Strange coincidences parallel world history.
(SALEM, Ore.) - Maybe I am a little slow at the draw here, but strange ironies and coincidences were in play at this week's contest for the most appreciated woman in the world; Miss Universe.
First, there is the strange correlation with our nation's serious military dilemma in Iraq, and the Miss USA competitor's inability to stay on their feet. The Iraq War is called by many red blooded Americans nothing but "a repeat of Vietnam" because like the war in SE Asia, it seems fairly unwinnable and a draw at best.
Plenty of military history experts say that all the Bush team needed to do to avoid the problems of Vietnam, was to not repeat them. Well that was too tall of an order.
At the Miss Universe Contest, in Vietnam Monday, Miss USA Crystle Stewart tripped on her evening gown's train and fell, just like Rachel Smith last year. I guess there was nothing to learn from 2007, or was there?
Then you have the fact that Miss Venezuela, a stunning super favorite named Dayana Mendoza, won Miss Universe 2008. This is the nation whose leader, Hugo Chavez, called George W. Bush the devil at a meeting of nations. We'll just say Hugo and George don't have many dinners together. It wasn't like he is a Bin Laden from Saudi Arabia; those are the guys who have over the years, dined with the Bush family.
Venezuela and her neighboring Latin American country, Colombia, have been at odds over several issues and political differences. Each has a formidable military force. The Colombian government has been killing FARC officials, and the government of Venezuela says it is the wrong way to do business. Colombia as a rule, tends to agree with and embrace the big money politics of the Bush Administration.
Just two weeks ago, the Colombian government announced that it "rescued" a hostage from the jungles of Colombia who had been held for years by "leftist rebels" from FARC- the Colombian Revolutionary movement that began several decades ago. The release of Ingrid Betancourt was hailed as a heroic victory by Colombia's President, while other sources said they paid the FARC guerrillas several million dollars for the release and it was all staged and planned.
Hugo Chavez, the President of Venezuela, had also secured the recent release of FARC hostages, though with much less fanfare. Western media groups seem to be trying their hardest to portray Chavez as a villain, but he keeps proving to the world that it is not the case.
Who did Miss Venezuela edge out to become Miss Universe? Miss Colombia, of course. To make things ever odder, Miss Venezuela is a former Latin America kidnapping victim.
It does seem like a positive thing that Vietnam is able to host a world class event like this today. It is a sign that countries can recover from U.S. military occupation if nothing else. Sunday night must have been a great night for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
This is a clip from the contest that shows both Miss USA Crystle Stewart, and Dayana Mendoza, Miss Venezuela, along with other contestants:
Video
Here is Miss Venezuela in a yellow two-piece bathing suit in the Preliminary aspect of the Miss Universe Contest:
In this clip, Dayana Mendoza Miss Venezuela and now Miss Universe, gives answers to interview questions before the pageant was held:
In this clip, we see the 2008 Miss USA fall down in her formal gown, almost exactly the way the 2007 Miss USA did in the previous year's event. You might think that the U.S. competitor would look at past mistakes shorten the dress's train, perhaps it wasn't her choice:
Here we see the 2007 Miss USA fall down during the formal gown showing:
Miss Universe Outcome: An Unusual Pattern of Correlations (VIDEO)Salem-News.com