Good day. Went to the museo del’opera del Duomo. Saw la Pieta’ by Michelangelo. This is an amazing sculpture. Huge, passionate. He started it when he was 79 to be placed on his tomb. He never finished it. 

Hooked up with this girl from Austria. Very cool. Not very good English or Italian so communication is funny. Maybe I go to Rome this weekend or Amsterdam. Thinking about going to Israel in a week or two. See the sites and see some friends. 

Renting movies in Italian now to watch at night. good way to learn. 

Reading more about the political history of Italy. In the 90’s they really had a rough time here. they discovered that a lot of the politicians were raking money for themselves and other corporations for just a few of them to get. millions of dollars in misappropriated funds. Money from the tax payers. This really rocked their world. And they got rid of them all but it was hard on them gave them a feeling of who can you trust. And with their long history of this kind of thing, it is easy to understand their bad taste for politics. Although here a higher percentage of their population comes to the polls to vote than in almost any other civilized country in the world. 

So I'm studying this and I'm thinking what about America? What the hell is happening in America. The officers of Enron funded Bush’ presidential campaign. The oval office was literally referred to as the “second office” of the CEO of Enron once Bush became president. He told Bush months before the scandal broke out that Enron was broke and all these people were losing all their money, and they all just took what they could get and tried to hide. Bush actually advised him not say anything and try to hold as long as possible. And there are hundreds of these kinds of scandals about Bush and obviously Clinton before him, but Bush I mean so far they have really just run rampant since they have been there. and I am aghast literally as to why the American people don't do anything about it. I know that there are a lot of groups in America trying to help. Trying to bring some or any kind of justice back to America. But nothing seems to be done. It is just the same old status quo. Really they just do whatever they want, legal or illegal, fraud, corruption, lies, whatever, and everyone seems o.k. well whatever. Lets not think about it. Except all these small and medium sized groups around the country. But why don't the people as a whole just get together and demand investigations and such there? it really is beyond me. Some European friends said tonight that America is just too big. Too many people. it is so easy for our government to get away with anything because there are so many people and they are so spread out. Maybe it is this. I don't know. I love America so much. But it makes me sad.