SOME CORRECTIONS TO MY ARTICLE ON PREMIER BERLUSCONI

I knew it! The Media got their facts wrong - again. The replica of the Duomo which Massimo Tartaglia, Prime Minister Berlusconi's assailant hurled at his face was neither metallic nor matrble; it was made of plastic. Even so, an object replicating a Gothic cathedral with its spires) pointed and sharp if thrown with great force can do considerable damage.

Tartaglia has apologized to Berlusconi. His apology was accepted. Why ever not? Berlusconi has never been nor will he ever be a vengeful man. He is not one to nurse grudges. Indeed, he is very generous towards his friends, wives, girlfriends and occasional mates for the night.

I have had more than my share of professional contacts with Berlusconi. I conducted a radio show "CIAO BABY" which was under the aegis of his Fouth Channel. Only jazz and ethnic music was played. Sponsors begged to participate commercially.

Berlusconi was a dream boss. He never interfered with my opinions which rarely wavered from the controversial, the hard hitting and the some times inflammatory.

Here are two examples off the top of my head of the many instances of non-interference with editorial content.

In a program on Brazil; songs  from Vinicius de Morais, Antonio "Tony" Carlos Jobim, Toquinho, Ellis Regina, Gaetano Veloso,to name but a few formed an integral part of the show. And then I uttered the statement which created a row.

"Brazil is a stunningly beautiful almost never ending land mass with a population of 100 million people, 99.9% are desperately poor and the remaining 1% are disgustingly rich. They also don't care about the plight of the 99.9%. Why they don't even see it! So why don't the poor rise up in revolt against this constant abuse and injustice? One word is the answer: CARNAVAL. Take away carnaval and the Brazilian people will initiate a revolution the likes of which the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution would seem like Trick or Treat."

The Brazilian Ambassador to the Quirinale, was a frequent guest at my Villa of the Saracen in Bellosguardo, Florence. He made a formal protest to the Chairman of the Board of Mediaset - Silvio Berlusconi. He also told me he was very hurt at my" betrayal."

"Brava Cara!. Keep up the controversy. Bene Bene. Every paper and television newscaster is yakking about your declarations.  I have visited Brazil. The misery is too awful. Certainly, you are not retracting any part of your statement, Ciao, again, Brava."

On the Anniversay of the bombing of Pearl Harbor I played swing music which was popular at the time both i Hawaii as well as in Manila. 'The Japanese bombed both cities on the same day. The American papers only singled out the naval air station of Pearl Harbor, because Manila was the capital of the American Empire, the Philippines their only colony

"As a Republic, America felt uncomfortable exposing the fact that it had a Pacific Empire in order to thwart Japan's hegemony there.  News can only be swept under the palm and coconut trees for so long and then the ugly truth comes out. On December 10th 1941, the Japanese invaded the Philippines, entering through its Northern island mass of Luzon. The Chief of the Armed Forces was a charismatic, handsome, tall, individualistic General "who took no crap from nobody" Douglas MacArthur. Back in the States, he was the country's most loved and popular hero so thousands of cats flew out of their bags."

The American Ambassador and the Japanese Ambassador not only sent letters of protest hand delivered by couriers to Silvio Berlusconi in Milan, it was CC. to me as well. Several hundred Americans,most of whom I knew as either friends and acquaintances, protested peacefully in front of the Piazza which housed Channel Four's radio and television studios.

"Stay away from the windows." my sound engineer warned me.

Berlusconi rang as I knew he would.

"Ciao Cara. Ho ricevuto le lettere.I have received their letters. You know what? I am going to ignore it. I shall reply a couple of weeks from today. Who knows, maybe I won't. I suppose few journalists would dare say anything. Indeed, they wouldn't even mention Pearl Harbor.  But there you are, you are you, and CIAO BABY has very high ratings! Even the prison population listens to you faithfully and regularly."

"Really Silvio, they're locked up for the love of God. What else can they do?"

" Don't you know that those in prison and in jails are sought after as highly prized audiences? I mean Radio Dimensione Suono, Rai Radio and Radio Montecarlo are in there trying to crack your ratings to no avail. They have no one even remotely similar to you. Keep it up."

How did this electronics engineer Massimo Tartaglia penetrate the wall of body guards? For one thing, Berlusconi likes being in the fray, he is a gregarious and social individual. When the attack took place, he was signing autographs.

I think he should rid himself of all those macho men and follow Muammar Ghadaffi's example.

" You should only trust women," said the Muslim Leader of Libya.

His bodyguards are all AMAZONS. What's more, most are Serbians.

Get well soon, Silvio. I like you, you have always been troppo simpatico to me.  It will  take more than a plastic replica of the Duomo used as a "shuriken" ( ninjas still use them because they are effective) to keep you down. He did manage to cut your unlined botoxed face, but it's a small matter. Cosmetic surgeons can patch you up like new. What are you rich for?

Will you ever be the same jolly, good-natured political seducer and womanizer that amuses me so?

ARE WE GOING TO SEE MORE ATTACKS ON WORLD "LEADERS'?

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was attacked by a mentally unstable man( or so says the Media) as he was on his way to his armor-plated limousine in Milan's Duomo after a political speech made to his supporters. He was struck in the face by a miniature metallic replica of the Duomo. According to a medical report from San Raffaele Hospital, he suffered two fractured front teeth, cuts on his lips which required 7 stitches, and lesions on his nose.

I don't have any statements to make. Just questions.

1. His attacker, Massimo Tartaglia is an electronics engineer, not an insignificant accomplishment. Again, the Media, owned and controlled by Berlusconi except for LA REPUBBLICA, whose major shareholder is his political and social adversary, tycoon Carlo de Benedetti; but in cases like attempts to injure or to kill a politicaL or financial Leader, the Media closes ranks.

You tend to read much the same thing in the same words, commas, and hyphens in all the newspapers, statements to the Press, twitters on the Internet,  and endless news on television. Boring.

The electronics engineer, Tartaglia was not out of work. His Papa owned the establishment where he was employed.

Is the company in the midst of a financial or union turmoil?
What is the history of this company?

2. I know several friends who are still seeing psychiatrists, even after 15 years or longer. I think even Roman Polanski has not ceased to see one for 30 years. Does this mean a priori that ALL the people I have cited above are mentally disturbed?

Am I missing a syllogism here somewhere that talking regularly to a shrink signifies mental illness?
Is there even a credible syllogism to be made here?

3. I happen to think that many of our present Leaders of the Ha! Ha! Free World are anything but all there. Why? Because they are only too human and what's more they are of an inferior quality else the real power brokers would never have allowed them access to the most powerful positions in their respective nations. By my sententious statement that they are inferior human beings, I mean that they lack: Conscience, Ethics, Courage, Integrity,Honesty, Compassion, Loyalty and Morality.

Just take a look at the Leaders of WW2.

One was a drunken manic-depressive(Oops! the euphemism today is a Bi-Polar disorder.) who had suffered heart attacks and a couple of strokes. All, while serving in office and thinking he and he alone was conducting a War. (Winston Churchill)

 Another was an opium addict, whose complications from a long term polio-myelitis certainly affected his brain and his day to day reasoning. The pain never left him so how could he function? Others suggested or pressured him into making unwise decisions for the country. His political beliefs tended to lean heavily to the Left. (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

Yet another one was diagnosed with Parkinson's Syndrome as early as 1934. His doctors treated him with ever increasing doses of amphetamines mixed with cocaine injections and steroids. This concoctions create feelings of persecution alternating with sensations of immortality. ( Adolf Hitler)

And of course there was Uncle Joe Stalin. Roosevelt in his sick mind was so bowled over by dear old Uncle Joe he caved in to all his murderous demands. Stalin is probably the most perfect example the world has ever seen in the 20th century of a psychopath-sociopath.

None of these Leaders, so far as I know was ever seen by a psychiatrist. Only in the last 10 or 15 years have historians(thanks to the Internet) dared to write the evil secrets of these 4 men.

4. The attack on Berluscon is being blamed by his party and his cohorts on a climate of "Hate" swirling around Italy. Merde!  The conditions set up by Berlusconi and Bossi ( who is so xenophobic he makes Xenophon look like the late Senator Edward Moore Kennedy) created this negativity and nasty feelings.

5. There is no doubt that a state of tension exists between the people and its Leaders. This is palpable in
London,Edinburgh, Madrid, Rome, Milan, Paris, Berlin and Lisbon. Notice that I have deliberately left out the U. S. Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Well, don't gloat, they are in the same feces. The do-nothing- just- keep- spinning- Leaders have lied and lied and lied and the voters, the people have lost patience if not hope.

6. Where was the Secret Service, the CIRPE  assigned to protect Berlusconi? They claimed to have received reports that an exalted mad man might be on the loose looking to harm the Prime Minister.  Really??? So, where did the lot of you go? The most serious problem of all spies and security fellows is that they lack imagination. They are trapped inside the box.

7. The Electronics Engineer, Tartaglia had no criminal record not even a traffic ticket. Since he was close enough to do some damage to the PM: keep in mind that Berlusconi was hurt in the face, mouth and nose. Another centimeter or even less and he might have indeed lost an eye. Therefore, he was close enough to throw a dagger straight at his jugular or carotid artery. He did not. In his pockets police found another small replica of the Duomo and a small can of pepper spray.  A true martial arts Sifu/Sensei could have hurled the metallic statuette of  the Duomo as he would a shuriken with such force that he could have smashed his windpipe with little or no effort.

8. What kind of half-assed attack was this? A rehearsal?  Could Tartaglia possible be a mind control  asset? I hope I am very wrong on this one.

9. Indira Gandhi once told me during a brief moment of relaxation on her trip to Rome." Bella, I try not to worry because if someone truly wants to get me, they will, even if it takes them years to do so."

N. B. In his novel THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO by Alexandre Dumas (Pere),  Edmond Dantes, the protagonist, waited 20 long years before exacting revenge on every single individual who had wronged him and had participated in his unjust and reprehensible incarceration.