One Man's Opinion

Leaving aside the merits of doing so, legalizing marijuana in California would put the U.S. in an untenable position with Latin America.  Even its friends in the region have begun to point out the glaring inconsistency of the Americans' insistent demand that their countries fight "the war on drugs" wholeheartedly, while legalizing it on its home front.  It's being said time and time again that, without the American consumer, the Latin American producer would not have such a big market for its product. The strategy against drug addiction should have been revised a long time ago.  This is essentially a mental health problem turned into a law enforcement one by refusing to recognize it as the former.  Decades of saying that marijuana is the "gateway" to other drugs now prevent that public policy be changed because either they were wrong all along or they're giving up and giving in to potheads, and no one wants to go down in history with that on his record...

If the Democrats lose big on Tuesday, Obama is going to have a very tough two final years of his term; not that the first two have been easy.  But, without a majority in Congress, he will accomplish very little of his agenda.  Local politics aside, which may explain some of the Congressional turnaround, this could also signal that, at bottom, the country feels that it gave a black man the chance to be President and he came up short.  So, they can take off the gloves and start tearing him down politically by taking away his vital support in Congress. In truth, this has been going on for quite some time now.  All those people who feel uncomfortable, to say the least, having a black man as President welcome the chance to neutralize him.  They have tried everything, from questioning his birth to his religion, to show how ill-suited he is to hold office because he is not a "real American."  Real Americans are white, so a black man can't be a "real President" o...

For a while, it sort of seemed like this time the world was really going to pay attention to Haiti.  But, as time has gone by, promises have been mostly unkept, and things have gone back to normal, that is, to the same disaster that was before.  Now that the outbreak of cholera there claims our attention somewhat, we glance over, but not with enough interest to keep us focused on the country's dire situation.  People have become used to the permanent horrible conditions of the Haitians, as if there was no other way that the country can live.  The problems seem insurmountable, so we tend to give up hope and leave them to their lot in life.  It's a very human reaction.  It is also wrong. The human reaction has to be balanced by the humane response to all the suffering of those fellow human beings.  Averting our eyes is not an option.

Harrison Ford, in his role as Vice Chairman of Conservation International, speaking at the Nagoya Conference on Biological Diversity, has denounced the U.S. as the only major country who refuses to support the international agreement to protect biodiversity.  Americans, who are so fond of proclaiming themselves as leaders of the free world and all the good causes of mankind, have been markedly reluctant to sign up on fundamental things such as the fight to combat climate change and protect the environment globally. I suppose that Ford must have felt, at the very least, embarrassed at having to admit that his own country, while lecturing the rest of the world on countless matters, chooses to ignore this vital issue.  In spite of old "Indiana Jones" himself warning them of the impending "doom".

The U.S. keeps going down the tubes.  In its latest report, Transparency International has dropped it to number 22 in its ranking, from least to most, of corrupt nations.  I think TI is far too generous.  From what we learn every day, corruption is rampant in all walks of life and at every level in the U.S.  Both the government and the private sector are rife with dishonesty in every way, shape and form.  Read any newspaper, listen to the radio, watch TV, and all you see is cheating of some kind, often by people who have no real need to do so, but are motivated by pure greed. Contrary to popular belief and propaganda, the "American Dream" is really a corrupt ideal.  By setting a goal of getting as rich as possible, as fast as possible, and retire to a life of leisure, the conditions are given for all sorts of moral shortcuts.  People will do anything for a fast buck.  The desire to get ahead no matter what, the obsession with success at all cost...

For the 19th straight year, what amounts to the whole world has condemned the U.S. for its embargo on Cuba, to no avail.  The U.S., who, supposedly, champions democracy all across the globe, extolling the virtues of voting, chooses to ignore a consistent and overwhelming result against it.  This year the tally was 187 to 2, with three abstentions.   In any other context, the Americans would demand that such a result be respected, representing, as it does, the expression of the international community.  But, in typical imperialistic fashion, they tell the rest of the world that it's only their will that matters, one to be imposed by the force of their arms and their money, and the United Nations be damned! This is quintessential American hypocrisy and cynicism.  Everybody else do as I say, but I won't accept any curtailing of my power.

What is the world coming to!  A town in Italy has decided to ban miniskirts and certain public displays of affection, to, supposedly, improve the general decency and morality.  The Church - needless to say, the Catholic one - is in full support of this medieval nonsense. I always thought that the whole idea of Italy was to show the rest of the world how to live and love with great abandon, caring very little about what others might think.  All those Fellini and Mastroianni films depicted what la dolce vita was really about. If we're not careful, pretty soon, we'll all be wearing sackcloth and whipping ourselves during a religious procession through the streets.