tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65747222024-03-19T03:44:38.978-07:00A View to the SouthPolitical thoughts on Latin America and the Caribbean from an urban planner/dj/world happenings junkie.leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.comBlogger594125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-190056077782601022011-03-19T09:03:00.000-07:002011-03-19T09:06:36.245-07:00Some Questions About our New WarSomething very strange and amazing has just happened before our eyes. An open-ended bombing campaign was “authorized “by the vote of 10 countries – including several who intend to partake in the bombing. <br /><br />This was all done with about 3 hours notice and with no release of the text until it was voting time. There was basically no debate and little discussion. The 5 countries who opposed the plan decided to abstain (including Brazil, India and Germany) declined to speak. <br /><br />So we have Obama’s first war. Yes, war. Not just a “no fly zone,”as some keep misstating. The world’’s highest body has blessed “all necessary measures…to protect civilians.” <br /><br />I am all for helping the Libyan people achieve their democratic destiny, but a few questions need to be answered before I can support another US war in the Middle East. <br /><br /><blockquote>Is our mission to protect civilians, or is it to back a rebel army to change the regime?<br /><br />Are we really protecting civilians by dropping bombs from airplanes?<br /><br />Will foreign military intervention really work?<br /><br />Why has dialogue not been tried? <br /><br />How do we know we are not going to create the next Afghanistan or Somalia - a failed state. </blockquote><br /><br />First off, lets talk about the mission, the goal. It seems to depend who you ask. The UN resolution only talks about protection of civilians. But leaders in the US, UK and France have openly said that Gaddafi “must go.” Certainly that seems to be the goal but whether it’s authorized by the resolution is another question. On the same note, does the Resolution protect only civilians but also rebel fighters? Again, there appears to be a disconnect between what the resolution says and what the US, UK and France are saying. <br /><br />Second, on civilians., we have to mention a bit of international law. The UN Charter only recognizes only 2 reasons to authorize warfare: when international peace and security is threatened and for self-defense (Article 2(4)). But this vote did not cite either rationale. <br /><br />What we have in Libya is a pretty classic Civil War, fed by regional/tribal divisions and also religion (Gaddafi is not religious enough). Civilians have certainly paid a price – but it is nothing in scale to the many other Civil Wars in Africa over the last decades – none of which apparently warranted air strikes. Why are Libyan lives worth more than those from the Congo or Sudan?<br /><br />Third, the internationalization of the Libyan issue has the potential to poison the well, so to speak. Libyan rebels will lose one of their biggest strengths – their independence from foreign powers. Under attack, Libyans are likely to rally around the (current) flag. Therefore, the result may backfire. <br /><br />Fourth, it is highly worrisome that dialogue and discussion has not even been seriously tried. A proposal to accept international mediation was accepted by Gaddafi more than a week ago – but went nowhere because the rebels refused. They demand regime change and will not accept anything less than a revolution. But since when has a violent rebellion been a legitimate way to achieve power?<br /><br />Fifth, even if we “win” and kick Gaddafi out, we should know by now that this is not the endgame. We break and country, we own it. While we still don’t really know who we are dealing with, Islamic Fundamentalists certainly form a strand of rebel support. An entire new country would have to be created under a new regime.leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-21581598341757996362009-11-27T16:10:00.000-08:002009-11-27T16:10:08.923-08:00Colombia: US Alters Documents Showing True Intentions Behind new Military Bases<img src="http://web.presidencia.gov.co/fotos/2008/abril/22/palanquero.jpg"><br /><br /><a href="http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=86435">VHeadline.com - Washington alters USAF document to hide intentions behind Colombia accord</a><br /><br />By Eva Golinger:<br /><br />In an explicit attempt to hide Washington's military objectives in South America, a US Air Force document submitted to Congress in May 2009 that provoked deep concerns in the region has been modified and re-published on November 16, 2009. The official US Air Force document, revealed and denounced by this author on November 4, explained the justification for a $46 million request to improve the military installations in one of the seven bases Washington will occupy under the military accord signed on October 30 between Colombia and the United States.<br /><br /><b>The modified document has eliminated all mention of war and military operations in the region, as well as offensive language directed at Colombia's neighbors, Venezuela and Ecuador. Nevertheless, Washington's intentions remain the same.</b><br /><br />The original Air Force document dated May 2009 outlined the importance of the military base in Palanquero, Colombia to enable "full spectrum military operations" in South America. The original military document also detailed the necessity of investing $46 million to improve the airfield, ramps and other essential installations on the base, converting it into a Cooperative Security Location (CSL) for US military missions in the region.<br /><br /><i>Hit the link for the original docments, and what they were altered to read now.</i>leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-7053096412204738792009-11-20T10:45:00.001-08:002009-11-20T10:52:14.769-08:00Venezuela and Those Blown Up Bridges: More US Hypocrisy<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPmQx1Ww64M25y4L9sEzPoYcpE3E9zxqj7VDMJfRUBAepPViWCLXes3oCtmdRLfSyscoHseYYI3FbXfIZXbfMruFJpUBpVPeCYvpBAA3jNn06TL1YmScBzB44pPtICJop-ho/s400/Foot+Bridge+to+Wat.jpg"><br /><br />In an attempt to get this blog some more action, I am going to do something I don't usually do, and post a <a href="http://incakolanews.blogspot.com/2009/11/burning-bridges.html">straight rip</a> from a blog I highly respect - Otto's INCA KOLA NEWS:<br /><br /><blockquote>Another taste of bizarre today as the hypocrisy of US foreign policy towards Venezuela shows up once again. Several newswires are running the story about how Venezuelan troops "blew up two bridges" that connect Venezuela with LittleUSA (a.k.a. Colombia) in the Norte de Santander region this week. Anyone who knows anything about that spot on the planet knows that those bridges are used for two main purposes:<br /><br />Carrying cheap fuel from Venezuela to Colombia illegally<br />Carrying cocaine from Colombia to Venezuela (need I mention that's illegal?)<br /><br />But sure enough, LittleUSA is going to make a protest about the fact that Venezuela wants to protect its borders from Colombia's main source of dollars. Apparently, f*cking up your neighbours via a long term and very large cocaine habit is socially acceptable while watching them protect themselves from you is aggressive behaviour.<br /><br />This comes on the same day that The USA declares it wants to see Venezuela make more effort against drug runners. The arrogantly entitled 'Voice of America' (hint, 'America' is not a country, it's a double continent) starts off its report thusly:<br /><br />U.S. anti-drug officials are calling for greater efforts by Venezuela to combat drug traffickers who are using the country to make illegal shipments.<br />So Venezuela has to make more effort to combat druggies, but when it does there's hell to pay. Go figure.</blockquote><br />Again, go check out Otto's wonderful Latin American blog <a href="http://www.incakolanews.blogspot.com/">IKN</a>. Don't hold it against him that he is also trying to make some money off gringo's irrational fear and misunderstanding of the region (mining stock).leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-42842188241118930972009-11-19T16:34:00.000-08:002009-11-19T16:39:49.435-08:00FAO: Venezuela Reduces Malnutrition from 21% to 6%<img src="http://www.aventurafm106.com/wp-content/uploads/1208895291mercal_av_bolivar_0.jpg"><br /><br />Venezuelans now consume 2,790 calories daily, more than the number of calories that the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the UN suggests is the daily requirement, according to National Nutrition Institute (INN) Director Marilyn Di Luca.<br /><br />Malnutrition has diminished from 21% eleven years ago to 6% currently, owing to the government’s agriculture and food distribution policies, Di Luca said.<br /><br />She said Venezuela ranks fifth in Latin America for lowest nutritional deficiency amongst children, with Cuba, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina ranking higher.<br /><br />Di Luca said the achievements in nutrition are thanks to social planning. “Currently a plan of harvesting and storage is being carried out... as well, the Ministry of Education’s Bolivarian curriculum is teaching the children to eat the food that is produced here and that links us to our origins. Further, the folks in the Culture Mission [a social program] are in the street linking food and nutrition to socialist values.”<br /><br />“Also, the government has developed a structural platform with the Venezuelan Agrarian Corporation (CVA) that has a gigantic system of 59 food processing plants,” said Venezuela’s vice minister of food policy, Rafael Coronado.<br /><br />Government financing of producers has increased from BsF 268 million bolivars in 1998 to BsF 20 billion (US$ 9.3 billion) this year, and harvested areas have increased from 1.6 million hectares in 1998 to 2.3 million hectares (5.7 million acres) this year, according to Vice Minister for Agrarian Economy Richard Canan.<br /><br />Canan argued that the government has changed its attitude toward production. Where previous governments thought it was cheaper to import food, the current government, through technology transfer, international agreements, and financing, is promoting more local production.<br /><br />To improve food distribution and control food prices, the state-run company PDVAL (Venezuelan Producer and Distributor of Food) sells food at government-regulated prices and supplies thousands of public cafeterias that provide free meals to the most needy.<br /><br />Since their founding in 2003, the state-run MERCAL markets sell food at subsidized prices to nearly every community nation-wide, sometimes as much as 40% cheaper than the regulated prices.<br /><br />In addition to the permanent MERCAL markets, the government and local communal councils organise temporary MERCAL food distribution points in central and remote places across the country. Last Saturday, MERCAL had 3,116 tonnes of food for sale at 779 such distribution points.<br /><br />The FAO representative in Venezuela, Francisco Arias, said Venezuela has closely followed FAO recommendations. “Strengthening the networks like MERCAL, PDVAL and the public cafeterias, but also promoting local food production, is precisely the strategy that FAO has promoted to deal with food insecurity,” he said. (Translation by Venezuelanalysis)leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-23931402556431174782009-11-19T16:06:00.000-08:002009-11-19T16:17:05.027-08:00UN: Venezuela and Cuba Excel at Human Development<img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/186/383899940_64d7528f34.jpg"><br /><br /><i>Below is an algamation of reports from <a href="http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/288726,china-and-venezuela-big-gainers-on-human-development-index.html">Earth Times</a> and <a href="http://www.greenleft.org.au/2009/816/41981">Green Left Weekly</a>.</i><br /><br />The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) revealed that China and Venezuela were the two top gainers in terms of human development since 2007. The UNDP's "Human Development Index" compiles multiple statistics relating to health, education, poverty, women's rights, etc. in order to come up with the most holistic picture of actual human progress (rather than just economic).<br /><br />Venezuela has been led by President Hugo Chavez for the past decade. Chavez is an outspoken critic of capitalsm and has pursued socialist policies aimed at combatting disease, illiteracy, malnutrition and poverty. <br /><br />Cuba’s education index is equal highest in the world, along with Australia, Finland, Denmark and New Zealand. Cuba’s education index is 0.993 of a possible score of 1. Its adult literacy rate is 99.8% and school enrolments are 100%. Public expenditure on education in Cuba is 14.2% of total government expenditure. This is higher than Australia (13.3%) and the US (13.7%). Cuba also tops the world in the ratio of female to male enrolment in all levels of school, at 121%. <br /><br />Cuba’s life expectancy is 78.5 years, the highest along with Chile in Latin America and the Caribbean. It compares favourably with Australia (81.4 years) and the US (79.1 years). <br /><br />Cuba fares well desptie having a relatively low population and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Mexico, with twice the GDP per capita as Cuba, actually has a lower level of human development than Cuba.<br /><br />Since 2005, Azerbaijan, Cuba and Venezuela have improved their HDI more than any other countries. Venezuela was one of the few countries that significantly bettered its HDI ranking since last year, jumping four places from 62 to 58. <br /><br />Venezuela has achieved a relatively rapid rise of 5.2% in its HDI between 2000 to 2007, compared to a 4.8% increase in its HDI over the previous 20 years.leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-47898346105754300612009-11-16T15:19:00.001-08:002009-11-19T16:05:59.670-08:00Supreme Court: Miami school can ban book on Cuba<a href=http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1116/p02s16-usju.html>Supreme Court: Miami school can ban book on Cuba | csmonitor.com</a><br /><br />Posted using <a href="http://sharethis.com">ShareThis</a>leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-16294004580477674422009-11-16T15:09:00.001-08:002009-11-16T15:15:48.946-08:00How Cuban American Hard-Liners Influence U.S. Policy With Campaign Money<img src="http://expat21.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/a-million-dollars.jpg"><br /><br /><i>By Nick Sabloff in the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/16/how-cuban-american-hard-l_n_358625.html">Huffington Post:</a></i><br /><br />While U.S. policy toward Cuba has opened up since President Barack Obama took office, a new report from Public Campaign, an organization dedicated to reforming campaign financing, raises the question of whether hard-line Cuban Americans will succeed in stifling further changes in U.S.-Cuba relations through their campaign contributions to members of Congress. <br /> <br />According to the report, the U.S.-Cuba Democracy Political Action Committee, along with a "network of hard-line Cuban American donors," have made over $10 million in campaign donations since the 2004 election cycle, with 337 federal candidates receiving funds through the PAC. <br /><br />The report claims that the candidates that received these contributions have "more often than not cast their votes on Cuba policy issues with the hard-liners. " It highlights a group of 18 House members, a mix of Democrats and Republicans, whose voting patterns appeared to have shifted significantly since receiving their first contribution from the U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC. Having once voted consistently in favor of easing relations with Cuba, these members were now more often found to be questioning any such shift, the report concludes. Unsurprisingly, as the power in Washington has shifted, so too has the money. In 2004, 71 percent of the U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC's money went to Republicans; in 2010, the figure is projected to be 76 percent to Democrats.<br /><br />When it comes to public sentiment toward the U.S.'s relationship with Cuba, the Public Campaign report insists that the hard-liners, in their opposition to repealing such things as the travel ban for Americans, are out of step with where the majority of the country is heading. A poll by Bendixen and Associates conducted in September 2009, which is cited in the report, found that 59 percent of Cuban-Americans favored lifting the travel ban for all Americans. Similarly, a national survey conducted by World Public Opinion in April claimed that 70 percent of Americans were in favor of being allowed to travel to Cuba. A congressional hearing is due to be held on November 19 by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the topic of lifting the travel ban to Cuba.<br /><br />In April, Obama abandoned restrictions on Cuban Americans' ability to travel to the island and send money to relatives, a move described by the New York Times at the time as the "most significant shift in United States policy toward Cuba in decades." Obama also cleared the way for telecommunications companies to pursue licensing agreement in the country. The U.S.'s trade embargo with Cuba, however, remains firmly in place.leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-27494305069516623192009-11-07T01:48:00.001-08:002009-11-07T02:20:05.824-08:00Cuba: Strange Inconsistencies in Yoani's Account of "Beating"<img src="http://www.desdecuba.com/generationy/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/yoani_con_panoleta-eng-copy.jpg"><br /><br />I wonder how many people in the Western Hemisphere are abused by police officers each year. All the victims of police abuse in the US, Mexico, Dominican republic, Guatemala, Colombia, Jamaica, Venezuela, Brazi, etc. How many of the victims every get a first-hand Reuters and AP article written about the abuse just a few hours after it occurs? How many get any articles in the US at all?<br /><br />Well if it happens in one country, odds are that US audiences will hear about it. Cuba. <br /><br />In the most recent case, (12 million hits per month) Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez was supposedly the victim of a great crime of state violence today. The story broke on the blogs and then she spoke with the Miami Herald. The Herald piece talks about a true police beating, complete with "karate holds," "judo," "punches," "blows" and "being violently thrown on the street." <br /><br />The weird thing is that NONE of this police violence was mentioned at all in a Reuters article where she was interviewed right after the Herald piece. There is nothing about a beating or violence at all. The closest detail is that she says her PURSE was "thrown on the street as they drove off." The article, in fact, clearly states that Yoani "had no injuries, she said."<br /><br />Another critical inconsistency is that she says "there was no time to resist" getting taken in the (presumably) security services car, in the Reuters account. In the Herald piece, she says she resisted and refused to get in the car, and that is when the violence occurred. That and also when she took a piece of paper with information on it from the agents pocket, and put it in her mouth to destroy it.<br /><br />I certainly can not explain why one account sounds like an episode from a low budget mafia movie and the other sounds rather typical what has happened in Cuba forever - a dissident is not arrested, bus is prevented from attending a particular anti-Government rally or event. In this case, it seems pretty clear that the Yoani seemed to indeed resist the security forces and then play the aggressor, in taking something from the agent's pocket. Whether any true abusive blows were leveled by a Cuban agent, or whether the act of forcing a resistant person into a car and trying to defend a piece of security information in a pocket is all we are talking about, can not be known at this point. Certainly, no State violence against its people can be tolerated.<br /><br />I certainly hope for the day when security forces in all countries refrain from abuse. I also know that Cuba does not a big problem in this regard, compared to what takes place in other countries in the region. <br /><br />But Yoani has achieved her goal. She wroter very early on that she wanted "to know where the line was" in Cuban political life. Whether through her sheer celebrity, her moxie and conjones or too many exaggerations (or lies) - she has run across a Cuban line. Maybe it was visiting too many hostile foreign Embassies? Maybe her cooperation with US Government run entities <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wKrmYt1VXc">like</a> Radio Marti? Maybe the Miami friends she's met? Predictably, she claims she was told it is her writings. Well, Yoani could certainly test that hypothesis and refrain from foreign embassies and US propaganda organs for a spell, couldn't she?leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-27389602833803987442009-11-06T11:27:00.001-08:002009-11-06T11:53:26.301-08:00Honduras: US Washes its Hands and Blesses Coup<img src="http://newsjunkiepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/micheletti2.jpg"><br /><br />The supposed agreement to reinstate President Zelaya of Honduras is <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8345899.stm">officially</a> dead. The coup government of Micheletti has forsaken the text of the signed agreement, which called for a "unity government" and instead put together a new cabinet of his cronies - with no anti-coup representation. <br /><br />On the same day, the best indication of the real Obama Administration policy on Honduras was revealed by Republican Senator Jim DeMint. In a overjoyed press release he claimed that the Administration will recognize the elections even if the Honduran Congress refuses to make a decision before the November 29 election. This goes against everything that had been said in the past and against everything every other country in the world has said on this issue. <br /><br />So it appears the US has tacitly endorsed the coup plotters hopes of dupe and delay. Zelaya will not be restored and elections are to be held on November 29th. Already 2/3 of the Constitutionally required election campaign has been held under repressive conditions (martial law, media closures, thousands of arrests of grass roots leaders, etc) and an illegal Administration. The US position is to bless these elections and pretend that the (boyocotted) November 29th election will <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-weisbrot/president-obamas-credibil_b_346236.html">wash their hands</a> of this whole mess. They ought to think again. <br /><br />I've officially had it with this Administration, at least as it related to Latin America. This whole Honduras story has been very instructive of how "soft power" can be even more devious and destructive than hard. The US always professed (against evidence to the contrary) that it needed to have Zelaya instituted. Now we know that was a fallacy. All the US really wanted was for this to all go away, without alienating the region too bad. <br /><br />The State Department was praised by all official quarters when the initial deal was breached. They are probably thinking they are in the clear even still, with the situation unraveling quickly (and two bombs having gone off in the capital). That is ok. We (the US) won't have to be there to try to solve the lasting problem being created. <br /><br />Since th pretension of regional cooperation has passed, it is time to pick sides folks. Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia and Nicaragua said today that Zelaya's reinstatement is not negotiable. That elections will not be legitimate unless the repression ends and Michelletti gives way to Zelaya. This is the position of every major human rights group in Honduras and the world. The US has regrettably staked out another position. One that would legitimize a coup and set a horrible precedent for the entire world, but the region in particular. US talk about democracy is just that, if we can not get a tin pat country that depends wholly on the US to reinstate a legitimately elected President for just a few more weeks, before his term ends. <br /><br />Even Time magazine <a href="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1935803,00.html?xid=rss-topstories">sees</a> trouble brewing. <br /><blockquote>And it could certainly have negative implications for Obama's credibility in the region if he is perceived to have brokered a deal that allowed a military coup to succeed. Then again, the U.S. President could always shift the blame by pointing out that it was Zelaya that signed the deal.</blockquote>leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-16599817539984933312009-11-05T01:01:00.000-08:002009-11-05T01:01:25.622-08:00Venezuela vs. Colombia: The People Choose VenezuelaWe are told over and over again that Colombia is led by a great President and Venezuela has one of the worst. That Uribe's Colombia is on the way up and Chavez's Venezuela is about to self-destruct. One wishes there were a way to test those assertions. <br /><br />Wait a second. Aren't the 2 countries right next to each other? So it might be reasonable to ask what country's people are migrating to the other country in greater numbers. Turns out the numbers aren't even close. It is a blow out. Colombians, even in a time of much improved security, are flocking to Venezuelan in huge, unprecedented numbers. Why? Because of Venezuela's "greater employment opportunities and more secure social safety net."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1934326,00.html">Venezuela vs. Colombia: The Battle Over Emigres</a><br /><br /><blockquote>Fredys Villanueva has abandoned his native Colombia for neighboring Venezuela. But he's not quite like the hundreds of thousands of Colombians who have fled their country's bloody 44-year long civil war for the safety of the land of Hugo Chávez. Instead, he's like 2 million or more Colombians who have moved to Venezuela because it offers greater employment opportunities and a more secure social safety network.<br /><br />After coming to Venezuela from Barranquilla, Colombia, in 2003, Villanueva, 55, found steady work with decent pay at an aluminum factory, a job that came with a free house and other benefits. "There's a health clinic over there," he says, pointing down a dusty road lined with haphazardly constructed brick houses. "The Cuban modules are nearby too," he adds, referring to the free clinics, started by Chávez, that use Cuban doctors in poor neighborhoods. "They give me free pills for my hypertension."<br /><br />...As many as 75% of the more than 3 million to 4 million Colombians living there have come for economic reasons. Juan Carlos Tanus, president of the Association of Colombians in Venezuela, says that Venezuela's advantages include jobs and subsidized food and health provided in the past 10 years by Chavez's socialist government. In fact, Tanus notes, from 2002 to 2008 — even as Colombia got safer thanks to President Alvaro Uribe's offensive against leftist guerrillas — the number of Colombians emigrating to Venezuela each year rose from 21,200 to 93,000.</blockquote><br /><br />Why haven't we been told this story before?leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-24941351855153198492009-10-10T11:29:00.000-07:002009-10-10T11:30:14.758-07:00Chevron vs Ecuador<img src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/10/10/world/10ecuador.xlarge1.jpg"><br /><br />Some dust has settled from the expected Chevron hail-mary play a few weeks ago - releasing a "hidden" video made by an "ex"-employee and American "businessman," now <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/world/americas/10chevron.html">receiving pay and protection</a> from the company. Pay for their services and protection from anyone who wants to ask some very basic questions. <br /><br />Chevron <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aXpzXWOjCHAY">says</a> their spies (with hidden cameras in watches and pens) "just wanted to expose corruption" in Ecuador. Nevermind that the 2 were actually manufacturing corruption, going around Ecuador trying to offer up bribes to anyone who'd listen. And the logical way to expose this corruption in Ecuador is by handing their tapes over to an American company that no longer even does business in the country. But they do happen to be in a very expensive ($27 Billion) lawsuit. <br /><br />Are they serious? Apparently nervous about the whole thing, one of the men in hiding in the US has retained the same lawyer used by Barry Bonds. <br /><br />The man who apparently represented the Ecuadorean Government in the secret tapes, Carlos Patricio Garcia, has come forward to <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601130&sid=aXpzXWOjCHAY">state</a> his case. He is a car salesman who says he performs petty jobs for the governing party - Alianza Pais - catering food and the like. He says the 2 US businessmen approached him at a political rally to try to do some business. His lawyer admits he was basically "carried away" by trying to get some bucks from this eager to pay gringo. Garcia makes clear however, that he was basically talking out his ass in terms of what he could deliver. He appears to be nothing but a wannabe, a nobody. Alianza Pais says they've never heard of him and have no records of party membership. And his supposed relationship with President Correa's wife, is actually just having met her once at another rally. <br /><br />“Garcia is the kind of person who likes to talk so he can look good in front of people, and that’s what he was doing in that video,” Zambrano said in an interview in Quito. “He has no connections.” <br /><br />I noted earlier that there is no evidence (on tape or elsewhere) that the actual Ecuadorean authorities (or presiding Judge Nunez) knew anything about this proposed bribe. Despite this, another Judge has removed the Nunez from the case, which is still moving forward. The Ecuadorean authorities are investigating and calling on the US to do the same. They are wondering why, if the only thing caught on tape is ATTEMPTED bribery, the US has not moved a finger to investigate the 2 US men under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which outlaws bribery of foreign officials to obtain business.<br /><br />But still the main questions remain. Why would these 2 men try to expose their own corrupt practices in Ecuador? Why would they hand over evidence to a US company - Chevron? Why are they being protected by Chevron? <br /><br />The only logical explanation is that these men were working for Chevron, trying to help their $27 Billion court case. This is an extremely grave act, that ought to be investigated by the US immediately. Not let to sit out there and delay justice for the Amazon jungle and the people who live there.leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-75537903963482225522009-09-23T11:55:00.001-07:002009-09-23T12:00:29.180-07:00Honduras: US Silence on Human Rights Violations is Deafening<img src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/9/22/1253607269866/Ousted-Honduran-President-001.jpg"><br />Manuel Zelaya at the Brazilian embassy in Honduras, 21 September 2009. <br /><br /><i>I can't say it any better than Mark Weisbrot did in the Guardian <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/sep/22/manuel-zelaya-honduras-coup-obama">today:</a></i><br /><br />Now that Manuel Zelaya has returned to Honduras, the coup government – after first denying that he was there – has unleashed a wave of repression to prevent people from gathering support for their elected president.<br /><br />This is how US secretary of state Hillary Clinton described the first phase of this new repression Monday night in a press conference: "I think that the government imposed a curfew, we just learned, to try to get people off the streets so that there couldn't be unforeseen developments."<br /><br />But the developments that this dictatorship is trying to repress are very much foreseen. A completely peaceful crowd of thousands surrounded the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, where Zelaya has taken refuge, to greet their president. The military then used the curfew as an excuse to tear-gas, beat and arrest the crowd until there was nothing left. There are reports of scores wounded and three dead. The dictatorship has cut off electricity and water to the embassy and cut electricity to what little is left of the independent media, as well as some neighbourhoods.<br />...<br />The strategy for dealing with them has been to try to render them powerless – through thousands of arrests, beatings and even some selective killings. This has been documented, reported and denounced by major human rights organisations throughout the world: Amnesty International, the Centre for Justice and International Law, Human Rights Watch, the Inter American Commission on Human Rights and others.<br /><br />One important actor, the only major country to maintain an ambassador in Honduras throughout the dictatorship, has maintained a deafening silence about this repression: the US government. <b>The Obama administration has not uttered one word about the massive human rights violations in Honduras.</b><br /><br />This silence by itself tells you all you need to know about what this administration has really been trying to accomplish in the nearly three months since the Honduran military squelched democracy. The Obama team understands exactly how the coup government is maintaining its grip on power through violence and repression. And Barack Obama, along with his secretary of state, has shown no intention of undermining this strategy.<br /><br />In fact, Zelaya has been to Washington six times since he was overthrown, but not once did he get a meeting with Obama. Why is that? Most likely because Obama does not want to send the "wrong" signal to the dictatorship, ie that the lip service that he has paid to Zelaya's restoration should be taken seriously.<br /><br />These signals are important, because the Honduran dictatorship is digging in its heels on the bet that they don't have to take any pressure from Washington seriously. They have billions of dollars of assets in the US, which could be frozen or seized. But the dictatorship, for now, trusts that the Obama team is not going to do anything to hurt their allies.<br /><br />Luz Mejias, the head of the Organisation of American States' Inter-American Human Rights Commission, had a different view of the dictatorship's curfew from that of Hillary Clinton. She called it "a clear violation of human rights and legal norms" and said that those who ordered these measures should be charged under international criminal law.<br /><br />What possible excuse can the military have for breaking up this peaceful gathering, or can Clinton have for supporting the army's violence? There was no way that this crowd was a threat to the Brazilian embassy – quite the contrary. If anything it was protecting the embassy. That is one reason why the military attacked the crowd.<br /><br />On 11 August, 16 members of the US Congress sent a letter to Obama urging him to "publicly denounce the use of violence and repression of peaceful protesters, the murder of peaceful political organisers and all forms of censorship and intimidation directed at media outlets." They are still waiting for an answer.<br />...<br />What a horrible, ugly message the Obama administration is sending to the democracies of Latin America, and to people who aspire to democracy everywhere.leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-7596045164555749002009-09-01T17:32:00.000-07:002009-09-01T17:39:59.527-07:00Ecuador: The Chevron Dirty Tricks Tactic<img src="http://chevrontoxico.com/assets/galleries/86/crude_reflections_01.jpg"><br /><br />Those of you good people aware of the way Chiquita skirted its responsibility for poisoning thousands of banana workers in Nicaragua had to be waiting for Chevron to attempt a similar feat. Well here we have it. Complete with spy cameras hidden in shirt pocket pens and a full blown PR website with carefully edited videos and all.<br /><br />For those not paying attention, in play is a hugely important $27 Billion lawsuit pitting the Amazon communities of Ecuador against oil giant Chevron (was Texaco) for their wanton destruction of the land, water and native peoples when they were pumping oil there. Simply put, the communities want their land restored and their victims compensated. There is a very long and interesting history, parts of which can be found <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-chevron28-2009aug28,0,6949161.story">here</a> - and in <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/01/60minutes/main4983549.shtml">this</a> 60 minutes broadcast. <br /><br />The allegations from Chevron are that 1) the Ecuadorean Judge in the case was being bribed for one million dollars, 2) that he was under the control of the Government of Ecuador, 3) that he had therefore already improperly made up his mind as to the verdict and the amount of the award, and 4) that the Ecuadorean President's political party and sister were parties to the bribe.<br /><br />In response, Chevron has already said that they will no pay up if they lose the case, as they were widely expected to. It will be up to the United States to enforce the decision, as Chevron has no assets in Ecudor. This will be a real test for the Obama Administration. Uphold the rule of law or cave into PR spy games manufactured by one of the most obscene instances of overseas pollution ever recorded. <br /><br />Hidden from the story at present are the people making the bribe soliciting their money all around Ecuador. That is an American named Wayne Hansen (who either has a water and soil remediation company - or is a consultant) and his ex Chevron worker Ecuadorean connection Diego Borja. Chevron claims it had nothing to do with the hidden cameras and set-ups, but will not allow the two to be made available for interviews to explain the absurdity of the story. <br /><br />We are apparently meant to believe that those attempting to bribe officials like to video their deals for their own reasons. And that they just turned them into Chevron because they felt it was all so morally wrong. And now they have been ferried to the US with "relocation expenses and other interim support." Are you kidding me? Who does not what is going on here? <br /><br />For those just getting on board, Chevron has tried to make charges of "political manipulation" and judicial misconduct stick ever since the election of President Correa - exploiting his mark as a Chavez-esque socialist (I mean what else do you need to know about the place?) They forget to tell you that the trial should not even be in Ecuador, except that Chevron's lawyers thought they'd have a better chance there. Chevron was quite used to <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-chevron29-2009aug29,0,6967677.story">running</a> Ecuador with its wealthy political clients, before the indigenous people (and socialists) assumed their democratic place in the institutions of that region. <br /><br />Thankfully some news outlets have made clear that there is no evidence the Judge ever knew about a bribe, much less had accepted one. There is similarly no evidence that the Ecuadorean authorities knew anything about this proposed bribe. There is only the apparent bluster of a supposed official of the ruling Allianza Pais party.<br /><br /><img src="http://chevrontoxico.com/assets/galleries/86/crude_reflections_08.jpg"><br /><i>Photos courtesy of San Francisco Bay Area photographers Lou Dematteis and Kayana Szymczak, who traveled to Ecuador to document the physical and emotional reality of those affected by pollution and their struggle for justice.</i><br /><br />Let us have some more fun. Let's dissect this carefully crafted "news release" by Chevron. It is noteworthy that they are actually more circumspect than the media has been already about the actual charges against the judge and Government. Lawyers know they can not get too far from reality. But they get close.<br /><br />After describing the people involved, Chevron jumps to the first meeting, where they say:<br /><br /><blockquote>Judge Núñez stated that the government of Ecuador, not the plaintiffs, would receive the funds earmarked for remediation produced by the judgment against Chevron.</blockquote><br />I guess this is meant to be some kind of revelation or reminder of the sinister hand of the Government of Ecuador, who quite obviously, will have to be responsible for regulating and assigning remediation work, according to the Court decision of course. Did Chevron really think they would be given the contracts to pay themselves for cleaning up their mess?? So they could profit off their earlier profits? Are they serious? Subsequently, at the next meeting: <br /><br /><blockquote>Judge Núñez answered a series of questions about the case from the (US) businessmen, who was seeking assurances that the court proceedings would generate business (for him). Novoa (a Govt. lawyer) stated that “we (the State) have the political power” to direct remediation contracts and stressed the judge “is generating the work through the ruling.”</blockquote><br />What they leave out is the next line by Noboa, who says "What more can I tell you, I <br />can’t tell you how the ruling will come out because for that you have to go <br />through a process and you have to work out an entire draft... In other words, you, Sir, you have to wait for there to be a ruling. <br /><br />NOVOA: There’s no way to— <br /><br />Judge Nuñez: Look, Sir, the ruling will be issued. It will be issued. The ruling, there will be one. The ruling, there will be one. But I repeat, I as a judge, Sir, as to telling you or not telling you <b>whether your company will do the remediation, I can’t say.</b>" <br /><br />Next, Chevron's press release reports nefariously that:<br /><blockquote>Judge Núñez confirmed that he would be issuing a ruling, the appeal would be a formality and the government would be handling the funds associated with remediation contracts”.</blockquote><br />Well yes, of course there would be a ruling coming down soon. Everyone knows that. But no, the Judge does not just dismiss the inevitable appeal as "a formality." He explains the appeal procedure - the legal deadlines, the location of the trial, etc. He issues no judgment on the appeal of course - as he does not decide any appeal. <br /><br />UPDATE: The Amazon Defense Coalition has <a href="http://chevrontoxico.com/news-and-multimedia/2009/0901-chevron-accused-of-nixon-style-dirty-tricks-operation-in-ecuador.html">accused</a> Chevron of using Nixon-style "dirty tricks" in an attempt to corrupt the court proceedings. They say:<br /><br /><i>After carefully reviewing the videos and transcripts of the videos released by Chevron, lawyers for the plaintiffs said Chevron's hidden cameras produced "not even a scintilla of evidence" that the judge was involved in bribes, "made no sense" about how contracts would be awarded and raised questions about Chevron's own involvement in the bribery scheme perpetrated by an Ecuadorian Chevron contractor and an American businessman.<br /><br />"There is clear evidence from the videos that individuals associated with Chevron were trying to bribe Ecuadorian government officials to undermine the trial process so the company can avoid paying a judgment," Fajardo said.; "Corruption of the trial process by Chevron has become a pattern which we believe extends to the highest levels of the company and which may constitute a violation of criminal laws both in Ecuador and the United States," he added.</i>leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-68388630855828808462009-08-20T10:42:00.000-07:002009-09-01T09:29:42.662-07:00Anti-Cuba Terrorist Gets Pay Day From US Courts... Again<img src="http://www.findagrave.com/photos/2004/314/9788636_110007776194.jpg"><br /><br />Once <a href="http://aviewtothesouth.blogspot.com/2006/11/miami-families-of-cuban-terrorists-get.html">again</a>, a US Judge has ordered that millions of Cuban dollars be paid to the family of someone we would call a terrorist today (they might have been called "soldiers of fortune" or mercenaries in the 60s). This is a man who carried out "bombing runs" against civillian positions in Cuba with his refurbished B-25 bomber. The man was, not surprisingly, <a href="http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKrorkeA.htm">connected</a> to the CIA.<br /><br />The judgement was based, without a hint or irony, on recent US anti-terorrism legilation. The money used to pay for the absurd judgement is from fees Cuba pays for telephone service with the US. There are more than $250 million dollars that we confiscated from the Cuban people. More than $100 has been awarded to families of terrorists thus far.<br /><br />Not sunk in yet? Consider the reverse situation. In the 1960's lets pretend that a mad Cuban went on bombing runs over Louisiana, targeting our oil refinaries. Then 45 years later Cuba decides to award millions of US dollars confiscated illegally to the families of those bombers. Would Americans be a little upset? Cubans are, unfortuantely, used to such injustice from its neighbor to the North. <br /><br />From the <a href="http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/116906.html<br />">Bangor Daily News</a><br /><blockquote>A Maine court has found the Republic of Cuba guilty of the wrongful death of an American veteran believed to have been shot down while on a covert mission over the island decades ago.<br /><br />In finding in favor of Stockton Springs resident Sherry Sullivan, Waldo County Superior Court Justice Jeffrey Hjelm granted her damages of $21 million plus interest. Sullivan is the daughter of Geoffrey Sullivan, whose plane is believed to have disappeared over Cuba in October 1963.<br />...<br />The last known sighting of Geoffrey Sullivan was when he took off from Mexico in a twin-engine plane accompanied by Rorke. <br /><br /><b>A month earlier, Sullivan and Rorke had allegedly taken part in a bombing run over Cuba in a refurbished B-25 bomber. That daring act received widespread newspaper coverage at the time, and both men were identified as being involved.</b><br /><br />The official story was that their plane disappeared somewhere over Central America, but Sullivan believes he was held in a Cuban jail for at least a decade and later executed as a spy. She was 5 years old when her father disappeared and has been investigating his fate for decades. The Department of Veterans Affairs has listed Sullivan as “missing in action.”</blockquote>leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-73918197885347215142009-08-18T20:57:00.000-07:002009-08-18T22:00:37.338-07:00NY Times Honduras Editorial - So Many Myths<img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090817/capt.8fd917403e72485b8f6bef0cf41079c0.honduras_coup_efx103.jpg?x=400&y=272&q=85&sig=ZSeQ8o2hXI7FWzfAg.4WIg--"><br /><br />NY Times Editorial<br /><b>Mr. Micheletti’s Dangerous Game, August 14, 2009</b><br /><br /><blockquote>Honduras’s de facto government appears to be running out the clock. It seems to believe that it can slow-pedal negotiations to reinstate President Manuel Zelaya, who was summarily ousted by the armed forces in June, and hang tight until voters elect a new president in November.</blockquote><br />So far so good. It has been about 52 days, with about 102 days left until the November election. This is the obvious product of "negotiations" with a criminal regime who has vowed not to budge an inch. <br /><blockquote>It must be disabused of this notion. Honduras has been deeply divided by the coup and passions could easily spin out of control. Even if the de facto government manages to pull off new elections, the results would be viewed as illegitimate by much of the Honduran population. That could mean years, not months, of crisis.<br /><br />The Organization of American States, Washington and the Latin American governments that are trying to broker a solution must press this point with Roberto Micheletti, the de facto president, and his advisers.</blockquote><br />Now might be the time to note that the South American countries (through a UNASUR <a href="http://hondurasemb.org/2009/08/10/union-of-south-american-nations-rejects-elections-under-honduran-de-facto-regime/">declaration)</a> have made this point clear by the best way possible. To say that they will not recognize ANY election held by the coup regime. The US has indicated it does not agree with this regional approach. <br /><br /><blockquote>Mr. Zelaya, a self-styled populist and favorite of Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, is no fan of the United States. But, as Mr. Obama rightly pointed out, Mr. Zelaya was democratically elected.</blockquote><br />Self-styled populist eh? Anyone know what that is supposed to mean, except to say... (wait for it) a disciple of Hugo Chavez and anti-(north)American. Nevermind that Zelaya is a free-market liberal, a believer in CAFTA, a self-described "friend" of the US and supporter of Obama. His only criticisms of the US are on drug and immigration policy? Does anyone disagree? <br /><blockquote>Washington condemned the coup and suspended about $18 million in mostly military and development aid to the de facto government. But it carefully modulated its rhetoric to keep the focus where it belonged — on Mr. Micheletti and the illegal coup. And it held off on imposing more drastic penalties, like withdrawing Washington’s ambassador to Tegucigalpa or freezing the bank accounts of people associated with the coup, as some Democrats in Congress have urged.</blockquote><br />The US "modulated" its rhetoric all right, to the point where it has still <a href="http://weeksnotice.blogspot.com/2009/08/military-coup.html">refused</a> to officially call a coup a coup. It managed to piss off <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-08/13/content_11873650.htm">everyone</a> in the region, who have demanded the US use some of its immense influence. The <a href="http://www.allgov.com/ViewNews/US_Still_Training_Honduras_Military_after_Military_Coup_90724">military</a> and <a href="http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x470522">development aid,</a> in fact, continues. <br /><blockquote>This has given the United States room to encourage negotiations led by President Óscar Arias of Costa Rica, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. The administration has rightly held to that course even after some Congressional Republicans — whose support for democracy is apparently selective — criticized this approach.</blockquote><br />How exactly has doing little to nothing encouraged negotiations?? Even worse, the Obama Administration telegraphed - in a <a href="http://lugar.senate.gov/sfrc/pdf/Honduras2.pdf">letter</a> to Senator Lugar - that it is not considering ANY additional major sanctions. Negotiations 101 says you have to have a stick - or at least act like you have one. Many Republicans don't even believe a coup took place, of course they oppose any action. <br /><blockquote>The administration may not be able to hew to this fine line for much longer. Mr. Arias has proposed that President Zelaya be returned to office immediately and that Honduras move up its presidential elections by a month to October. Mr. Zelaya has also agreed not to try to change the constitution so he can run for re-election — the issue that prompted the coup. But Mr. Micheletti has dug in his heels, refusing to accept the deal</blockquote>.<br />Still, 53 days in, we have the top news media in America repeating a couple golpista lies as if they were truth. Zelaya did not try to "change the Constitution so he could run for re-election." This idea is based on absolutely no facts and would have been a a complete impossibility (the elections were in November and the Constitution could never have been changed by then). <br /><<blockquote>Foreign ministers from several Latin American countries plan to visit Honduras next week to press Mr. Micheletti and his backers to change their minds. The de facto government has already forced a postponement of the visit once. If it continues to reject the deal, the United States must be prepared to exert more pressure.</blockquote> <br />It would have been nice for the Times to say this 53 days ago. And not to continue to misrepresent the facts.leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-73704949601438111572009-07-18T13:28:00.000-07:002009-07-18T14:15:33.201-07:00Honduras: The Article 239 Deception<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbaX4HAhEAh_lvW4oZEqb3R2pAt0gVEgWBXSqNeKKFSEaNd3Lw-rimXeGU0PE0I16xTFK-tjMfvZZRUUAukDaRwmaEFNqIO7K5TdMZTUqT9zZGd6uLXUhLU81dn5IO8y6uo7_D/s400/01.jpg"><br /><i>Photos from the <a href="http://mimundo-jamesrodriguez-esp.blogspot.com/">MiMundo</a> blog.</i><br /><br />With last ditch talks underway at this moment in Costa Rica, actions may soon outpace legal questions. But one of the most common and insidious claims being made the coup-plotters needs to be addressed head on. <br /><br />Readers paying attention have likely heard the notion that President Zelaya brought his removal on himself. That he violated a sacred clause of the Constitution and therefore had to be removed. Sophisticated readers will know that this nonsense is usually based on a reading of Article 239. <br /><br />Article 239 does indeed talk about the removal of any official that even proposes the removal or alteration of to Presidential (one) term limits. While quite draconian, the Article is said to be justified in response to the history of dictators in Central America. <br /><br />The only problem is that Article 239 has not even been mentioned by the Honduran Courts ion this case, let alone officially invoked against Zelaya. There are <a href="http://www.poderjudicial.gob.hn/NR/rdonlyres/87E2BFFC-AF4D-44EA-BFC5-D93730D8D81C/2413/ExpedienteJudicial1.pdf">81 pages</a> of Supreme Court mumbo-jumbo mentioning every other possible Article violation, but Article 239 is not one of them. <br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxyC7xo47SQFfyDz8ublAXlnSjkbwriCBCKvuPRp9x75ujFYaRr9pZBJ_7QWjiLUBXwm_zjstnnGAjzRolHXPAZfttFFXiiqhCI21awVi4MA2nvZsuhFM0PxLvWXCJgQu6aP5/s400/02.jpg"><br /><br />What the Court documents intended to do is justify the detention and trial of President Zelaya, under the provisions of a special tribunal (the only way a sitting President can be judged). To be clear, none of supposed violations cited in the documents include the automatic removal provision. A trial and sentence would have to be rendered in any case. <br /><br />Instead, we know what happened. The military high command decided to kidnap the President and ferry him out of the country, rather than detain him. The military's own lawyers have admitted this was an illegal act. Therefore the Congress had to make up a way to pass the Presidency from Zelaya to Micheletti. Someone manufactured a fake resignation letter from Zelaya, which was voted on and that was that. <br /><br />With universal international condemnation, the coup plotters knew they were in trouble. They had to convince the US to play along, so they hired American PR gurus with <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/jul/16/honduras-coup-obama-clinton">close ties</a> to Sec of State Hillary Clinton (Larry Davis and Benncliff). And these folks get sympathetic (blatantly false) editorials like <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-ratliff18-2009jul18,0,5175223.story">this</a> and <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0702/p09s03-coop.html">this</a> printed in the US press. Article 239 forms the basis of their arguments. They condescendingly tell us to "google it" when it is clear they have not even read the Court documents they claim to be lecturing us about. Niceleftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-67161975507748301522009-07-16T00:31:00.000-07:002009-07-16T01:07:37.888-07:00Cuba-US Migration Talks Start Back Up<img src="http://i.biblio.com/z/869/870/9780679870869.jpg"><br /><br />For the first time in 5 years, Cuban and US diplomats <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/cuba/story/1141954.html">sat down</a> to discuss the lapsed migration accords. Things seems to have gone pretty well. <a href="http://www.juventudrebelde.cu/internacionales/2009-07-15/declaracion-de-prensa-de-la-delegacion-cubana-a-las-conversaciones-migratorias-con-los-estados-unidos/">Both</a> <a href="http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2009/july/126041.htm">sides</a> aired their grievances and released positive statements. The Cubans invited the Americans to come to Havana in December for another round - an interesting move. I wonder when the last time a high State Dept official landed in Havana? <br /><br />I challenge anyone to disagree with the Cuban statement that the (supposed US goal of) "legal, safe and orderly migration from Cuba would not be achieved under the US <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wet_feet,_dry_feet_policy">'wet foot/dry foot' policies."</a> This is something that could and should be changed pronto by Obama. The Cuban Adjustment Act is the other half of the special Cuba migration policies that need to die - from Congress I think. All Cuba wants is to be treated like any other country. Luring people with automatic US residency (and "refugee" assistance) causes a lot of people to see 90 miles as an easy boat ride. <br /><br />Cuba is also asking to resume cooperate on illegal human smuggling. This should be a no-brainer, as it has become an much larger issue since it was originally part of the 1995 Clinton migration accords. Mexican gangs like the Zetas appear to have taken over the enterprise. <br /><br /><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Cuba-Florida_map.jpg/220px-Cuba-Florida_map.jpg"><br /><br />The US' demands are not quite as straight forward, or on topic. We want our Diplomats and Embassy staff (often spies) to be able to have the free roam of the island again. Of course, the last time this was allowed US diplomats pushed the envelope of domestic interference with their close work with the dissidents. The US claims this is related to migration because Embassy staff needs to check on those returned to Cuba to make sure they are not harassed or discriminated against. Nevermind that the State Dept. admits this doesn't happen in Havana (where they do check up supposedly). <br /><br />The US is also essentially asking for a new place to jeep Cuban returnees (with a deepwater port). They are asking for a Cuban refugee camp essentially - on Cuban soil, but administered by the US presumably. I don't understand how Gitmo Bay is too shallow for Coast Guard ships? What? Aren't these usually small vessels? And don't much larger US naval ships use the Bay at Gitmo without a problem? Someone will have to explain this one to me.leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-6345226690700911832009-07-06T23:46:00.000-07:002009-07-06T23:57:56.337-07:00US Warns Latin Nations to Improve Treatment of US Corporations<b>Obama decision puts Ecuador on notice - US groups</b><br /><br /><i>President Obama has pleased the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups by using trade benefits as a political weapon against supposed bad treatment against US corporations. Nevermind that these benefits are supposed to be tied to drug cooperation, not economic policies. Nevermind also that no actual violations were mentioned - though the words against Ecuador are implied to be about the ongoing environmental trial against Chevron (a case where Chevron rejected utilizing US courts because they thought they'd get better treatment in Ecuador). Forget about facts and what the law is supposed to be about. Obama does not try to hide that the real purpose of these trade benefits is so Washington can use them as leverage to that our Southern neighbors continue to bend over backwards to please US corporations, or else...</i> <br /><br />WASHINGTON, July 1 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has put Ecuador on notice that it could lose valuable U.S. trade benefits unless the Andean country improves its treatment of foreign investors, U.S. business groups said on Wednesday.<br /><br />Although Obama decided on Tuesday to extend Ecuador's trade benefits for six months, the concerns raised in a report he sent to Congress suggests the preferences may not be extended again, said Myron Brilliant, vice president for international affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.<br /><br />"We welcome the increased -scrutiny of Ecuador's eligibility going forward," Brilliant said in a statement.<br /><br />The Emergency Committee for American Trade, which lobbies on behalf of U.S. multinational firms, said Obama's report reflected "the negative experiences of many U.S. companies that have operated in Ecuador over time."<br /><br />Without mentioning any company by name, Obama noted concerns about two outstanding investment disputes involving U.S. companies in Ecuador. One appeared to refer to a case brought by 30,000 Ecuadorean plaintiffs against Chevron Corp (CVX.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), which bought Texaco in 2001.<br /><br />The plaintiffs say Texaco polluted the jungle and damaged their health by dumping billions of gallons of contaminated water over more than two decades before leaving in the early 1990s. "The company argues that the Ecuadorian government bears legal responsibility for any damage under the terms (of) a release agreement," Obama noted in his report.<br />...<br />Ecuador and other Andean nations have long had U.S. duty-free access for most of their goods under a drug fighting program that dates to 1991.<br /><br />Last year, Congress extended the benefits for Colombia and Peru through Dec. 31, but set a mid-year review of Bolivia and Ecuador's eligibility due to mounting complaints about the deteriorating treatment of U.S. investors.<br /><br />Not long after that renewal, former President George W. Bush suspended Bolivia from the program, citing its poor cooperation in the U.S. war on drugs.<br /><br />Obama upheld Bush's decision on Bolivia in his report to Congress, but decided to renew Ecuador's benefits through the end of the year.<br /><br />Senator Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said on Wednesday he would closely watch Ecuador and Bolivia's behavior over the next six months in deciding whether to support renewed benefits in 2010. (Editing by Doina Chiacu)leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-38456096431366264682009-07-06T12:46:00.001-07:002009-07-06T12:46:48.125-07:00Does Obama Really Want Democracy Restored in Honduras?<img src="http://www.elpais.com/recorte/20090706elpepuint_2/XLCO/Ies/herido_grave_bala_evacuado_aeropuerto_Tegucigalpa.jpg"><br /><br />While the right-wing is busy denouncing President Obama for joining every nation of the world in condemning last week's military coup in Honduras, the reality is that the role being played by Washington is much more complex and contradictory. With each passing day, it's becoming increasingly clear that the Obama Administration is not committed to restoring democracy in Honduras. <br /><br />The stakes are becoming much higher. Already we have at least 4 or 5 killed by security forces. We have thousands of injured. We have at least 651 arrested with no rights to habeus corpus. We have an indefinite suspension of citizen's constitutional human rights and free media. Soon we may have a lot more unless the US gets serious. <br /><br />We should have known something was up when Obama's first reaction to the coup stressed the danger of "outside interference" when we knew the State Department had been intimately involved with events prior to the coup and that outside help would be the only thing to restore Zelaya to his rightful Presidency. We know the US holds all the possible diplomatic cards, given our tight economic and military relationships with the coup plotters, but we have refused to play them. Making the hesitation to support democracy clear the State Department pointedly <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/30/politics/washingtonpost/main5125109.shtml">refused</a> to call a coup a coup, because it would have economic and diplomatic consequences. Comments coming out of Washington have been increasingly out of step with the world in categorically condemning the reasons for the coup.<br /><br />Yesterday the Washington Post <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/05/AR2009070502738.html">reported</a> that US officials tried to persuade Zelaya from making the trip to his homeland yesterday. This could not have been just to "prevent bloodshed" (echoing the putschists), for the plane could have simply and easily been diverted to our Soto Cano military base. Refusal to consider that option shows where Honduran democracy rates in the scheme of things. Maintaining an Imperial outpost easily outweighs democracy I guess. <br /><br />And check out this jaw-dropping quote from Davidow - Obama's "Special Advisor" to Latin America (from the Pose piece above):<br /><br /><i>"The threats against democracy in Latin America, and I don't in any way minimize what's happened in Honduras . . . are not those coming from military coups, but rather from governments which are ignoring checks and balances, overriding other elements of government.</i><br /><br />I was amazed not only because of its foreign policy implications, but also in the timing. This clearly signals US displeasure with Zelaya and takes the position of the coupsters in the forthcoming legal arguments, whether in Tegucalpa or the Hague. We can debate the (frightening and hypocritical) larger point another day (I wonder if Mr. Davidow believes that Roosevelt "stacked the courts" and Garcia in Peru shuts down TV stations), but it is now clear to me at least, where the intellectual sympathies of this State Department lie.<br /><br /><img src="http://fotos.noticias24.com/fotosWeb/agencia2_2009-07-05_1246840325.orig.jpg"><br /><br />Zelaya is supposed to return to Washington tomorrow, to meet with Hillary Clinton. I would advise him to tell her to play real diplomatic hard ball with the putschists (ie. some real consequences) or the US will be held partially responsible for whatever comes next. Forces are quickly radicalizing, particularly with the apparent killing of a youth yesterday.<br /><br />Zelaya realizes the coupsters merely want to delay any action and hope the world moves on to other things (maybe another infomercial star will die). Now that a meeting with Hillary Clinton has been set for tomorrow, it appears the spotlight will be firmly on Washington. Zelaya has made his point to Washington clear:<br /><br /><i>"Starting tomorrow, the United States, which has tremendous power, should take action."<br /><br />"Specifically, the strongest government in economic matters, in aspects of the sphere of the dollar, for us is the United States. <b>If they decide to live with the coup, then democracy in the Americas is over...</b> In this sense, I ask the powers that have economic and commercial influence to apply measures when legitimate institutions of society side with barbarity and terror to commit abuses as in Honduras."</i><br /><br />If they don't, more radical moves by Zelaya's real friends will be the obvious result. And the US will bear the blame because it wanted to play it both ways. Hope and change? Not if Obama insists on putting Cold War <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-hayden/obama-and-his-dinosaur-in_b_188729.html">dinosaurs</a> like Davidow in charge of his Latin American policies.leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-25266322364072631342009-05-05T23:39:00.000-07:002009-05-07T23:38:19.674-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Hidden Truths about "Political Persecution" in Venezuela<br /></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://otraexpresion.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/internacional3-08-11.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 420px; height: 302px;" src="http://otraexpresion.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/internacional3-08-11.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The masters of the universe have been telling us about a major political "crackdown" happening now in Venezuela, represented by 2 high-profile "political asylum" cases. We are <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/21/AR2009042103686.html">told</a> there is a "wave of indictments and government investigations of the president's most vocal political foes." How the arrest of 11 politicians in recent months is an egregious example of Hugo Chavez's "persecution" of "dissidents." Some allege (like opposition Mayor Antonio Ledezma) that "It is a general political witch hunt that no sector that opposes the government can escape."<br /><br />Unfortunately, what the press and their masters do not tell us at all is that almost half (5/11) of those who have been charged with corruption <a href="http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/4423">are</a> from pro-Chavez parties, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/22/AR2009042203228.html"> including </a>long-time Chavez supporter Juan Barreto. 5 of 9 Mayors are PSUV or Government supporters. That kind of blows up the who argument right there doesn't it? Wonder why the good reporters did not think of telling us that?<br /><br />Very few US press accounts also mention that Interpol certified the legitimacy of the charges against poster-boy political asylee Manuel Rosales (in Peru as of last week). This verification affirmed, as Interpol's Constitution mandates, that Rosales was not wanted on political charges - but that the evidence against him for corruption is serious.<br /><br />I guaranteed they didn't tell you the public corruption prosecutor in Venezuela is in a wholly independent branch of Government from Chavez. In fact, they probably said the courts are under Chavez's control. How is that, one might wonder, given the near-total separation of powers in Venezuela's Constitution?<br /><br />And don't we usually assume that when people flee rather than face their accusers they are guilty of a crime? Rosales blew off the scheduled interviews with authorities to offer his side of the story, but then claims the Government will not listen to him.<br /><br />But I digress...leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-1458146614517391002009-04-24T01:07:00.001-07:002009-04-24T01:40:53.719-07:00<img src="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/054O9rqbED3al/610x.jpg" /><br /><br />One would think this Washington Post headline <i>"Auditor: 'Hundreds Of Billions' Of Bailout Could Be Lost To Fraud"</i> should have drawn some interest. Yet, I typed in" TARP" into google news right now and this story does not even come up in the top 30-40 stories. Noo bloggers are really covering it. Amazing. <br /><br />Perhaps this is because we just assume there will be fraud, or feel powerless to stop it. More likely is the media doesn;t know how to spin it into a story of good and evil. It is just sad. But what if I told you that the loss of "hundreds of billions" of taxpayer money will come from the basic way the program has been set up by Geithner and Co (not fraud) and can pretty simply be made a thousand times better. <br /><br />I actually listened to Obama's "inspector general" of the $700 Billion TARP fund on CSPAN today (Neil Barofsky) and he explained how the problem is the fundamental design of the program, whereby the buyers of "toxic assets" will inevitably be the ones who own other similar assets (big fund managers). They will be able to basically set the price of these assets higher putting our money at risk and then pawn off their current worthless assets for this higher price. We get stuck with assets worth diddly squat in the end. The game was designed for Wall Street, not the taxpayer. <br /><br />We are about to get robbed for a sickening amount of money, and are being told exactly how it is going to happen. Not one thing will likely happen to prevent it. Is this a joke? We hire a person to tell us how we are going to get screwed and we can't even get it together enough to put a condom on.leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-26393259206981169432009-04-17T19:20:00.000-07:002009-04-17T20:16:22.172-07:00Obama and Chavez's "Ghetto Handshake"<img src="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/img/041709_obamachavez.jpg"><br /><br />About an hour or two ago, I heard that Obama and Hugo Chavez shook hands. Of course, I had to find the photo. When I saw it I just KNEW that this (handshake in a room where everyone is shaking hands) will soon become a BIG right-wing rallying cry. <br /><br />It is still very early, but the first video that pops up on Youtube already (like an hour after the shake) is titled "Obama Happy To Greet Dictator Hugo Chavez With A <i>"Ghetto Handshake."</i> Within an hour on Youtube, Obama is called an "anti-Christ," "evil" and "scary". Someone calls for his forced removal from power.... for a handshake. <br /><br />Without any video to really see if Obama gave a "ghetto handshake" - or just an awkward clasp - I predict we may have another "bow" moment at hand. You've got the race element, the socialist element and the blame America element all in one glorious photo. <br /><br />Reports say Obama went across the room to greet Chavez. After shaking hands, Chavez said "I want to be your friend" and something about desiring a better relationship. Obama supposedly did not say anything - he smiled and walked away. <br /><br />Politically, Obama may suffer in the short term as the photo will ricochet across the world. People who don't know the name of the Venezuelan capital will tell us how terrible this is for our foreign policy. But, in fact, this was a genius move by Obama. To tackle Cuba and Chavez pro-actively, rather than being on the defensive for the Summit weekend, is brilliant strategy. <br /><br />All the countries in Trinidad want a new US relationship with the region. Most importantly, that means an end to the idea of intervention in the internal affairs of others. That means money and support for subversion (Cuba, Bolivia), that means support for military coups (Venezuela 2002), that means orchestrating the forced removal of a sitting President (Haiti), that means an end to using aid and drugs programs for political reasons (Ecuador and Bolivia). <br /><br />In the end, Obama will be judged by historians in this country and abroad by the result of his policies. But a sector of people will always be fooled by theatrics and symbols. We know what Obama really <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090323/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_venezuela_us">thinks</a> of Hugo Chavez (an "obstacle to progress") and what Chavez thinks of Obama ("ignorant about Latin America"). Whether meaningful change is on the way or not, and both sides are able to find a common ground, this week will be remembered for its glimmer of hope.leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-23406609980387061802009-04-13T23:24:00.000-07:002009-04-13T23:40:46.693-07:00Obama Does the Bare Minimum on Cuba<img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20090413/i/r1222226154.jpg?x=400&y=253&q=85&sig=UZDQZRyVqSITLcZA4zJNFQ--"><br /><br />You would have to be deaf, dumb and blind to not realize that Cuba has become THE issue facing Obama in Latin America, particularly in the run-up to the Summit of the Americas next week in Port of Spain, Trinidad. A <a href="http://cubantriangle.blogspot.com/2009/03/cuba-summit.html">drumbeat</a> of Latin & Carribean leaders and organizations have made clear they see Cuba as issue #1 in proving whether the US foreign policy attitude towards the region has really changed. After all the noise, there was no question Obama had to do something before the summit. <br /><br />Today's <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/us/politics/13cuba-factsheet.html?_r=1">announcement</a> of the lifting of travel and remittance restrictions for Cuban-Americans (only), as well as some other minor things, will be scoffed at by the region, who demands the wholesale normalization of relations, not only with Cuba, but also Venezuela, Bolivia and others. Many Republicans (include Richard Lugar) and even most of the well-know "Cuban dissidents" will be <a href="http://cubantriangle.blogspot.com/2009/04/travel-debate-cuban-voices.html">disappointed</a> - insisting, rightly, that the rights of US citizens to travel and buy things from somewhere should not depend on whether we like socialism or not. <br /><br />In addition to the paltry actual policy change, the attitude of the announcement will be poorly noted in the region. Obama's spokesman really went out of their way to frame this shift as part of the same old same old. The rhetorical goal is "changing Cuba" by "opening up space" between the Cuban people and Govt. They now expect Cuba to "respond meaningfully" to this minor correction of a Bush-era mean spirited anti-family policy. <br /><br />This prioritization of one class of Americans (Cuban) with full rights and the rest of us, without, needs to be condemned. So does the policy of having 2 sets of Cubans - Communist Party member and non. Did that policy work well in Iraq? I thought I might be able to send some "humanitarian" goods to my doctor friend in Havana now - but he is/was a UJC member. This Administration wants to have it both ways. <br /><br />I am glad to see that US telecom companies will be able to connect the undersea fiber optic internet cable b/w the US and Cuba. But the stuff about allowing US satellite TV to operate in Cuba seems designed to provoke and ignorant of the fact that a key issue for Cuba is the presence of US propaganda (TV Marti) that is allowed to illegally penetrate the country via Direct TV.<br /><br />"Certain telecom devices" will be allowed to be donated also. That is good - but it is too bad that the trouble of a "license exemption" will be needed. I hope that all groups wanting to donate to Cuba are treated the same. But it does not look like that is in the cards, as the prohibitions will remain on sending anything to charitable, religious or educational groups "administered or controlled by the Cuban Government." Seems as how the US can create a definition to include most of those groups that way, the vast majority of aid will still be banned. The real attempt here seems to be to create a class of organizations dependent on donations from the US. <br /><br />The "Fact Sheet" and the Briefing both included calls for Cuba to reduce the "usurious" fees Cuba charges on all dollar exchanges. How absurd. The 10% fee is for changing dollars into Cuban currency (not remittances directly) and is hardly usurious. Never-mind, that in Miami, private businesses take up to 40% of the total amount as a "processing fee" ($20 on a $50 remittance). <br /><br />And jeez, Obama needs a new spokesman. that guy is clueless. He didn't even know that Cuba is not in the OAS and won't be present at the Americas Summit.leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-18790175232777290112009-03-09T23:56:00.000-07:002009-03-10T00:35:27.962-07:00Alexei Ramirez's story pokes holes in stereotypical 'Cuban defector' tale<img src="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/12/21/eREwEvL2.jpg"><br /><br />The World Baseball Championship is upon us again. Apart from being great fun and good for baseball, we also get a front row as journalists try their hand at connecting world politics to the great game. When they try to explain the success of amateur clubs like Cuba against the titans of MLB, the results are predictably coarse. <br /><br />Typical is the NY Times slant, which takes great pains to <a href="http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/06/castro-appears-online/?hp ">assure</a> us Americans that any perceived unity, cohesion and healthy sportsmanship on the Cuban side is "forced" and "not by choice." From MSNBC we get snide jokes about Cuban defectors hiding in luggage <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29595106/">and</a> and 8th grade mockery of heartfelt quotes from Cuban players about not playing for the money. And that is the "liberal media"... <br /><br />We have to go to the (normally) right-wing Chicago <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/whitesox/1465434,CST-SPT-sox08.article">Sun Times</a> to get some semblance of truth about the pure wonder that Cuban baseball. It is the pretty boring story of how <a href="http://aviewtothesouth.blogspot.com/2008/03/alexei-ramirez-makes-white-sox-roster.html">personal fave</a> White Sox player Alexei Ramirez came to leave Cuba and how he thinks the media gets the Cuba baseball story wrong almost every time. <br /><br /><blockquote>There is an image the words ''Cuban defector'' conjure in the minds of most U.S. baseball fans, but Ramirez is here to change that.<br /><br /><b>''There are a lot of misperceptions,''</b> he explained through interpreter Lou Hernandez. ''There is no pressure to play [in Cuba]; there are no guns pointed at you. There is just pure love of wanting to play the game by Cuban baseball players.<br /><br />''The difference between Cuban ballplayers and players from the United States [is] players here play because that's their job. Cuban ballplayers play because of the encouragement from the province they're from, the town they're from, the region they're from. There is a sincere pride and passion for playing for your province. But no pressure.''<br /><br />The story of former Sox right-hander Orlando ''El Duque'' Hernandez risking his life by escaping on a raft in 1997 captured headlines in the United States. That story has been disputed over time (YEAH BC IT IS A LIE), but that didn't change the fact that, to many Americans, he risked his safety and the safety of his family that remained in Cuba to chase a dream to be a major-leaguer.<br /><br />Ramirez had dreams, too -- to play for the Cuban national team. Standout Cuban players earn a level of recognition in their country that Derek Jeter and David Wright never could imagine. To the young Cuban player, baseball is still pure sport. It's untainted by cash bonuses, and the pride Cuban players feel by playing for their country doesn't have a price tag on it.<br /><br />''My dream was to always play for the Cuban national team, and I achieved that dream,'' Ramirez said. ''Then the Olympic Games, and I achieved that. That was a dream of mine, too. Then to play in the World Baseball Classic with the Cuban national team. Again, another great experience.''<br /><br />During that time, Ramirez married Mildred, a woman from the Dominican Republic. When she finished school, she wanted to return to the Dominican. Ramirez simply went with her and their two children at the time.<br /><br />No manhunt, no shark-infested waters. That was his ''defection.''..<br /></blockquote>leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574722.post-68827362548199413022009-02-27T00:54:00.000-08:002009-02-27T01:11:34.375-08:00Argentina Responds to CIA's Economic Lies<img src="http://d.yimg.com/img.news.yahoo.com/util/anysize/345,http%3A%2F%2Fd.yimg.com%2Fa%2Fp%2Fap%2F20090225%2Fcapt.634bd47150ed4261b116f739567bfa6d.panetta_cia_vasa108.jpg?v=2"><br /><br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/25/AR2009022503389.html">Washington Post</a>:<br /><blockquote>The first Economic Intelligence Briefing report was presented to the White House yesterday by the CIA, the agency's new director, Leon Panetta, revealed at a news conference. The addition of economic news to the daily roundup of terrorist attacks and surveillance reports appears to reflect a growing belief among intelligence officials that the economic meltdown is now preeminent among security threats facing the United States....<br /><br />...The spy agency is following worrisome trends in many corners of the globe, from East Asia to Latin America. In private meetings yesterday, Latin American intelligence officials warned their U.S. counterparts of a crisis spreading throughout the hemisphere, particularly in Argentina, Ecuador and Venezuela, Panetta said.</blockquote><br />This is unacceptable. Given the US' primary role in creating this crisis and the incompetence we see here, the CIA ought to leave economics alone. We know the CIA's job in the region is to discredit the dominant left-wing tide, but they are supposed to be more covert than allowing their Director to spew in front of reporters. Argentina, Venezuela and Ecuador are rightly pissed. Argentina has taken the lead in responding.<br /><blockquote>(Argentina's) Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana called the comments made on Wednesday by CIA Director Leon Panetta "unfounded and irresponsible, especially from an agency that has a sad history of meddling in the affairs of countries in the region."</blockquote><br />The US Ambassador to Argentina unfortunately has responded by <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN2628874820090226">insulting</a> everyone's intelligence insisting we all simply misinterpreted what we know we heard very plainly. We heard very serious lies and defamations - product of the same Imperialist wishful thinking that infects the media and our host. <br /><br />We can see the fallacy by looking at one of the most easily comparable and important economic <a href="http://www.economy.com/dismal/">metrics</a> - industrial production. Only one major country in LA registered growth in January - Venezuela (at 2.4%). On the opposite end, Brazil went through the floor (-12.4%). Colombia followed with a 9.6% decline. Mexico has dropped for 8 months and fell 6.7% in January. Their GDP is already in the red and they are burning billions of dollars to <a href_"http://www.reuters.com/article/usDollarRpt/idUSN2440344920090224">prop</a> up the peso.... <a href-"http://www.newropeans-magazine.org/content/view/8937/1/">here</a> is a realistic regional economic portrait.leftsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00676827005815770066noreply@blogger.com2