The James Taggarts of the World and Haiti

In the great novel "Atlas Shrugged" on page 57 Ayn Rand describes Dagny Taggart sitting as a helpless Spectator while they spoke at great length about the poverty of the Mexicans, how the Mexicans have never had a chance and it is our duty to help an underprivileged nation. That a country is its neighbor's keeper and that a nation must think of its neighbor before it thinks of itself.

It's obvious, Ayn Rand could spot effortlessly and masterfully describe in her fiction writings Objectivism and the Socialist ideology. After all, Ayn Rand had lived in communist Russia for decades. But even if one is not Ayn Rand, one knows that Brotherhood and duty to help an unprivileged nation is not the principal idea that guides people like James Taggart. There's always something invisible going on.

Or, is it really invisible?

Of course, there are well meaning individuals. Take George Cloony and the like. Individuals who are perhaps guided by their passion. But this sceptic on duty, and I am a real sceptic, sees most of their good will, usually Preceded by our government's decision to spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer's money on yet cause not underlined, as the First Trickle of a torrent of goods about to burst from the earthquake for certain organizations, agencies and companies. The human suffering is not unimaginable: we can see it every day on our TV screens. What is not imaginable, at least not yet, is how the taxpayer's money and donations are going to be spent and who is going to hold the Samaritan purse?

We should keep an eye on this. That much I know.

The greatest novel, perhaps

One of the greatest novels I've ever read is "The Bridge on the Dina".This is an unforgettable historic picture of an era and a bold dramatization of the plight of the doomed everywhere. In a way, it tell us about "the day(s) after" and what happens to people when a "great" empire disperses and we are left behind to suffer the consequence.

It looks to me as if nothing changes with time. Those who are in charge, do not wish to foresee the terrible future. Still, we remain silent; we do not force ourselves to ask them, "Do you decide just like this?"

We have a choice to make and we have to make it in November. This much I know.