Holte's Corner

In giving a presentation on the AMIA bombing a certain person I know quoted from the “Jewish Gauchos of the Pampas” and a story of a Rabbi who was accused of stealing a horse. He didn’t steal the horse, but that didn’t matter to the accuser. It was a busy and hectic time and in order to settle with his accuser he paid the accuser for the horse, noting that the accuser depended on that horse for his living. Instead of this settling the problem, the story was only moderated to say “they’re thieves those Jews- but I’ll say one thing for them — they’ll confess right away.” This person quoted from the book and the Rabbi’s foreboding that “the eternal condemnation of the Jews had somehow been transplanted to Argentina.” Both form a set piece for how perceptions and prejudices often influence our thinking before we even consider any facts.

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I just saw yet another documentary in the same vein as “Fareinheit 9/11″. It even had cameos by Michael Moore. This one was a documentary on Corporations called “The Corporation”. It didn’t have too much I wasn’t generally familiar with, and it wasn’t as radical as I expected it to be. It actually presented a relatively balanced case considering the subject. The thesis of the film is the notion that the modern day corporation is a kind of “frankenstein’s monster.” Which seems like a nonsensical notion until you start listing the companies that have broken the law, hurt the environment, or otherwise taken people to the cleaners in the name of the God “Profit.” Worshipping at the shrine of Mammon, corporations may be driven by decent people, but often behave like sociopaths.

Well, Kerry accepted the Nomination for the Presidency. He has a tough road ahead of him. He somehow has to convince people that he is a better alternative than George W. Bush. You would think that would be an easy task, but it isn’t. Republicans prefer GW Bush even when they agree the man is a moron and that the war in Iraq was botched by his administration. And the people in the hinterland often prefer the devil they think they know over an unknown — and then are often too preoccupied with other things to pay attention enough to find out about the new guy. But I think he set the right tone. For all his wonderful qualities, I don’t think the guy will get elected for them, but simply because of the nightmarish errors and attitudes of the current administration.

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