L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano ITALIAN TELEVISION KSCI CANALE 18. Presentano: Maria Cristina Heller e Franco Brescia Teleitalia in onda tutte le Domeniche alle ore 13 o 1:00pm Siamo collegati con i satelliti DISHNET e DIRECTV, SPECTRUM E TUTTI I CAVI DEL SUD CALIFORNIA Per Informazioni e Pubblicita` telefonate a (818) 260-9318 Cell: (818) 288-2518 LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D ear Read- e r s , O u r N a t i o - nal Elec- tions will take place in a few days, so I thought I would share a little political gossip with you from days gone by. Back in 1934 a piece titled Roosevelt and I by Benito Mussolini appeared in the W o r l d D i g e s t M a g a z i n e . Originally written for Mirror du Monde of Paris, it was translated into English as evidence of the "dispassion- a t e r a t i o n a l i t y o f I t a l y ' s leader." Through the years, m o s t e s s a y s w i t h t h e Mussolini by line printed in t h e w o r l d p r e s s w e r e by Margherita Sarfatti an a r d e n t J e w i s h f e m i n i s t . The voluptuous Venetian Jewess Margherita, supplied Benito with the intellectual and moral underpinnings of F a s c i s m , s u g g e s t P h i l l i p C a n n i s t r a r o a n d B r i a n S u l l i v a n i n t h e i r b o o k I l Duce's Other Woman , p u b l i s h e d i n 1 9 4 4 . Margherita, a delicate yet determined art critic, mold- ed the fiery revolutionary passions that raged within Mussolini. Benito conquered her heart and body and she provided coherence to his i n c h o a t e p a t r i o t i c u r g e s . Although Duce was an invet- e r a t e b e d h o p p e r , M a r g h e r i t a S a r f a t t i m a y h a v e b e e n t h e w o m a n h e truly loved. Il Duce's Other Woman provides a full-bodied por- trait of Mussolini. Benito as an ink-stained editor of a s t r u g g l i n g n e w s p a p e r . B e n i t o ' s p o l i t i c a l o p p o r - tunism in his relations with D'Annunzio and Balbo. M u s s o l i n i ' s t r i a l s a n d tribulations as his political creed evolves from radical l e f t w i n g s o c i a l i s m t o a n ardent Italian nationalism. Mussolini's valor in the First World War, his compassion toward Margherita and cuck- olded husband Cesare after the loss of their son Roberto in combat. It is against the backdrop of World War I t h a t t h e b o n d b e t w e e n Mussolini and Sarfattii deep- ened. Italy's victory in the war to end all wars and the wide- spread disillusionment fol- l o w i n g t h e b e t r a y a l a t V e r s a i l l e s , c a u s e d b o t h M a r g h e r i t a S a r f a t t i a n d Benito Mussolini to yearn for a new Italy based on Roman i d e a l s a n d h e l p e d c r e a t e F a s c i s m a n d D u c e . T h e y never envisioned the tumult that toppled those dreams. *** Roosevelt and I by Benito Mussolini 1934 That which causes me to a d m i r e P r e s i d e n t Roosevelt and his aides so greatly is their courage. A tremendous iron tradition had to be broken in America t o m a k e w a y f o r the President's brave steps. And that tradition is the the- ory of the basic rights of capi- tal and industry to pursue their profit-making motives without reference to the wel- fare of the people as a whole. My task was easier than M r . R o o s e v e l t ' s . W h e r e America had been built up in the Nineteenth Century by the rule of free competition a n d " l a i s s e z - f a i r e , " w e Italians still remembered somewhat the motto of the R e p u b l i c o f V e n i c e : " T h e Authority of the State." Mr. Roosevelt's task has been, and continues to be, to replace the non-human and non-living machinery of the great industrial units with a humanised economy planned for the benefit of the whole. I had the same task when I assumed power in Italy and I make bold to avow that what Mr. Roosevelt is doing is the same thing that I am doing in Italy under another name. Our industries are today Advancing our Legacy: Italian Community Services CASA FUGAZI If you know of any senior of Italian descent in San Francisco needing assistance, please contact: ItalianCS.org | (415) 362-6423 | info@italiancs.com Italian Community Services continues to assist Bay Area Italian-American seniors and their families navigate and manage the resources needed to live healthy, independent and productive lives. Since Shelter-in-Place began in San Francisco, Italian Community Services has delivered over 240 meals, over 900 care packages and made over 2000 phone wellness checks for our seniors. r u n u n d e r a M i n i s t e r o f C o r p o r a t i o n s . N o t h i n g i s done or attempted without reference to the mutual wel- fare of both the workers and the managers of each indus- try and the ultimate benefit o f t h e I t a l i a n p e o p l e a s a whole. Since the appointment of our Minister of Corporations i n 1 9 2 6 , w e h a v e h a d n o strikes. Of what use or point is it for the workers' organi- zations to strike? They can have what they want by sim- ply applying to their repre- sentative in the cabinet, if what they want is available. If it isn't available, or if it isn't just with regard to the interests of other groups the strike would be useless any- way. We have had no debacles of our currency in Italy. The lira is stabilized at a sane and low level in comparison with other moneys. If our money w e r e t o f a l l i n t h e w o r l d exchanges, it would not have far to fall; a fall from the ground floor is not as harm- ful as a tumble from a sky- scraper. We have had no violent alternations of boom and d e p r e s s i o n i n I t a l y ; w e wouldn't allow it. The gov- ernment has control, not the speculators. So Mr. Roosevelt's job and mine are very similar after all.

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