rone | criminal families in real life aren't half as entertaining as on tv or the movies

I learned that Abdalá Bucaram, whom i've mentioned before, has managed to return to Ecuador. Mom writes:

If only you could see, it's all shameful. We have a de facto [Supreme] Court since December 8 [after Ecuador President Lucio Gutiérrez dissolved it under a pretext that sounded a whole lot like "activist judges"], and its president was hand-picked by Lucio; and yet, he recused himself after the opposition started applying pressure. The rest of the court got together and named one of Bucaram's brothers, who is also a fugitive from justice [i know what you're thinking; remember, this is the Third World], and this is how this imbecile annulled all judgements against fugitives. Dahik arrived on Friday, Bucaram on Saturday, and Noboa on Sunday; only Mahuad remains [in exile]. I feel sorry for Noboa, because i feel his exile was unfair, but not the rest, especially Bucaram, because it's a revolting development and he's the biggest thief in history [well, probably Ecuadorian history]. Without exaggeration, he took millions of dollars, literally stuffed in garbage sacks; there are photographs of his people loading them into his plane, and receipts from the Comptroller's office that show the money he took out of the Central Bank and exchanged into dollars. The country's about to explode, and i'm glad i'm on my way out [she and Dad are going on a trip to Japan and China]; there's going to be a general strike on Tuesday, and i doubt this government won't take much more.

I feel ill. I mean, sure, it's not Iraq being torn apart by terrorists and imperialists, but then again, my family isn't in Iraq.