Following are three excerpts from documents that are circulating these days among Italians abroad who are close to the Berlusconi camp.

They include a press release from Mr. Fausto Mandarano, Vice President of Movimento delle Libertà, the organization of Silvio Berlusconi's party that deals with Italians abroad, and two articles from "Italia chiama Italia", a website that claim to be the "most read newspaper for Italians in the world".

All these documents aim to defend the Italian Premier from his most recent sexual scandal, which refers to an alleged sexual relationship with a young under-age Moroccan girl. But they all go far beyond that.

We feel their arguments are interesting and thought-provoking for three reasons:

First, they do not even attempt to assess the Premier's behavior, but rather accuse journalists and magistrates to have revealed these facts as part of a plot against him.

Second, they suggest that the private life of a politician should not be of any interest to the public, because what counts is his ability to govern and the results he is able to obtain.

Third, they all point to the "hypocrisy of the left," that has fought for decades in the name of separation of church and state, sexual freedom ... and even (!) homosexuality, while now it allies itself with the Vatican in a moralist campaign with the only intention of causing the fall of Berlusconi's government.

We felt it interesting to make these arguments in defense of Berlusconi available to the American public, in a country which surely isn't new to exploiting judicial investigations and sexual scandals for political purposes. Nor to the dangerous mix between politics and morality--whatever the latter may mean for each and all of us.

For those who recall a wonderfully sexy Marilyn Monroe singing "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" in an era when everybody knew of JFK's extramarital relationship with her and nobody seemed willing or able to mount a political case against the President; and for those who remember the "Monica Levinsky Case" 30 years later -- when by the way Clinton survived the impeachment attempt --, these documents should ring a familiar bell. Or, at the very, least they should provoke some thought about the decay of the public discourse once the moral dimension takes the place of the political struggle: whoever the target is, and however hypocritical both sides—prosecutors and advocates—may be.

Perhaps the "Italian case"—in spite of such a peculiar character such as Berlusconi—is not so exceptional to the world as it is presented.

So judge for yourselves.
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Press Release From Fausto Mandarano, MDL
Italians abroad and Ruby, Mandarano (MdL): Berlusconi in a mediatic mincer. That's enough!

"If the Ruby cyclone will end as the Noemi and D'Addario ones, reduced as plastic figurines after the feature film written and produced by journalists with no qualms, it would be right for someone to finally ask for restitutions. But to whom? In Ruby's case, the question would be idle. First of all, using today's terms, to whoever orchestrated, manipulated, interpreted, deduced, accused, and broadcast only based upon hateful and invasive wiretaps, plotted with a pre-existent motive. Secondly, to all those that made money from the gossip business, shameless of the imaginary and abject pairings and searches for hidden motives, only to hurt and add salt to the wounds".

"I have never doubted Silvio Berlusconi as an entrepreneur and a politician. This is what interests me as an Italian citizen, the wish for a country led by someone able to carry out reform and change. Enough with all this gossiping!. The paradox is that there have never been so many laymen running wild, supporting sexual freedom and 'my body my choice' ideologies, careful and decisive organizers of that masqueraded kermess known as the Gay Pride, launching anathemas and seeking support among Catholics and the Vatican, to reach the single objective that they will never publicly announce: take the Premier's place and erase all that has been done."

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(*) Noemi and D'Addario were at the center of other recent sexual scandals that involved the Prime Minister.

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From:
Ruby and Berlusconi, We can't allow the magistrates to win [2]- by Mario Galardi
Italia Chiama Italia Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:24:00

The persecution of the Prime Minister ... traces what at one time happened to Craxi, and is supported by an almost identical coalition, formed by magistrates, ex-Communists, ex-Fascists, and by the same bad teachers that, albeit having supported for decades sexual freedom and homologated homosexuals, transsexuals and bisexuals, are now trying to give out unacceptable lessons of ethics and good-doing. These are the same people that patronised the de-Christianization of our country and Europe, but that now are willing to tug at the Pope's and Cardinals' coat, if they believe they can use their interventions for their own political battles, carried out with the sliest of methods. Today, in spite of the well known "privacy", sexual behaviours are investigated and exposed, spiced up with statements retracted soon after, and unproven hypotheses. When added to the many trials and hundreds of searches and hearings that Berlusconi has had to undergo since the beginning of his political career, it should by now be evident to everyone, at least to those whose judgement isn't darkened by political partiality, that the Prime Minister is the object of a media-judicial attack, that cannot not have political motivations.

Certain ingenuities can be criticized, and certain friendships of the president can be more or less pleasant, but it cannot be said that these could have weakened or worsened his work commitment, in which Berlusconi is second to no one.

We cannot let this battle be won by certain magistrates and the media on their side. If disgracefully the government should fall, let us prepare to win the elections again, so the modernization of the country doesn't get interrupted.

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From:
Ruby and Berlusconi, Let's look inside ourselves and leave the government alone - by Margherita Genovese
Italia Chiama Italia Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:48:00

What does a change of government team have to do with the parties at Arcore? The program must be completed, and we don't care if the one to do it uses Viagra or uses hair shirt. We won't be fooled by a couple of smart Alecs: there is a trick and it is evident, and we won't give up to Fini's vindictive manoeuvring, who controls the Italian magistrates every day of the year.

Yes. Berlusconi is an old pig, no more and no less than the "old" Dean who would call me in his office with the most ridiculous excuses, the "old" gynaecologist who, during my first months of pregnancy, showed himself to be so gallant to make me find a different doctor, the "old" politician friend of my husband's who rubbed his foot against mine under the table. And certainly none of them dared to think of a commerce, but simply acted as a still active male, possibly devoted. The Cavaliere, in his ingenuity, understands that those young beautiful women he invites to his house and exhibits in nightclub acts would never go to Arcore without a concrete and consistent price. These same girls that perform improbably and disturbingly, certainly wouldn't reveal their pathetic drooling in front of the young model or soccer player they obstinately long for. If they complain, they complain of that exchange which is their only resource, and in time, it becomes for them always more boring and heavy.

So has the world turned, dear readers, for ever. And if we want freedom, and not Talebans at the head of the state, we have to think about it, first of all about school and families, and of building for our dear ones a small strong world immune of the ever growing temptations; we have to think about saving our children from dangerous friendships, misleading behaviours, painfully empty models that attack adolescents on all sides. Society's founding structure is made of examples, true, but these examples have to be given by us, first of all, day after day, without condemning the victims of error, using them instead to become an opportunity of reflection and overcoming within the family.

The Premier cannot be held as the only one responsible for the movement of society towards foolishness; if the younger generations don't study and don't work, perhaps it would be good for families to ask themselves and look inside themselves. Poor Silvio, for as much as he is rich and powerful, belongs to a dense group of men that are convinced of remaining young forever: where? Between the legs! No hair, no teeth, no muscles, no strength, they transform into grotesque masks to convince themselves that they have found an elixir of eternal youth, which begins and ends inside their pants, where no young woman could adventure herself into, having already seen the rest.

What can I say, dear friends? If we could give up to passing time and live the seasons of life without forcing their peculiarities, perhaps we could save something of this world and become more useful; because trying to look young can be right and healthy, but it doesn't mean acting young, pretending to subvert the passing of time, transforming into low levels of cabaret acts.

Let us find our dignity back: I say this also to those modern grandmothers who offer themselves to public scorn in show led by Maria De Filippi or Teo Mammuccari, stupidly grateful to the presenters that massacre them making fun of their behaviours, not noticing that they have been exploited and tortured for the entertainment of the younger spectators.

Are we disturbed by this? Not much. And certainly we aren't stupid. We await federalism, the reform of justice, with the civil responsibility of the judges: the song of the sirens that tempt Bossi with amorous proffers, as long as Berlusconi gets killed, mustn't find an ear. Let's hope that Bossi is wearing ear plugs.