The Black Hole

I have lived most of my life in two American countries, Mexico and the United States. Yes, Mexicans can answer truthfully that they are also Americans when questioned at the port of entry, though immigration agents in the U.S. do not find this amusing. It is not Mexico's fault that the Founding Fathers neglected to christen this part of the American continent with a proper name; it could have been Columbia as a nod to Christopher's role, or maybe New England, since we owe them culture and language, or Jeffersonland, or Washingtonland, but no, they decided to keep the United States moniker which other countries are also using.

Born as a democratic institution in 1789, the US quickly became a beacon of hope for millions of immigrants, especially from Europe where wars and tyrants were ravaging the old continent. We thus inherited a handful of new cultures which clashed initially with the established Anglos, white Anglos, though from what I have learned recently the German language came very close to being adopted instead. Just consider the nefarious consequences during the two World Wars had this glorious nation agreed to speak 'Deutsch'. One shudders at the idea of this country praising Hitler and/or the Kaiser; a few thousand Americans did so, unfortunately, some of them quite famous.

Luckily for the modern world, America got rid of two major threats, the Nazis and the Soviet Union, though one could very well add the Nippon empire. Unfortunately, a third major danger appeared at the beginning of the XXI century, ISIS. Yes, one can argue that Washington had something to do with the rise of these pitiless extremists by needlessly invading Iraq. But History cannot be changed and we are paying the price nowadays. The solution will take many years and many lives on all sides, but the US cannot ignore this modern scourge as it threatens most western societies. No, it is not a War of Religions as some politicians claim; psychotic fanatics exist in all faiths and dealing with them on such scale can only be done one way, as they have shown that neither diplomacy nor reason can prevail.

Yes, a black hole can be a good metaphor for ISIS since they don't allow the light of common sense and humanity to shine.