Archive for April 25th, 2008
Yes, you read that right. Brazil’s “Soy King” seems to think that cutting down the Rain Forest is necessary to create more land for farming in light of the global food shortage crisis. 
“There is no way to produce more food without … taking down more trees,” says Blairo Maggi, the governor of Mato Grosso state and Brazil’s largest soy producer.
Way to think outside of the box, schmuck! Ever hear of using the land we have? Ever think of irrigating the desert - Cali-style? The planet needs Brazil’s Rain Forest. We literally cannot do without it.
But, Maggi isn’t thinking of solving the world’s food problem. He’s just thinking of lining his pockets.
It’s laughable that Maggi is trying to paint himself some savior to the hungry. Who do you think he is going to recommend to cultivate the Amazon? HIMSELF! He is one of Brazil’s most powerful and prolific farmers. What a crock!
But, despite President Lula’s promises, corruption still runs high among Brazilian politicians. And if there is someone to pay off to make this swindle go down, Maggi’s got the cash. So, somebody better put a stop to the fool.
Seriously. The Huffington Post is saying that Obama is losing all of his support in the media because of the (current) conventional wisdom that he will lose in the general election.
But, I’ve said it from day one. And it isn’t because he’s black. Being black is one thing he’s got going for him.
It all starts with his relationship with Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
You choose what church to attend. You choose to sit through a sermon. You choose who conducts your marriage ceremony. You choose who baptizes your children. And presumably you make these choices as a reflection of who you are as a person, as an extension of your world view. These are the choices Obama has made that are scary to many Americans, black and white and brown alike.
For me it is impossible to think that Obama shares Reverend Wright’s hateful and bitter view of the world. It’s unthinkable. I stand back in complete awe after listening and re-reading Obama’s powerful speech concerning race and America that he delivered in Philadelphia. Our children will have to study that speech some day. It is brilliant. It is forward and inward and rotund. It proves Obama’s penetrating understanding, great respect and unconditional love for America and Americans. It proves that he is the type of leader we so desperately need.
So this begs the question: why the hell was Obama at that church for 20 plus years???
And the answer is clear and simple: to get Obama elected. To build an African-American political base in Chicago’s South Side.
Which paints Obama as a complete fraud. Where he was supposedly representative of a new breed of politician - a real leader of the people. All of this is put in doubt.
Because Americans want their heroes to be perfect and superhuman: flawless. And this Obama is not. Obama is only human. He is flawed. He is not a hero; he is a politician. And he made deals with the devil just as we all have. Obama is just like all of us.
So we become disillusioned and fall back on those abusive relationships to which we’ve grown accustomed: McCain or Clinton. It’s a disgusting cycle of neglect and betrayal - but a cycle we accepted long ago. It’s too much for us to accept Obama’s humanity. We want superhumanity or nothing at all.
The preacher is Obama’s Achilles Heel.
Violence. Prison. Death. Thuggery. Silenced opposition. All this and more in Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe. What a total nightmare.
I wish I had some constructive anecdotes to offer. A positive spin. But, I don’t. The situation seems like a fever that has to run its course.
If only we could fast forward to the part where Mugabe is being tried at The Hague.
Completely random sidebar: I had a dream last night that the Pope traveled to Zimbabwe and helped heal the wounded and feed the poor. If only life were a dream …
Leave it to “President” Bush to unite the Republicans and Democrats. Both parties are strongly condemning his approach at bringing the North Koreans to the negotiating table. Congress wants full disclosure of North Korea’s nuclear programs in return for fuel and food aide to the repressive regime. Bush is willing to settle for much less: full disclosure of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions in Syria (a situation that we and the Israelis are already on top of).
Bush’s ridiculous attempts at diplomacy would be comical if they didn’t concern the safety of humankind itself!
And lest we forget: what other hostile regime has begun to develop and will attain nuclear weapons on Bush’s watch? The government of Iran.
Thanks, Bush!
China is saying that it will meet with an aide of the Dalai Lama. This is welcome news from a regime that is usually unwavering in its rigid approach to domestic policy. We now know that China can change. I think we are witnessing the loosening of China’s grip on its people, possible the beginnings of a nuanced approach to democracy in China. Very rarely does it listen to the protests of its people. Yay, China!