Up Close and Personal

If I have to judge from what my friends, family and random Brazilians have said about my blogging, I am carefully optimistic that my writing is not complete bollocks. Unfortunately I have one very harsh critic, myself, and "he" is constantly thinking of ways how to improve or change what I have written so far or am going to write in the future. One such personal criticism my sun-dried brain came up with recently is that the blog could use more intimate, personal observations or messages. Not that the previous postings haven't had their share of my own mind, but I can do one better I think.

I know what you're thinking. Just stop whining about it and just write already!

I will, rest assured, but I am not able to right now because of work related nonsense. By the way, I am not able to say that I do not have the time for it as those of you who have been to Africa know that there is no such abstract concept here. Unless maybe in the urban centres of South Africa but let's face it those might as well have been anywhere in the Western world. So time is not something I consider on a daily basis. Very refreshing I assure you.

So until I can sit down and write properly about what I haven't thought about yet I will send along some of issues that are clouding my thoughts at this very moment. (intense or what?)

1) "That's Mr. Banana Beak to you, Fuzzy!" - Explanation: as one half of my brain is constantly occupied with such things as work, walking, speaking, and gosh-that-eland-is-getting-rather-close, the other half is always playing back my favourite movies. The quotation is from one such movie...and if you do not know which than you have no business reading this blog (or you're not from my generation).

2) Oh yes...George W Bush. Just as a humvee that keeps crashing through wall after wall or house after house, the driver not knowing where the brakes are, so does President Bush rule the most powerful nation on the planet. Constantly knocking through walls which everyone assumed were indestructible. Pardoning Lewis "Scooter" Libby is the latest in a long and disturbing row of bad decisions. The sentencing of Libby could be considered as the last glimmer of hope that there was still some control over the US government's use of intelligence and war propaganda. Scooter exposed a CIA agent to journalists, jeopardizing not only said agent but also her husband who was a US diplomat at the time - a diplomat who was publicly against the war in Iraq. Such underhanded tactics have no place in a free country and Libby was justly sentenced for such a breach of national security. Fortunately for him his president did not abandon him, a protectionist "buddy" attitude which generally has no place in politics, especially if it concerns a convicted criminal. Libby still has to pay a significant fine and has two years probation, but not going to prison for 30 months will surely come as a relief to the man. Hopefully he will be able to make good use of his time now that his political career is finished...maybe an executive position at Halliburton?

3) The South African elections. A one-party system cannot be called a democracy and it is time for all South Africans to realize that it is now allowed to vote for another party besides the ANC. Freedom was achieved over 12 years ago now, surely the biggest step that had to be made, but since then the government has been struggling with the smaller (but not much less difficult) steps of running a complex country like South Africa. A lesson that I had hoped they had learned by now is that no one party (or one person) should remain in power for more than, say, ten years. Change in politics is important for a smooth-running democracy. Because if there is no fear of an election loss politicians will eventually become placated and lazy, it's as simple as that. President Mbeki said that he might consider running as the ANC candidate again and likely become president for a third term. And why shouldn't he? He faces little or no oposition, especially from other parties, and no doubt he has grown used to the trappings of office, the curse of almost all post-colonial African leaders. But in the end it is the people's choice that will determine the country's future, for better or for worse. I hope they have grown as weary as I have with the ANC.

...more to come.

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