Saturday, August 14, 2004

Venezuela and the Bush world order

While looking up another article by economist James Galbraith, I came across this one from late 2002, which I believe I've mentioned here before.  But it's worth quoting a couple of paragraphs again in light of the referendum in Venezuela this weekend: Lötterdämmerung American Prospect 12/07/02.

Meanwhile, Bush may be losing on another front. It appears that Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez is holding out in a tense struggle over the fate and future of democracy in that country. Chavez is bitterly opposed by Venezuela's upper crust, just as he is strongly supported by the poor. But as I write, the oil lockout has been at least partly broken; tankers have filled and sailed for the United States. The military has remained loyal, shops are open, subways are running and (mostly) peaceful crowds have gathered around the pro-coup commercial television stations. Perhaps most importantly, a sniper (like the provocateur most likely responsible for three killings at an anti-government rally last week) has not yet found President Chavez's range.

Clearly the United States is involved. A Uruguayan politician blew the whistle on a request for help from the administration in support of a coup. In a desperate move, Bush issued a public statement on Dec. 13 calling for early elections. But why? Unlike Bush himself, Chavez was elected. There is no reason for him to step down other than the intransigent opposition of the Venezuelan upper classes. The "rebellion of the spoiled brats," they are calling it. Canada quickly distanced itself from Bush's statement.

In that article, Galbraith recommends the Web site Narco News Bulletin.  That site has an article by Greg Palast, Venezuela Floridated: Will the Gang That Fixed Florida Fix the Vote in Caracas this Sunday? 08/10/04, which is also available at his Web site.  Palast thinks our Republicans are up to some familiar tricks.  (His article doesn't mention that the Republicans ousted an elected Democratic governor and took over the California governorship by means of a referendum just last year.)

Some months ago, a little birdie faxed to me what appeared to be confidential pages from a contract between John Ashcroft's Justice Department and a company called ChoicePoint, Inc., of Atlanta. The deal is part of the War on Terror.

Justice offered up to $67 million, of our taxpayer money, to ChoicePoint in a no-bid deal, for computer profiles with private information on every citizen of half a dozen nations. The choice of which nation's citizens to spy on caught my eye. While the September 11th highjackers came from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon and the Arab Emirates, ChoicePoint's menu offered records on Venezuelans, Brazilians, Nicaraguans, Mexicans and Argentines. How odd. Had the CIA uncovered a Latin plot to sneak suicide tango dancers across the border with exploding enchiladas?

What do these nations have in common besides a lack of involvement in the September 11th attacks? Coincidentally, each is in the throes of major electoral contests in which the leading candidates -- presidents Lula Ignacio da Silva of Brazil, Nestor Kirschner of Argentina, Mexico City mayor Andres Lopez Obrador and Venezuela's Chavez -- have the nerve to challenge the globalization demands of George W. Bush.

The last time ChoicePoint sold voter files to our government it was to help Governor Jeb Bush locate and purge felons on Florida voter rolls. Turns out ChoicePoint's felons were merely Democrats guilty only of V.W.B., Voting While Black. That little 'error' cost Al Gore the White House.

Those wacky Republicans.  You have to watch them all the time.

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