Brazil's leader promotes Rio 2016 bid in Beijing

Rio de Janeiro is competing to host the Olympics in 2016 (other cities are Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago). Today President Lula was in Beijing campaigning hardly. He advocated that Brazil is a peaceful country without terrorism and sai that when God had created Rio, he did it thinking in a perfect spot for an Olympic competition. Watching Lula speech I have to ask: Mr. President, are you from Brazil or Saturn?

Brazil has alarming violence rates and no one is seriously committed to solving that. This year alone more than 47.000 people have been murdered in the country, more than three times the number of people who have been mudered in Iraq during the same period.Brazil is not in war, at least, not an official one.

There are many causes for these high numbers, but no question that general corruption is one of the most relevant. There is a popular belief in Brazil that in an emergency you are better off calling the thieves because they will cost you less than calling the police. My personal experience, unfortunately, points in the same direction. Corruption within the police force is endemic; they will try to take your money for everything, a speeding ticket, transportation of valuable items, planting evidence, anything, anytime, anywhere. I have lived and experienced that and the lesson that I took from the police in Brazil was, stay away and try to avoid them.

The judicial system is also corrupt; I would say that is true at all levels and spheres, from the State Court to the Supreme Court. A TV series have recently reported how mafias are buying judges and sentences over the judiciary system, was a big scandal, a lot of talks on the press, but no effective action towards changes.

Brazilians do not react any more to corruption scandals involving the country's prominenent political figures as they happen so regularly that they resemble a neverending soap opera. Even the presidency of Lula da Silva hasn't remained untainted.Several of his ministers have resigned over allegations of corruption but not one of them has been found guilty until now.

Actually Lula da Silva instead of asking for punishment against corruption, defends a thesis that Brazil always had a certain level of political dishonesty but nobody knew about it before. Now however it is transparent. He even makes a great show of acknowledging his former ministers for their good work on serving the country after they have had to resign from office for involvement in corruption.   Legislation in Brazil is also in a knot, the country wants to deal with the high level of violence by banning the legal use of guns; criminals don’t need legal weapons, do they? Alternative sentences, such as community work, drug dealers love that, don’t they?

Brazil even has special jails for college degrees. Yes, believe or not, if you hold a bachelors degree in Brazil you don’t go to a regular jail. To give you some sort of idea as to how it works, if you found guilty of murder in Brazil and it is your first conviction, you may be sentenced to seven years, and be released after 3.5 years for good behavior, but to end up in jail could be just as much a case of "bad luck" because so many of the crime in Brazil have never had a formal process started by the State.

Brazil has adopted a very protective law for children; A juvenile is "cleared" of all crimes they have committed before the age of 18. In other words when youngsters turn 18 in Brazil, all criminal records are erased. That law has been used by criminals and drug dealers to create a shield allowing them to recruit minors to work on crime. Using children is always a good alternative to escape the law. Everyone knows that but no one seems to be interested in changing it. The same protective laws basically allow irresponsible parents to raise their children as "homeless", keeping them out of school and instead turning to crime. It is not unusual in Brazil to have "homeless" children begging for money at street corners under the supervision of their parents. The authorities and the police know about the practice - they just turn a blind eye.

I grew up in Brazil and unfortunately the education system is poisoned by Marxist ideology, teaching that social classes should be organized one against others, there is a misconception that crime would always exist because of the social disparities. That is a terrible way of thinking because it supports the idea that dishonesty among the lower classes happens because they are poor.   The Brazilian society believes that because there are poor people who can not buy things, crimes are a social problem and not a legal issue. This perverse logic is a positive feedback to criminals. I doubt if these human rights activists will support the same ideas if they have their own kid murdered by an "unprivileged" just for wearing a cool watch in an attempt of assault. In Brazil It is normal to have a gun pointed to your head just because someone "less privileged" wants your watch, wallet, credit card, bike, car, tennis shoe or fancy clothes that “unprivileged” can not buy.

This logic of social classes battling each other will consider all that normal, because for them the least well off in society are those who are wronged. They believe in the people taking the power from capitalists in an armed revolution and these are normal steps for social transformation. There is also a logic defended that says if the elite members are corrupt, how can they condemn the poor for their crimes?

In fact, discussing violence in Brazil is edging the surreal nonsense. It is one of the most violent countries in the world but Brazilian society is not engaged in any changes, nobody has a comprehensive plan to attack the problem. Brazilian president Lula da Silva believes that economic growth and investment in social polices, education and job generation will “per se” solve the problem, forgetting that those in crime, drug dealing, kidnapping and car theft will not quit what they are doing and start looking for a government generated minimum wage jobs just because they exist now. That is a idyllic concept and I don’t think that even Lula can believe in that.

In fact, when I was living in Brazil I was terrified about the level of crime; I had to pay attention to many details in my daily life to avoid been a victim of criminals that looking back I almost think that was an exaggeration, but in reality this is how it is on a daily basis for many living and working in Brazil. Most of my friends have suffered at least one attempt of robbery, or has already been a victim of crime.
Nowadays I live very close to Chicago. Chicago is competing to host the Olympic Games too, and the city is also under a heavy wave of crimes, murders are at its top levels, National Guard Army and State Coops are planning to be used to help on crime fight, starting soon.

Rio is not the only unsafe place in the world, but when crime rises an action must be taken, in Brazil, society remains in denial, like Lula did today, saying that Brazil is not a target to terrorism, comparing Rio to New York and London, he is right, Rio can not be compared to New York or London, Rio should be compared to Baghdad, Bogotá, Johannesburg and Port Prince (Haiti).
   

Brazilians normal routine on crime prevention:    

• Most of the houses and apartments have iron bars, security cameras, alarms, very high energized fences and armored doors. Brazilians are locked inside their prisons and criminals are free outside.
• There are several security guards everywhere, banks, shopping malls, parking lots, condos, department stores, it is incredible the number of people working on security.
• Upper classes are driving armored cars.
• Middle upper classes are living in gated communities and their children grow up alienated from the external world and afraid of crime.
• Never stop at a traffic red light at night.
•  Chek twice before entering in your garage, you may pass two or three times in front of your house before you decide go in, just to make sure it is clear.
• Never drive your car with the windows open.
• Never buy a very nice car; wear fancy clothes, jewelry or show any external sign of wealth like gold Rolex for example.
• Before parking you have to  check around, before leaving your car in a parking lot, you have to do a double check.

I am going on vacation for two weeks starting tomorrow.