Another put-down for Hillary, this time from Ecuador's Correa

[rabs]

Correa has instructed his foreign minister to compile a report of human rights violations in the United States. :rofl:

This is in response to the report issued by Hil's State Department this week in which alleged violations were listed in a slew of countries, except the United States, of course.

The U.S. report nitpicked on rights in Ecuador, accusing police of "excessive" actions, saying jails were in a "precarious" state, of government "confrontation" with opposition private media and "discrimination" against women, Indians and blacks.

In his regular Saturday speech to the nation, Correa said, "Okay, I am going to do a report (about) how in the United States human rights are not respected. There, torture has been legalized. Or have they forgotten that? There are five Cuban prisoners without the right to receive their families." (The Cuban Five)

"I am going to ask our foreign minister (Ricardo Patiño) to compile a report about human rights in the United States."

Correa said if the "U.S. press published a tenth part of the distortions that are published here, there would be tremendous lawsuits where millions of dollars would have to be paid."

----------------------

From El Universo newspaper in Guayaquil

http://www.eluniverso.com/2010/03/13/1/1355/correa-contempla-posibilidad-hacer-informe-sobre-ddhh-eeuu.html?p=1354&m=638

[EFerrari]

1. Greg Palast's "Rumble in the Jungle" is just starting on LinkTV.

It's his expose of Rafa v. Big Oil. :hi:

[Downwinder]

2. I look forward to the report. Hopefully it will also be published in English. n/t

[flamingdem]

11. I'm sure it will be translated, we need the info! nt

[Wilms]

3. I hope they do a section of the report on election fraud and spying on citizens. n/t

[bleever]

4. Hillary is used to working uphill.

The Bush years are irons on her legs as she seeks to regain the frontrunner status, for the U.S., as the champion of human rights worldwide.

The total drag of those years, on the the ability of America to lead the world towards greater individual freedom and self-determination, is yet to be determined.

[troubledamerican]

5. The report had to have been approved by Hillary's own... No "Bush leg-irons" involved.

Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama ain't got jack shit to say about Ecuador or any other county's human rights until Bagram is opened & Guantanamo is opened & CIA Ghost Ships & CIA Ghost Prisons & CIA Ghost Detainees are all 'fessed-up. And those Bush officials & CIA officials & NSA officials & CONGRESSIONAL leaders who were in-the-know are all PROSECUTED UNDER U.S. LAW.

Until then, HRC can STFU.

[protocol rv]

6. LOL

Well, everybody knows the US violates human rights all the time. But Correa sure has spunk, Ecuador's economy isn't doing too well, why make enemies now?

[Judi Lynn]

7. He's an image of the new leaders as Hillary's kind fades into the sunset.

It's going to take more than bluster, intimidation, and force to move the world out of the right-wing Dark Ages.

The world of sane and capable people support people who see the greater picture, and work for a BETTER, not more militarized world.

[protocol rv]

8. Sure, but Correa's on thin ice

He has managed to run the economy down just like Chavez has. But Chavez has a little bit more staying power.

I wouldn't trade Correa's future for a lame mule, because Ecuador is looking mighty fragile indeed. And the US won't have to do anything about it. All they'll have to do is deny him help when he comes begging for it.

Remember, Hugo's money bags used to be very full indeed, but they are nearly empty now, Venezuela's borrowing money like there's no tomorrow, Venezuelan bonds are not investment grade anymore, and oil production is going lower as the country faces huge capital outflows and high inflation - it's a total mess standing on wobbly feet.

[Judi Lynn]

9. Why would you imagine US Americans would come unglued over your charges

Venezuela is borrowing a lot of money, anyway?

We're far PAST that predicament. We're WILDLY in debt, having been bankrupted by our right-wing scum under the stolen Presidency usurped by _{George W. Bush} so he could start up TWO wars and hand out the loot to his filthy military industrial/energy fellow whores and murderers.

http://www.makethemaccountable.com.nyud.net:8090/podvin/images/BushMean021001.jpg

http://www.theonion.com.nyud.net:8090/content/files/images/Dick-Cheney-C.jpg http://www.sott.net.nyud.net:8090/image/image/s1/21576/full/impeach_cheney.jpg

[Bacchus39]

10. I think he is expressing concern for his own country's difficulties

lots of US Americans here on DU become unglued when there is criticism of Chavez. expressing their anti-US sentiment vicariously through Chavez I suppose.

[protocol rv]

12. But the US is the US, and Venezuela is Venezuela

Indeed, the Bush regime did a lot to weaken the empire. I don't think Americans realize the Bush/Cheney/Rice/Rumsfeld group did more to damage the US than Osama bin Laden ever could. They're truly amazing, not only were they incredibly stupid, corrupt, and downright evil, they got away with it for two terms.

However, the US debt isn't really comparable to Venezuela's, and this is reflected in their bond ratings. I know some readers think I'm a bit obsessed with the bond rating issue, but this is a key indicator, which reflects the opinion of cold blooded professionals who are completely politics-free when it comes to making money. Thus a bond rating provides a lot of information regarding the way a country's economy is headed - as expected by pros who analyze the fundamentals. And while US bonds are now at risk to drop below their gold-plated rating (AAA), Venezuelan bonds are below investment grade.

I should also point out, my disappointment with the current state of the economy in Venezuela factors in what could have been, rather than what was. It's clear to anybody who knows even a little bit that previous regimes were corrupt and poorly managed.

However, the current regime, which started out quite well, has gradually begun to turn radically towards communism, in a very haphazard and ill-planned fashion. They have also performed poorly in key areas, for example holding the exchange rate constant for a long time while inflation raged. This is well known to be a recipe for disaster - it has been tried by many countries, and it has always failed.

Another serious mistake has been to hold the price of gasoline at a ridiculous price. Consider this: Who uses the most gasoline per km driven? The rich guy with a hummer, of course. Thus, the low price of gasoline is very regressive, it subsidizes the rich. I've done calculations showing that the current gasoline and diesel subsidy is about $1 US billion (10^9) per month. This would be sufficient to implement a world class health care and criminal justice/police system, plus create a public transportation subsidy (meaning those who use public transport would not suffer).

Why don't we do this? Because the government is full of people who lack the common sense and the testicles to do what has to be done to truly fix things. They could at least start with an educational campaign showing how the high gasoline prices are irrational, and also show how the high per capita consumption leads to pollution - which by the way has been terrible in the last month.

And of course, there's the other matter, that these guys spend all the time talking about this refinery they'll build, or some investment they want to make in a country 24,000 km away, when they could use the investment here.

[DutchLiberal]

13. Will it include the US president's power to order any citizen killed without a trial?

I read it on DU: the president has the power (started with Bush, of course) to declare anybody on the face of the earth, including US citizens, to be " enemy combatants" and order to have those individuals executed.

This is fascist.

I'm not saying Obama himself *is* a fascist. But the fact that he has those powers, *is* fascist.

[protocol rv]

14. I agree

I'm not a US lawyer, but it seems the US right wing has gone completely unhinged. They are as close to a nazi as I can imagine. Listening to one of those "US conservatives" is like listening to the devil, as far as I am concerned, but I do it and read their material to understand what "the enemy" is doing. And they do have very flexible morals. To them, the US Constitution and legal system are easy to bend. Thus they justify torture, and other human rights abuses.

If you want to have a dose of sick talk, and throw up a bit, listen to this:

http://radiotime.com/program/p_20626/The_Savage_Nation.aspx