All in a great cause
WHAT a ridiculous fuss there is over the National Youth Development Agency spending R5.6 million of government money on hiring a private aircraft to bring Cuban delegates to the recent World Youth Festival in Pretoria.
The Youthfest brought together thousands of people from around the world to meet under the banner: "Let's Defeat Imperialism". Do the critics think world revolution can be achieved on the cheap?
And already imperialism is beginning to buckle. Only last week US President Barack Obama said he would ease restrictions on American citizens travelling to Cuba.
Religious groups and students will be allowed to travel there; also to send remittances of up to $500.
This is the beginning of the end for imperialism. Religious and student groups will go to Cuba, experience the socialist paradise, the freedom, the prosperity and the burgeoning of revolutionary art and culture. They will return to the imperialist citadel purged of false consciousness and conscientised in turn to destroy the capitalist/imperialist order from within.
How can people niggle over a paltry R5.6 million? How cheap can they get?
Free the toiling masses! Free the wage slaves! Free love! Free chicken-in-the-basket! Free champagne! Free whisky!
A luta continhua!
Insulting soapie
STILL with the world revolution against imperialism, Venezuela – led by anti-imperialist champion Hugo Chavez – has taken umbrage at a Columbian-made TV soap opera which it says is insulting to itself and its president.
The soapie, Chepe Fortuna, features sisters named Colombia and Venezuela, the latter owner of a dog called Little Hugo – which is, of course, the same name as the great Venezuelan anti-imperialist, Hugo Chavez.
In one episode Venezuela loses Little Hugo, prompting Colombia to tell her she is better off without him. Also, the Venezuela character is associated with gossip, poking her nose in where it's not wanted and vulgarity.
And if that's not bad enough, the soapie – made by a private Colombian company - is actually being broadcast in Venezuela by a channel that has now been ordered to take it off the air. So far the channel has declined to say yea or nay to this government demand, though the smart money is on Chavez getting his way.
There is, of course, no room for satire in any campaign against imperialism, it diverts the revolutionary impetus. It's a pity the issue crops up only now. It would have made a great agenda item for the Pretoria Youthfest.
Deafening silence
INVESTMENT analyst Dr James Greener marvels in his latest grumpy newsletter at the deafening silence following JZ's recent pronouncements on job creation and so forth.
"Maybe everyone is so impressed by the amazing ideas tabled by the President during his Polokwane appearance that they are silently wishing that they had thought of them. Like getting the state to employ everyone who needs a job and instructing universities to pass final year students who need a degree. The state would pay for these lucky students. It is all so simple. Why didn't anyone come up with these sorts of plan before? The state can, after all, achieve anything it wants. I am a tad anxious that so far nothing has been said about creating wealth."
Don't fret, Doc. Leave it to the magic mushrooms.
Pole-lickers
BOYS will be boys. An eight-year-old Oklahoma boy got his tongue stuck to a frozen metal pole after he licked it in a dare initiated by his brother.
When rescue crews arrived, the boy was on tiptoe, trying to wriggle his frozen tongue free from a stop sign pole across the street from his school. Paramedics freed him by pouring water on his tongue.
Of course, it couldn't happen here in the sub-tropics. Go around licking poles outside your school and they don't send the paramedics, they send the gents in white coats.
Tailpiece
FIVE fellows get to the Spanish border in an Audi Quattro.
Border guard: "Senors, you are over-loaded."
Driver: "How so?"
Border guard: "You are five. This is a Quattro. That means four."
Driver: "That's ridiculous. This is a five-person car. Look, five seatbelts."
Border guard: "Senor, I must refer this to my superior."
Driver: "Let's speak to him."
Border guard: "Si. When he's finished with the two senors in the Fiat Uno."
Last word
Imitation is the sincerest form of television.
GRAHAM LINSCOTT
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