When it comes to the entire disgusting and frankly astounding scandal that is the ongoing debacle around Julian Assange, there is one thing that must never forgotten nor underestimated, and that is:
SHAME ON YOU, AUSTRALIA!
This man, who is a hero to so many free-thinking, democratic-respecting people of this planet, was born in your country and is your son, Australia.
And how does Australia treat him? By turning their back on him, demeaning him in the most despicable and shameless manner, and being a pathetic lapdog to American imperialist politics and hypocrisy.
For a nation that always prides itself on its strong democracy and 'commitment' to human rights (the Aborigines, anyone?), and for having one of the best standards of living in the world, it's frankly pathetic.
I'll say it again:
SHAME ON YOU AUSTRALIA!!!
I'll tell you one thing, for what it's worth. I may be living in a country riddled with corruption and crime and nowhere near as 'advanced' as Australia, but I can almost guarantee this: South Africa, for all its many faults, would never, ever have done this to one of its own.
And that notion alone makes me more proud to be South African than to aspire to be the citizen of a gutless, cowardly nation like Australia.
Julian, no doubt about it - you were born in the wrong country, mate.
Julian Assange did the absolutely right thing on June 19th.
He entered the Embassy of the Republic of Ecuador in London and claimed asylum, on the grounds that he was being persecuted by the UK, Swedish and (potentially especially) United States governments. He requested political asylum as per under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Ecuador granted temporary protection during and told the world that they are considering the request.
He had no other choice. And it was something that I had been hoping he would have the courage (and good advice by others) to do. Because if there is one man in the public spotlight who is being hounded and having his rights raped and usurped like no other on this planet, it is Julian Assange.
And we all know that the Americans are just itching to get their grubby, fat hands on him so that they can charge him with spurious charges of 'high treason,' or some other legal claptrap that only a militarized state could conjure up, potentially consigning him to life imprisonment, or, worse, the death penalty.
His very life depended on him walking into that Embassy, and never being extradicted to Sweden (known lapdogs to the Yanks) if he can help it. You can count on that.
Ten days have passed. It seems an awful long time for the Ecuadorian government to be considering his application. We all know that Ecuador, and especially their incredibly smart and charismatic president, Rafael Correa, would love to grant asylum to this most whistleblower of note.
But the political and economic ramifications for a still-developing and small South American country like Ecuador must be crushing. Much as they may hate the strong-arm tactics and imperialist protestations of the United States, Ecuador must remain ever mindful of the sheer power of the world's biggest bully, never mind its biggest hypocrite.
Why not Venezuela? Surely a man like Hugo Chavez would do his nut to further grind American faces into his socialist groin by welcoming a man like Assange to Caracas with open arms? What a glorious middle finger that would be to los gringos up north. One would think so. Perhaps that is exactly what Correa is trying to achieve in these days that seem to drag on and on - a handover somehow to Venezuela, which doesn't even have an extradiction treaty with the US. One can continue to hope so, certainly.
Where is a healthy, cigar-smoking Fidel Castro when you need him?
And so Day Ten of his asylum in that London embassy almost comes to a close. And those os us who respect and honour and need this man wait with baited breath.
We wait for the very best outcome for him...and for us.
Gabon may not be the poorest of African nations, but nor is it the biggest or the most well-known. What is not in doubt is that it is a brave nation that seems highly committed to conserving its environment and protecting its natural heritage.
This small central West African nation may be oil rich, but at least its making an effort to fight the scourge that is the ivory trade.
In an encouraging report on Wednesday by the BBC online: "Gabonese President Ali Bongo has set
on fire nearly five tonnes of illegal ivory worth $9.3m (£6m) as part of
attempts to deter poaching. Mr Bongo said the burning was meant to send a "strong signal" to those who
still traded in ivory. Conservation group WWF has welcomed the move, saying it was an "indication of
the country's commitment" to curbing elephant poaching and the ivory trade."
The President went on to say:
"We don't want our children to inherit an empty
forest.”
Simple, wise words.
The BBC report continued:
"The pyre that was kindled in the Gabonese capital, Libreville, represented
the central African nation's entire government stockpile of confiscated ivory,
which resulted from the killing of some 850 elephants [italics for effect]."
This is a nation which also has a group of trained and respected eco enforcement officers, seen in the pic below patrolling the waterways of the country's lush forests, water avenues often used by smugglers of ivory and bushmeat:
President Ali Bongo said his country had a policy of "zero tolerance for
wildlife crime."
If only more countries would follow this type of lead, especially in Africa.
My hat off to you, Gabon. I am grateful for your valiant efforts. As I am sure the elephants are too.
I saw this image today on Yahoo Pictures - amazing bubble-like clouds that appeared over the town of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada:
Does nature, not to mention the sky above us, ever cease to amaze?
Just beautiful...
Did they blow it!
Greece had a chance - a chance to turn their second election this month into a middle finger at Brussels and the proto-capitalist fascist European Central Bank and to restore a bit of their national pride.
After the fiasco that was the first election, there was much hope that the smaller parties would rise and maybe become the dealmakers and dealbreakers that Greece so desperately needed.
The hope that the sell-outs of the traditional large parties like the centre-right New Democracy or play-play 'socialist' PASOK could no longer call the shots and sell Greece furthert down the river with more senseless 'bail-outs' and obscene 'austerity' measures.
Hope that all those mass demonstrations and encoraching despair and impoverishment of the Greek middle class would ferment enough anger to sweep anti-euro parties into power.
But, no, the Greeks screwed up their golden opportunity to really make a difference for themselves and for all of Europe.
So, knowing that their choice was this:
And instead of opting for this:
They instead opted for this:
They could have gone for the leftwing (and fervently anti-euro/ anti-bailout/ anti-austerity/ anti-kowtowing to the likes of Brussels and Merkel) Syriza party, but instead opted for the rightwing (and vehemently pro-euro/ pro-bail-out/ pro-austerity/ masochistic kowtowing to the likes of Brussels and Merkel) NDP.
As socialistrevolution.com put it: "Euro blackmail wins right-wing victory in Greece – what next?"
What next indeed.
And blackmail by the EU, ECB and Frankfurt financiers indeed.
The NDP will no doubt try to form some sort of pathetic 'national unity' coalition with PASOK, or the like, and back Greece will go, whimpering and cap in hand, willing whipping boy to the biggest financial Euro-Dominatrix of them all, Angela Merkel.
After all this time of me supporting the Greeks in their struggle against the decrepit and amoral euro juggernaut, it's time to say enough. After all that the likes of the NDP and PASOK have done to the Greeks, this is what they do when given a golden opportunity to shake up their own political and economic system, not to mention all of Europe?
All in the name of this delusion called 'stability' and this phantasmic 'dream' (really a nightmare) called the euro?
Pish.
I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again :
a people gets the government it deserves.
Do you get my point?
Che magnificenza!
What a victory it was last night as Italy surprised many (not me, by the way) by beating Germany 2-1 in the semi-finals of the Euro 2012 football championships.
It was a superlative performance by the Azzuri - superb defending, two excellent goals by Mario Bonatelli and, most intelligently of all, simply not allowing the dangerous and very able German simply not to play their game.
Buffon in goal was out of this world, Pirlo was peerless, and the rest of the team provided just the touch and just the commitment required. Even the penalty awarded to Germany in the 92nd minute seemed like an after thought.
Simple as that - unlike any other team that Germany encountered on their march to the semi-finals, Italy simply didn't allow them to get into their groove or to play their powerful, strident type of play.
Sometimes that's all it requires - intelligent, tactical thinking and not allowing your opponent to play the game their own way.
The fact that Italy, so downtrodden and 'bankrupt' in the face of the so-called 'euro crisis', was able to triumph against Germany, the arrogant, patronizing purveyors of the said monetary crisis in the EU, just made the victory even sweeter - oh, so very sweet. It was cosmic justice.
I've been telling people for days now whenever Italy came up in discussion about this Euro 2012:
"never underestimate Italy"
Simple as that.
So now the Azzuri face Spain in the final in Kiev on Sunday. Do Italy have a chance against the reigning world champions and the most fancied team since the tournament in Poland-Ukraine? Yes, I believe they do. Italy always start slow, and sometimes go nowhere, it is true. But sometimes they build momentum and, on a given day, can beat any team on the planet.
For now I am thrilled that Italy are in the Finals. They deserve it.
Forza Italia!
And, no, I am not referring to the centre-right, pathetic Italian political party that was Silvio Berlusconi's personal vehicle. Va bene? :-)
Continuing on the tangent that was watching Barack Obama's half-sister vaunting her book on morning TV whilst I ate my breakfast, along came something that nearly made me choke on my toast. At one point during the interview, the female interviewer, already dripping with nauseating sycophancy, prompted Miss Obama by making the following stunning statement:
"After all, the president is well-known for being a huge humanitarian."
Barack Obama is a "humanitarian?!"
Lady, what parallel universe are you living on?!
This man, in whom so many believed so much before he was elected (yours truly never amongst them, let it be said), and who promised so much, has turned out to be an even bigger warmonger than even George W. Bush was, for crying out loud!
So why is it that he is still revered as being a "humanitarian" by so many people, even as he only spoke about war when receiving his Nobel Peace Prize, even as we all know he'll try invading Iran once re-elected, even as Guantanamo Bay remains open for business, even as America looks poised to confront even Russia and China, even as dissent in America is oppressed like never before? And all under his watch and with his full blessing.
One of the weakest and most incompetent American presidents in the modern era, he compensates his many inadequacies by playing that perennial American favourite - the playground bully and supreme warmonger. Yet he is the "humanitarian?"
Based on what, you stupid bitch?
Then I quickly realized: it's all about perception. We all knew what a warmonger George W. Bush was. But he was also a Texan and quite ugly and monumentally stupid. We all know what a warmonger Obama is. But he is America's redemptive president given his skin tone, he is photogenic and comes across articulate enough. So some people think he's a good guy, a humanitarian, someone to be respected. Pish. Tell that to a Pakistani mother who's child was ripped apart by a drone. Tell that to a young suspect rotting away at Guantanamo without even having been formally charged or brought before a proper judge. Tell that to Bradley Manning.
Cynical, scary world we live in - a world saturated by soundbites and cliches so huge they can consume one if one isn't very careful.
Perception really is everything - especially when it comes to warmongering American presidents.
Do you get my point?
We live in the age of the 'hook.' That is, if you are trying to get a book published. Book publishers have always wanted to make a buck, so they have always opted to publish books that could make them money. This is obvious. But there was also a time when, alongside all the pulp fiction and schlock, there was room for books well written and for just pure writing talent.
That is no longer the case in this era of infinitesimal attention spans and shrinking readerships, not to mention corporatist profit uber alles in the publishing world. Of course there are still well-written books being published, and some of them even do well, but they had better have a hook or that other publishing favourite, the 'platform.'
I happened to be watching morning news here on a South African television station the other day, and along came an authoress with a big, fat hook or platform or coattail to ride along, or call it what you will: she happens to be the half-sister of the world's most powerful man. No, not Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan, but his lapdog, Barack Obama.
Auma Obama, who has written the book, "And Then Life Happens," was born and raised in Kenya and spent her formative years in Germany.
She spent much time in the interview saying how being a 'person of colour in a new country as multi-cultural as Germany with so many different cultures was a challenge for her," as well as the challenges of being a mother and running an NGO in here native country. It was so ho hum. It seemed a life replete with mundane issues, none of which suggested a particularly brilliant or unique life; certainly not a life worth writing about. But she is the half-sister of Barack Obama.
She never lived with the man, has only met with him a few times over the years and now they stay in touch by phone. She did phone to congratulate him on the night he won the election. And this deserves a book deal?
But she has that all-important hook, that imperative platform which book publishers and all media mavens seem to adore. She is connected to someone well known, therefore she is a somebody. In this age of celebrity, celebrity is everything, even if by association or degrees of separation.
Jeez, I wish I had that type of platform or super duper hook. I only grew up a white Italian- Portuguese boy in apartheid South Africa raised by a single mother whilst my father sat in jail for being an extreme right wing terrorist.
Nothing to write about there, naturally.
I did have the audacity to write about my youth, which I thought was a story worth telling. Stupid, arrogant me. Rejected to the hilt, because the story was not "compelling enough" or because I'm a talentless hack, of course. At least a few publishers made it known that I didn't have that all-important hook or platform, even if not in so many words.
Bitter? Hmmmm. I'm thinking more along the lines of vinegar.
So Miss Obama-Half-Sister gets to the sashay around the world being interviewed because she happened to have the same father as the latest American warmonger. She may not be an outright celebrity, but by God she has the (half) correct genes.
Makes perfect sense. After all, when it comes to telling a story, who the hell am I, right?
Do you get my point?
Yesterday I heard a shocking statistic and revelation whilst watching the Keiser Report on Russia Today (RT). Nearly every time I watch the inimitable and brilliant Max and Stacy and guests on his show I hear things that amaze/ offend/ stun/ outrage me, but this was one worth blogging about, so outrageous it was.
Turns out that forensic auditing of Silvio Berlusconi's private accounts whilst Emperor, I mean Prime Minister, of Italy show that the man spent unbelievable amounts of public money on 'entertainment.'
His private secretary (a man, unbelievably) readily admits most of this fun and play money was to pay high-class female 'companions' (read: hookers) to live the high life (and entertain Berlusconi, of course) at various villas throughout Italy.
Berlusconi is known to have dubbed these sex parties 'Bunga Bunga' parties. Such wit.
This is hardly shocking given that Emperor Silvio is a known womaniser with an insatiable predilection for copious amounts of sex, especially with very young women. And, quite frankly, rather the Borgia antics of Italian and French leaders than all that tiresome puritanical holier-than-thou nonsense of Anglo-Saxon politicians. At least all that sex and mayhem is fun and far less hypocritical.
Some of the world's vilest leaders were also highly monogamous men faithful to their partners - Hitler, Hoxha and Ceausescu to name just a few.
No, what was shocking was the amount of money that Berlusconi splurged on these fair lasses. In just two years he squandered 20-million euros on these lovely ladies alone.
Cartoon courtesy of www.cartoonmovement.com
20-million euros!!!
Cartoon courtesy of www.caricaturez.blogspot.com
Jeepers creepers! Just how much screwing can any one man get up to? And I mean up to. I want whatever that man's having - I mean, where did he get all the energy?! Berlusconi makes the sex-addicted character played by Michael Fassbender in the film Shame look like a Trappist monk.
The fact that this mafioso billionaire Energizer bunny was squandering huge amounts of public money by banging away whilst Italy sank deeper and deeper into debt is of course beyond the pale. The total lack of any ethics by this most self-interested and diabolical little man is no surprise, but the numbers are still shocking.
The sheer mendacity of the super rich elites continues to be breathtaking.
The Borgias would indeed have been proud.
Do you get my point?
