The difference between what has happened in Pakistan vis-a-vis the US

[Postman]

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/11/03/pakistan.emergency/index.html

"Hours after declaring a state of emergency Saturday, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf ordered troops to take a television station's equipment and put a popular opposition leader under house arrest."

"The Supreme Court declared the state of emergency illegal, claiming Musharraf -- who also is Pakistan's military chief -- had no power to suspend the constitution, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry said.

Shortly afterward, government troops came to Chaudhry's office and told him the president had dismissed him from his job.

Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar was quickly appointed to replace him, according to state television"

.....here's the difference - In Pakistan someone with a modicum of power actually stood up to perceived injustices and law breaking.

No such extreme measures taken here.

on edit: check out this little tidbit from the story---

"Martial law is only a way to restore law and order"

[The Magistrate]

1. The Real Difference, Sir

Is that Pakistan has had several military coups in its sixty-odd years as an independent country, and for much of that time been ruled directly by its generals. This is a reasonably normal event in its political life.