CHADWICK BOSEMAN +

Black panter, Wakanda....He enlarged our imagination, and we were mesmerized by a sense of joy, sexiness and power. 

Probably the Hollywood machine rewarded him, but he returned the favor  ! Spartacus today is black.

BLM !

THE UGLY REPUBLICAN SHOW

After the Democratic "deliberative" convention, the Republicans chose a different format, built around an arc of lies and shouts. The unholy first family closed ranks around their anointed Godfather.  The GOP of old Buckley/Kissinger days is history. The current power stakeholders are generally white, old and clinging to a man they often despise but are too scared to counter, since his departure would even shorten what is left of their pathetic lifetimes.

The Republican performance was yet again all about appropriation. Trump used every decor and trick to enhance his appearance. The president always came before the candidate. Even Melania re-appropriated the Rose Garden for her own sulky benefit. Soon we might see Trump in bathrobe again (as in his former heyday casino pictures) in the Lincoln Bedroom.

For diversity, the convention paraded various bona fide props-- gun addicts, sleep addicts (Ben Carson), a misplaced secretary of State (who had nothing to do there) and some family members  (except the ones who have trashed the president.) Only Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager and Trump enthusiast who killed an unarmed protester in Kenosha (Wisconsin), couldn't make it in time. The Trump base must have loved it.

The gloves are off. There is nothing wrong by adhering to a conservative agenda or to have a religious belief. The Second Amendment belongs to the American psyche and nobody should stand in the way of its intent, which has nothing in common with its excess. Racial and LBGT discrimination should already be a shared concern for all. Healthcare chaos has to end. Archaic remnants--the Electoral College and voter suppression--stand in the way of democracy. There is so much more to argue in foreign affairs: the Trans Pacific Partnership, WHO, climate, Putin's hand, Chinese rise...all tombstones in Trump's graveyard.

A hybrid civil war looks unavoidable. It doesn't make that much difference if Trump wins or loses. Either he will continue unhindered or he will booby-trap the sequence (Maduro style). What is at stake is America. It will take time to recover from these four fraudulent years of family and geriatric rule. The lies have almost exhausted the phreatic water that is needed for truth to grow.

Unfortunately the time for gallant dispute is over. Trump's God lovers and gun addicts are beyond salvation. There can no longer be sympathy for a sect of losers. If they choose for contrition, so be it. If they don't, get ready for confrontation. There is a formidable, growing American left in a holding pattern, that might surprise the world.

JOE BIDEN FOR PRESIDENT

The Democratic "convention" was smooth, diverse and well staged. The contrast with the near- and far-abroad could not have been starker. 

Trump had another day in hell. A judge ruled yet again that he has to open his tax returns. His Rasputin, Steve Bannon, was arrested on charges of fraud...another associate of the Don-in-chief joined the list of the corrupt and the damned. Soon Trump should consider building a Trump Jail for his future cellmates!

Jerry Falwell, president of the Liberty University, and pope of the Evangelicals is also under suspicion of embezzlement. Like Bannon, he seems to have had a love relationship with yachts and their owners...might have something to do with the Sea of Galilee. 

Gun violence has spiked in America. To celebrate, the gun freaks will have their special slot during the Republican convention (imagine?!)

In the far-abroad, but still in Trump's circle, Aleksei Navalny is in intensive care after having been taken ill with symptoms of what might have been poisoning. In Putin's realm this is a mere Page Six event, business as usual. I am sure that Trump is envious of Putin's exit strategy.

To return to the next president and vice-president. They were both impressive. They lift America out of the structural depression Trump brought into life. Most speakers were also disciplined and to the point, a rare change for the notoriously verbose Democrats. President Obama prosecuted Trump's four years of hell as if he were in Nuremberg.  

Lady Litton said of Churchill that "the first time you meet him you see all his faults, and the rest of your life you spend discovering his virtues". The same applies to Joe Biden. He is not a perfect man but he is a man of virtue, both in admitting personal pain and mistakes and in a passionate belief that men and women can cross aisles, paths and each others' destinies. Yes, America is in retreat, because of the egomaniac laziness of an usurper. Before he was elected, some liberals thought that Trump could be a wake-up call...how dumb could some well-meaning enlightened individuals be? The same Faustian bargain brought us Hitler in the past!

The coming months will be brutal. In case he loses, do not expect to find the movers in front of the presidential mansion. Get ready for the lawyers and the troops. Trump has an impediment that is worth scrutinizing. He is absolutely unable to face fact, truth, atonement. He grew up in mortar and sleaze and he will go down as a nouveau riche avatar with nothing to show but his tax returns (which will only illustrate again the full range of a deranged mind.)

After all this the Biden/Harris team looks more and more as a dream ticket. Handle with care!

HET VERDRIET VAN BELGIE (ANNO 2020)

De nationale feestdag 2020 was triest. De koninklijke familie liep verloren tussen de kasseien. De ceremonie  was kort, gelukkig maar. Het optrden van Adamo was bijna surrealistisch. De kinderen van het Koningspaar wisten niet waar hij vandaar kwam.

 

   

De pijnlijke regeringsformatie woog ook op de algemene ambiance. Geen dag gaat voorbij zonder dat ook uit het buitenland nieuwe karikaturen overwaaien die Belgie in een onplezierig dagbeeld voorstellen. 

Dit was te verwachten voor wie nog wil zien hoe onhandig  Belgische politici de media kultuur aanpakken. Zij drukken zich meestal erbarmelijk uit en zijn camera onvriendelijk. De weinigen die het beter doen worden onmiddellijk teruggefloten  door de achterban Wie de communicatie eindstreep haalt is verdacht. In het doorsnee DNA van de Belg zit geen macro ambitie of herinnering , in tegenstelling met Nederland.

Het "odd couple" Magnette / De Wever had het waarschijnlijk meer over een zachte echtscheiding dan over aan afgeslankt efficient bestuur. 

De Covid 19 heeft enkele van de ontelbare excellenties, die dit land (amper) kent, de gelegenheid gegeven uit hun betaalde irrelevatie te treden. De Belg werd aldus plotseling geconfronteerd met individuen die hij niet kent en waarvan hij het nut nu ook niet inziet. Zelf in de federale regering trouwens kwamen er onbekenden aan het woord , waarvan men zich afvraagt waarvoor ze dienen. 

Jongere politici schijnen het absurde in te zien. Socialisten, Liberalen en Groenen hebben talentvolle niewe persoonlijkheden. De NVA heeft ook bewezen dat ze een regeringspartij is. 

Het zit nu klem, ook omwege van die generatiewissel. In een land dat niet befaamd is voor zijn oratorisch talent, blijven de woorden en ukazes van de oud gedienden elke conceptuele vooruitgang in de weg staan.

Woorden moeten worden gecontextualiseerd. Confederalisme is geen taboe. Herfederalisering is het nog minder. Indien een nieuw beginpunt kan worden afgewogen met parallele leuningen (efficientie, transparantie, solidariteit) wordt het ipso facto bespreekbaar. Belgie is aan herstel toe. De Heimat verleiding noord en zuid moet worden omgebogen.

Handel, milieu, gezondheidszorg, buitenlandse zaken, defensie (met een nieuw Bfast) , sociale opvang, financien, transport, energie o.a. kunnen centraal worden doorgelicht en opgewaardeerd. De algoritmes moeten worden bijgestuurd. 

Covid 19 heeft opnieuw alle Belgische tekortkomingen blootgelegd. Gelukkig kon Sophie Wilmes nog redden wat er nog te redden viel. Het bilan blijft echter negatief. De huidige regeringsploeg is intellectueel, moreel te onevenwichtig  samengesteld om koherent over te komen.

Het is nu uikijken naar wat de Koning nog kan suggereren.

Nieuwe of zelfde preformateur(s) ? Kroonraad ? Verkiezingen ? Regering van technokraten met een specifiek mandaat ? De stembus nu is de slechtste oplossing. De patient moet worden begeleid, liever dan omgebracht !

De tijd van onvervulde beloften is over. Wij zitten in een nieuwe beschavingscyclus maar schijnen nog altijd niet te willen beseffen dat de maatschappij die we kennen voorgoed van de baan is. De socio-ekonomische consequenties van Covid 19 zijn daarbij onoverzienlijk. Het is tijd voor een nieuwe generatie om op te komen met een Marshall plan dat mobiliseert meer dan het verdeelt.

 

TRUMP'S AUGUST SURPRISE

It has been said here some time ago that Trump would come up with some unforeseeable surprise to distract from his abysmal behavior, before the elections. If the Americans will be thrilled by the new soap staring Netanyahu and Mohamed bin-Zayed  remains to be seen.  Whatever the reason and the murky context might be, the fact is that this latest development is important both for what it achieves and for what it might foreshadow.

The rapprochement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a welcome development. It confirms the split between Iran, Qatar, and Turkey versus the rest. Bahrain and Oman might follow the UAE. The Saudis are still stuck in the aftermath of Jamal Khashoggi's murder. Israel suspends (for now) the annexation of land claimed by the Palestinians. Knowing both the Israeli PM's animosity towards the Palestinians and the indifference of their Arab "brothers", the cause of a two-state solution has suffered here and now another setback.

With Trump and Jared Kushner at the helm, one can be assured that money spoke yet again louder than principle. The "art of the deal" is after all what it is, a transaction that looks great on TV. It can already be ascertained that the Trump years will make for a great prime-time series following the story line of Succession.

It is probable that this new Trump performance took almost all other interested parties by surprise. One can bet that there are more "stunts" in the making. The fear of defeat in the November elections is the mother of wicked inspiration. North Korea, Venezuela are waiting for Midas' touch. While the Covid-19 continues to write another chapter in the epic story of the American way of death, Trump must divert the attention. Maybe the Evangelicals who are enraptured by the "holy land" will celebrate another Bibi coup, but the Palestinians are again the forgotten "tribe".

The EU has stood often historically and financially with the Palestinians. It has a moral responsibility. The times of special envoys, of the Quartet, are bygones for now. Since the EU has assumed a creative role in the past it should renew its involvement through various means and unhindered visibility. Neither the Americans, nor the Arabs must be allowed to let a just cause unravel. Let Kosovo be a touchstone for what the EU could still do and manage. The Palestinians in Ramallah appear unfortunately like an exhausted corpse,

The current US never tries to inform, consult, or coalesce with the EU or NATO (still functioning  in the Bermuda triangle of Greece, Turkey and US ?). 

A Biden administration would certainly respect a formal agreement, concluded under American auspices, as it should.  Still, a window should also be considered for re-opening Middle East talks about a more ambitious goal. Dealing with "clients" (Israel and the UAE) should not be permissible if it is done on the back of justice for all involved in the region. When diplomacy becomes a "trivial pursuit," there is something rotten there.

KAMALA HARRIS

In choosing Kamala Harris as his running mate, Joe Biden has shown he holds no grudges. She has the class and the resume to help Biden put America back on the map of the "normal".

Other potential candidates were almost equally good but might have been too easy targets for the Republican Sturmtrupper.  The campaign will be ugly anyway. Count on the gang of the old crowd of white, right-wing, Evangelicals to cheat, smear and collude (preferably with Russia again). Wisely, the likes of Elisabeth Warren and Susan Rice were not considered for the VP slot, because they were "catnip" for the likes of Fox/Goebbels news.

Suddenly the Democrats sense an opportunity.  Likewise abroad, the West hopes that the USA might find its polar star again. A Biden/Harris presidency would undo the damage inflicted by Trump on America and the world. In four year this administration has made America almost a pariah state. Even with the best intentions it will take years to recover the rule of law and inclusive pride.

The election remains an uphill battle for the Democrats. Trump is like Godzilla, unsophisticated but deadly. He will resort to "every" means and trick to stay and to divert from a possible loss. Biden is an emotional personality, more fragile both in age and feelings. He had to overcome terrible personal dramas and it shows. One forgets in this stone age that there are still individuals who admit to pain,hurt and dreams. Kamala Harris will certainly add stamina and a sense of confidence to the ticket. 

It is a positive change that the country can once again see itself in the pairing of two personalities who appear as if they could play a part in a Frank Capra movie. Maybe we will still have fun again, and rekindle with a sense of joy, which was once upon a time America's realm.

PRESIDENT MACRON IN BEIRUT

The French president visited Beirut. Certain images reminded history buffs of Napoleon tending to the French army's plague victims in Jaffa in 1799. One can bet that Macron, who knows history, was all too aware of the precedent.

France had always a special relationship with Lebanon, not always for the better.  Recently, the bond between President Jacques Chirac and then Lebanese P.M. Rafiq al-Hariri became almost all too obvious. The current President Michel Aoun who played a dubious role in the past is shunned by most. Since the Lebanese president is supposed to be a Maronite Christian, the "pool" of candidates is shrinking. Hezbollah remains the unavoidable force and influence one has to reckon with.

After the barrack bombings in 1983 which killed 241 US military, President Reagan ordered the American withdrawal from Lebanon. Observers said that once again this cut and run decision amounted to the infamous new US mantra of   "abandoning ship".

Lebanon is as divided as ever with Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah as supreme divider. Israel's military incursion in Lebanon in 1982 was one of the main major blunders in the region, which only magnified the role of the extremes. It got rid of the PLO and got Hezbollah!

Macron's gesture and words might have sounded as if Lebanon was still a French Protectorate but he said the right things anyway. After him, the visit of the president of the EU Counsel was more bla-bla than words.

It is hard to project a tenable future. Aid is already contentious. The street is a cauldron and the government and elites act clueless.  Some Egyptian-style "Lebanese Spring" would only accelerate the unwelcome intrusion of Syria and the Russian Federation, and Co.

Netanyahu shouldn't be encouraged to enter yet again the Lebanese puzzle and offer another distraction from his own personal murky affairs.

The Americans are for the time-being "out", and better stay out until Trump is gone. By the way couldn't the Sixth Fleet have been given a  humanitarian task in this situation ?

At the end of the day, Macron's visit was a major boost, mostly for the Christian minority in Beirut. Nevertheless, it may mostly have rescued an elan from being taken hostage by fatality, the curse of the Levant. Noble intended gestures are too rare nowadays to be relegated to theatre. Words still carry weight when backed up by class. Macron made other world leaders look sooo small, yet again!

FORMATION DE GOUVERNEMENT EN BELGIQUE : LE PARTAGE DU GATEAU ?

On etait en droit d'esperer qu'apres le Covid 19 une reflexion politique de niveau aurait pu demarrer. Cette crise a une nouvelle fois demontre que le "modele" belge est bancal. D'aucuns suggerent une refederalisation de cetains secteurs et un elagage des inombrables ministres que compte cette nef de fous.

Le contraire est en train de se produire. Les deux negociateurs representant chacun le parti majoritaire en Flandre et en Wallonie envisagent une coalition qui preserve en premier lieu leurs pre-carres respectifs. Il s'agit d'un calcul, sur le dos de l'efficacite et de la transparence. Les liberaux se sont laisses berner. Georges-Louis Bouchez a de bonnes idees mais il est mauvais tacticien, sous-estimant  Bart De Wever qui est un Machiavel flamand. 

On risque donc d'arriver a une continuite de ce qui fonctionne mal, mais qui arrange les interets de partis qui pourront consolider leur base politique regionale au detriment de la consideration honnete d'une gestion "moderne", debarassee de l'accessoire. Il est trop tot pour predire si les deux apprentis sorciers arriveront au final, mais il est clair qu'une opportunite a ete gachee en amont .

Le confederalisme refait ainsi surface par le biais d'un defaitisme endemique. Pareille formule serait somme toute moins inquietante si elle etait balisee par des gardes-fou credibles. Si elle ne touche pas a la diagonale du fou qui traverse le pays, elle devient franchement dangereuse. Ce pays etouffe sous le nombre d'excellences que personne ne (re)connait, de gouvernements ridicules et d'administrations ineffables .

Quelques nouveaux venus au SP, ECOLO et MR semblent conscients du dilemne. Encore faudrait-il qu'ils occupent mieux le terrain des idees, qui, ici comme ailleurs, est manipule par "l'alternatif ". L'envers et l'endroit ne s'opposant plus, les faits sont detournes de leur signification. La malediction  Trump n'epargne rien n'y personne.

On peut craindre que les formateurs sont plus preoccupes par leur mainmise sur leurs provinces que par une ambition de relance economique et de confiance retrouvee. Cela requiere d'ailleurs une ambition culturelle et philosophique qui, ici comme ailleurs, fait defaut. Les liberaux ou les Verts pourraient tenter une "sortie" - tardive - pour essayer de redresser la situation. Bonne chance !

AIDS and CORONA : DIFFERENT STORIES.

One hears often that AIDS and Covid-19 present similar characteristics and consequences. Nothing could be more false.

AIDS was a curse which first targeted a specific group of men who often represented the more creative pool in society. In reality the arts in general were almost decimated in a fortnight. Besides their own drama, the dying had to endure the early indifference of a political class which had little empathy for a group of men who had often kept their distance. In fact, AIDS was a "smart" force to reckon with, because the victims were selectively "chosen". The counter-offensive was a philosophical outcry of absolute indignation...a Guernica redux.

The Covid-19 is a "dumb", sly virus that attacks at random whoever crosses its path. Today the reaction is more political  than metaphysical. The aggression against so many confronts the political class with a question of praxis. Because the messaging from governments is often so inadequate or plainly false (in Trump's or Bolsonaro's case) the impatience for an answer will only grow. This mortal Bingo game will have major consequences for the future. In the short term it only highlights the shortcomings of governments who act like Gogol's puppets in what might become an era of social unrest.

It is important not to deprive victims of their stories. There lies a morality in the rejection of confusion. Each is entitled to remain the owner of his/her drama.  Covid-19 is a scourge in progress. It is too early to settle cause and effect.  It is time, however, to stop making superficial allegations. These only end in reducing the existential message brought by the "Angels in America" then, and further obscure the responsibility of the hapless undertakers in the times of Covid-19 now.