Reply #1: Cooperative projects like this are going to have profound implications for [View All]

[Peace Patriot]

South America and for us. They would not be possible except for the Bolivarian Revolution, started in Venezuela and now spreading far and wide--with Bolivarian leftists (majorityists) elected in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and Argentina, and allied leftists elected in Brazil, Uruguay and Nicaragua, and to some extent Chile--and a leftist likely to be elected this year in Paraguay (Fernando Lugo, the "bishop of the poor"). The Bolivarians have goals of Latin American self-determination, regional cooperation and social justice. What is fascinating about the current project is Colombia's participation. Colombia is a Bush Cartel client state--recipient of billions of dollars in military "war on drugs" money (our tax dollars), and one of the few South American countries still playing the "free trade" game (global corporate predation). The Uribe government has been hit with a huge scandal involving its very close ties to rightwing paramilitary death squads, who have been killing peasant farmers, union organizers and political leftists, and engaging in drug trafficking. They also hatched a plot to assassinate Hugo Chavez and other leftist leaders, destabilize their countries and re-install rightwing dictatorships. Colombia is not a country that I would expect to be cooperating with Venezuela and Ecuador (Bolivarian countries). Credit is probably due to Hugo Chavez and his diplomatic efforts. He seems to have pulled Uribe away from the Bushites and the rightwing paramilitaries (who are no doubt in league with the Bush-CIA). Uribe has tried to distance himself from the plot to assassinate Chavez. Chavez has struck up a friendship with Uribe--possibly (my guess) on the basis of "Latin America for Latin Americans" (i.e., Bushites out; end U.S. interference). Uribe has asked Chavez to negotiate a hostage release with leftist guerrillas in Colombia, and possibly a peace treaty.

This must be killing the Bushites, who have tried every trick in the book to "divide and conquer" in Latin America, and have been spectacularly unsuccessful in South America, and even, to some extent, in the more Bush-friendly central American countries like Mexico (its current leadership). When Bush visited Mexico last March, I was astounded to hear the rightwing president, Felipe Calderon, publicly lecturing Bush on the sovereignty of Latin American countries, and mentioning Venezuela as an example!

Cooperative projects like this gas pipeline might affect us in several ways. One could be negative--if the global corporate predators who rule over us lose their easy exploitation of South American resources and labor--which they are, in fact, losing--they may well take it out of our hides, and probably already are doing so. As the South Americans free themselves from World Bank/IMF slavery, where are these global corporate predator financiers going to get their ungodly profits? Are we seeing the impact already in credit card usury? As the South Americans force global predator oil corporations to pay more into the public sector in South America, for extracting oil, where will THEY seek their ungodly profits? They will squeeze us more. Ultimately, the Bolivarians want a South American "Common Market" and common currency (to get off the increasingly worthless U.S. dollar). It will become a "fair trade" world for them. What will it be for us?

Well, as long as we are ruled by these global corporate predators, we are going to be the losers. South America is developing a vital and forward-looking, and very democratic, political culture--while our political culture is sick unto death with corruption and misrule. They are aiming at social justice and vibrant trade--a wise and practical combination of socialism and capitalism. What are we aiming at?