“All the world is a stage” sayeth the bard extraordinaire and “men and women are merely players.” There are so many examples of two bit players in the world today that one does not know where to start. It is almost as if we are reaching out to anyone who will give it a try.

We could work the international scene for our first casting call. Eight European leaders have been tossed in the economic turmoil with each one claiming to have the right answers. Buffoons like Berlusconi and Sarkozy prance and dance for the part of court jesters. Merkel say let them eat cake and the Greeks don’t care who it is as long as they don’t have to pay for it.

Greece leads the way with paying non jobs. They assign 8-10 people to ride the state railway with only one or two collecting tickets. They are notorious for not paying their taxes. In Athens, they take to the air to find houses with swimming pools hidden from view showing wealth tucked away quietly. Spain, Portugal and Italy are not far behind. Look out below!

President Assad of Syria mows down people with lawn mower like precision and says the devil made him do it. The UN, after lengthy discussions says he is the one who made him do it. Nothing changes. First you say you do and then you don’t Iran, says there is nothing wrong with enriched uranium. Come on in and have a look see but on second thought maybe we shouldn’t open the kimono too far..

Karzai looks at us with a straight face saying, “Get out” but don’t forget to keep the checks in the mail. Thanks for nothing. By the way whatever happened to us being paid back in oil from our close friends in Iraq? South Korea buys Iranian oil but says it doesn’t count because Seoul demands the money be spent on South Korean goods. Gets to your Soul doesn’t it. We forgot Uncle Sam. Thanks again for your support and assistance for the last 60 years. And in return they gave us Rev Sung Yung Moon.

Moving right along to the good old U S of A, we are all getting in place for our quadrennial fiasco. Mitt will tell you how he is a turnaround specialist. He’s right. I have seen him turn around with the greatest of ease. Barack  aka Barry The Crooner will tell or sing to you what you want to hear. It is always Bush’s fault. But wasn’t that four years ago? He ran on a transparency agenda. It is transparent all right and it ain‘t good..

Desperate Housewives, America’s Got Talent, The Biggest Loser, Mike and Molly, Two and A Half Men put us all right up there in the running for extras in Ben Hur, Conan the Barbarian and Planet of the Apes. Your are what you watch. This ladies and gentleman is why negative political advertising works. We don’t have to dumb down on things. We are already there.

But when we come down to the finalists I say pack your bags if you are not dressed in red. Not the Lady in Red. I am talking about the guys in the funny hats, obis and lace sleeve ornaments. That’s right, none other than the College of Cardinals. They cut their teeth on “Grumpy Old Men” and now with their talents refined are bringing down the house in Rome. Literally.

I am a Catholic but probably not for long. I really don’t want to go as I have told you often of our great parish here in Denver with marvelous singing and a fantastic young priest.  I will be drummed out for raising my voice in dissension and criticism. How dare you, TTG?  Don’t you know we speak infallibly?

Guys and Dolls,this is really the theater of the absurd. You take a deeply moral but basic principle of “Do unto others” and then have as your mission to spread that word throughout the world. Sit people down in simple surroundings and show by example that material possessions don’t really matter. Feed the hungry and help the poor. I don’t know what drives me crazier, the glitz and glitter of the Vatican Museums or the picture of the Pope being served the finest wine from crystal carafes by his butler.

Let me be clear on one thing, the message was never more pertinent than it is now. It is the messengers that have gone severely astray. Funny how that happens in religion, politics, business ethics and the like.

The problem is now that we have lost our way who can we call on to lead us back? Maybe a hidden star or starlet waiting in the wings to be discovered. My quandary in our little theater of life is whether it is a comedy or tragedy? Probably a little of both.

As always

Ted The Great.

Factoids:

Greece’s top tax scofflaws number 4,152 and owe 14.88 billion Euros. On the other hand Christine La Garde whom I consider to be a very savvy and sharp head of the IMF  who recently chastised the Greeks, pays no taxes of her own because the IMF is an international  institution.

Iraq now has the largest pool of proven oil reserves at 350 billion barrels.

South Korea upped its imports of Iranian oil by 42% in the month of April and records are not available yet for May but it may top that increase. Shanks for nothing.

The Vatican beyond priceless art treasures has billions upon billions in solid gold ingots. They are stored securely in vaults  at the Fed, England and Switzerland. Remember those starving children in Africa.