2011, a sad sketch

What a year! What a world!
In March there was the incredible Japanese tsunami of Fukushima coped with so admirably, and with such dignity by the Japanese people.

Most people in France were mesmerised by the vertiginous chute of
the man who was previously supposed to be the surest hope as socialist candidate for the French presidential elections in the spring.
Or could we interpret his shameful conduct of last May, as a firm indication, that if he qualifies for certain positions, the post of left-wing candidate for the French presidential elections can't possibly be one of them?

In spite of 'legal probabilities', and forensic proof, he was acquitted, whereas there was never any proof that Troy Davis, imprisoned for twenty years before he was put to death last September, had ever committed the crime he was sentence for.
(In view of this, Cyrus Vance Jr. must have got the noble principle of American justice wrong. If this is the case, maybe it could read: 'US justice prides itself on the principle of punishing the accused when there's a considerable measure of doubt regarding their guilt, and their means are limited; and freeing the accused when there's a considerable measure of proof regarding their guilt, their means are not limited, and there's lobby pressure').

Arabian aspirations to greater freedom have been thwarted by systematic bloodbaths, and even atrocious torture and murder of children in Syria. The bloody repression still continues, even now. This despite the presence of the Arab League observers that seem to consist of the three monkeys, or could they be constantly observing in the opposite direction? The activists are even saying that the presence of the 'observers' is spurring even more violence.
In Egypt we have witnessed the brutal beating of women, and have recently heard of unwarranted, Gestapo like house searches, as if the Egyptian military authorities (SCAF) now constitute the worst possible fascist regime.
Those most prone in giving unasked for moral lessons to real democracies, often finally reveal themselves to be the world's worst tyrants.

The strategic and geopolitical position of Turkey is too important for this nation to continue to practice what seems to be ambiguous acrobats in avoiding to clarify its political, social, cultural and historical position. But Erdogan is no Atatürk.

And after having completely failed to foresee the economic tidal wave, our eminent, European, economical experts followed this up by not anticipating the enormity of the Greek problem, and thus Europe's consequent debt crisis that has yet to be properly contended with.
The three credit rating kings however, seem to have succeeded in taking the pressure and focal attention off Obama, the dodgy dollar, as well as the US deficit.
Through economic necessity, Italy has at last managed to turn the page on il Cavaliere. The burlesque, sempiternal chapter strangely seems to have already become a faded Milanese memory of another era.

In France it appears that certain media have been overly supportive of the Socialists' choice of candidate for the French presidential elections. This would have been perfectly acceptable if at the same time they hadn't been fully aware of his not having enough clout, conviction and integrity for the post. It seems that Sarkozy hardly needs to campaign for the spring elections. He already has too much to contend with, and in any case, even then he's accused of campaigning.
As the world is mad, and the French are often tempted to give unjustified priority to change, to the detriment of reason, it remains to be seen who will finally be elected. 

So we enter into 2012 a shade apprehensively. Maybe it's just as well. Nice surprises are more appreciated when totally unexpected, and being already apprehensive, one might be a bit more prepared for any unpleasant ones that crop up.

The former polarity of western democracy and eastern totalitarianism seems to have merged into a vague, noxious concoction of lobby supported democracy, pseudo democracy and corruption. This might also explain why Arabian uncertainty seems to reign regarding the choice of  'freedom' between that as advocated in the USA, as opposed to a more measured, disciplined form of 'Islamic democracy'; assuming such a system is really conceivable, and not just a subtle, surreptitious, preliminary compromise, programmed to eventually develop into Islamic totalitarianism.

Much should be revealed during a New Year that promises to be determining in many respects. 

But surely the world can no longer tolerate tyranny. No democratic nation that claims to defend freedom and can feign blindness to what it's made almost immediately and repeatedly aware of.

Whatever the future brings, naturally we shall do our utmost to make 2012 as positive as possible, in all respects, come what may.

Happy New Year to us all!

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Text © Mirino. Image by kind permission of David McKee, with many thanks. 
December, 2011