One Man's Opinion

The NRA is so desperate after the Sandy Hook massacre, it has resorted to outright lying to support its untenable position on gun control. Israel has had to come out denying that their policy on the private ownership of weapons and the use of armed military or law-enforcement personnel in schools is anything like the one the NRA has put out. Quite the contrary, the Israeli gun laws are very restrictive, to a point that the American gun lobby would find unacceptable. That lie, and its unwillingness to accept any restriction on gun ownership, are so outrageous, given the present circumstances, that it deserves the strongest repudiation on the part of the great majority of the American public. Food for thought, until I get back from a Christmas break, on January 1, 2013.

With each passing day, we become aware of where Petraeus, Allen and all the other big shots in the U.S. military come from in terms of the behavior that has undone them. It has now been reported that the sexual incidents in the Army, Navy and Air Force academies have increased 23% over last year. These include rape, molestation and harassment. In other words, these schools for future military officers are a breeding ground for the sexual misbehavior that later on manifests itself in the U.S. Armed Forces both at home and abroad. What is most striking in all of this is the fact that there have been quite a few of these kinds of incidents, and, although there have been promises to take action against them, they continue to happen more frequently. Evidently, there is something in the organizational culture there that sustains that kind of behavior. All protestations aside, it's clear that these things are not taken seriously. If someone is a good officer or is on the way to become one...

I don't know if the world ends today, but something short of apocalyptic has happened: the U.S. State Department has admitted failure in the Benghazi attack; so much so, that one official resigned and three others were relieved of their duties over this affair. You can  mark it on the Mayan calendar or any other, for that matter, when the Americans admit that they have screwed up. It's...well... un-American because it goes against the myth of American superiority in all things. Once they start admitting mistakes, people will get the wrong impression, that Americans are mere mortals and imperfect, and that won't do, if they are to maintain their status in the world as God's gift to mankind.

An international opinion poll has revealed that people in Latin American countries, though poor, feel better about themselves than those of well-off ones in other parts of the world. It appears that the poor value relationships with family and friends, and the opportunity to share the simple things in life, while those who are overly concerned with their economic and social status miss out on those things, and thus are unhappier for it. There's an important lesson there for all of us. Don't sacrifice your family to give them more material things than the ones they really need. Spending extra time to make more money is rarely worth it. You'll only make your loved ones miss you, and make yourself more tired and resentful; in other words, unhappier. Work to live; don't live to work.

For over a century now, a relatively small Czech brewery has been fighting in court to prevent the American giant from using the Budweiser label in several countries around the world. For the most part, it has been successful, but there are still markets in which the issue is hotly contested. The Czechs contend that the name in question properly belongs to them, having used it to designate a special brew made in a part of their country hundreds of years ago. Experts say that it doesn't matter too much because there is a distinct difference between both beers. I haven't tasted that particular Czech beer, but having drunk the American one, the Czechs have nothing to worry about...

Hugo Chavez's enemies have resumed his death watch, hoping and praying that he dies as soon as possible. They are betting that, with him gone, his party and the Bolivarian revolution will all come unglued. But, Chávez stubbornly keeps on living and his party keeps on winning, as yesterday's state elections clearly show. Out of the 23 races, Chávez's party won 20. Of course, his main opponent also won in his state, but the results are so overwhelming in favor of the government's policies, that the President's enemies must be disheartened by the fact that, even at death's door, he is able to beat them handily. Perhaps they should ask themselves why. Long live Hugo Chávez and his revolution!

It should not come as a surprise to anyone. The Catholic Church has never been a democratic institution. It is a monarchy; an autocratic one, at that. Case in point: a protest at St. Peter's Square over the Pope's remarks against gay marriage was intervened with by police, who seized placards that alluded to this issue but were in no way disrespectful of the Pope. But, then again, when has the Church been respectful of those who disagree with its views? Time was when those who did were either killed or thrown into prison. Although it has tempered its treatment of dissent, the Vatican will still strike back at anyone who dares to oppose it in any way.