Daniel Ortega

(Wrote this in Amsterdam on wed, nov. 8 after the US congressional elections.)

Daniel Ortega wins the elections in Nicaragua. 38% of the popular vote.
The US says it will accept the results caustically.
Now, I am an avid news watcher, and occasional newspaper reader ( on the internet). I can sincerely say that I'm tired of the US opining arrogantly over all things Latin American. When is the US going to respect Latin America as an equal? Never, probably. They divided Latin America over the Seat on the UN Security Council which Venezuela was actively pursuing. In the end, it has gone to Panama.
It has become a little obvious that the US has a problem within it's own borders. Katrina proved that. So much attention to international affairs, and they have neglected vast areas of their own country.
The United States Federal Government has become a monster which devours everything. The writers of the constitution probably never envisioned to what extent the federation would grow in power and stature and how centralized all politics in the US would become.

Elections in the US are a sordid affair. A 2 party dictatorship. Still, the US is in essence the freest country in the world. There is due process, but politics has become a business. It's not and I don't think it ever has being, what is best for all of the people. Majority rule.

Conservative. Moderate. Liberal. Extremist.

Last night, the BBC lashed out at US elections. Basically, in a report, they said "The United States, the exporter of democracy throughout the world, still has problems with it's own elections" and then went on to cite irregularities from various states, including that beacon of clean elections, Ohio.


Meanwhile, Israel continues to pound the Gaza strip. When is that madness going to end? It's a bit of a hipocracy that if the Palestinians want to wipe out Israel or if any arab country says something like that, they are bad, but Israel is systematically wiping out the Palestinians. It's a little more complicated than that, of course. But Israel, it seems to me, wishes to wipe the Palestinians off the map, they just don't say it. But actions do speak louder than words.