Kleptocracy and Greed

The New American Way

Let’s take a walk around the world and see what is happening.

Quote to guide the walk: “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” Martin Luther King.

Showing complete disinterest in peace and making a peace deal, Russia continues to pound Ukraine. It attacked the Ukrainian city of Sumy and killed 37 people and wounded 117 Even with the offer of keeping all the land they claim to have “won” – offered by the US without due consultation with Ukraine – Poo Tin ignores the US and carries on. Trump, sensing his Nobel prize slipping away, is getting upset.

The same is true in the Isreal-Gaza-Palestine conflict. The Big Yahoo has no interest in peace and seems to have given up on the hostages. Same for Hamas, who just said no to a six-week cease-fire. Air and ground forces are seeking to divide Gaza, occupy key land areas and kill indiscriminately. The Red Cross say that Gaza is “hell on earth.”

Things are also bad in Sudan, now beginning its third year of civil war. Half the population of 50 million faces hunger. The World Food Program has confirmed famine in 10 locations and says it could spread, putting millions in danger of starvation. The fighting has been brutal. Large parts of Khartoum have been wrecked. Nearly 13 million people have fled their homes, 4 million of them streaming into neighbouring countries. At least 20,000 people have been recorded killed, but the true toll is probably far higher, with some estimating 50,000.

Well, what to say about tariffs and the Trumpkin? Trump blinked, and the world saw what damage stupid can do. He likely made money (or the family did) by trashing the market, advising lots of people via social media to buy low in the morning, changing the market by delaying tariffs in the afternoon, leading to a big market rally, selling stocks, and voila you just got a return or 20-35%! New cash with no work. Kleptocracy in action. Impeachment? Not likely. Too much money to be made. The tariff tango keeps on going. As an aside, when Marjorie Taylor Green entered the house in 2021, she had a net worth of $700,000. Her current net worth is $22 million. Kind of makes the point.

Trump had a medical which included a cognitive test. Later, he said he couldn’t remember any of the questions, but he knew he got them all right. And we believe him (not). His doctor says that he weighs 224 lbs. Which means he lost weight. Must have been caused by him having to grow a new ear overnight while wearing a cut-down diaper on his head. As one writer in Esquire said, “if Trump weighs 224 lbs, I am Jean Shrimpton (aka as Twiggy)!”

US Secretary of State for Education, Linda McMahon (76), spoke at a conference about education and AI. Except she didn’t. Every time her script required her to say “AI” she spoke about A1 – the well-known steak sauce. Not even able to read! The A1 Sauce marketing team quickly jumped on the viral moment, issuing a post last Friday that read: 'You heard her. Every school should have access to A1.' Smart.

The US Supreme Court has told the White House to “facilitate” the return from El Salvador of a wrongly arrested man. Both the President of El Salvador and the US President have said they have no intention of doing such a thing. After all, he was a supporter of Manchester United.

Six women, for no apparent reason, left earth briefly and flew into space onboard Jeff Bezos space thingy. The women - Gayle King (friend of Oprah), Katy Perry (wailer), Amanda Nguyen (social activist), Aisha Bowe (ex-NASA engineer, Lauren Sánchez (journalist, pilot and businesswoman and Jeff Bezos soon to be wife) and Kerianne Flynn (filmmaker) – all got back safely after 10 minutes. I used to ride a donkey on Blackpool beach and that ride was 20 minutes and a heck of a lot cheaper plus you got something to put on the roses when you got home.

Courageous leadership is sadly lacking in many organizations. But not at Harvard University. On Monday, 14th April, Harvard’s President, Alan Garber, rejected the Trump administration's demands that it yield to extensive government oversight and make sweeping changes to governance, admissions and hiring practices, calling the directives both unlawful and unconstitutional (and thinking that the whole debacle is outrageous and fascistic). The Government has threatened to withhold $9 billion in grants and other support. Others have already caved to similar threats. Even though Harvard has been hit with a $2.2 billion “fine” (which they will challenge), it is good to see someone speaking truth to power and taking their job seriously.

In a victory for J K Rowling and many others, transgender women are not legally women, the UK Supreme Court has unanimously ruled. Lord Hodge said the terms ‘sex’ and ‘woman’ in the 2010 Equality Act referenced biological sex rather than acquired gender. He went on to say that “transgender people remain protected under the Equality Act. They have a right to not be directly or indirectly discriminated against or harassed.” The ruling ends a lengthy legal battle between the Scottish government and campaign group For Women Scotland. The group had challenged legislation that effectively included transgender women in quotas for public boards. The court held that the redefinition of the term ‘woman’ to include individuals born male but holding a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) issued by the Scottish government was unlawful.

The Catalan architect behind Barcelona’s Sagrada Família basilica, Antoni Gaudí, has been put on the path to sainthood, according to official press releases from the Vatican. Construction of the Sagrada Família began in 1882. More than 140 years later, it remains the largest unfinished Roman Catholic church in the world, despite Gaudí devoting the last 12 years of his life to the project before he was knocked down and killed by a bus. The Cathedral is scheduled to be completed next year.

A book and a drink at the end of the walk: Given the corrupt nature of the US government, where just hours before the paused tariffs, the US President advised his colleagues to buy stocks, I thought I should re-read the playbook he is following - Karen Dawisha wonderful text (2015): Putin's Kleptocracy: Who Owns Russia? (Simon and Schuster). A good vodka is called for – Smirnoff is my chosen one.

Soundtrack for the walk: Górecki’s Complete Works for String Quartet with the Silesian String Quartet (Chandos) seems like a good choice.