Pollution in Venice

"Guarda chi sono arrivati- Moore, Stone e Chavez!"

"Look who's arrived- Moore, Stone and Chavez!"


For years, people have decried the pollution that has plagued the city of Venice. The canals are dirty, the city is sinking, the paint is faded and now this year's Venice Film Festival has added new filth to the city's burden with the appearances of Michael Moore, Oliver Stone and Hugo Chavez.

And what is Hugo Chavez doing at the Venice Film Festival? Well, one of America's anti-American film makers, Oliver Stone, has made a gushing movie about the Venezuelan strongman. Chavez, naturally, has come over with some of his henchman to rub elbows with Stone and who knows how many other "celebrities".

What people like Stone conveniently ignore is that this thug has closed down opposition newspapers, provided support to neighboring Colombia's FALC guerrillas and spread his poison to other countries in the hemisphere, like Ecuador and Bolivia, precisely the things that Stone would excoriate any Republican American president for doing-were they to do so.

Then there is the human unmade bed, Michael Moore, who is promoting his latest film condemning capitalism. Naturally, this fool has come smokin' into Venice with outrageous statements like, "Capitalism is evil", and "when are the Italians going to get rid of Silvio Berlusconi?" Granted, Berlusconi is not to every one's taste, but that is for the Italians to decide, not Mr Moore. And he complains about "ugly Americans"? Moore should also show a little appreciation for capitalism since he has taken advantage of it to get rich and be a "successful" film-maker in America.

So there we have another two examples of why Hollywood is held in such disdain. I hope Messrs Moore and Stone enjoy their time adding more pollution to the city of Venice as they bask in the adulation of the European film crowd heaping scorn on their own country, the country in which they have prospered and exercised their free speech. Yet, having lived in Italy, I know that the majority of the Italian public must be scratching their heads wondering what makes these two characters tick.