THEATRE OF THE ABSURD

Chapter Two

The shenanigans, posturing and waffling in Washington resulted, as predicted, in major pressure on the world’s stock markets where the price of securities fluttered up and down world-wide like the eyelids of a maiden attempting to inveigle her paramour into giving her a substantial gift – perhaps a $4.3 Million apartment in Manhattan, a la George Soros.

Interesting man, Uncle George, and very true to form. (Most Hungarian men, whatever their age, consider not soccer, but skirt-chasing, the Hungarian national sport).

Also true to form as a contrarian, was Uncle George’s decision to bail out of gold. (In May he called the metal the ultimate bubble, but recently he moderated this observation by saying that “I called gold the ultimate bubble which means it may go higher but it’s certainly not safe and it’s not going to last forever.”).

Regardless, he lightened his Soros Fund Management LLC’s holdings of gold and closed this immensely successful hedge-fund to ‘outsiders’, announcing that, henceforth, he will manage only his own money and not that of others. He then proceeded to pay everybody out and predicted that “we are on the verge of an economic crisis”.

So what else is new?

Meanwhile back at the ranch – at the bull ranch that is – Angela Merkel suggested to the Spanish and Greek governments that they sell their gold reserves to pay down their countries’ debts.

You can imagine how these Macho legislators welcomed this suggestion, especially since it came from a woman.

While Rome is burning (as are Lisbon and Madrid and Athens) the Americans are having a Tea Party in Washington, and Libyans, Syrians, Iraqis and Afghanis are bathing in blood.