Headlines That Make You Wonder

One of the things I attempt on a daily basis is to read the local newspapers. Not all of them but at least three of them. It helps me to understand what is happening around me or understand what the inhabitants of this country think is happening. General elections are coming up rapidly and the vote will encompass everything from local ward positions to the president of the country. Corruption runs rampant; candidates live in fear of their lives. Several candidates have already been murdered, many incumbents are being impeached under sinister circumstances and political violence can be bought cheaply so every candidate has his or her thugs doing their level best to intimidate voters into not voting or are out buying the votes. Oil companies are having their workers attacked and kidnapped on a regular basis and tapping into oil pipelines (causing environmental damage, the loss of jobs and millions of dollars and resulting in deaths when the tapping is - as always - poorly done) is a daily occurrence. So when I read the following headline, I laughed until I cried: "Customs Officials Seize 7,000 Rounds of Live Ammunition and 1 Million Pairs of Shoes!" There is a multitude of problems in this country but the big headline of the day is that a million pairs of shoes were confiscated at the border. Oh, and some ammunition... What army is this supplying? It certainly explains all the flip-flops; cheap shoes are evidently not allowed. If this is the best that can be done with all of the other things that slip through these borders (drugs and human trafficking come to mind) what can be ahead? As I watch the sun go down over the river (and the garbage and occasional bodies in the river) each evening, I can't help but wonder if there is anyone in charge who is interested in helping this country as opposed to lining their own pockets with the wealth of the country. It doesn’t appear that there is. But now I know why everyone wears flip-flops. That's one mystery solved.