Haven't the terrorists already won?

That's a question that I ask myself more and more nowadays, and one I almost brushed off the first time I heard it, uttered by my wise friend Fabrizio. Given the fact that there isn't a bigger outcry about what this president did to this country, my only guess is that many others did the same brushing, and they probably haven't realized yet how far back in time this country has gone in the short time span of four years.

9/11 was a horrible day and what happened that day will never be forgotten, nor should it, but at the same time will never be fully avenged. Not even capturing Osama bin Laden alive and killing him on live television for the whole world to see would bring those who died that day in New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania back. Nothing could.

What Bush has done to this country ever since, however, is just as horrible and could be undone only by his impeachment and removal from office. The damage he inflicted to America's image and standing on the world stage and to Americans' freedoms and rights cannot be expunged without a radical, shocking action. At this point, Bush is like a cancer for America. Only a good dose of chemotherapy and some surgery could stop it in its tracks.

The Abu Ghraib torture scandal, the Valerie Plame scandal, the corruption scandals, the lying to us to trick us into letting him drag us into an unjust, illegal, immoral war, the cronyism, the lack of responsibility and accountability, the incapability to act like a leader when disaster strikes and the people need you most, the disregard for the poor and the needy to the benefit of the rich and ultra-rich, and now, the hubris shown in ordering to spy on American citizens' phone conversations and emails and refusing to stop doing it.

I read a good article about how much this country has lost since 9/11 in terms of liberties and freedoms by Robert Steinback on the MiamiHerald.com. This is the crucial passage, but the whole article really deserves a read:

President Bush recently confirmed that he has authorized wiretaps against U.S. citizens on at least 30 occasions and said he'll continue doing it. His justification? He, as president -- or is that king? -- has a right to disregard any law, constitutional tenet or congressional mandate to protect the American people.

Is that America's highest goal -- preventing another terrorist attack? Are there no principles of law and liberty more important than this? Who would have remembered Patrick Henry had he written, "What's wrong with giving up a little liberty if it protects me from death?''

Bush's excuse for what he did is that he has to do anything he has to in order to protect us from other terrorist attacks, and that he's keeping us safe. As a result, he has broken the law, federal and constitutional, but won't repent or stop doing it. Not too many people seem, so far at least (I hope,) too concerned or outraged by his actions, but I for one beg to disagree. What he did was illegal and wrong. He should stop doing it immediately, and also pay a price for what he did so far.

I guess, being a foreigner, I feel the whole spying a lot closer to home than the average American, but you should be outraged too. I now know for a fact that all my emails to my friends and my weekly phone calls to my parents in Italy have been overheard, evaluated, probably copied and stored, and classified according to Bush's frame of reference (and that's what I like the least, I mean, the guy is a freak.)

I have nothing to hide, and I'm sure my emails haven't raised any anti-terrorism flags, but I'm just as sure that I've been labeled as dangerous because I don't agree with the administration policies. God forbid any error ever occurred to my legal status in this country, I could be jailed without any rights indefinitely, without being able to see or talk to my family for years... or ever.

Now, you might say, Well, if you've got nothing to hide, then why worry? And you'd be right, if only it were true that this administration never lied or misrepresented the facts, or made a mistake and accused an innocent of a crime he or she didn't commit, or labeled as dangerous and viewed as a threat to national security an organization like PETA, which only cares for the welfare of animals.

Well, to you, my dear friend, who thinks there is nothing wrong with the government spying on my communications if I have nothing to hide, since I'm not American and who knows if I can really be trusted, I would like to ask, Do you still feel like it's ok for the government to spy on people now that it's come out that it's not just foreigners they are targeting, but ANYBODY?

And that includes you too. Maybe you just called an old friend from college who now lives in France, or maybe you just called that hotel in Spain where you plan to spend your next vacation, but you can't be sure that your name hasn't been inserted in a file somewhere on a well hidden computer hard drive and be kept for future reference, just in case, you know... something happens...

This country has always been regarded as the bastion of liberties and democracy. Whenever a dictator raised his head anywhere in the world, he knew that sooner or later, he might have had to deal with the United States of America and all its mighty power, be it military, economic, or political.

Today, no country in the world is proud to side with the US of A, which is seen as a bully, a lawbreaker, a torturer, and a greedy nation that'll do anything to get its way, no matter how many treaties it has to breach, how many promises it has to break, or how many innocents it has to jail, torture, or kill.

Nice work George. How many more years of you bruising our face do we have to endure? Not too many if Americans realize what's happened to them and the Congress lives up to its constitutional duties of oversight of the executive branch and the president's illegal actions.

Let's just hope for a better 2006 for America and what it always stood for.

Alien

I just realized I forgot to post about the last book I read, Alien by Alan Dean Foster. It's good, although I still can't figure out if it's an adaptation of the movie or if the movie is an adaptation of this book. The book states the latter, but the two are so similar, and that rarely happens, that the former looks more likely.

I don't know, all I know is that I can't find the book itself on online resellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, which is quite unusual, and I'm a little bothered by the whole thing, because I certainly wouldn't have wasted any time reading a book based on a movie I saw. I don't know why, but I feel like the adaptation process works only one way, not both.

Anyway, for anyone who hasn't read the book or seen the movie, stop reading here, there are spoilers ahead.

The story is about the crew of the Nostromo, a commercial spaceship en route to Earth that is forced on a detour by the onboard computer known as Mother to investigate an alien communication.

The crew is none too happy to have been disturbed from its deep sleep hybernation for a mission that will only delay their return home and their fat paycheck collection, and that has nothing to do with their "day jobs," but they have to oblige. Only the scientific advisor seems positively ecstatic about the possibility of such a promising discovery, which makes sense, given his duties... and his real nature and mission.

One of the crew members ends up being attacked and infected by the alien life form they went to investigate, and eventually the whole crew is taken down, one by one, until Ripley, the sole human survivor, and her cat Jones are able to take the escape-pod to safety and kill the alien on the way to it.

Like I said, a great story, a good book, a must-see movie. The reason I now believe the book is an adaptation of the movie is that nowhere was a particular event not recounted in the movie or needed me to create a mental image for it. But why then would the book say the movie is an adaptation?

All considered, it was a good read, but I had bought the book a while back and was in Italian, which I wouldn't do anymore now. Just like watching a movie not in its original language is something I don't enjoy anymore, reading a book not in its original language felt forced and at times fake. Amazing how I never felt that way for most of my life, and I would never have known the difference had I not moved to the States.

Bush is no compassionate man

I read this CNN article this morning and this paragraph caught my eye:

Among successes the White House claims in 2005: A bankruptcy law that made it harder for Americans to wipe out their debts, legislation to discourage multimillion-dollar class-action lawsuits and confirmation of John Roberts as chief justice of the United States. Bush also won a free trade pact with six Latin American countries. There was a highway bill, at last, to modernize the transportation network. He also got major energy legislation -- the first such national plan in more than a decade -- although the act does little in the near-term to ease gas prices, which topped $3 a gallon after the hurricane.

So, let's analyze the self-titled compassionate-conservative Bush's successes:

• he was able to get through Congress a bill that makes it much harder for ordinary Americans to declare bankruptcy in order to start over when you're swamped by debt (for example with a hospital, after a grave illness for which you had no insurance to pay,) while corporations can still declare bankruptcy to get out of their commitments to their customers;


• he was able to get through Congress a bill that makes it much harder for ordinary Americans to sue multimillion dollar corporations in so-called class-action lawsuits in order to hold them accountable for their misdeeds (for example when such companies hide the evidence that their product causes cancer or death;)


• he was able to get through Congress a highway bill that was so full of pork, it dripped fat all over the place (this after he pledged not to sign anything that showed any sign of pork at all;)


• he was able to get through Congress an energy bill that doesn't help ordinary Americans or the environment, but only his fat friends in the oil industry.

Now, tell me again, how are we supposed to consider these as successes??

Successes for whom? Certainly not the American people, who gave the moron his job.

Mariah ties the King

I recently posted about Madonna tying the King, Elvis Presley, for the highest number of Top 10 hits in history (36) on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

And now, it's Mariah Carey's turn to catch up to the King:

CAREY ON: With "Don't Forget About Us" now topping Billboard's Hot 100 chart, Mariah Carey has tied Elvis Presley for second place among recording artists with the most No. 1 singles in the rock era. Carey and the King now each have 17 (although some music-biz sources credit Presley with 18; long story), while The Beatles boast 20 (backwards versions not included).

And considering that she's just 35 years old, what are the chances that she won't pass both Presley and the Beatles to become the artist with the most No. 1 singles ever?

I really like Mariah Carey. Her voice is a gift for humanity to hear, I believe, but she fell off my grace when she decided to go all rap and hip-hop on me. Why? Because that kind of music's beats stifle her voice, to the point of suffocation, which, with a voice like that, should be considered a criminal offense.

The last album I have of hers is, unfortunately, Glitter, given to me by my dear friend Vittorio who didn't know I had stopped really caring about her at that point. Her last effort, The Emancipation of Mimi, garnered critical praise (and obviously public support,) and I've been mildly tempted to consider buying it, but I haven't yet and don't know if I will. It feels like she went back to her roots not because she believed in them, but because they sold more then her latest efforts.

Who knows, maybe someday I'll give her another try. After all, even criminals deserve a second chance.

A tiger can't change its stripes...

As usual, Bush presented a rosier picture about Iraq and its new parliamentary elections than reality seems to offer. In other words, he lied.

He said, rightly so, that it was unprecedented and historical that the citizens of Iraq could freely vote, but accusations of voting irregularities and rigging have surfaced that put the whole election result into question.

Actually, Bush might be caught in a catch 22 here, since he can't denounce the election as irregular and call for a do over (since he'd lose face, not having allowed one when his first dubious election was called into question) and at the same time is faced with the same religious fanatics who rule Iran to take over in Iraq. What a position. No wonder the guy looks 20 years older then when he took office 5 years ago!

Obviously, nobody knows what will happen, but the secular parties and the Sunnis are already threatening to refuse the results and boycott the next parliament if an international review isn't conducted. Well, wouldn't that be a pretty sight?!

A few quotes from Yahoo! articles here:

Dozens of Sunni Arab and secular Shiite groups threatened to boycott Iraq's new legislature Thursday if complaints about tainted voting are not reviewed by an international body.

A representative for former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi described the Dec. 15 vote as "fraudulent" and the elected lawmakers "illegitimate."

A joint statement issued by 35 political groups that competed in last week's elections said the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, which oversaw the ballot, should be disbanded.

It also said the more than 1,250 complaints about fraud, ballot box stuffing and intimidation should be reviewed by international organizations such as the United Nations, the European Union, the Organization of the Islamic Conference or the Arab League.
[...]
"We hold the IECI responsible for all the violations which took place during the elections and demand that it be dissolved and a suitable alternative to be found," said the statement read by Ali al-Timimi, the head of the Hilla al-Fayha List, a secular Shiite ticket Babil province south of the capital.

"If this is not achieved, then we will have no choice but to refuse the results and boycott the new parliament."

and here:

More than 10,000 people marched through Baghdad on Tuesday in support of a national unity government of Sunnis and Shiites.
[...]
Officials said insurgents were trying to deepen the political turmoil surrounding the contested vote. Preliminary figures have given a big lead to the religious Shiite bloc that controls the current interim government.
[...]
Sunni Arab and secular Shiite factions are demanding that an international body review more than 1,500 complaints, warning they may boycott the new legislature. They also want new elections in some provinces, including Baghdad. The United Nations has rejected an outside review.

"We will resort to peaceful options, including protests, civil disobedience and a boycott of the political process until our demands are met," said Hassan Zaidan al-Lahaibi of the Sunni-dominated Iraqi Front for National Dialogue. He spoke in neighboring Jordan, where representatives of the groups have met in recent days.

Isn't democracy fun!

Back to work

Our second Christmas with the kids is passed and it went pretty well. They had a lot of fun opening presents, especially Nicole. I foresee Daniel will be just as excited next year, when he'll be a little older. The most amazing thing is seeing how much Nicole believes in Santa Claus. Amazing. Her eyes lit up when she saw the stockings full to the top, the missing cookies and milk, and then... she saw the tree!! Daniel was pretty much just following her, but given his energy level, I think next year he'll probably overtake her in the presents-opening race. Anyway, we went to Grandma for Christmas dinner and everything went ok. The only sad thing was seeing how tired Grandpa looks and how hard it is for him to get around now. I hope he'll get better soon. His birthday, as Nicole pointed out, is the next one up! Santa was very generous not just with the kids, but with all of us, although the kids definitely got the lion share of presents, as it should be. Anyway, I'm currently enjoying both my mug warmer and my foot rest, so... thank you Santa ;) PS: the magnet is the sweetest thing ever. Thanks.

Bird Flu Update

Unfortunately two more people have died in Indonesia, and it looks like the H5N1 virus is developing resistance to the only known drug to have any effect on the virus itself, Tamiflu:

The latest news comes as researchers reported two cases of patients in Vietnam who died after failing to respond to the drug Tamiflu.

The drug, which governments around the world have been stockpiling in case of a pandemic, is the most effective yet found in combating the virus.

The Vietnam cases, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, suggested the H5N1 virus which causes bird flu is mutating and becoming resistant to the drug.
[...]
The lead researcher into the Vietnam cases described the latest findings on Tamiflu as "very worrying" - but said they were not surprising.

Dr Jeremy Farrar said all microbes, whether parasites, bacteria or viruses, eventually started to develop drug resistance.
[...]
However, Dr Farrar said there was some evidence to suggest viruses that developed drug resistance were also less likely to gain the ability to jump from person to person.

Let's just hope the evidence holds true this time too, even though this virus has already shown several unpredictable behaviors.

The United Kingdom joins the civilized world

I'm obviously referring to the legalization of civil union ceremonies in the UK, starting this week, first in Northern Ireland, then in Scotland, and finally in England and Wales.

The biggest name to attract attention in the papers was obviously that of Sir Elton John, who "married" his longtime companion David Furnish.

The reason I'm putting the word marriage in quotes is that:

[The Civil Partnership Act] means same-sex couples can have their relationships recognised in law for the first time.

It also provides registered gay and lesbian couples with a number of legal rights and entitlements already held by heterosexual couples in civil marriages.
[...]
Couples will benefit from a major change in next of kin status and inheritance tax and pension rights.
[...]
The couples will be granted new rights in areas such as employment, pension and inheritance. But the partnerships are not officially regarded as marriages under UK law.

So it's definitely not perfect, but it's a good start, that puts the UK ahead of many other European countries (though some are ahead of it, like Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands) and certainly of the US.

A good week for gay civil rights.

Europe, the big polluter

I often blast the US for not doing more to save our planet from the damaging effects of global warming, but this time I'm pointing the finger at Europe. This article from Energy Bulletin (originally posted on The Independent,) says that Europe is polluting much more than any other country in the world, except for the US of course, which pollutes twice as much as Europe:

The document highlights Europe's "ecological footprint", the estimated land area required to produce the resources each person consumes and to absorb the waste they produce. At five global hectares per person, the figure for the 25 EU member states is half of that for the US but larger than Japan and more than double the average for countries such as Brazil, China or India.

And the Union is not doing enough about it by far:

Europe is devouring the world's natural resources at twice the global rate.

Climate change on a scale unseen on the European continent for 5,000 years is now under way, according to the report, which warned yesterday that at current rates three quarters of Switzerland's glaciers will have melted by 2050.

The document points out that the four hottest years on record were 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2004, all within the past decade, which suggests things are getting worse at a faster pace, and that 10 per cent of Alpine glaciers disappeared during summer 2003 alone.

Jacqueline McGlade, the agency's executive director, said: "Without effective action over several decades, global warming will see ice sheets melting in the north and the spread of deserts from the south. The continent's population could become concentrated in the centre."

"Even if we constrain global warming to the EU target of a 2C increase, we will be living in atmospheric conditions that human beings have never experienced. Deeper cuts in emissions are needed."

The report's authors believe that individual behaviour needs to change but also urged reform of the taxation systems to ensure that polluters pay more, and naturally, when you point the finger at big money:

The recommendation for more use of the tax system to discourage waste provoked a political row last night. The agency report called for "a gradual shift of the tax base away from taxing 'good resources' such as investment and labour, towards taxing 'bad resources', such as pollution and inefficient use".

What a surprise, who would have ever thought that the bad guys would object at being taxed more just because they are the ones causing the bigger share of the problem. Are we crazy? Why don't we pay their taxes too, so they can go out and buy themselves another private jet or something nice like that.

Europe is definitely doing more than the US on this matter, but I'm hoping the next president, whoever he (or she) is, will try to better our image in the world and reduce our polluting levels, at which point even Europe will have to do better than what it's doing now, or risk taking that notorious number one spot.

Bush, the new Hitler

A timeless post I read last week in AMERICAblog linked to this excerpt:

"Naturally, the common people don't want war, but after all, it is the leaders of a country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag people along whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country."

Hermann Goering, Hitler's Reich-Marshall at the Nuremberg Trials

How scary is it that the same kind of rhetoric used by the Nazis to explain their methodology has been (and is being) used in America today by this corrupt administration to justify attacking a sovereign country based on lies and manipulated intelligence and to attack its own critics at home?

Let's just hope the few checks and balances still present in the institutions of this country, and the larger freedoms and availability of information Americans enjoy will be enough to stifle any efforts on the part of George W. Bush to bring the US back in time to the most horrifying period in the history of humanity.

George W. Bush, the WORST PRESIDENT EVER.

Madonna, the new Queen of Billboard

I read this on the TVGuide website:

THE KING IS DETHRONED: With "Hung Up" now perched at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, Madonna has tied Elvis Presley's record for the most Top 10 hits in history. Both her Madgesty and the King of Rock 'n' Roll have scored 36 apiece.

And considering that Madonna is far from dead and has quite certainly a few more hits in her future, I'm sure the tie will be broken in her favor soon, and she'll be alone on top for many years to come.

See you soon, Vittorio

Vittorio went back home almost a week ago, but the emptiness he left at home and in my life is still palpable.

We always have the best of times together, laughing like crazy teenagers and teasing each other endlessly (I'm not surprised it's hard for Ray to be around us when we're being ourselves.) The last time we spent so much time together was in 2003, and I honestly don't know when the next chance will be. Because of the kids, my trips to Italy have slowed down dramatically, and whenever I go there I always have to divide my time up among all my friends from when I lived there.

Anyway, we spent quite a bit of time together, either with my whole family or just the two of us. Our road trip to Maine was a blast, in spite of both of us being sick, which made us resemble more Maggie Smith and Judi Dench then Thelma & Louise. We saw so many beautiful spots and so many typically American things, that you casually always see in movies.

When he left last Wednesday, I was very sad. I cried. A lot. I'm hoping some time soon, we'll see each other again. In the meantime, I guess I just have to be thankful for these technological marvels called email and instant messaging, which allow us to stay in contact much more than with the more expensive telephone call.

I miss you, Vitto. Always. I wish the world were a much smaller place, or that we lived much closer. Neither is true. But our friendship is. And lives on.

Much love, Massimo.