El Presidente

Well here I am, waiting for my ride to pick me up. I just finished my psych mid-term and I have a little free time on my hands before I finally get out of here, so I thought I'd spend that time bloggin'. Gabe, that would be awesome if you got to see Jet Li at the Oscars! Here's to hoping for that coveted bleacher seat!

So lately I've been transfixed upon the game Tropico, a strategy based game in which you get to choose the persona of a dictator of your choice, and then use that dictator to rule the tiny island of Tropico. Crazy things can happen, and you can become either a dictator or a savior to your little society (which, can often grow into a very large society). Ironically, you get your choice to turn your government into a communist or capitalist nation, and all of the drawbacks and advantages that go with such political systems becomes your burden for the duration of the game.

Currently, I'm Lou Bega, the hot jazz lovin' dictator who womanizes and and encourages the frequent and irresonsible use of booze. Lemme tell you folks, Lou runs a very strange little island... In addition to having large and gawdy cathedrals scattered all over the place, Lou has more then one Cabaret. Nightclubs pervade the landscape and often are situated right next to hospitals and immigration services. The gigantic sports arena Lou has built allows for heavy drinking to take place and also carries the reputation of being rowdy during a friendly (but loosing) sports match. Because of all of the horrible, horrible vices that Lou leaves unchecked, Tropico is full of crime and social upheval. So to combat this I've built a tremendous, special Ops trained military force that relies solely upon the use of force to quiet down rebellion and illicit activities. It's a thriving economy baby!!

The icing on the cake however, is Lou's repeated ability to win election after election. He's been running Tropico for nearly 30 years, despite facing numerous opponents who question his ethical and intillectual capacity. How does he maintain such a firm grip upon his kingdom you ask? Simple! Assasination after assasination...if it can walk, talk and complain about El Presidente's standards, then it deserves to be taken down. My elite military force never questions my demands, and they always get the best results. Let's say that Fred Sanchez complains about my city's lack of a college or other higher learning institutes, what do I do? Let's just say that Mr. Sanchez isn't coming home for dinner tonight... And hey, if all else fails, I just capture and put away my political opponent on my forebodding off-shore prison, lock, stock and throw away the key. Besides, the prisoners never escape because they know my general will hunt them down like the dogs they are if they even attempt something like that.

Ok, back to reality...yeesh.