Au Cochonnet Marin

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I have not come here to bury the man, but to praise him.”

I usually use this forum to vent, to verbalize what’s bothering me, but today I will not berate but applaud.

On this page, I would like to pay a timely homage to one of the nicest and hardest working member of our club.
His name is Charlie. I don’t have to say more. Everybody knows who he is.

Charlie is a humble fellow. Unlike some blowhards, he will never toot his own horn and that’s why I will blow my own on his behalf.

Charlie is the type of guy who, upon noticing that something needs fixing, will mend it… quietly. He doesn’t wait for anybody to mention the problem. He just rolls up his sleeves and goes to work.
He has been part of almost every renovation project that the club has sponsored.

Charlie is not a youngster anymore, but “aux âmes bien nées, la valeur (n’attend point) ne tient pas compte du nombre des années. »

I really didn’t have to quote paraphrase Corneille and Shakespeare to buttress my case, but it seems to be the fitting thing to do.

Charlie is a multi-talented fellow. Besides his many aptitudes, he is also ambidextrous (something I am jealous of).
During a pétanque game, if the right hand doesn’t seem to perform properly he can switch to playing with his left hand to get better results.
It is an unfair advantage, but by golly, if you have got it, flaunt it!

Charlie is also a good-humored fellow who can appreciate a good (or bad) joke such as this one:

A thief in Paris planned to steal some paintings from the Louvre.
After carefully consideration, he got past security, stole the paintings and made it safely to his van.
However, he was captured only two blocks away when his van ran out of gas. When asked how he could mastermind such a crime and then make such an obvious error, he replied:
“Monsieur, that’s the reason I stole the paintings. I had no Monet to buy Degas to make the Van Gogh.”
Corny? Of course, but life is short. Enjoy it every chance you get.

Thank you for everything you did for the club Charlie. We appreciate it!
Ò (quiò) merci hero!

Alain

“It is inexcusable for scientists to torture animals; let them make their experiments on journalists and politicians.”
Henrik Ibsen

Yeah! I am all for it But I would not go as far as Henrik.
Let’s experiment with the politicians but spare (some) journalists (for the time being).

Let’s first start by making a distinction between a politician and a politico.

 

A politician “is a person who is professionally involved in politics, especially as a holder of or a candidate for an elected office.”

 

A politico (derogative term) is “a person who uses public office to advance personal or partisan interests.”

Both species are slightly different, but they generally look well fed, well dressed and instinctively know which side of their bread is buttered.

I started to pay closer attention to these “gentlemen” (chivalrous, courteous, honorable men) after watching two television series: one American (originally British) the other one French.

The American series is called House of cards and is set in present-day Washington, D.C.
The French series, Les hommes de l’ombre (the shadow men) is set in present-day Paris.

Both series have different storylines but basically deal with the ruthlessness and the unscrupulousness of elected officials.
In both series, they will do anything (including murder) to win an election.

Most western nations are democracies. “A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, through elected representatives.”
Fine and dandy. But I have a bone to pick with democracy.
It is basically a good but flawed idea.

Generally speaking we know too little about the people running for office to make a good choice.
Every candidate should be thoroughly scrutinized (lie detector) and his or her record should be made widely available to the public prior an election, warts and all.
For many politicians have secret lives and the shadowy war before an election is mainly about finding out and exploiting the opponent’s Achilles heel.
Is he/she a secret bigot, a closet homosexual, a pedophile, a wife-beater?
Bestiality maybe… Really?
Praise the Lord we got him!

As George Bernard Shaw put it “If you can’t get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you’d best teach it to dance.”

Many politicians are merely gunslingers (obstructionists) paid to derail or undermine a project.

By the way, (in case you didn’t know) professional writers pen all the candidates’ speeches and all their moves are controlled by “consultants”.
So where is the “genuine article” under that charade?
Unfortunately we only find out after these guys have been inducted.
Too late! We will have to bear with this guy for another four or five years, or forever (in the case of Tsar Putin the Small).

In conclusion:
“The majority of the members of the Irish parliament (or American Congress) are professional politicians, in the sense that otherwise they would not be given jobs minding mice at crossroads.”
Flann O’Brien

I didn’t say that. Flann did, but I am inclined to agree.

Vote for me! I love you!

Alain

Politicians always strive to be “politically correct”. To say the “right” things to the right audiences. These “holier-than-thou” fellows absolutely hate to ruffle feathers (and offend potential voters). Every vote counts you know…

Personally I don’t care about being PC. As a matter of fact I don’t like it at all, for I despise pandering.
The expression “politically correct” has its roots in the Stalinist doctrine.
“Anyone who is not with me is against me,” observed Joseph Jughasvili Stalin (and likely to end up in a gulag, or worse).
In order to remain in friendly terms with the Georgian despot you had to toe the communist party line (his line) and always deliver “politically correct” messages.
This rule by the way still applies in Russia today where dissenters often meet a politically incorrect demise (see Boris Netsmov and Anna Politkovskaya).

Being PC is usually perceived as doing something noble, altruistic. But it is often unwise or unpractical, or both.

UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) has recently been asking western nations to welcome/absorb Syrian asylum seekers. Praiseworthy goal indeed, but why asking mainly Christian nations to welcome Muslim nationals? Fellows who are not generally known to be particularly tolerant and friendly toward the West?
Why insert potential Fifth Columnists in already troubled and financially burdened countries?

Why not ask wealthy Muslim nations to help their coreligionists?
Why not demand that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Brunei and the United Arab Emirates be more charitable instead of building newer and shinier skyscrapers and buying soccer teams?
After all, they have a common culture and share the same beliefs…
Would Muslim countries welcome Christian’s refugees in a similar situation?
Hum…

I realize that what I am saying is heresy to PC activists but I call them as I see them.

It would be politically correct for lions to become vegans, but despite politically correct speeches by activist lions, most felines persist in eating innocent zebras.

I know that these beasts are wrong but isn’t it is more practical to let them be than providing tons of Wheaties to these incorrect creatures?

Politically correct? No, I prefer politically astute.

Alain