Yeah, you all know by now that Berlusconi won the big prize in Italy earlier this week. Today, most of the special “propaganda” walls that were put up for the elections feature posters that are tattered and waterlogged from exposure, especially to the rain that’s been pelting us lately.
One of the more interesting political posters was put forth by the Northern League (Lega Nord). It featured a plains Indian like you might see on old American westerns. You see the poster on the left. It pretty much says, “They were subjected to a sudden immigration and now they live on reserves! Think about it!”
Now, I’m no political commentator, but I’m wondering how to take this. What strikes me first is that hypocrisy in politics is pretty much the same no matter which side of the pond you’re forced to live on. The Northern League dislikes immigrants and the people of the south, citing both as a drag on the nation and its economy. Yet, as I understand it, the north uses immigrant labor quite extensively to boost its economy, and when its factories need to dispose of noxious chemicals cheaply, who do their CEOs call? Their friends in the south, who know what to do with refuse at a price nobody can refuse.
When do you think that politicians will wake up and try to solve problems rather than push them to the right or left of the political spectrum and then wage a war of hollow words against them?
I figure the Lone Ranger, if elected, would fix this all up by first acknowledging everyone’s contribution to society. He’d puff out his chest, pat his six-shooter, and proudly be the first to say, “Grazie, Tanto!”