15
Dying to be free, we are. Oh, the usual woolgathering about the good life that freedom brings. Habitually we drone on about our wish lists. We live among noisy newspaper columns; riotous talk shows; delirious drawing room chatter, furious blogging, tedious twittering, texting and Facebooking. Well, we can go on mud raking. No one is listening. Our leaders, the Al Capones, are ahead of the curve.
Freedom in the Western Hemisphere has a whole new meaning. It means, as an individual, to be free to do what you want with your body, life and sex — whether heterosexual, bi-sexual or homosexual. Even go naked. Seriously.
Same-sex marriage is the debate scoring huge approval points by Americans who see nothing wrong in two males or two females tying the knot. On the flip side is this nutcase Congressman Todd Akins of Missouri whose remarks on rape stirred up a storm. “What I understand from doctors,” he told his interviewer on TV, “It’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.”
What is a “legitimate” rape? More importantly notice how Americans are ideologically divided.
Moving on from Missouri, our first stop is London. Grandma Queen, 86, was trumpeted as the 50-year reigning sovereign of this country called ‘Great’ Britain. The name alone is enough to send some skittering on one’s knees (never mind the darn arthritis) for the royal bow. Her golden jubilee was an extravaganza par excellence, even though it rained when Her Majesty, standing firm at the helm of her royal barge, sailed on the ‘royal’ River Thames.
London Olympics followed soon. The opening and the ending was a spectacle worth millions of dollars. Prince charming was in the spotlight as the chief guest at the closing. Harry, 27, like granny, too made a cutesy picture: red tousled hair, innocent looks and a majestic mien.
Jolly good show, as the Brits would say.
Hang on. The mischief began soon after. TMZ, (Thirty Mile Zone) is a Hollywood entertainment channel that recently stripped royal robes off poor Harry. The whole world saw photos with no holds barred. What was Harry thinking when he went au naturel to play billiards in his VIP hotel suite at a Las Vegas hotel? The story is as follows: ‘Dirty Harry’ with his large entourage met a “bunch of hot chicks... and invited them up to his VIP suite. Once in the room, things got wild... with the group playing a game of strip pool that quickly escalated into full-on royal nudity.”
Someone in the party decided to use his/her cell to take graphic juicy photos and sell them to TMZ for a mini-fortune. “We have no comment to make on the photos at this time,” was the frosty response from Buckingham Palace back in London.
The British taxpayers maintain the lifestyles (unconscionably luxurious) of their royal family.
TMZ relentlessly pursues celebrity scandals. It’s the hottest and naughtiest outlet for news wolfed down by hungry viewers, including national networks and magazines. In 2006, Time magazine named TMZ one of the “coolest websites.” Newsweek named TMZ the “Breakout Blog of 2007.”
Back again to America. This time in the hallowed halls of the US Congress on Capitol Hill, where the fate of the world (especially the underdeveloped) and how it should be run is bartered. To bomb or not to bomb, to aid or not to aid, to threaten or not to threaten, to sneak in CIA operatives or not to sneak them in Pakistan. The callous lawmakers don’t care about corrupt rulers (thrust upon us by Bush-Blair) or our energy riots or mass slaughters or honour killings. So, lighten up folks. Here’s some more spice for you to sit back and enjoy.
Before that: presented is a mini-quiz for you. Why do the privileged in the West, especially men, like to go nude? Is it something to do with their DNA, or the environment they are raised in? Second question: Why have the people in the Muslim world, especially women, swathed themselves in sheets and sheets of cloth to wrap themselves from head to toenails, even the fingernails. The Pakistani woman, like her Arab and Iranian and Middle-eastern sisters is rarely seen bareheaded in pubic. And more and more men are taking to wearing caps denoting their domicile : Sindhi, Punjabi, Pathan or Baloch. Others stick to skullcaps, or Arabic or Iranian headgear as their faith dictates.
Is it a reaction to the nudity of the West?
Skinny dipping, ummm. The news media in America salaciously shamed their congressmen who jumped into the ‘Holy Sea’ naked! Now we learn a year later that the FBI has become active and probed the late-night swim in the Sea of Galilee. According to Politico.com, an online investigative busybody, that keeps tabs on world’s politicians, a “fact-finding congressional trip to the Holy Land (Israel) last summer, Rep. Kevin Yoder took off his clothes and jumped into the sea, joining a number of members, their families and GOP (Republican Party) staff during a night out in Israel. Other participants, including the daughter of another congressman, swam fully clothed, while some lawmakers partially disrobed. More than 20 people took part in the late-night dip in the sea.”
The Sea of Galilee, known as the ‘Holy Sea’ is a place of pilgrimage for Christians. According to the New Testament, Jesus Christ performed some of his most memorable miracles. He is meant to have walked on water, calmed a raging storm and fed his disciples with five loaves and two fish on or near the Sea of Galilee.
Skinny dipping made news for a day or two in the American media and then either the powerful Jewish lobby or the sugar daddies (filthy rich billionaires) of the Republican Party hushed up the scandal by opening up their moneybags. Their one-point agenda is to get a white man (never mind if he’s a Mormon) back in the White House. America is not ready for a president of colour yet. Barack Hussein Obama slipped through the cracks and became the most powerful man in the world. “But never again!” vow the wealthy white men. “We will not let history repeat itself!”
Sixty-five days from today we shall have that answer.
