Daily Meh is an edited stream of consciousness, by Simen.

Burma: A Special Supplement (from 1958)

The Atlantic reprints a special supplement which originally ran in 1958, when Burma was still a democratic republic. Thus we may read pieces such as this, knowing that the democratic government fell to a military coup that led to military dictatorship that continues to this day only four years later:

By about 1952, the round had been won, and the enemy was defeated, though roaming bands of outlaws still needed mopping up. It will be asked, “How did the miracle happen? How did the democratic Government manage to survive? The answer may perhaps indicate a way to face similar situations, elsewhere. The Government attacked the problem on all fronts—military, political, social, and economic.

Quite a historical irony. They even had a Ministry for Democratization! Something modern democracies ought to consider before they devolve completely.