When unpopular in America, do as Americans do. Hire a PR firm.

In an effort to improve the image of their country in the United States, Pakistan will pay $600,000-chump change in the PR industry-for one year of media relations work, O'Dwyer's PR Daily reports. The recently formed Sterling International Consulting Corporation, based in Lansing, Mich., has taken on the task of "(rooting) out negative stories" and providing reporters with Pakistan-sanctioned "background, response and clarification." The PR firm plans to locate Pakistani-Americans willing to speak out on behalf of Pakistan. "Those 'message surrogates' will be given talking points and media training by SICC," O'Dwyers reports. SICC has indicated it will try to stimulate a grassroots campaign using e-mails, letters to the editor, phone calls and newsletters.

Police claim Columbus Day protesters planted bags of red paint, smoke devices, and other disruptive items along the route of last Saturday's Columbus Day parade. Officers claim they found the items before the parade started and that officers saw people planting items early Saturday. When pressed for details, the cops clammed up, uwilling to share information about this apparent intelligence coup.

Representatives of the American Indian Movement of Colorado, one of more than 80 local organizations that oppose Columbus Day, deny any connection with the materials police claimed to have found.

"It seems like it's an attempt to smear the people who were against the racist parade," said Glenn Morris, a member of AIM-Colorado's leadership council.

Denver police seem not to realize that they are the ones with the credibility problem, not AIM. It was Denver police, after all, who illegally spied on local activist groups, labeling everyone from the Chiapas Coaltion to the Quakers as "criminal extremists." It was Denver police who illegally obtained a no-knock warrant, then killed an innocent man in cold blood-and lied about it to the public.

While they say they witnessed people hiding these materials, which they claim to know were intended to disrupt the parade, thinking minds can't help but wonder whether cops themselves-or perhaps hired agent provocateurs-hid the items. Previous acts indicate they're certainly capable of it. And they have the motivation. After all, what the cops really need is justification for their previously inexcusable actions. What better justification than "proof" that activists were planning to commit crimes?

Sorry, boys. No one wants to buy that bridge in Brooklyn either.

For the first time in more than a century, a woman is facing charges related to polygamy. Suzie Stubbs Holm, 36, is part of a polygamous household in rural Utah and is charged with forcing her 16-year-old sister into the marriage. Rodney H. Holm, 36, is facing charges for marrying the 16-year-old illegally.

The Holms' attorney said the girl was not forced into the marriage and that her parents gave their consent to the arrangement. Prosecutors say the girl's older sister told her it was her godly duty to marry Holm and warned her she would "burn in Hell" if she refused.

Those aren't exactly the sweet nothings most girls dream of hearing when a man proposes. They sound more like a concerted effort at coercion fueled by religious fanaticism.

Prosecutors in Utah are notoriously reluctant to prosecute polygamy cases because polygamists make up a respectable voting block in that state. They're to be commended for doing their jobs this time around.

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