A gentleman should be be a rebuke and scandal to venal and vulgar souls.

August 29, 2017 7:54 AM

The Brazilian president Michel Temer has abolished an Amazonian reserve the size of Denmark, prompting concerns of an influx of mineral companies, road-builders and workers into the species-rich forest.
What does it cost to hang onto the office of President? In Brazil, President Michel Temer paid for that privilege with R$13.2 billion (US $4.2 billion) worth of measures — decrees and amendments aimed at securing sufficient votes in the Lower House of Congress to avoid a criminal investigation by the Supreme Court into the president’s alleged corruption. Video (FB)
posted by adamvasco (9 comments total)

An absolute outrage. Canalha indeed.
posted by _Synesthesia_ at 8:00 AM on August 29, 2017

spits
posted by lalochezia at 8:34 AM on August 29, 2017

This is 'jeitinho brasiliero.' A larger discussion is to be had here, how does one move from a society/government in which corruption is widespread and tacitly woven into the fabric, to one in which it is not without catastrophic tearing down and starting all over? What are some case studies of societies which managed to make a change from ones in which jeitinho and corruption are not only accepted but admired, to one in which it no longer is? It seems that as long as jeitinho is accepted as a way of life that Brazilians are proud of - and not just a sad reality that one must learn to deal with - that the discussion of how to rid Brazil of corruption is a non-starter, dead on arrival.
posted by os tuberoes at 8:53 AM on August 29, 2017 [5 favorites]

A lot more oxygen to be turned into burgers
posted by yoHighness at 12:00 PM on August 29, 2017

by illegal land grabbers, artisanal miners and road builders.

Can someone elaborate on that phrase? And I know the punchline is in there, I'm just too sick to my stomach to make a joke about it.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 12:16 PM on August 29, 2017 [1 favorite]

MiltonRandKalman: " artisanal miners"

It's just artisan in the original sense: "a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand". A lot of small scale, often illegal, mining is done by a couple guys with a shovel or other low tech, labour intensive methods. Think placer mining methods like gold panning and sluicing. These small scale mining and extraction operations are often wildly damaging because they don't even pay lip service to environmental regulations or best practices.
posted by Mitheral at 12:41 PM on August 29, 2017 [2 favorites]

We have the minds and capabilities of being so conscious and so awesome, so why aren't we making those choices? We just want our species to go out like the dinosaurs? What's wrong with us?
posted by gt2 at 4:40 AM on August 30, 2017

The courts have struck it down.
posted by _Synesthesia_ at 12:57 PM on August 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

I don't really believe in hell, but if there is, I'm sure there's a special place there just for one person...
posted by BlueHorse at 9:16 PM on August 30, 2017