In trying to gather my scattered everywhere thoughts I was mulling over what do I write about this time? Do I end the year with another one of my Rants, or do I end it on as Upbeat a Note as I possibly can? It is difficult to decide which one, because 2024 has been a Disconcerting, Sorrowful, Frustrating, Infuriating and Maddening Year! So here goes . . .
. . . I have decided that My Woman Of The Year Honorable Award has been Rightfully Earned by Gisele Pelicot! This incredible, long-suffering woman exposed her husband, a sick and twisted Sadistic Rapist (who also raped his daughter!), as well as all the men who participated in raping her at his behest as she lay drugged on her marital bed. Not only was her trial about Vindicating Herself, but she spoke for every Female across this world and also unveiled how prevalent the heinous crime of rape is today even in Civilized France. This crime has been going on since Tribes and Armies invaded each other centuries and centuries ago, when they looted, burnt, pillaged and Raped women as a Prize for their victory. Gisele Pelicot’s courage has allowed us, once again, to face this Evil, and, hopefully, to endeavor, once and once again to address it. My Opinion? Every Rapist should have his Rape Instrument Lopped Off In Public and then be thrown in jail for the duration of his miserable lifetime! Merci Gisele, and A Votre Sante!
Then there was Luigi Mangione, the young man who shot and killed Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, a medical insurance company. I cannot condone violence of any kind or sort, and I do not in this case. Therefore, the young Luigi will be subjected to a trial just like any person accused of murder. However, this event as no other has put the health care system of the US on the chopping board and invited a heated discussion of Greed, Arrogance and Runaway Capitalism that places Profits ahead of All and Everything else as the Health Insurance Companies, as well as all the Major Corporations are doing. In this sense, Luigi deserves our gratitude for having served the Public Good more than any of our vaunted Politicians who have chosen to Ignore and Mishandle the egregiousness of the health care industry (mainly because they have the top-of-the-line contract, which none of us do!), as well as the many Crisis in our country! This discussion needs to continue and magnify itself!
The Honorable Award for the most Conscientious and Moral Human Beings in our nation goes to Bernie Sanders (My precious daughter gifted me his book: It’s OK To Be Angry About Capitalism and I was delighted!) and Elizabeth Warren who have been in the trenches fighting for Equality, Justice, Honesty, Integrity and Humanity for decades in our corridors of Power, as well as to Any and All Elected Officials following in their noble footsteps! They are the Voice of the Voiceless Ordinary Human Beings whose concerns are being totally Invalidated!
My Most Ethical and Socially Responsible Awards go to Josh Paul and Every Single Employee of the State Department and White House who has resigned from a career that they loved, and issues that they believed in, over the bloody and disgraceful behavior, hypocrisy and double-standards of Genocide Joe and Worthless Blinken regarding the Atrocious War On Gaza, and may the souls of the murdered Palestinian Children, People and Courageous Journalists haunt them forever!
My Most Outstanding Awards for Fearless Reporting go to Amy Goodman, Nermeen Shaikh and Juan Gonzalez of Democracy Now, as well as to The Guardian, Haaretz, The Intercept, The Quincy Institute, C-Span (especially every show host on their Washington Journal) Jeffrey Sachs, Jonathan Cook, Chris Hedges, Juan Cole and Every Single Journalist and Whistleblower with Integrity, Fairness and Humanity, as well as to all the Al-Jazeera Reporters and Journalists, especially those who were Deliberately Targeted and Martyred by the Israeli Government.
And, the Most Disappointing Award goes to the United States of America’s Government for being a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when it comes to its cherry-picking and discriminatory Application of Democracy, Freedom and Human Rights. Its record is Dismal and leaves us with the blatant truth that it is Not Democracy, Freedom and Human Rights that are our Values, but Arrogance, Greed and Unfettered Power! Shameful! However, whether it is the US, or Any and Every Country that is Mishandling the Concerns of Ordinary People it is becoming clearer and clearer that the Global Majority of Human Beings are fed-up with the Ineptness of their Political Leadership. It is also becoming clearer and clearer that Ordinary People whether on the Right, in the Middle, or on the Left, and no matter what their Religions, or Ethnicities have had enough of Political Distractions, Frivolous Issues and Divisiveness while ignoring the Essential. It is Truly Enough!
Lastly, The Hall of Shame Awards go to the Corporate Media Shmucks, their Superficiality, their Sensationalism, their Trivial Discussions and Worthless Opinions! They are Slaves, not Journalists! They are Echo Chambers, not Reporters! They prove that Greed is above Honesty and Integrity! Fox News is Worthless; CNN has proven their Bigoted Non-News, especially in their latest shocking scandal depicting one of Assad’s “Prisoners” when he was one of his Torturers; and, MSNBC that has nothing to cover but what Trump Said, Trump Went, Trump Came, Trump Sat, Trump Stood, Trump Tweeted. Trump Posted. Hello? Not that I voted for Trump, and not that I am not anxious about the next four years as most of us are, however: when are they going to passionately and breathlessly tell us when Trump Burped and when Trump Farted? Come off it, schmucks! Get a grip!
So to Politicians and Leadership Everywhere on this Sad Planet I say: Shape Up and address Humanity’s Vital Concerns before the Angry Global Majority gets really fed up with you!
May 2025 bring us all Sanity, Wisdom, Justice and Peace! Fingers Crossed Tightly!
My Seventy Year Old Eyes 
And in my book, this entry gets the award for Best Essay of 2024. Well, done!
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