Skip to main content

EUA: tanto estrago em tão pouco tempo

 As part of my effort to learn about Portugal, both the country and the language, I'm subscribing to the centrist newspaper, O Publico.  There are plenty of newspapers: conservative tabloids, and socialist and communist-sponsored daily papers; I find O Publico to be most sober, with consistently interesting columnists and opinion pieces, in addition to some local (Porto) news, with just enough sporting news to keep me chatting with the taxi driver.  

Today's opinion piece sums up, I think, European pundits' view of the U.S. government.  As the title puts it: so much damage in so little time.  I shudder at the rank incompetence and corrupt behavior, demonstrating a cynical attitude toward public service, showing indeed that the cruelty is the point.

What scandal, what damage will be the tipping point to collapse this government?   And what will it take to recover from the damage?  Who will be able to trust the US government again, ever?   Only nihilists, anarchists, and apocalypticists truly rejoice at this chaos -- though the wealthy probably feel protected. 

I have no desire to return to the US during the chaos; unless I am contributing to the solution.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Riding the Bus often

From 201010 Saudi scenes It is ironic that this land of cheap gasoline has so much group transport -- buses. From 201010 Saudi scenes Our housing compound has a Toyota-Coaster bus that takes some to/from school (we usually go earlier and return later, on a similar bus that the school provides). Driver Yahya takes residents on the 90-minute trip down to the Big City shopping every Thursday morning. The above picture shows our group one Thursday, usually going to Ikea or the new Lulu's Hypermarket , or the Dhahran Mall. Coleman rides a different bus every day to and from school -- usually 100 minutes there, 80 minutes back.  His bus is evidently an old tourist bus, usually comfortable but a bit dusty.  The air-conditioning usually works too well.  I've ridden it with him several times, to attend business meetings at the district office. From 201010 Saudi scenes There he is, at 5:45am every morning, at the start of the bus run. Fortunately only about 20 stu...

Spring Break Trip to Greece - the Flight

From Cairo to Athens: A Birdseye View Square green plots of farmland, fed by the delta of the Nile, intersected by long straight roads – or are they irrigation lanes? The big city of Alexandria, crowding the coastline and seeming to push out into the sea. Incredible clouds rising up above the sea – huge masses of puffy cumulus Flying across the open expanse of aegean blue Mediterranean Sea in a NW direction Passing over the huge island of Crete rolled out like pie dough in all directions, surrounded by small uninhabited tiny islands with huge cliffs rising out of the water. Karpathos to the east, then more and more roads running along high ridges with towns nestled in depressions, lowlands. A white ferry pushing ahead, connecting two islands. Unusual contrast of blindingly white snow on mountains in distance with irridescent blue water ringing the islands. White windmils slowly turning on the highest tree-lined ridge. Banking west into the Saronic Gulf for a first sight of Athens. M...