This is via the rather wonderful blog at andy-social.blogspot.com: It
appears that Bazil
might be the first country to elect a professional
clown to national legislative duties.
I'm unsure if this means that democracy is dead or only playing dead and
snickering at us.
<STOLEN BLOG MATERIAL>
By subjecting Francisco Oliveira to a literacy exam, Brazil's National
Congress has only enriched the metaphor. Now, instead of a clown in
congress, they have a semiliterate clown in congress1. For a medley of ads
from Oliveira's electoral campaign, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HK4p35wYgXI
For news stories reporting his victory, please see:
- Brazilian clown's poll win threatened by illiteracy
claim<
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jNxoc3xTn4Q9rcgZvY1nYUayo3iw?docId=CNG.89f46d62f9444e248bf7ea1f2e20d4b8.1151>
(October
5, 2010).
AFP
- Brazil clown secures congress seat after literacy
test<
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jmbXSjCjZBZ4z8VUcAZFCyY_n6dA?docId=CNG.b7f4655178d3435c9a54db2e30817efb.381>
(December
1, 2010).
AFP
- Send in the clown <
http://www.economist.com/node/17204918/>(October 7,
2010).
The Economist
Footnote:
1. No source that I can find online can tell me whether Oliveira has
become the first professional clown to hold legislative duties
</STOLEN BLOG MATERIAL>
