SI SMURA!!

Mrs Obama please sue Berlusconi!

Dear Mrs Obama

First of all let me apologize to you (and to your husband) on behalf of a good part of the “civil society” (as we used to call it) of my country.

We consider a plague to have a character such as Mr. Berlusconi as prime minister: he misrepresents us and our values one day and the other. We are ashamed by the stupidity, the shallowness and the vulgarity displayed by this individual.

His racist consideration on you and your husband being “tanned”  find receptive ears (and chuckles) only  within the circle of his “friends”. These  people are just inadequate to understand the relevance and the consequences of his remarks, which they consider “innocent jokes”.

Or they are too weak: as you might know there is a problem of freedom of speech in my country. Mr Berlusconi owns three commercial national TV networks and indirectly controls the other three public ones. He also owns news papers and magazines. Those few newspaper that still dare to ask questions get sued. His associates in parliament recently proposed a legislation to limit freedom of speech even on the web (a law recently proposed by Honorable Pecorella).

A good part of my country doesn't even know about these things and there is no public discussion on the importance of keeping the web  free. Most of the journalists in our TVs and news papers are busy dealing with “more serious issues” . And yet more than a year ago, thanks to the web (and Beppe Grillo, Italy's first blogger) 300000 people gathered and signed a proposal for a “popular law” that would forbid anyone found guilty in court to run for elections. More than a year has passed by and our parliament still has 15% or so of his members being condemned. Just to make an example: our minister of internal affairs (in Italy he is also the head of the Police) was condemned for biting a policeman ankle in his youth. Our prime minister (as you might know) had to face court a number of times. His close associate Mr. dell'Utri has been found guilty of external association with the Mafia...he was sentenced 9 years. He is still in office.

Mrs Obama, I don't know your views on Mr. Berlusconi...my impression is that he is not one that you would gladly “hang out” with. And you probably would rather simply not hear to talk about him.

But I can assure you this is not a small deal. This man makes claims one day and the other about his friendship with President Obama. This is one of the strong points of his everyday propaganda. However, while president Obama asks for new rules and a renown morality in finance, Mr. Berlusconi, his associates in parliament togtehr with part of a complacent “opposition” passes a legislation (called “Fiscal shield” “scudo fiscale”) that will in fact make my country a “fiscal paradise”. From now on whoever was keeping his money abroad (maybe in a bank account at the Cayman Island) will be able to “recall” it, paying only a small tax. That is 5%. That means that any criminal (Mafia and similar) or terroristic (you name it) organization will be able to set a “branch” and will be allowed to legally keep his money in Italy.

This legislation was passed by the “Camera” yesterday (after being already passed by the Senate). So unless our president Napolitano decides otherwise (and it seems unlikely), this will soon be a state law. What a nice gift for Mr. Berlusconi birthday!

Mrs Obama, do my country a favor: sue Mr. Berlusconi! Sue him for his racist remarks on you and your husband. Show us and the rest of the world that you (and your husband) dislike him. Being the president of the US, it would be impossible for your husband to do so. But you as a private citizen can do it. Show some consideration for the people of my country. For those of us that have been fired or will soon loose their jobs, while the prime minister shows up in TV saying that the crisis is “an optical illusion created by the left”. For those of us who pay taxes and never took a cent out of their country. For those of us who still believe that decency, consistency and common sense are still requirements for a Prime Minister.

Yours sincerely

Gabriele Amore