Nothing shows the immodesty or purity of a man’s resolve as the lengths and breaths one takes to exploit the vulnerable or in case of the other to help.
What does a man do when he sees another vulnerable and weak in possession of something valuable?
In the later part of the 19th century, Cecil Rhodes and Dr. David Livingstone early explorers into Southern Africa had before them such a sight; Africans rich with potential and resources yet vulnerable and weak against slave and mineral traders.
One Cecil Rhodes conceived a "dream" to exploit the wealth of Africans and use it to form a brotherhood of elite Anglo-Saxons (whites) that would occupy all of Africa, the Holy Land in the Middle East, and other parts of the world.
A secret society that would extend British rule throughout the world and colonize most parts of it with British settlers, leading to the "ultimate recovery of the united states of America" by the British Empire.
Cecil Rhodes Biography
The other Dr. David Livingstone conceived a mission to reach new peoples in the interior of Africa and introduce them to Christianity, as well as to free them from slavery. He later publicized the horrors of the slave trade and secured private support for expeditions into central Africa, searching for the source of the Nile River and reporting further on slave raids in the African interior. He literally stood up to and was the last man standing in the way of barbarians that exploited Africa for slaves and minerals. His efforts are credited for hastening the end of slave trade and delaying the colonization of Africa.
Livingstone was part of an evangelical and nonconformist movement in Britain which during the 19th century changed the national mindset from the notion of a divine right to rule 'lesser races', to ethical ideas in foreign policy which, with other factors, contributed to the end of the British Empire.
Corelli Barnett: The Audit of War: The Illusion and Reality of Britain as a Great Nation (Macmillan, 1986)
In this year’s US Presidential election, the US electorate is also weighing the purity of two men’s resolve.
Upon completing college at Harvard, both Mr. Romney and Mr. Obama were confronted with the grim specter of the capitalistic binge fallout that precipitated the dawn of the 21st century. Companies that had been productive and formed the bedrock of many communities for years were struggling under the new economic order of globalization.
Mr. Romney seized on the opportunity to found Bain capital, just as Cecil Rhodes founded De Beers a century earlier. Bain is a venture capital firm that bought financially vulnerable firms at low cost, restructured them and resold them at a profit. However, the restructuring process was not always successful, a handful of companies Romney bought were simply saddled up with more debt and eventually went bankrupt and shut down taking with them the life of communities that depended on them. When this happened, Romney took great lengths to always come out ahead, making a profit for himself even when the company restructured failed.
Mr. Obama on the other hand, worked on the other end of the spectrum, in the communities around the companies that were struggling or failing with the advent of globalization. Company communities that are wholly dependent on a single industry for example coal or metal processing took the biggest hit. Plant closures and downsizing which became the whole mark of free trade in the global economy decimated these communities as unemployment rose. Mr. Obama took up reorganizing these communities, to diversify their economies and develop re-training programs for workers that got laid off.
These two varying experiences now lays the foundation of their political aspirations and provides a stack choice for the American electorate.
For whom do Mr. Romney and President Obama travel the length and breadth of America canvassing?
Why do they really want to be President of the United States of America?
Mr. Romney’s economic plan according to a tax policy institute will favor the wealthy with further tax cuts yet requires middle class families to pay more in taxes and cuts in services for the poor.
President Obama on the other hand has sought to expand health coverage to the uninsured and people with pre-existing conditions, cut taxes for middle-income families while requiring the wealthy to pay a fair share in taxes.
Much as Cecil Rhodes is well known for setting in place the monopolistic practices De Beers has used throughout the 20th century to dominate and manipulate the international diamond market, Romney’s ultimate ambition seeks to consolidate and put American political power at the disposal and benefit of a few wealthy families.
President Obama in contrast, has resolved to make every opportunity for advancement available to ALL Americans, by making college loans, health care, home ownership more affordable while requiring equal pay for women and fair taxes for all.
Like Dr. David Livingstone his heart is with and for the people.
That is why I stand still with President Obama in this year's election.