Leftist seems poised to win Bolivian presidential poll

[no1important]

Leftist seems poised to win Bolivian presidential poll

A teaser:

A leftist candidate appears set to win an election and become Bolivia's first indigenous president, after his main rival conceded defeat amid reports that he was trailing far behind.

Evo Morales, a former coca farmer and union leader, has raised hackles in Washington with promises to fully legalize coca leaf production and nationalize the country's oil and gas industry.

Morales, an Aymara Indian, has raised U.S. hackles with his pledge to fully legalize the production of coca.

Coca has traditionally been used by the country's indigenous population, including as tea.

However, it's also used to make cocaine and Bolivia is the third biggest producer of the drug, after Colombia and Peru.

Morales has never said he plans to legalize cocaine, but that hasn't reassured U.S. politicians who regard him as an enemy in their anti-drug campaign.

He's also antagonized Washington by flouting ties to Venezuela's outspoken leftist President Hugo Chavez and Cuba's Fidel Castro.

"If [the U.S.] wants relations, welcome," said Morales, who waved a coca branch as he went to vote on Sunday. "But no to a relationship of submission." [/teaser]

Well I guess "W" has another South American thorn in his side now.

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: Leftist seems poised

Excellent. The Bolivarian revolution spreads.

 

[Durgan]

The world is slowly changing. For the better or worse remains to be seen. Well intentioned rhetoric often only creates a new set of masters with no real change or improvement for those needing.

Democracy is a hell of a problem when the poor, the left, the disadvantaged, the peasant, the lower classes, the lower beings wake up, and want to sup at the trough of plenty, or at least being offered an invitation now and then. One man, one vote can upset the status quo.

It is difficult to find a name to define these lower beings, communism used to be all encompassing Now the best we can come up with is the left.

The usual procedure use to be to slapping little red hat on a dissenter and call him a communist. Communist is a term that no longer applies. It has lost its meaning.

Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, who is next? I can think of many S.A. countries that need the same kind of shake-up.

Unfortunately in the past, revolutions have never or seldom improved the lot of the "peasant." But WE can hope.
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Drugs are a consumer problem clear and simple. Supply and demand. Remove the demand and the supply will wither. The white middle class in the USA have an insatiable demand for drugs. One only has to look at the movies to see the glorification of sniffing cocaine amongst other illegal substances. Again, remove the demand and the supply with disappear.

In Canada our governments in all their wisdom spend 5 billion a year to enforce drug laws, and the total usage is only 7 billion. I suggest this is a poor investment. Five billion investment for a return of 7 billion? Not a logical policy. Is there another way?

Durgan.

 

[jimmoyer]

Durgan's thoughts on democracy, socialism, poverty
and Bolivia might prompt some more
thinking about what really is happening now.


The irony of world free trade is that business
is moving jobs overseas because of cheaper labor
and all those who decry how little we help the
3rd world, this is actually encouraging more
investment and money going to the 3rd world than
any foreign aid can hope to achieve.

This movement of investment and capital overseas
has hurt the entitlement programs and job pay
in most First World Western Democracies.

Textiles is an industry that is a great example.
This industry always moves to the countries with
the cheapest labor rates. And as each country
graduates past the sweat shop and builds its
aggregate wealth, the textile industry moves again.

So when you talk foreign aid or
government subsidy ---- all of these are attempts
on a miniscule scale compared to world free trade.

They can only be adjuncts, targeting certain
needed areas, but it will be world free trade that
accomplishes the most IMPACT.

Communism found this out. Leftist super socialism
finds this out, although leftist socialism is the
ultimate popular vote getter, but with the least
understanding, and with the least chance for a
successful revolution.

Vive la Bolivia !!!
May the wishes of the revolution succeed, and
if not, wiser thinking about a combination of
socialism and capitalism should prevail.

It is China and India that is showing
a dynamo to the world.

 

[neocon-hunter]

RE: Leftist seems poised

I see socialists are leading in Chile as well.

Chile: Bachelet Leads Second Electoral Round

Santiago de Chile, Dec 19 (Prensa Latina) Government candidate Michelle Bachelet has a five-point lead over right-wing opposition businessman Sebastian Piñera in the campaign for the second electoral round in Chile, according to the latest poll.


*** well yet another left wing government poised to be in power in South America. I guess it is the Chavez influence, maybe?***

 

[jimmoyer]

I only hope America will leave these people alone
to find out if their way works any better.

America must believe in the power of good ideas.

And if it disagrees, it must restrain itself to let
others find out if their way really achieves the lofty
goals they claim to seek.

We could have had a great ally in Ho Chi Minh
and perhaps Vietnam would be an economic dynamo
today.

We should seek to make friends, offer assistance
instead of freaking out.

 

[Reverend Blair]

We could have had a great ally in Ho Chi Minh

You had an ally in Ho Chi Minh...you supplied him with guns and stuff during WWII. You blew that all to hell because of some nonsensical fear of dominoes.

I see socialists are leading in Chile as well.

Chile: Bachelet Leads Second Electoral Round

Santiago de Chile, Dec 19 (Prensa Latina) Government candidate Michelle Bachelet has a five-point lead over right-wing opposition businessman Sebastian Piñera in the campaign for the second electoral round in Chile, according to the latest poll.


*** well yet another left wing government poised to be in power in South America. I guess it is the Chavez influence, maybe?***

The Chavez influence certainly has a lot to do with it. Much of it is backlash against the the neo-liberal governments that have been in place and their neo-conservative puppet masters in the US. Chavez has demostrated that there is another way and it can be made to work.

 

[no1important]

RE: Leftist seems poised

Rev, do you see down the road that a South American union could eventually be as "powerful" or more "influential" economically and even socially as the EU, since they seem to have a fair bit of oil in the area and that they seem to be switching to the left politically and saying up yours to continuing being "puppets" of the US administration?

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: Leftist seems poised

I think that will come as American influence declines around the globe, No1. It isn't just the oil, either. These countries have the natural resources to be wealthy, but they also have the technological know-how and a decent manufacturing base.

What's been holding them back for all of this time has been imperialism, plain and simple. First it was the Spanish, then a few other Eurpean powers, then the US. Foreign powers have all been taking a piece of the pie and leaving nothing for the South Americans but the plate. That's changing now.

 

[jimmoyer]

I do hope American policy stops bungling in
South America. Leave them alone. Start with
a public apology to the people and the leaders.
And offer assistance in small ways, if wanted.

I think a new majority is forming in America,
tired of the inevitable failure of clandestine operations.

And a lot of CIA people do live in my area,
and they are generally more liberal and analytical
rather than ideological. But normally the political
leaders come and go whipping that bureaucracy this
way or that way according to the current passion.

And they're generally disgusted by the top-down
approach. Rare is the leader who doesn't chill the
room and let everyone know what he WANTS TO HEAR.