From the Indiana Jones side of Turkish history...

Every day is a new twist in the case of the coup attempt by "Ergenekon", which was recently sort-of attempted but then broken up.

Some of the highlights from last week:
- The diary of a general involved in the plot could not be admitted as evidence, but did outline how the coup was planned. Note to self, when planning a coup, it is best not to keep a journal about it.

- The case against Ergenekon members is in excess of 2,500 pages. This caused a delay in presenting the case in court, because there were problems with the printer.

- Several previous acts of terrorism and prominent assassinations, including that of Hrant Dink, are being linked to Ergenekon. It's really hard to say if this is wild speculation, or if it is information based on elements of the case. I was living here when this happened, and the events surrounding the murder and the arrest of key suspects gave the appearance of both a conspiracy and subsequent cover up.

- In a bit of political theater (which who knows, may turn out to be true), a leading AKP member suggested that the attack on the American consulate in Istanbul was part of the Ergenekon plot to destabilize the country. You gotta understand that in Turkey, the government and military seldom get along, and are prone to bickering with one another. When the military wants to take power, they generally precede their coup with paramilitary violence. Then, the military declares the government unfit to rule, and takes control. I'll sketch out the history of this later, because it has been done THREE TIMES in forty years. I used to fake asthma attacks to get out of school, but honestly, I think I did it twice.

The slow pace with which information reaches the public must be due to the fact that the case is 2,500 pages long. Takes time to read all that.

Today's new bit is really special.

The newest allegation from the case suggests that the Ergenekon group is linked to a mythical Turkish secret society, over 600 years old. The central Asian "Argata", were living a wretched existence in caves, trapped in a land surrounded by mountains. Conveniently, a she-wolf led them to freedom through a secret passage. Happy day!

That ancient group later became the Ergenekon, charged with ushering the Turks rise to world domination. Basically, it's the James Bond version of an Aesop fable. The length of the case may be explained by the fact that it contains the entire text of the Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as The Once and Future King.

Imagine if Bush were arrested for war crimes, and the case exposed that neo-conservative Republicans were the legacy of the Knights Templar.

Then imagine if a lawyer actually claimed that in court...