Britannia Radio

Little Red Riding Hood Bites The Wolf

From the desk of George Handlery on Fri, 2010-11-12 09:42

America fails the “unblemished virtue” test. The guilt of innocence. Again the Viet Nam case and its misuse. Avoid the dangers of success. Democratic Socialism: Which part has priority? Money for repatriated criminals. Obama’s old magic and the new boredom. About obvious consequences.

1. Incredible. Therefore, it is true. In a recent conclave of the UN’s Human Rights Commission Iran, Cuba, Libya, Burma and comparable paragons of virtue castigated the United States. If you have not read about it, you want to know more. The charge is the systematic violation of human rights. A lesson is applied. Weird claims get intensive coverage. Being in the news repeatedly, lends credibility to what is otherwise absurd. Given the composition of the guardians of decency in this case, this much is to be expected. Rather odd is that the US sent a large delegation. Reported is that, “America” –well, at least its current spokesmen- had been self-critical and promised improvement. (Could it be that this promise is to live up to, let us say, the Libyan standard?) Considering who put the delegation together and who sent them, the “mea culpa” for not being perfect, might have been sincerely meant.

The observer must wonder about the wisdom or appropriateness of appearing before a body convened as a kangaroo tribunal run by violators. After the fact, you may be unsure as to what extent the judgment of the Committee will be exploited internally. For instance to plea for the limitation of sovereignty and leniency for miscreants. When pleading an otherwise hopeless case, being able to refer to a foreign, and therefore allegedly unbiased concurring source, has its uses. Not only in dumb and criminal America.

2. Being an undaunted champion of freedom as a system, China is emitting remarkable signals. Peking is warning all those endowed with new fangled jelly implanted to replace old-fashioned backbone. The bamboozled governments are not supposed to send delegations to be present when the Nobel Prize is given to China’s laureate. The UNHRC might take notice that the laureate –and his wife- is a genuine political prisoner. Perhaps the Committee will cite China for a dressing down. It will soon happen. Only first, the Little Red Riding Hood has to bite the wolf. And Heidi will need to take a job to animate the guests of a Bangkok bar.

3. This fits since above we were discussing “politicals”. A few weeks ago, recovering from a shoulder injury, the writer resorted to the services of a therapist. She was surprised by the quick recovery. I explained that, if I would not “heel well” I would probably not be alive. She wanted to know what that means. So I told her that I spend two-and-a-half years on the most pleasant outside circle of the Gulag. Call it a rural vacation. Her natural question –resulting from the cultural connection made between crime and punishment- was “why”. “For nothing, I was only thirteen” I responded. Then I saw her confused expression that implied, “OK, but what have you really done?” Like a lightning came the answer. “I was innocent. Except for that, I existed. That is what guilt can be all about.”

4. Although not good at avoiding the signaled pits one can still fall into, the Obamians wish to avoid “the Vietnam Trap”. Sitting in the trap already, makes the desire understandable and the belated effort unlikely to succeed. Some might wonder, how come that, Obama has crawled into the confine without noticing it. The feat has been accomplished because, not surprisingly, the President and his circle do not understand the VN debacle’s nature and its causes. How could it be otherwise! The problem becomes understandable if one extrapolates from the symbolic fact that B. O. has removed a Churchill’s bust from his office. Rightly so. Looking at Mr. “Blood Sweat and Tears” would have been an unpleasant reminder. Such as of what one is not, and of a model one wishes not to emulate. The case makes one think that Hitler’s mistake might have been that he had bad luck by running into the wrong enemies. He would do better nowadays.

5. Viet Nam became a reverse because, for whatever reason, reflecting its leaders’ stance, the US lacked the resolution to see through a tough one. Repeating the mistake, while hoping that, giving in is a newly invented strategy, threatens to duplicate the original error’s results. Being voluntarily a domino in search of a force to make it fall, instead of being a solid rock, makes retreats easy. It will also avoid the danger of being successful.

6. Switzerland’s Socialists had a congress. The result is rather surprising for the country in which these comrades are located. At the same time, the upshot is almost predictable for folks that ignorantly strive to enjoy life in a do-it-yourself utopia. The party committed itself to “overcome capitalism” and to implement “democratic socialism”. Betraying what they really mean they closed their shindig with the “International”. (The Communist movement’s “anthem”.) The scores of millions of victims the comrades in power have left behind rest silently in their grave. Even so, they testify regarding an amnesia concerning a past-as-future in which the advocates of the revolutionary reorganization of society indulge. For those aware of implications the symbolism of the marching song and the raised fists, it betrays what part of “democratic socialism” the local saviors of mankind have in mind.

7. Nigeria is one of the countries that supplies Europe, and within it Switzerland, with an abundant supply of immigrants. Being illegals, or claiming to be from another, in this case “unsafe” country and that they have lost their papers, they tend to live a life as criminals. The more so, since they lack skills and, even worse, being devoid of any appreciation of local ways. Except one. That is welfare allocation. If caught, such individuals used to be repatriated. Then Nigeria refused to accept its own rejects. The Swiss then “negotiated” a deal. Soon thereafter, the planes carrying returnees were again denied landing rights.

New negotiations, conducted as a “migration partnership” were the result. Newly, the Swiss will help repatriates with money and training facilities. They also showed “respect”. (Note: in some culture “respect” indicated submissive acceptance.) Nigeria’s representatives did not fail to point out their conviction that, regardless of all other considerations, all men have “rights”. Presumably to move wherever they please and to continue to live there in their accustomed way.

8. Watching Obama explain the elections and discuss his future course triggered an insight. The presentation was still technically excellent and the rhetoric impeccable. Nevertheless, neither critique or approval, nor admiration for a good pitch came up. Instead, boredom arose. The kind one experiences when being forced to watch on TV a magician pull out the rabbit the second time. You might still not quite know how he does it but having seen it once, you do not really care. A devastating threat is implied. The public, like this listener, might have gotten used to Obama. However, the current trip to Asia proves, the magic still works abroad. It is possible that abroad Obama’s general popularity has been greater than in the States. Emigration in 1012?

9. The Obama record suggests a lesson. It is that “inevitable consequences” are, in the case of at least some of us at the outset, not necessarily “obvious consequences”. Voting behavior is often explained by this principle. At the same time, a growing portion of the electorate is discovering an ignored umbilical cord. It connects certain components of a paty’s agenda with the penalties born by society that result from its pursuit.