Urge to drop democracy grows in Latin America

[dArKeR]

NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE , Ilave, Peru

On a morning in April, people in this normally placid spot in Peru's southeastern highlands burst into a Town Council meeting, grabbed their mayor, dragged him through the streets and lynched him. The killers, convinced the mayor was on the take and angry that he had neglected pledges to pave a highway and build a market for vendors, also badly beat four councilmen.

The beating death of the mayor may seem like an isolated incident in an isolated Peruvian town but it is in fact a specter haunting elected officials across Latin America. A kind of toxic impatience with democratic process has seeped into the region's political discourse, even a thirst for mob rule that has put leaders on notice.

In the last few years, six elected heads of state have been ousted in the face of violent unrest, something nearly unheard of in the previous decade. A widely noted UN survey of 19,000 Latin Americans in 18 countries in April produced a startling result: A majority would choose a dictator over an elected leader if that provided economic benefits.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2004/06/28/2003176910

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http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/photo/2004/06/28/2003138769

I'm going to take the time to pat myselft on the back. So many of the ideas I developed years ago, and posted on the DU, eventually come to reality. If I have a source I post it. If it's my opinion and feeling I say it. All of this became so obvious to me when I started traveling the world 14 years ago. These people have absolutely NO CHOICE to vote for a candidate. It's either Candidate A, controlled by Exxon or Candidate B, controlled by the CIA or Candidate C, controlled by local Cronies. Nothing has improved in S.America for the 99.99% of the common citizens in 60 years. Their is NO DIFFERENCE between Communism, Socialism, Democracy, Nazism, Fascism... in these countries. All one needs to do is go there and live for 1 month to see the truth. So WHY have NO AMERICAN JOURNALIST told you this?

[fabius]

1. I believe you are right.

Given these choices, what's to make democracy attractive?

"It's either Candidate A, controlled by Exxon or Candidate B, controlled by the CIA or Candidate C, controlled by local Cronies."

I fear this is like the so-called "democracy" we're trying to institute in Iraq. Go ahead and vote, but meanwhile we'll steal your resources, and open up your economy to "foreign investment". What a deal. You can vote and work for slave labor wages.

Why don't the American press cover this? The mainstream press are owned by the corporations. They have no interest in showing American corporations as manipulating foreign countries. You have to go the foreign or to the underground & alternative press to get the picture.

Websites such as www.thirdworldtraveler.com, www.gregpalast.com, or www.bigleftoutside.com, have some different views on Latin American issues.

New York Times usually doesn't rock the boat.

[AP]

2. It's not democracy these people are unhappy with. It's a lack of democracy

An election with no real choice (where the oligopoly limits the chocie) is not a real election.

[bemildred]

3. Yeah, real democracy == "mob rule" to this writer.

"My god! They, they, they actually want to run things,
to benefit themselves! And they don't care about our bullshit
political labels. It's Communist, I tell you Communist ..."

[Crachet2004]

4. Pretty much the same system we have in THIS country...

Which is how we wind up with two prowar candidates from the major parties, when the whole world knows Iraq is perhaps the most unjustified war we have ever engaged in. A bona-fide antiwar candidate from a major party in this country, could have ridden recent events in Iraq and ongoing revelations about the current administration to a twenty point lead by now; but Kerry has remained essentially silent, and is sort of just drizzling along. Kind of makes you wonder.

I am voting for Kerry, but he had better change his tune once elected, or he can be a one-termer too. By the time of the election this fall, the ongoing war in Iraq is going to be EXTREMELY unpopular. And all John Kerry would have had to say to explain his vote for the war, was that Bush lied to Congress about Saddam's capability vis a vis WMD. By the time of the election, everyone is going to KNOW what a liar Bush is. An antiwar candidate could have a landslide. Nader of course, is just a spoiler...saying all the right things, knowing he won't have to deliver.

Our idea of spreading democracy and free markets REALLY means, let our corporations in to your country with the freedom to buy everything from your land and resources (at pennies on the dollar), to your politicians, and elections. Oh, and we may want to occupy you militarily, too, to protect our interests and your 'democracy'.

No wonder the World is becoming a little cynical about America.

[Zorro]

5. The problem is corruption of public offices

It's endemic throughout Latin America, and is a consequence of their histories.

In a nutshell -- when Spain established their sovereignty, they set up government offices with little means of funding the salaries for the officeholders; thus these government officials were susceptible to bribery to administer their authority. Over the centuries this has become institutionalized, and "the mordida" is recognized as expected supplements to official salaries.

[lostnfound]

8. Perhaps it's "endemic" mainly because the US gov't topples 'populists'

And until they are toppled, we get to read page after page of slander campaigns against them.

It's no accident that Latin America has so many corrupt leaders. It's artificial selection.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. Yup.

"It's either Candidate A, controlled by Exxon or Candidate B, controlled by the CIA or Candidate C, controlled by local Cronies."


Sadly, it doesn't have to be this way in either of the Americas.

:hurts:

[TahitiNut]

7. Yup. Pepsi v. Coke.

And the best the sheeple can imagine doing is complaining if they're not given "fair and balanced" shelf space.