From Cradle to Grave: The Politics of Futility

From Cradle to Grave: The Politics of Futility


I once had a pin tripe blue double-breasted jacket. Way back when—when double-breasted suits had not made a comeback in the nineties. I loved that jacket. When I wore it to my fist real job interview in America, it was an instant hit—I got the job. I will not go into the circumstance in which I lost the jacket, but I at times get flashbacks and I miss that jacket however much I went on to other elegant attires. So, I understand how some people don’t throw away old clothes. The clothes are symbols of their past experiences. But should one not get a life and move on instead of being stuck in the past?

This brings me to political affiliations that some people hang on no matter what. Here in United States, assuming you have the gift of gab and full of yourself, you can fool the Republicans by the simple statement: I will cut taxes. Or such nonsense as: Read my lips; I will raise no new taxes. Or such platitudes as: I will protect the rights of the unborn child. So, no matter what, some people will vote against their own self-interests on the bases of these banalities.

In Uganda we have such a disgraced political party called UPC. This is the party that took the helm of government from colonial Britain. By a series of incompetence and intrigues that are well documented they lost power in Uganda. At this time there are probably two or three UPC MPs in a parliament of more than 200, and dominated by the ruling NRM. Now, if you were to hear some losers on the Internet still insisting on UPC as they comfortably enjoy their little lives in Copenhagen, London or Toronto, you would think that it is still a viable political party when all indications are that it has shriveled to the party of tribal Langi and a few Acoli. These poor souls should get a life and begin in the now. Take the examples from the Kenyans who use political parties as mere vehicles to ride as they advance their political convictions. See http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?premiumid=0&category_id=39&newsid=114450

This business of hanging on to a political party for life is for the birds.