One Man's Opinion

Obama's decision to authorize off-shore drilling for oil is, justifiably,  a big concern for environmentalists and the rest of a society, indeed, a world that has become increasingly conscious of the negative effects of certain industrial practices.  It's certainly a step backward in the environmental protection of the sea, a resource that has been affected significantly over the years and needs no more stress on its delicate condition. As his decisions regarding Afghanistan and Irak, this one is one that will mar his presidency.

I hadn't seen the New Zealand billboard which depicts Joseph and Mary in bed with the caption that reads: "Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow." It's really a cartoon and, therefore, a joke; a good one at that. But, what's even funnier is that it was put up by an Anglican church, which must be pretty desperate in its search for members, to have gone so far in order to attract attention. Although I'm far from being a religious person or offended by such silliness as this one, it seems to me that the mere fact that the two figures are portrayed in bed shows that there is a double entendre here that smacks of cheap sensationalism, most unbecoming of a church or any self-respecting organization, for that matter.

In the tradition of disaffected and violent groups that has plagued American history from the start, now comes the so-called Christian Militia, an anti -government, Bible-thumping bunch. They are part of a long line of fanatics who, from the very first days of the republic, resisted central authority with their weapons, wanting to go their own ways and rejecting the idea of the union of states. In their milder form, they advocated "states' rights"; in the extreme, they rebelled on various occasions. This distrust of government power has been a constant in the history of the United States of America. From time to time, something ignites it and it explodes in bloody episodes. I suspect that the election of a Black man as President, although not cited as such, is really the reason for this latest outburst of that old feeling, as American as lynching.

I suppose that, in a country with as big a population as the United States - over 300 million - there's bound to be enough people to support anyone and anything. Still, I find it absolutely amazing that someone would even consider paying attention to Sarah Palin, let alone vote for her. Yes, she's nice-looking, but the minute she starts to talk, you realize that's it. Although Palin appears to be innocuous, a running joke in American politics, she's also dangerous because she appeals to the worst in human nature, feeding the considerable prejudices of the American people. The lunatic fringe needs someone to represent it, and Palin has taken up the banner of stupidity and fanaticism. The mere fact that she gets all this attention is a sign of how troubled is a part of American society and how hard up is the Republican Party for a candidate. One hopes that the rest of the country is sane enough to never elect Palin and her fellow crazies to anything.

The moral hole in which the Catholic Church is in keeps getting bigger and deeper. Now we know that the Church kept quiet for, at least, four years about the sexual shenanigans of the Mexican priest who founded the Legion of Christ order. This guy was an "equal opportunity" offender; not only did he molest minors, but he also found time to father three children with two women. The Church knew about all this as far back as 1997, but supposedly found it too "painful" to really do anything about it. So, instead of turning him in to the police, they retired him, covered it up and allowed him to die peacefully. It's only now that the Order has chosen to reveal it. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the Catholic Church is one of the most immoral institutions on the planet. It has gone along with one of the most despicable of human crimes, the sexual abuse of children, just to save face and maintain the facade of moral respectability. May they all

There's now some debate over the closing of fast-food joints in American bases in Afghanistan and the end of the showing of just-released movies there also. Some people see it as justified, given the economic situation, while others are appalled at the «worsening» of the conditions which the soldiers have to endure. I've always thought that war is no picnic, and there should be no perks associated with it. This is why I felt that all those Bob Hope shows "for the boys" were wrong: there shouldn't be any entertainment for people who are there to, basically, kill other human beings, especially in wars of aggression such as Korea, Vietnam and the current ones. Soldiers should not be distracted; instead they should think long and hard about the legitimacy of what they are doing. By attempting to provide them with "all the comforts of home", the horrible thing they are engaged in is made tolerable. In cases such as these, the military does not deserve pe

It's truly ironic that the man known as The Terminator , the quintessential movie tough guy of our times, has ended up letting the bad guys loose. California is so desperately broke that it has resorted to opening its prison gates to let thousands of inmates walk out, because the state can't afford to keep them in. Not even Arnold with all his muscles has been able to wrestle free from the economic debacle that has befallen the "Golden State." Once again, the U.S. has fallen on hard times, and now behaves like those Third-World countries it used to bad-mouth all the time, ridiculing them about their troubles. Who's laughing now?

The U.S., who is always applying sanctions on countries that don't bend to their will, and asking that other countries follow suit in punishing them also, is curiously lax in dealing with Israel's current defiance in going on with its settlement program. Of course, the fact that there's American money involved in some of these building projects may have something to do with this attitude on the part of the usually harsh Americans. Right now, all around the world people are asking themselves why is it that Israel gets to do what it wants and the U.S. just sits there and takes it. Could it be that the Jews are really «the chosen people»?

An Indiana man has been sentenced to wear a sign in public saying that he sent an obscene message to a 17-year old girl that was "harmful" to her. He was also ordered to perform 125 hours of community service. Wearing the sign is a page taken from colonial days' punishments such as the stock, when public humiliation was a big thing. Although I'm not advocating the use of lewd or indecent language in the Internet or elsewhere, this must've been one hell of an obscene message to warrant such a punitive measure. I would've pleaded mitigating circumstances such as the girl's age - she is 17, not 7 - ...and the fact that Joe Biden has made it okay to say that this is or is not a big fucking deal.

The fact that Obama has had to fight tooth and nail for health reform is, quite frankly, a measure of how selfish a good deal of the American people are. All that anger over extending coverage to some 32 million fellow citizens. All that whining over how much it's going to cost. Very few people talk about caring for their fellow men and women. The world's richest country finds it very hard to be generous enough to provide the most basic of human needs to its people. It is a disgrace. The rest of the industrialized world and other countries which are not all that well off, but have found it in their hearts to take good care of their people, look at all this with dismay, and shake their heads in disbelief. So much money, so little heart.

Student suicide at Cornell University has increased dramatically, and officials there don't seem to have a clue. Well, let me put my two-cents worth here. There are certain academic institutions that are very challenging and have very high standards. Students who attend them are put under a lot of pressure to do well and maintain a certain grade-point average. These individuals think that there will be no life, if they fail or don't get good enough grades. Some end up with nervous breakdowns and, ultimately, take their own lives. This is all very sad because it is all very silly. In the real world, having a diploma from a certain institution or graduating with honors means very little if you can't perform, when called upon to do so. Academic success doesn't necessarily translate into professional success, because conditions in school are very different from what you find outside those ivy-covered walls. So, it's very tragic that young people do not realize t

Two things about the retired American NATO commander who blames Dutch tolerance of homosexuals in the military for a blunder which occurred 15 years ago. First, the man is obviously homophobic, and has come up with this outrageous explanation, in order to justify his prejudice. Second, this is clearly an insult to the Dutch, portraying them as less capable and inferior soldiers, in stark contrast with the superiority of American forces. And then, there are people who still wonder why Americans are disliked so much around the world.

Guilt by association is a hateful concept, but the fact that the so-called missionaries in Haiti who took the 33 children to "save them" had some dealings with a well-known human trafficker doesn't do them any good, as to their credibility as decent folk. From the very beginning, their version of what happened and their true intentions were somewhat suspect, at best. They have been portrayed as naive, do-gooders who were caught up in unusual circumstances. Now, this Dominican from New York, wanted in several U.S. jurisdictions and countries, comes along and raises all kinds of doubts about the nature of the Americans' involvement in this affair. Either they are extremely unlucky or this is a case of "birds of a feather..."

There's something missing in the National Transportation Safety Board report on the Northwest Airline flight that continued way past its scheduled destination. You just don't get "distracted" by a conversation or by working on a laptop for one hour and seventeen minutes while flying a plane, and not communicate with or respond to communications from control towers. There has to be something else that was going on; something so embarrassing or despicable that they are unwilling to reveal. We'll have to wait for the book or the made-for - TV movie.

Catholics have always quoted the verse "...and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it", referring to the indestructible character of the Church, as promised by Christ to Peter when he, symbolically, made him the first Pope. They invariably point to the 2,000 - year history as proof of having God on their side. Well, right now, the Church seems to be going straight to hell, due to the sex scandals and coverups that keep surfacing everywhere. This is a situation that is so widespread and has been going on for such a long time, that there is no way to dismiss it as "isolated incidents" or "a few rotten apples." There is sufficient evidence to state unequivocally that the Catholic Church has acted immorally and illegally; has, in effect, "sinned" mortally, while engaging in one of the most hypocritical charades of all time. It has no credibility or moral authority whatsoever. I did the right thing, when I left it in 1968.

Being the empire that it is, the United States of America makes up its rules as it goes along its merry way to world domination. For the last five years, the U.S. military has operated under the rule that it has four days to interrogate a suspect in Afghanistan, before either accusing him or setting him free. Now, convinced that that is too short a period to torture someone, they have changed the rule, to give themselves much more time for what they euphemistically call "enhanced interrogation techniques", up to fourteen days. Assuming that someone will survive that long, it is even possible to extend the two-week period, as the military see fit. This has happened under Obama, the supposedly benign and enlightened leader of the "greatest democracy the world has ever known". Which goes to show that, when it comes to throwing its weight around the world, there isn't all that much difference between Bush, Obama or any other President of the United States.

It was bound to happen. People looking to cash - in with the international scare tactics against Toyota, will make up all sorts of stories and arrange all kinds of "accidents", hoping that their accounts will be taken at face value. The recent Prius incident seems to be one of those. Tests so far indicate that the driver's version is not true. Scam artists will risk life and limb for a fast buck, any day of the week.

It has taken the U.S. 65 years to honor a group of women fliers during WWII for their help in the war effort. I find it just a bit strange that this has happened now, a couple of days before the premiere of The Pacific , the TV miniseries that is part of the latest Spielberg-Hanks propaganda to glorify the American military in the days of Afghanistan and Irak. Their previous effort, Band of Brothers, is being rerun on cable. So, as was the case during the Vietnam War, the propaganda machine is in full force, trying to obscure the unpleasant facts of the present with the "glorious" tales of the past. Patriotism - or what passes for it - like sex, sells.

Israel is an apt pupil of the United States. It pretty much does what it wants because, with superior firepower - mostly provided by the United States - it can. Its "make me" attitude is the same one as the one its mentor in world affairs displays. The U.S. has taught it well by its example: "might makes right." From time to time, Israel goes way beyond the boundaries of human decency, and the U.S., hypocritically, chides it, but never in the same terms that it uses to condemn the other side or its long list of countries that in its estimation need to be chastised for daring to go their own way and not submit to American dictates. This recent incident with Biden, which Hillary has called "insulting" will have no consequences whatsoever, as she has hurried to reaffirm their bond with Israel. This is what money and power mean. Were the Palestinians in Israel's position, the U.S. would back them till kingdom come.

The Catholic Church, reeling from the aftershocks of the Pope's brother involvement in the, now commonplace, sex scandals of the priesthood, seems to be losing ground at home. The Kepler Institute - how fitting -, a sort of high school in Rome, has announced its intention of installing condom-dispensing machines, for obvious reasons. The Church, as was to be expected, is apoplectic over this decision. Oh, the good old days of the Inquisition, when the stake would be already warming up to burn such heretics! Once secularism took over, everything has gone downhill. When the Pope ruled both the spiritual and the earthly worlds, no one would have dared to even think such impure thoughts. Dirty deeds are best done in private and covered - up by layers of robes amid "mumbo jumbo" in Latin.

There's nothing "Slim" about the Mexican media mogul that has become the richest man in the world. Americans, who never want to be second-best at anything, are none too happy with Carlos Slim having edged Bill Gates for the top spot. To them, there's something wrong with the world, when someone other than an American is number one in any field, a position that they feel "rightfully" belongs to them. It's part of the "Manifest Destiny" mindset ingrained in the American soul, which leads to the unquestioned premise that the U.S. has been "called upon to lead" the world, a euphemistic way of referring to their desire for global domination. According to that world-view, anything that calls into question American dominance is something that has to be addressed immediately, lest the rest of the world get the wrong idea that the U.S. is not invincible and hand-picked by God to rule the world. So, I'm sure that something will be done

It seems that all that American gloating over Toyota's and other Japanese car makers' misfortunes has been a little premature, considering the major problems closer to home. While Toyota sales have dropped 14% in the U.S., Chrysler, once one of the Big Three, is experiencing a 44% drop. The company is barely surviving on fleet sales and rentals, hardly a solid basis for its business. The fact of the matter is that, in spite of all its recent troubles, Japanese cars have an excellent track record on all aspects. American cars, on the other hand, are, on the whole, a shoddy piece of work, not worth paying your hard-earned money for them. The last decent medium - priced American car I owned was a 1965 Chevy II. Later on, I had a couple of American cars that were junk. Then, I discovered the Japanese cars, and I haven't looked back since.

They're thinking about banning eating dogs and cats in China. Apparently, animal lovers have mounted a somewhat successful campaign against this common practice in some parts of Asia. I really couldn't care less, one way or the other, but, the less dogs and cats, the better. So, if eating them is part of the answer, it's fine by me. What I find interesting is that the reason given by opponents to having these animals on the menu is that they are considered companions or pets by human beings. Well, it seems to me that these animal rights activists discriminate unfairly against other members of the animal kingdom in this regard. Just because you don't normally have a cow, a pig or a turkey in your house to keep you company it doesn't mean that you are less fond of them. Speaking for myself, I love all of them... to death.

Argentina, Brazil and Mexico now lead the way to the future of public policy towards drugs for personal use in Latin America. They have come to realize that there is little to be gained in prosecuting individuals who have small quantities of drugs for their own consumption and harm no one else. With their influence in the region, it's to be expected that other countries will follow suit in allowing the strictly private and limited use of drugs. Alcohol and tobacco are also substances that are abused extensively, and people are not enjoined from using them, even publicly. The use of drugs is, at heart, a health problem. Addiction is a major concern, and should be addressed accordingly. Also, harm to others while intoxicated. Short of both those things, users should be left to their own vices and treatments by doctors of the body and of the mind.

The United States Postal Service should've seen its demise a long time ago, when the Internet and e-mail were developed. It was just a matter of time, that people would use this medium to communicate massively and preferably. Also, the postal employees didn't help themselves by giving that good a service. For years, I've had to contend with mail delivery personnel that leaves my mailbox open on windy and rainy days on a somewhat regular basis. Complaining about it has been to no avail. Going to the post office is no picnic either; these people are not happy campers. So, I won't be crying anytime soon over the closing of post offices, elimination of mailboxes and reduction of delivery days. They had it coming.

Americans' fascination with money is, in my opinion, their key characteristic. Everything is seen or expressed in terms of money. Take the Census, for example. The reason that the Census Bureau gives for this effort is that this is the way in which funds will be allocated to the location in which you live. Forget about knowing what the population is and its characteristics for all kinds of other important purposes. The appeal for citizen cooperation is strictly a financial proposition: funds will be assigned on the basis of population. I've said it before: Oliver Stone was right on the money when he said through the Gordon Gecko character in his film Wall Street: " Greed is good." In fact, it's the only thing that keeps the United States of America together.