Naturally the New Yorker does its best to bury the lead, but there are plenty of clues in this week's cover story "Gangs of Rio" as to why the world's #1 city for "violent international deaths" won the 2016 Olympics. Since the popular election of Marxist dictator President Luis Inacio Lula de Silva, the magazine grudgingly reports, the once-civil society of Rio has degenerated into something akin to a large South American Superdome, with more violence. While their more enterprising Latin American neighbors nurture healthy export sectors, Brazilians — not unlike so unlike us citizens of the People's Republic of Obameristan — have become net consumers, with "yesterday's" Marxist gangs revealing themselves to be (surprise, surprise!) …purely criminal organizations: they exist in order to sell narcotics to fellow Brazilians. Unlike the export-based drug cartels in Columbia or Mexico, Rio's bandidos are wholesale importers — of cocaine from Bolivia, Peru and Colombia, and of marijuana from Paraguay. You mean to tell me socialism is a gateway drug to destitution, depravity and foul smells? "The percentage of crimes solved here in Rio is ridiculous — ninety percent of homicides go unresolved." Part of the blame went to Brazil's "politically correct culture," [City Councilor Alfredo Sirkis] said. "It's all Scandinavian talk in an Iraqi reality. Rio is completely schizophrenic. Everybody's very p.c. — all this violence is seen as coming from some injustice. At the same time, they'd like the favelas to be atomized, a la Buck Rogers, with a Disintegrator." (Say it ain't so Fredo!) So what does one complacent socialist state have over another? A charismatic gang leader named Fernandinho, whose Pure Third Command battles the socialist Red Command in the name of you-know-Who: Pastor Sidney explained that he had got to know Fernandinho in 2007, when some community leaders came to see him. There had been a series of shootings involving Fernandinho and his rivals — people associated with [rival Marxist gang] Marcelo PQD. "It was like a war zone," Pastor Sidney said. "It was very dangerous, and the community was afraid." He had already been preaching in some of Ilha's toughest neighborhoods, and this had earned him some respect. "I was working among the traficantes. I was going out and praying in the streets. I approach them all the same way, as if they were possessed by demons, and found that they accepted it, because there's something supernatural about it. But I had avoided Fernandinho. I'd heard things about him that I didn't like." Eventually, he said, "Fernandinho came to me himself. He watched me preaching. He saw people falling on the ground. And he asked me for a prayer." And lo and behold, Fernandinho began curtailing his killing squad, these days sparing the lives of Brazilians who inadvertently wear red nail polish, and dodging the apparatchiks who would have him quashed Fernadinho got away; the police found a four-and-a-half foot cake decorated with the Twenty-third Psalm, spelled out in icing. They also found an effigy of Marcelo PQD, wearing red panties, hanging from a lamppost. Maureen Tkacik is a contributor to Beliefnet, a senior editor at Insight magazine and author of the forthcoming memoir The God From Ipanema: Encounters With Christ at Carnevale (Regnery, 2010).
Related Posts
AC Ajaccio goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa will consider offers from several different countries in the summer.
The Mexico international, whose current contract at the Stade François Coty expires at the end of the season, has previously claimed he has an offer from Italian giants AC Milan and will not be short of potential suitors after World Cup.
The highly-rated 28-year-old has been a standout performer for Ajaccio over the past two seasons but his efforts will not keep L ours in Ligue 1 next term.
Ajaccio (3-11-19) have won just 20 points from their first 33 league fixtures this term and are a whopping 15 points from safety with just five matches remaining in 2013/14.
With his club planning for life in Ligue 2 next season, Ochoa is looking to tak…
Premiership giants vying for Remy
Radio Monte Carlo understands that four of England s top clubs are considering a summer bid for QPR striker Loic Remy.
The Frenchman has impressed during the loan spell at Newcastle, but he is highly unlikely to remain at St James Park beyond the current season.
A return to Loftus Road does not seem on the cards either, even if QPR manage to win the promotion play-offs.
According to Radio Monte Carlo, the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool are currently in the race for his signature.
All four clubs will have their scouts present when the Magpies face Arsenal later today, and his suitors are expected to step up their interest in the coming weeks.
The Gunners have been made 1/4 fav…
Central Coast goalkeeper Mathew Ryan has been awarded the Mariners Medal after another standout A-League campaign.
Australian Under-23 shot-stopper Ryan, 20, added to the list of honours he has already collected this season after helping Graham Arnold s team finish top of the table.
Ryan, the A-League Goalkeeper of the Year and Young Player of the Season, made 24 league appearances during the campaign, keeping eight clean sheets.
Other winners at the award s dinner in Wyong on Friday included New Zealand midfielder Michael McGlinchey, who was voted the Fans Player of the Year, while three players shared the Golden Boot.
Striker Bernie Ibini-Isei and Dutch defender Patrick Zwaanswijk, as well as Matt Simon, now with K-League s Chunnam Dragons, all netted …
Malaga are showing interest in Paris Saint-Germain defender Diego Lugano, Le Parisien has reported.
Los Boquerons are somewhat short of options in the heart of defence and plan to add the Urguayan stopper to their ranks in January.
There is every chance the player will be available at a cut-back fee in January considering his desire to leave the club in search of first team football.
Diego Lugano has a contract until June 2014 at Parc des Princes, but given that he is not in first team plans of boss Carlo Ancelotti, it is highly unlikely the Saints will stand in his way.
The Uruguay captain joined the club from Fenerbahce in the summer of 2011, but never quite managed to prove his worth in the capital.
After making 12 Ligue 1 appearances last ter…
Best odds: 5/6
Bookmaker:
The Euro 2024 qualifications are already underway in Group J of the UEFA region, and the clash between Luxembourg and Portugal, set to take place on Sunday evening at the Luxembourg Stadium, in the city bearing the same name as the country itself.
Though relatively modern and rather sightly, the venue is small, holding just over 9,300 seats.
Luxembourg
Marked as perpetual outsiders, Luxembourg have been steadily improving over the recent years. They still aren t quite considered favourites in many games, but until recently, other teams counted on the three points against them in advance. Now they re mostly being forced to work very hard to earn them, and nothing is a given anymore, as Slovakia discovered in the opening round.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting haunted former side Paris Saint-Germain as Bayern Munich reached the Champions League quarter-final with a 2-0 win that secured a 3-0 aggregate triumph.
Julian Nagelsmann s side progressed to the last eight in Europe for a fourth straight season after Choupo-Moting and Serge Gnabry s second-half strikes in the second leg on Wednesday.
Bayern were earlier indebted to Matthijs de Ligt, though, after his remarkable goal-line clearance thwarted Vitinha in the first half at Allianz Arena.
De Ligt s last-ditch intervention, coupled with Choupo-Moting s cool finish and a breakaway Gnabry goal, saw PSG fail to reach Champions League quarter-finals for a second consecutive season.
Phonzy is all of us rn
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBa…
Competition: Serie A
Market: Napoli to beat Bologna
Odds:
Serie A returns for another huge round of games as the competition continues to heat up. Every side in the division will be aware of how important a win can be as three points can quite often see a side rise a number of places as the table has remained incredibly tight. With this in mind, Napoli host Bologna on Sunday.
Napoli have been in very good form this season and they are looking to claim the league title. After 21 games they have won 17, drawn three and lost one, scoring 45 goals and conceding 13 times. In their last five they have won five in a row, which has seen them onto 54 points. They are currently in second-place behind Juventus, but Napoli have a game in hand, meaning th…
Successive Champions League winners and La Liga title holders Real Madrid have seen a dramatic change in fortunes over the last six months.
It was in August when Zinedine Zidane’s men sealed a second piece of silverware in a week’s time – having grabbed a Spanish Super Cup trophy eight days after their UEFA Super Cup triumph over Manchester United – to add to a highly successful season for the French tactician in charge of Los Blancos.
Everything seemed to be running smoothly for one of Europe’s biggest clubs and few would have hoped to see the devastating turn in plot.
Are Transfers to Blame – The Lack of Those That Is?
With trophies and silverware speaking in his favour, Zinedine Zidane managed to persuade the traditionally lavish Real Madrid pres…
Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg has told his former club to open their wallets if they want to keep Robin van Persie.
Ljungberg believes that a couple of top class players could persuade the Netherlands striker to sign a new deal with the club, rather than leave for pastures new.
The former Sweden International feels that the Gunners can compete for trophies again, but keeping the Dutch international will be vital to any future success.
I think there s nothing to advise Robin, I think it s more that you have to advise Arsenal, Ljungberg told Goal.com.
When Robin came to Arsenal we were a good team and we were winning trophies.
I think that s what he wants to do, and I think that Arsenal maybe have to open their wallet a little bit and buy may…
Serbian defender Slobodan Rajkovic was on Friday banned for 12 months for spitting at the referee following his side s 2-0 defeat by Argentina in a group match at the Beijing Olympics, FIFA announced.
The incident took place after 19-year-old Rajkovic, who plays at Chelsea but has been loaned out to Dutch side Twente, had been one of two Serbian players shown a red card by Abdullah Al Hilali.
A statement from the FIFA Disciplinary Committee read: At its 1 September 2008 meeting, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee decided to suspend Slobodan Rajkovic (Serbia) for 12 months for spitting at the referee on 13 August 2008 after the Argentina vs. Serbia match at the Olympic Football Tournaments.
This suspension applies to all national and international matches includi…