READERS WRITE
TREASON OF THE BLOOD
“Oh, treason of the blood! Fathers, from hence, trust not your daughter’s mind! ” says Shakespeare’s Brabantio, thinking that his own flesh and blood has betrayed him. Shylock in The Merchant of Venice experiences the same feeling of betrayal when Jessica, the apple of his eye, elopes with a Christian and steals his gold. This week the fight over the inheritance of the Etchevehere family has hit the headlines and we cannot but look at the feud in complete bewilderment. A family is supposed to be bound by blood, love and faithfulness but, when we hear in the news that the La Margarita Ranch was plundered by squatters and that Dolores, the daughter herself, was instrumental in the invasion, we cannot help wondering what went wrong to render this household so dysfunctional.
This family estrangement may be more suitable for a gossip magazine but, because it has political overtones, it is in most newspapers. Dolores seems ready to fight tooth and nail for what she considers is rightfully hers. Rumour has it that she wants to donate land to the have-nots and, in order to carry out her plan, she has decided to be in league with Juan Grabois, the leader of an organisation with a clear extreme left affiliation.
Is this woman fighting for a fair cause or is she acting under false pretenses, only to get even with her next of kin? Nobody knows what the outcome of this battle is going to be but it cannot be denied that the dispute fits Grabois like a glove. Let’s face it – the leader is as lucky as a major lotto winner. Not only did he receive Pope Francis’ blessings on his visit to Rome but also, the Etchevehere fight may turn out to be a stroke of good luck. Grabois must be still pinching himself to make sure that this windfall is not a dream.
Meanwhile, I hope that he may take another trip to Rome in the not-too-distant future. Perhaps next time the Pope teaches him the Christian principle of not coveting what is not ours, which is, to my mind, what the Biblical statement of “rendering to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” boils down to. Adrian Insabralde, Via email
WHO’S WORSE?
When talking politics with middle-class acquaintances, they invariably consider the vice-president as the person most responsible for the awful way the government is run. In a lonely minority of one, I respond that the main culprit is the president, and they look at me as if I were off my rocker. Try and see it this way: In a country where the elected president is constitutionally imbued with a big dose of power, an effective ruler has no excuse if he does not wield it in an appropriate way, for he or she has been elected as number one, and whatever occurred on the road to the elections should in no way affect his or her prerogatives once in office.
It is quite obvious that Alberto Fernández continuously bows to the whims of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, instead of serving all the citizens of the country where he has democratically been given the highest authority. Being in the position he is in, he thus must be considered without character, or of having reached some secret pre-electoral arrangement with the vice-president or, most probably, both.
Our country is sinking rapidly, so urgent and courageous measures are necessary to block the gaping holes. If Alberto had guts, he could still really take charge, change the route and head into the wind. But as long as he doesn’t, he is more to blame for our misfortunes than Cristina, because his are the instruments to do so. If only he had the heart and manly attributes to feel that “It’s the Republic, darn it”! Harry Ingham, City
CFK: ARGENTINA’S CEO
She’s always there, behind the scenes, backstage, unobtrusively pulling the strings. The real power behind the throne. The mysterious lady, the one who cleverly and strategically appointed the current president. CFK: the actual CEO of Argentina. Everyone seems to fear her, as if she were a semi-goddess, a monarch, the one and only. And now she encourages “political dialogue based on respect.” She, of all people! That’s a laugh! She’s always been reluctant to include and respect other points of view. It’s hard to believe her, let alone trust her. CFK is the untouchable puppeteer, the sphinx whose enigmatic words (and silence) steer the fate of our impoverished nation. A “prima donna” who shouldn’t be bothered or contradicted, lest she gets mad. ‘Cruella de Vil’ seems Heidi in comparison. It’s what it is… sigh.
Irene Bianchi, Ringuelet, La Plata
BATTLE OF THE BULGE: PART 118
Dear Sirs,
This whirligig president of ours really takes the biscuit: ‘Her Nibs’ sent him a trenchant note stating that “many of his functionaries were not functioning” and he took this as a compliment, his face wreathed in smiles, at a recent ceremony recalling the merits of his mentor and predecessor, Néstor Kirchner. Significantly, ‘Her Nibs’ did not attend this lugubrious reunion extolling the credits of her money-loving husband, a decade after his passing. Nor the Big Bash in honour of 75 years of Peronismo. Love’s labour’s lost?
Meanwhile, we all await the decision by the Supreme Court, concerning the stability or otherwise of the judges on the tail, trail and tale of the vice-president. Seconds out! Grabois while you can!
David Parsons,
Via email