Category: Fourre-tout

Some people are obsessed. They are totally consumed by a single belief and cannot to let it go.

Hitler was obsessed by the Jews, that’s for sure. What did these rascals do to him? Sneer at his early paintings? Or did some wily Jewish chick reject his advances?

Moby Dick obsessed captain Ahab; a little over the top if you ask me.
Humbert Humbert lusted endlessly for prepubescent Lolita. A strong case of hebephilia!

A pesky “lying press” obsesses POTUS; why is every journalist so unfair to me? he laments.

Obsession is a cancer of the brain. It starts innocuously and if not treated in time it will metastasize with devastating consequences.

“Obsession is the single most wasteful human activity because with an obsession you keep coming back and back and back to the same question and never get an answer.” Norman Mailer

Obsessions are as varied as cockroaches. Some are health-related (hypochondria), some are political (neophobia) and some are rooted in religion (scrupulosity).

The religious obsession is by far the most disturbing. It regulates every part of its follower’s lives; they constantly worry about infringing or having anybody infringe the rules of their faith.

Religious freaks obsess that one might say or do something blasphemous; and it could be anything. Recently, Asia Bibi, a young Pakistani Christian woman was accused of such deed and sentenced to death.

“The Guardian. Retrieved 1 November 2018. Bibi’s alleged blasphemous comments were supposedly made after co-workers refused to share water that she had carried; they said it was unclean because she was a Christian (this is a hangover from the caste system, as most of those who converted to Christianity in pre-partition India were members of the lower castes).”

To disciples, the Afterlife seems to be more important than life itself. If you are a good boy/girl (if you blindly obey us), you will go to Paradise when you kick the bucket.

I have been a bad boy and this does not scare me. What frightens me is our Republic’s drift toward divisiveness and authoritarianism (strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom.)
You might call this an obsession if you like.

 For my part my motto is: “vivre et laisser vivre” (live and let live).

Alain

It is happening with a sickening regularity. Yesterday again, in Thousand Oaks, California, a gunman opened fire and killed 12 people.

How many times does this have to occur before a lethargic public finally wakes up? and breaks the chokehold of the gun lobby on the legislature?

Don’t fool yourself… Nobody is safe, regardless of race, age, faith, gender or political affiliation. This tragedy can happen anytime anywhere, whether you are a gun proponent or not.

A big deal was made when on June 14, 2017, congressman Steve Scalise (opponent of gun control)  was shot practicing baseball. A bigger deal should be made about the 12 students killed yesterday.

To stop this plague, the public at large has to be more vocal and put pressure on their elected officials.

The problem is that the NRA will target (and spend a great deal of money to defeat) any legislator favorable to gun control; and despite the fact that a clear majority of Americans support a form (not a total ban) of gun control.

“Not only does the NRA outspend gun control groups but it’s also simply better at mobilizing its base (it boasts a membership of 5 million) against candidates it deems a threat, according to the Violence Policy Center’s executive director, Josh Sugarmann.”

Unfortunately, politicians prize their jobs (and perks) above anything else and few are willing to lose their livelihood to take on the beast.

A vocal popular uprising has to take place to reverse this trend. There are enough people in this country who have lost a friend or a relative to start this movement.

On the other hand, if you are satisfied with the status quo, do nothing, but don’t come crying when the carnage continues.

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.” Martin Niemöller

 Alain

This is election time and the airwaves are flooded with innuendos, rumors, speculations…

Who will prevail? The challengers or the incumbents? The results of this election will give us a good indication of the chances of Trumpism remaining relevant beyond 2020.

If it does, no matter what, the incumbent will have to leave the White House in 2024. The 22^nd amendment guarantees this, and I do believe that this is a good thing.

“The 22nd amendment limits the president to only two 4-year terms in office. … After FDR died in 1945, many Americans began to recognize that having a president serve more than eight years was bad for the country. This led to the 22nd amendment, which was passed by Congress in 1947 and ratified by the states by 1951.”

 Contrarily to African potentates who cling to power after their term expires, the US Constitution guarantees an orderly transition of power. Regardless of his achievements, an incumbent has to go after 2 terms.

A two-term limit is a good idea. On his first stint, a leader is eager to innovate but is often ignorant about the ways to do it. On his second term (if there is one), he is at his best. He has acquired the experience and he knows that it is his last round. He can now disregard political pressures and do his best to leave the most favorable legacy to the public and his successor.
If there were a 3^rd term, it would be a letdown. People get tired even of “Suspiro de Limeña.”

“I think we want to see new voices and new ideas emerge – that’s part of the reason why term limits are a really useful thing.” Barack Obama

 A good leader should always show a willingness to give up power and return to a more anonymous life.

“There is a long and honorable tradition of citizens in service to their nation that goes back at least as far as Cincinnatus, the Roman citizen who, more than once answered his country’s call, then returned to his farm and his family and his work.” Tom Clancy

By doing this he will leave behind a grateful nation instead of a resentful one and will be fondly remembered for his service and accomplishments.

Alain