One Man's Opinion

Now, you know the story. Repressive regimes are intolerant of home-grown dissidents and foreigners who are openly critical of them. Thus, they won't allow these troublemakers in their countries. The U.S. constantly condemns countries that act in such a retaliatory fashion against those who exercise their freedom of speech. This, it's pointed out, is a sign of weakness of a government or a political system. Well, interestingly enough, the U.S. has been denying visas to, of all people, human rights activists from several parts of the world, including one on Kurdish rights that has a long history of going to the U.S. to lecture and seek aid for his cause. In this particular case, the man has been waiting a year for his visa, without a word of explanation for the unusual delay. It seems that the State Department finds it inconvenient to let the man into the country, to do what the U.S. is supposedly admired for: letting people speak freely. I wonder what someone like Yoany Sánc...

The privatization of security in all its aspects, worldwide, has turned into big business. Also, into a big problem. Dumping what is, essentially, a public responsibility on the private sector is very convenient for governments because it allows them to put the blame on someone else, when anything goes wrong. And plenty is going wrong, especially in the area of detention of illegal immigrants, a vulnerable population if there ever was one. The fact of the matter is that private security companies have been put in charge of countless detention centers with, basically, no supervision and no accountability for their actions, which range from neglect to torture. Paying someone else to do a job that is distasteful often ends up alienating oneself from it. Governments have become exasperated with illegal immigration and they would rather not deal with it hands-on. So, they hire these companies to do their "dirty work" for them. And look the other way, while the companies do their...

How's this for a "speedy trial"? It has taken the U.S. nine years  to bring to trial a detainee at Guantánamo, with the possibility of a death sentence, for good measure. The man, accused of a terrorist activity in 2000, was tortured in a couple of sites used by the Americans to carry out illegal activities on foreign soil, before holding him in the Cuban detention camp. The defense counsel has pointed this out, but to no avail. The man is as good as dead, even before he has been tried, let alone convicted. The military tribunal who will hear the case is just a firing squad in disguise. He has been selected to die, and there is no way that that is not going to happen.

The Chinese are the "new Japanese." What I mean is, of course, that they are everywhere with their cameras, traveling in big groups all over the world. I had the chance to see that for myself these past two weeks while visiting, Paris, London and Berlin. With their new-found wealth and freedom to travel abroad, they have really taken up traveling enthusiastically. No longer a largely backward and reclusive society, China has opened up with a booming economy, and is staking its claim as a major player in the international arena. Faster than anyone expected, the Chinese not only are coming; they have definitely arrived.

The news that Iván Rodríguez has probably played his last game as a Washington National should have been that he has played his last game. Period. Arguably, the best catcher that has ever played the game, Iván should have let this last ovation in Washington be his "last hurrah." But, like so many other great athletes before him, the roar of the crowd has drowned out that little voice that, surely, tells him that he should retire now and stop embarrassing himself, especially at the batter box. Though he is still capable of throwing out almost half of those who dare run against him, his eye-hand coordination, the essential capability to hit consistently, is not there anymore. He has played very few games this year, hit even less, and the idea that he can play three more years, as he has said, is just a fantasy of his. Wanting to reach the 3,000 hit-milestone, being so close, is understandable, but unrealistic, given his diminished capacity to swing the bat properly. In spite of...

Life has a funny way of proving you right or wrong, as the case may be. In other instances, of showing you up on your contradictions. This comes to mind with the recent scandal in Spain, where the government and the main opposition party both tried to put a spin on the reporting done by TVE, the State-run news and entertainment television channel. Fortunately, the public outcry and the professional fortitude of management prevented the foul deed. What I find interesting is the fact that Spain has chastised both Castro and Chávez for what they see as improper control of the press and the rest of the mass media. So, while condemning the two regimes, they attempt to do something along those lines. Once again, this is a clear example of the hypocrisy of the supposedly-leading democracies, that lecture the so-called "Third World" on the respect for human rights and freedoms that they themselves violate. Furthermore, when things like this happen in one of their countries, the G-7...

In case anyone out there missed it, I'll be on vacation until September 24.