One Man's Opinion

The U.S. keeps killing innocent civilians with drone airstrikes in Afghanistan and Pakistan and "apologizing" for it, somewhat, given that it usually says that it will "investigate" the incident. But, nothing comes of it because the Americans are not going to stop using the drone airplanes, no matter what. The Afghans and the Pakistanis are wasting their time waiting for the U.S. to do it. Much like what the NSA Director said recently, that the Americans will continue to spy whomever, wherever and whenever they feel like it, they will continue to use the drones, and, at best, "apologize" for killing children, as the most recent case shows.

The Dominican Republic keeps making headlines...bad ones, that is. As if the deportation of Dominicans of Haitian ancestry and Haitians in general wasn't enough of a black eye, the homophobic reaction to the U.S. Ambassador's arrival with his spouse is another example of bad press. Casting its intolerance as "cultural differences" and denouncing Obama's decision as an affront to the country, the DR is showing a very ugly face of holier-than-thou religious fanaticism and Dark-Ages mentality. Calling for demonstrations and the wearing of black ribbons on cars is, frankly, exaggerated and childish, as a means to protest against the Ambassador and the country he represents. Just as ludicrous is accusing the Obama administration of trying to "impose" gay marriage and adoption on the DR by this appointment. There's definitely something very disturbing going on in a country whose tourist marketing slogan is "The Dominican Republic has it all." ...

The Pope really means business. He is well on his way to changing the Catholic Church in big and small ways. You get the feeling that he truly embodies the Christian principles of compassion for the poor, the sick and the weak, not just as abstractions, but as immediate and personal concerns. Turning the traditional office of the Vatican Almoner into a more active and out-reaching one is a sign of how caring the man is. By appointing a younger man and ordering him to go out to not only give money to the needy, but spend time with them and share their misfortunes and problems, the Pope "talks the talk and walks the walk." We should all thank him for that.

Life can be very cruel, especially with children who get sick enough to die. Worse than the incredible sadness that goes along with such a tragedy is the fact that, sometimes, the disease has very painful symptoms, and death is a long time coming. Parents and immediate family are, then, in an indefinite deathwatch that breaks their hearts. All this comes to mind because Belgium is debating whether or not to allow euthanasia for children, just as it's legal for adults. Parents there who have gone through the ordeal of seeing their children die very painfully and slowly are urging lawmakers to include minors in the law that authorizes mercy killing of those who are beyond medical help and suffer from excruciating pain that cannot be alleviated. Let's hope that those lawmakers, and others around the world, are themselves merciful.

As China comes up in the world, the media in the U.S. has begun to concentrate on reporting anything and everything negative about that country. One senses that this is done with the clear intention of badmouthing the Chinese. The not-so-subtle message is: the Chinese are not as great as they now appear to be. Things don't work properly there. Accidents and disasters abound. Their products have poor quality. They will never be as good as those made in the USA. Etc., etc., etc. It's as if China or any other country did not have the right to excel economically or in any other human endeavor. Americans act like other people's success bothers them, because it takes away their preeminence in the world, something that "rightfully" belongs to them by some sort of divine decree. Envy is a terrible thing.

Once again, Puerto Ricans from all walks of life, at home and abroad, have marched in support of Oscar López Rivera, a 70 year-old man who has spent 32 years behind bars for being an advocate of our independence form the U.S. Long after Mandela was freed, Oscar remains convicted of a similar "crime" called seditious conspiracy, used to persecute those who dare oppose a regime. His is one of the longest -- if not the longest -- incarcerations for a non-violent crime anywhere in the world. For the last three years, the Obama administration has been petitioned formally and legally for his release. Evidently, Obama has been too busy playing the role of humanitarian and peacekeeper around the world, to do justice to this man. Meanwhile, Oscar sits in his cell waiting for a freedom that may never come, except in death. May God have mercy on Obama's soul.

Amidst all the brouhaha over the Dominican Republic's "legal" deportation of Dominicans of Haitian descent, now comes an express and illegal deportation done in the name of some sort of border justice. Dominican police and army have taken it upon themselves to retaliate against Haitians -- or those they deem Haitian -- for the murder of an elderly couple by, supposedly, Haitians. Acting like judge and jury, they have rounded up more than 200 of the "usual suspects" and proceeded to expel them from the DR. In the process, families have been broken up, leaving children alone and unattended in the DR, while their parents have been carted off to Haiti. The shameful court ruling, supported by the Congress, has now a sequel of lawlessness by the Executive Branch through the Police and the Armed Forces. Trujillo lives!