Excuses and Thoughts

Ole Spearpoint had been hoping to be a little more productive last month but certain things conspired against that intention.

The worst was a recurrence of malaria (originally picked up in Zambia some few years ago). This usually happens once a year and ordinarily involves a couple of days of sweating, shivering and general malaise.

Not this time. Holy cow! Over four weeks of bone-aching sweats, alternating with teeth-rattling and limb-quivering shivering attacks lasting for an hour or more, the worst nausea I have ever experienced, deep and bloody vomiting, and unpredictable ‘dire rear’ (read Terry Pratchett’s excellent, superb and unrivalled “Discworld” novels if you don’t understand the reference).

Poor Spearpoint really thought that he was about to cash in his chips at one point. You know the feeling – you start off worrying that you’re going to die, eventually worrying that you won’t die…

And although there has been the benefit of having lost at least five kilos (about 10 pounds to my American friends), thereby helping to partially alleviate my old man’s silhouette of distended gut, skinny shanks and drooping butt, there has been a major drawback in the old lifestyle department. The Spearpoint hepatic function suffered such punishment as to preclude, for the time being at least, the delights of dipsomania and the various benefits to be had from booze. My Colt .44 Magnum is, consequently, looking more attractive every day…

So, I was pretty crook, for a while.

But during this interesting period in my life (involving frequent conversations with God over the big white telephone), the rest of the world moved on without me.

Now I confess to being pretty pleased that Barack Obama won his Presidential campaign in America (congratulations, Sir), but I am equally pissed off that, once the more exciting elements of that campaign and its aftermath had died away, my buddies at Botswana Television (BTV) then decided to return to their more usual dull-as-ditchwater programming – the buggers have stopped (well, severely curtailed) their late night feed of MSNBC. Couple this with the end of American daylight savings time and the push back by one hour of those stimulating and addictive programmes and you can well imagine the negative effects on Spearpoint without his near daily doses of Olbermann, Matthews and Maddow.

Rx Colt beckons.

I have also been pleasantly surprised at some recent events on the political landscape here in South Africa.

Following on from some pretty disgusting behaviour on the part of the old ANC, some of its members and leading lights have jumped ship and formed a breakaway political party which, after some buggering around, seems to have settled on the name ‘Congress of the People’ (COPe).

The ANC has been, predictably, miffed and, whilst ostensibly appearing unfazed and tolerant of the new party, has been doing everything possible behind the scenes to disrupt, intimidate and ridicule the formation and function of the new boys on the block.

The formation of the new party can only be good for our democracy in South Africa. Personally, I wouldn’t vote for them since they are merely re-invented ANC cadres and whilst I am prepared to credit the ANC with much good that it has done since 1994 I cannot escape the sure knowledge that the ANC and its leadership has, overall, done more harm than not; if the leadership and new membership of COPe were so out of step with the ANC then why didn’t they decamp long ago?

However, Spearpoint wishes COPe well – if only to bring about a re-evaluation of the ANC and what it has achieved and, especially, if it results in a split of the previous ANC popular vote leading to the loss of the ANC’s two-thirds majority (permitting unilateral constitutional change) in parliament. Perhaps for the first time in South Africa’s history there is a real prospect of an Opposition strong enough to challenge the ruling party and to ensure accountability.

Have a look at the link below. The sentiments and reasoning are thought-provoking and valid.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=79&art_id=vn20081118053203503C766418&newslett=1&em=186722a6a20081201ah

The danger now, of course, is that the leadership of COPe, being ex-ANC and fellow gravy train travelers, will fall into their old ways of complacency and incompetence, thereby failing to offer anything new or radical enough to move this country forward – other than in splitting the ANC vote (in and of itself a substantial and sufficient step to the good).

We shall see.

Spearpoint.

1^st December 2008

More on the US Presidential Election Race

Just a quickie on this fascinating presidential race…

Given my previous remarks regarding my profound doubts about John McCain (‘A Few Thoughts On The American Presidential Race’) I was very interested to read in the online ‘Rolling Stone’ a detailed and thorough expose of the man behind the self-publicising myth upon which McCain has created his public persona.

Of course, no-one attains the grand age of 72 without having accumulated a few skeletons and demons within one’s closets. I have, however, rarely before seen such brazenness in self-promotion in the face of direct and contradictory evidence.

You can see the ‘Rolling Stone’ article here. (http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain/page/1). It is quite lengthy, but worthwhile.

I feel vindicated in my initial assessment of John McCain.

Spearpoint.

28^th October 2008