Where'd all the old swords go?

[Chuck In Oregon]

A friend of mine in Baku forwarded the following Washington Post link to me. He wanted me to know the latest goings-on in Baku, especially the continuing saga of the oppressive Aliyev regime. It's a good article and a long, interesting video essay as well.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...r=emailarticle

However, what first caught my eye was the riot trooper who is beating a citizen with what looks to me like a 19th century scabbarded sword. I've seen riot and security police of all sorts in Georgia. Not one time have I ever seen a security official with a sword that was other than decorative. Not the guy in this picture, however. He looks like someone who knows how to use the flat side of a sword, and probably the sharp side, too.

So, just in case you were wondering where all those swords went, at least some are still in use today.

Chuck