Author: R J Adams

Mswati III is not a name to cause Americans, or for that matter Europeans, to prick up their ears in recognition. He’s hardly an international figure. Nevertheless, today is his birthday and in his nation of Swaziland he’s determined to have a whopping great party.

That’s fine for King Mswati III, for a king is what he is, but hardly cause for celebration by his people, the vast majority of whom live in abject poverty. Swaziland has the highest percentage of HIV cases in the world. Over one quarter of the population is infected.

Mswati purchased twenty BMWs for his birthday, so he and his thirteen wives could arrive in style for the lavish celebrations held in his honor at the capitol, Mbabane. A large stadium had been decked out for the occasion. It is reported his wives went on a Dubai shopping trip specifically for this day.

All-in-all, according to the BBC’s Orla Guerin, the official bill is $2.5 million, though it’s rumored the actual cost may well be five times more.^[1]

At first glance this could be considered nothing more than another African nation exhibiting a glaring split between the fabulously wealthy few, on the one hand, and the poverty-stricken masses, on the other. Yet, viewed from a certain perspective, Swaziland is a metaphor for the rest of the planet.

While some sections of the Swazi populace demonstrated against the king’s enormous waste of money, most just shrug their shoulders and accept it, with the comment: “He’s the king,” as though that gives him some Divine Right to shower himself in egotistical glory while squandering the nation’s treasury.

In their thousands, Americans flocked to the Republican and Democratic Conventions these last few weeks. They filled the stadiums to capacity, screamed and yelled with enthusiasm, as their leaders delivered mundane speeches composed entirely of stereotyped, hackneyed, rhetoric. Millions more watched and listened at home.

Like the people of Swaziland, they pour out their adoration in an illogical display, while beneath it all lies the realization it’s no more than a diversion. Were the 2008 conventions any different from last time? Wasn’t the 2000 election exactly similar? They cheered and screamed just as fervently then as in 2008, yet nothing changed. They went to the circus, applauded the acts, and went home chattering about what a good time had been had by all.

It poses one apparently unanswerable question: why does the human being have an inbuilt need to pour adoration onto certain members of its own species, even while acknowledging those same individuals are only concerned with amalgamating power they’ve deviously managed to acquire?

We do it all the time; in our churches, where the pastor takes our money and casts us a few prayers that never work; in employment, grovelling to the boss so he’ll fire the other fellow and we can keep our job; in our utterly incomprehensible homage to someone we name “president”, who at best may throw us a few extra pennies now and then, and at worst will order our sons and daughters to sacrifice their lives on whatever political altar best suits at the time.

Frankly, these people are not worthy of our respect or our homage. Like King Mswati III, their only concern is to ensure their own power and wealth continues to be magnified. John McCain, with so many houses he can’t remember the number; Hillary Clinton, who was able to pour millions of her own dollars into a faltering campaign; Barack Obama, who pledged to pay back all her dollars for supporting him…….

It’s time we, the people, stopped needing false shepherds who lead us straight to the wolves. It’s time we took responsibility for our lives, rather than abnegating our accountability to some politician, or employer, pastor, or God.

Jesus of Nazareth told the world that all men are equal. He was right. No-one out there, be he president or king or clergyman, is in any way better than you, or I. We are told that they ‘know more’. Believe me, when I tell you they don’t. Their only difference is in their privilege.

Next time you find yourself overawed by someone with apparent power over you, just imagine them naked, sat on the toilet with a bad attack of diarrhea. Suddenly, their power melts away down the toilet bowl.

Perhaps the people of Swaziland should spend more time contemplating King Mswati III in such a position. Maybe then they’d be more inclined to insist he curtailed his lavish lifestyle, and instead, spent some money helping his subjects.

^{[1] BBC, September 6th 2008 “Swaziland king celebrates in style”}

Filed under: People power

Sarah Palin compared America’s hockey-moms to pit bull terriers. I wonder how many found it complimentary?

Apparently, it’s fine for her to make cheap, jokey, gender-laden remarks designed to raise the crowd to hysterical frenzy at St Paul’s Republican convention, but everyone else must remain silent for fear of the dreaded ‘sexism’ accusation. Well, why not? After all, the Jews adopted a similar tactic, hollering ‘antisemitism’ for sixty years, with admirable results.

Ms Palin considers herself, and the other ‘hockey-moms’ of America, as “pit bulls with lipstick”. Has she really considered the implications of that comparison? The pit bull terrier is not an attractive animal. Bred for the sole purpose of satiating man’s lowest passions, it will instinctively attack others of its species without warning, inflicting grievous and often fatal injuries. Compared to other breeds it lacks intelligence in favor of pugnacity and commonly attacks small children, no doubt falsely assuming them to be canine adversaries.

{Google – ‘pit bull kills child’ for an abundance of evidence}

So dangerous are these animals, the UK and other European nations have banned the keeping of them unless stringent conditions are met. Britain’s Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 prohibits the keeping of pit bulls, Japanese Tosas, and certain other breeds considered dangerous. Exemption certificates may only be authorized if the animal is neutered, insured, muzzled and on a lead at all times out-of-doors.

America is not yet so civilized, though dog-fighting, at least, is illegal in 49 states. As late as January 2008, it was still only a misdemeanor in Wyoming. In the American state of Illinois pit bull terriers are the most common of canine pets, and many are used for dog-fighting. This disgusting and debasing activity is still widely practiced in the state, despite its illegality. Much of it provides funding for gangs.^[1]

I doubt that many American ‘hockey-moms’, when they stop to consider the implications, will relish the comparison put forth by Sarah Palin. America’s mom’s are not pit bull terriers. Neither are they, in any way, similar to Sarah Palin.

If Ms Palin is on her way to becoming a ‘pit bull with lipstick’, she still has much to learn. She’s only a puppy. To understand the true depth one has to sink in order to qualify as the human equivalent of the American pit bull terrier she has to study this man – the embodiment of everything ‘pit bull’ in a human being……

Sarah Palin may eventually achieve Cheney’s status as the most despised human on the planet, if she truly perseveres. From her demeanor at the recent Republican Convention it appears likely she will try.

Unfortunately, pit bull terriers of any species can never be trusted. The question for America is whether it wants another pit bull vice president for the next four, or eight, years – or is it time for the breed, en masse, to be banned?

^{[1] “Illinois man faces dog fighting….charges” Pantagraph.com, August 21st 2008}

Filed under: Dangerous dogs

Over the course of the next few days Sparrow Chat will be changing. The old pad has been redesigned and its new look will, hopefully, last well into the future. It is expected to complete the changeover within a very short timescale – half an hour, if all goes well. If it doesn’t, any glitches should be ironed out fairly rapidly.

So if you do have problems raising the page, be patient and try back after an hour or so. Once the new look is up and running, please email if you encounter any problems.

Thanks

RJ.