One Man's Opinion

European governments are up in arms, at learning that the U.S. has spied on them individually and collectively as the European Union. They had thought that they were friends with the Americans, and now realize that Washington has treated them like its worst enemies. The U.S. has spied on them both on American soil and in their countries. There's no two ways about it. The Americans have been embarrassed to no end. According to Julian Assange, there are still more revelations to come. No wonder the U.S. wants Snowden badly.

Homophobia has reached a new low in some quarters in the Dominican Republic. To publicly repudiate the new American ambassador for being openly homosexual, and go as far as threatening to make his life miserable is unconscionable and reflects badly on that country. Some religious leaders there have come out saying that the U.S. has "insulted" or "disrespected" Dominicans, by choosing a homosexual as its ambassador. There are two things at play here. First, considering that a homosexual person is unworthy or less as a human being. Therefore, sending him to their country is seen as an affront. Second, the fear that he will embark on some sort of crusade in favor of homosexual rights, a position that these self-appointed custodians of morality reject forcefully. All they've done is embarrass the Dominican Republic worldwide.

The financial scandals associated with the Vatican, especially its bank, had been put on the back burner due to the pedophilia crisis, but now the issue has come back with full force. The involvement of a Vatican official in a scheme to smuggle 20 million euros from Switzerland into Italy is one piece of news that the Catholic Church doesn't need right now. Especially since this same man has been under investigation for money-laundering. The illegal dealings at the Vatican Bank and other financial aspects have been around for a long time, but the Church has managed to dodge the bullet and come out unscathed. It appears that Judgment Day has finally arrived.

In a bold and gutsy move, Ecuador has renounced important trade benefits with the U.S. Sensing that the Americans were going to use it to blackmail them over its granting of asylum to Assange and Snowden, Ecuador has struck a blow for national sovereignty, especially of poor and weak countries dealing with powerful and rich ones. The U.S. uses its economic power to get its way most of the time. Ecuador has taught it and the rest of the world a valuable lesson.  

What's wrong with clergymen of different denominations? They don't seem to have the moral fortitude to keep their hands off children and young men and women. Every day we learn about a new case of some bishop, cardinal or priest who, at one time or another, has engaged in improper sexual conduct with underage children. Most disturbing is the fact that many of these cases were known decades ago, but nothing came of them. Authorities, both religious and civil, chose to ignore them and helped to cover them up. The latest of these revelations deals with a well-respected Anglican bishop who fought against apartheid with Mandela. Unfortunately, he seemed to have had a penchant for young boys. But, his inappropriate behavior was kept under wraps, and he died in 1998 untouched by scandal. Truth will out, and his dark side has come to light. As he lays dying, Mandela will never know about the shameful things his comrade-in-arms did while he was doing good in South Africa.

Talk about embarrassing the U.S. Government. The new IRS chief has admitted that, after the scandal broke out, the agency kept engaging in the improper conduct that had been revealed. So, is this man a traitor, and should he be hunted down like Snowden?

Of course it's tragic that James Gandolfini has died at 51, but, isn't it a bit embarrassing that he died because he overindulged in both food and drink? I mean, eight drinks over a very heavy dinner ? This was probably par for the course for this man, but this was one time too many. Gluttony is, indeed, one of the seven deadly sins, something that he was surely aware of, given his Catholic upbringing in an Italian household.

The American mess in Afghanistan keeps getting messier. Twelve years after the U.S. "destroyed the country in order to save it", American companies engaged in reconstruction haven't been very formal in paying Afghan subcontractors for the work done. As a result, there are all sorts of protests -- some of them violent -- against U.S. companies and its personnel. Although one could say that the ones at fault are private individuals, ultimately, the U.S. Government is responsible, for not keeping tabs on what is done with its funds overseas. In any case, this is not the way to go about the nation-building the U.S. so vocally proclaims to be doing in Afghanistan.

The U.S. Military finds it inconvenient that they are unable to provide aid to groups they support and train in other countries which violate human rights. Now, here's the thing. The U.S., supposedly, is on the right side of every conflict in the world. This means that, when they back a government, it's because it deserves it; likewise, when it supports a group that opposes it. In either case, it has to be worthy of aid and support, based on its commitment to democracy, freedom and respect for human rights. So much so, that, in 1997, Congress passed a law that forbids American aid to governments or groups that engage in violation of human rights. The trouble is that, in the real world, the U.S. does support the "bad guys" in a lot of places around the world. This is why the military find it hard to comply with the law. But, then again, doing the right thing is usually hard.

Buddhist monks seem to be following in Catholic priests footsteps. Not only Thai monks have run afoul of their principles, but also those in Bhutan, where various cases of sexual abuse of children and young monks by older monks have been reported. There is evidence of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV infections among the Buddhist monk population in the country. Back in April, three monks were arrested for raping an underage girl. It appears that there is a moral breakdown within the Buddhist religious community in Bhutan, part of a problem that is spreading, somewhat like the pedophilia epidemic in the Catholic Church.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: the fast-track canonization of John Paul II is unseemly, to say the least. In record time, the Catholic Church, who normally takes ages -- literally -- to decide all sorts of questions, has found that the former Pope has produced a couple of "miracles", so that he can be beatified and then canonized. Clearly, this is all a contrived process to achieve a result. They are even trying to finish the process in time for it to coincide with the 35th anniversary of his election as Pope. Shameless! The only true "miracle" here is the fact that a man who presided over all those cases of pedophilia and other abuses by priests, bishops and cardinals and did nothing but cover them up is being considered for sainthood.

It would be so easy to just let go. If not forgive, then forget. It happened so long ago, and the man is 98 years old. But, it would be so wrong. This former Hungarian guard took a very active part in deporting Jews and mistreating them. Though he may not live to serve whatever sentence is passed on him, it's important that he is found guilty and sent to jail to die. It's the least his victims all those years ago deserve. In cases such as this one, justice delayed is not justice denied.

What is the world coming to! Buddhist monks in Thailand behaving like jet-setters! It seems that, while others are setting themselves on fire to protest Chinese rule in Tibet, for example, these Thai monks were flying on a private jet and enjoying other creature comforts of the material world. Furthermore, there have been cases of monks drinking alcohol, having sex and engaging in extortion. Not exactly what you would expect from people who have been "enlightened." Maybe all that simplicity and self-restraint that are at the core of the teachings of Buddha are beginning to take its toll on 21st century monks, who want to live it up while they are on this earthly plane.

Hugo Chávez was right, after all! Remember when he said that there was the smell of sulfur at the U.N podium, after George Bush spoke? Well, a plane that carried Bush to Texas had to be diverted to Kentucky when the pilot smelled "smoke." He was being diplomatic...

The controversy over the Mexican-American kid who sang the U.S. national anthem at the NBA finals wearing a mariachi outfit shows just how mean-spirited and racist people still are in that country. All that melting-pot rhetoric is just propaganda: Americans are uncomfortable with anything that reflects cultural diversity, and they interpret it as a sign of disloyalty to the nation. They don't want Hispanics talking in Spanish even among themselves at work; I suppose  they think that the employees are criticizing or making fun of them. They keep saying that the U.S. is a free country. Only for WASPs.

I can't, for the life of me, understand what all this "defense of marriage" really means. The new Pope, who seems to be a reasonable man on a lot of issues, has met with the Archbishop of Canterbury, both celebrating the fact that they oppose homosexual marriage. According to them, they want to "promote marriage." Really? The last time I looked, people who want to get married do so without being convinced by any campaign. How long they stay married is another thing, but there's no need to "promote" marriage. In fact, there's no need to promote anything regarding how people want to live together. The State should recognize any arrangement people want to get into to live together, as long as they don't hurt each other and take care of their offspring, if any. Given that, how people relate to one another in the privacy of their home is none of anybody else's business. No even the nice new Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Afghans may have something there. They have stoned a doctor and his female patient, for being in the examining room alone, a practice contrary to the country's moral values. Though it is an extreme remedy, I sometimes wonder if something harsher should be adopted in our case, given the number of instances in which women complain about physicians taking advantage of them in the examining room. Most of these cases end up as acquittals, for "lack of proof" or "reasonable doubt." Maybe we shouldn't be so reluectant to "cast the first stone."

The Pope has confirmed that there's a "gay lobby" in the Vatican. The trouble with this statement is that it doesn't really tell us anything. Just what is a "gay lobby"? We all know what a political lobby is, but, surely, this other lobby must be something different, because homosexuals don't have very much standing or clout in the Catholic Church. If anything, there must be an anti-gay lobby at St Peter's. Of course it could be that, since there are so many homosexual priests and lesbian nuns, they have started to lobby for better working conditions and benefits...

The West -- the white man, actually -- has traditionally ransacked Africa and the East, stealing its countless cultural and historical artifacts. For a very long time, museums and other institutions in Europe and the United States have had those treasures, alleging in some cases that their countries of origin were incapable of taking care of them properly. Some of these objects have been bought from sources who had dubious claims to them. Slowly, but surely, as third-world countries have come into their own, they have begun to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. Although there has been some resistance on the part of the "owners", more and more of these artifacts are going back to where they belong. It's taken a long time, but history has finally caught up with the plunderers.

Okay. Eating less red meat and more fish and vegetables is good for your health and will probably add a few years to your life. But, is it worth it? At 63, I've lived most of my life, anyway, so the value of some additional years in my old age is not that significant. Not if I have to do without the things I enjoy so much, including eating meat. Sure, I'll continue to eat my reasonable share of fish and vegetables, but don't expect me to give up steak for a miserable two or three years more.

Of course, the whole world knew it all along, but now, it's official. Myanmar's Suu Kyi wants to be president. It's only natural; she's the poster lady for democracy in her country. All those years of prison -- house arrest, actually -- have to have a big reward, not just to be a member of parliament. I'm sure that, in a free and fair election, she will win in a landslide. Then, she will rue the day when she takes office and can no longer blame others for the mess her country will surely find itself for a long time to come.

The American media and others with a similar attitude towards Venezuela love to report about that country's troubles, lately the scarcity of basic products, such as toilet paper. For them, this is proof of the failure of the Venezuelan government's socialism and its economic policies. Well, now, what about the fact that a city like Philadelphia has had to close 23 schools, will layoff 3,783 public-school employees, and the education budget does not provide for buying paper or new books ?  Is that the government's fault and proof that capitalism does not work? Instead of being so concerned with finding fault with everything that the Venezuelan government does, the American media should pay more attention to what goes on in their own country, and be as judgmental.

When Obama got elected the first time, people everywhere not only celebrated the fact that a black man had achieved the presidency, but also that he was a man whose personal and professional qualities gave them hope that things would be different, especially after the dark ages of the Bush era. Here was a man who was a professor of constitutional law, a man of conscience, who had worked with the poor of Chicago. And yet, this is the same man who has just said that the domestic spying program is " a modest encroachment on privacy." Really? Says who? Had he known about it when it started in 2007 under Bush, would he have had the same opinion, or would he have called it something else much stronger? Clearly, Obama has disappointed those who thought that he had a different take on things. Guantánamo, drones, the IRS and now this. The Great Black Hope has turned into the The Great Black Hype.

For the few people that still believe that the U.S. is a free country, respectful of the law and, most of all, privacy, the news about PRISM, a government surveillance program, must come as a shock. Now we know that, at least since 2007, the National Security Agency has been listening in and looking at what Americans say or write through all the electronic media available. The NSA has forced communication and Internet companies to give it access to their clients' accounts, on "national security" grounds. Funny, I seem to recall that this was the same excuse that the Soviet Union and other totalitarian states gave to spy on their own people during the Cold War era. The U.S used to point out time and again that a free society such as the American one was in marked contrast with the dictatorships on this issue. Not anymore.

We'll soon find out, for sure, but it seems that Major League Baseball will have to be renamed "Dopeball." Just when we all thought that the doping scandal had subsided, rumor has it that some 20 players are going to be sanctioned for the use of steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs. There are probably some big names involved, who may lose most of the baseball season and, ultimately, a place in Cooperstown that was surely theirs. It's a pity that talented athletes, instead of relying on their natural abilities, prefer to risk their careers and their reputations to achieve results that are forever tainted with cheating and corruption.

Here's an odd piece of news. The Russians are looking to Steven Seagal to help them sell more weapons on the world market. First of all, is Seagal really relevant? This is a guy who at one time enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame, but has been a "has-been" for a long time now. To me, it shows how out-of-sync the Russians are, by choosing a faded movie star as their poster boy for arms deals. On the other hand, it shows how desperate Seagal must be, to accept this job, a sort of treason of his own country. After playing good-guy roles all of his career, he now will work for the "bad guys."

From the beginning, Great Britain was seen as following the lead of the U.S. in the ill-advised interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Of course, the British government denied it, claiming that it made its own decisions. Yet, as time went on, it became abundantly clear that the English have played second fiddle to the Americans in this disaster. So much so, that we now know that England also copied the infamous Guantánamo detention camp with one of its own in Afghanistan. Like its American model, this one has its quota of detainees who have never been charged with any crime. The official "excuse" for such a flagrant violation of human rights and international law is that the British want to make sure that the people they are holding there will be well treated by the Afghan government when they are handed over to them. As if being held the way they are now is an acceptable situation by any standard.

Here's another example -- of many -- of how the U.S. operates abroad and then covers its tracks. It now seems that a CIA agent who has acknowledged that he killed Pinochet adversaries both in Buenos Aires and Washington, posed as a doctor in the hospital where Neruda died, and was present when it happened, probably ordering the fatal injection that killed him. The description by another doctor who now admits that he lied when he testified that he was the only doctor present at the time fits that of the CIA agent. It's going to be interesting to see what the U.S. government does, now that a Chilean judge has ordered the investigation to proceed. The CIA agent is in the witness protection program in the U.S. I would not be surprised if he turns up dead very soon.

The Dutch guy who "disappeared" an American girl in Aruba and then went on to kill a woman in Peru is going to get married in the jail where he is serving a 28-year sentence. This is one more of those cases in which prison becomes a turn-on for women who love "bad boys." Of course, this seems to be the only way in which a woman can have a relationship with him. Still, should there be conjugal visits in the Peruvian jail, the bride-to-be should be very careful...