackle, primitive structures reminiscent of slave quarters."

Anyway. As of January 3, 2009, he's dead; a week later, he was buried. And hopefully no one will write about him again. [AP; photo credit, Getty Images/AP]

Ron Asheton, original guitarist for Iggy and the Stooges, was found dead at his home in Ann Arbor, Mich. He was 60. Anyone who's listened to "Fun House" and "Raw Power" (I know, was only the bassist on that one, but it's a great album) mourns. A note of comfort: Another legendary guitarist from the same era,Tom Verlaine, is scheduled to perform tomorrow night in Los Angeles as an accompanist to a series of experimental short films. It's part of the Avant-Garde Silent Films series at the Silent Movie Theater. (Video is footage from a 1970 Stooges performance in Cincinnatti; the footage is a little blurry, but Asheton comes through loud and clear.) [AP]

Bettie Page, 85, died last night. She was the the subject of a well-intentioned though misguided and otherwise dull biopic (but Gretchen Mol did surprisingly good work), told the Los Angeles Times in 2006 that “I want to be remembered as a woman who changed people’s perspectives concerning nudity in its natural form,” was sexier than a thousand pre-surgery Jenna Jamesons and is largely responsible for the image of Britney Spears if not her career, though I wouldn't swear that each knew who the other was. She refused to be photographed after she retired from pinup work in her mid-30s, but as of 80 she remained beautiful. [AP]

Imagery probably NSFW, though you might get a pass today given the circumstances. And posting a clip that was any less than NSFW would be an insult to her memory.

Gerard Damiano, best known as the writer and director of "Deep Throat," died over the weekend in Fort Myers, Fla. from complications following a stroke. Film critic Richard Corliss writes an obituary: "Every once in a while, an artist gets an inspiration that changes pop culture... ["Deep Throat"] was the 'Citizen Kane' of porn." Damiano went on to direct "The Devil in Miss Jones," in which "the hardcore porno feature approaches an art form, one that critics may have a tough time ignoring in the future," according to its 1973 review in Daily Variety. Harry Reems, star of both films, told Damiano, "Gerry, ["Devil in Miss Jones'] is a steal. This is 'No Exit' in its thinnest disguise." Damiano replied, "Well, what do you expect? I wrote it in a weekend." [Time]

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