What on earth is going on in Bolivia?!!!!!

[Tinoire]

MELTDOWN IN BOLIVIA

10/17/03 Tens of Thousands March in Bolivia as Crisis Deepens

10/17/03 Bolivian president formally resigns

10/17/03 Bolivian cabinet resigns

10/17/03 Bolivia vice-president takes power after president resigns following protests

10/17/03 Why is the U.S. threatening Bolivia?

10/17/03 Bolivia: Oil And Gas Fields Seized

10/17/03 Bolivian army fights to keep protesters at bay The month long revolt against his U.S.-backed policies have left at least 53 people dead, not including the miners, whose deaths have not been confirmed by authorities. The government in South America's poorest nation, where six out of 10 people live on less than $2 a day, is under attack for a host of grievances ranging from its U.S.-led eradication of coca to a plan to export natural gas to the United States.

10/17/03 Hercules plane airlifts Israelis from Bolivia ((Excellent article about what's taking place))

Analysis: History repeats itself. Another US puppet regime has oppressed its people past the breaking point. What happened in Cuba and in Iran is happening now in Bolivia. And, with Bolivia's oil and gas effectively out of reach to the US, and the CIA still unable to topple Hugo Chavez and bring Venezuela's into US control, the US now finds itself even more dependent on Middle East oil, far beyond what it is able to take out of Iraq.

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/

[toddzilla]

1. it's called democracy..

eventually every country figures out that the gov't is there to screw everyone but the wealthy.. hopefully it will happen here too soon.

[Tinoire]

2. That would only do my heart joy!

Power to the people I say.

I am tired of these corporations and their nifty immoral little projects like NAFTA, GATT, WTO, globalization, water privatization, GMOS, elimination of workers rights... oh the list is long!

Power to the people of Bolivia! Power to the people of America! (well, if we would only waken from our slumber)

[AP]

8. Bush is untiting not dividing South America!

Bush is going to oversee a liberal revolution sweeping South America.

What do we have so far: Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia.

I think I'm missing a couple.

Who's next? Chile? Columbia?

[Fish Eye]

11. HAHAHAHAHA

sorry but the USA was killed a long time ago... the natives did not fight the slaves did not fight we don't fight I think there is something in this land that turns people into slavish morons who will NEVER fight for their rights.. It is pretty sad....at least some one is fighting back in this world..

best quote to sum it up....

From Bolivia:

"Globalization is just another name for submission and domination," Nicanor Apaza, 46, an unemployed miner. "We've had to live with that here for 500 years, and now we want to be our own masters."

The sheep of the US have been trapped by the capitalist masters and have willingly become slaves for the system. Sheep do not and can not fight back ..sheep are herded around and then they are slaughtered.

[Aidoneus]

3. it seems that the people have won the first round

How the ruling oligarchy tries to salvage their position should be interesting, if it is salvaged. The US-backed military may yet continue carrying out massacres to try and suppress the popular uprising, but seeing how really massive the forces at work are I doubt force alone can do it. Instead, the new ruling state will try to buy the crowd off with promises it of course does not intend to keep, but hopefully the people will see through this formulaic charade and that the leaders of the movements do not betray them for concessions.

[Don_G]

4. At The Insistance Of The US Government

Bolivia, a third-world country, chose a free-market model to base their economy on at the insistance of the US.

Well, it dosen't work when the people are too poor to have a pot to piss in and it won't work in the US later if the people are too poor to have a pot to piss in.

Simply stated, what do "YOU" have when you can look forward to nothing?

That's the first thing Hitler realized in his bid for power and that's the first thing ShrubCo forgot in his quest; hope for the average "Joe."

You want a rallying point for 2004---that's it!

Seig Rush/Heil Bush, Fuel An Expedition...87 Billion Dollars and Counting, Was Clinton A Threat To Peace And Prosperity?

I'm only tossing out a few ideas after imbibing a 12-Pack.

[ozymandius]

10. Fantastic line: "what do "YOU" have when you can look forward to nothing?"

Is that yours? Sounds like a great rallying call to me for the purpose of steering people against Bush*.

[Aidoneus]

5. another interesting piece,

Bush administration backs massacres in Bolivia--among a great deal of other pieces of information, it reports from Pulso that in fact the US military attache is directing the military to respond with the repressions and massacres, with logistical support and directly overseeing deployments and tactics.

Digusting and no surprise, hopefully these creeps fail to repress this and something decent changes there.

[Zorra]

6. Viva la gente!

I hope the whole world throws off the yoke of corporate domination, and re-establish democratic governments. Including, and especially, the US.

[proud patriot]

7. Holy Cow

I've been away today ....I got some reading to do.

[DuctapeFatwa]

9. The regime is sending troops to prevent an outbreak of democracy

And assess further immediate military needs in order to protect US financial interests

[Fish Eye]

12. I truly hope

that our "military advisors" are treated with the respect they deserve...flown home in body bags.

[DoYouEverWonder]

13. You shouldn't wish that

on anyone. Just going home would be enough.

[Fish Eye]

14. maybe wish was the wrong word..

justice would be brought to balance if those military advisors were flown home in body bags...

to be honest pacifists are just as guilty as those who perpetrate crimes...pacifism only brings pain and injustice what if the jews had fough tback? what if the native americans had fought back...what if the slaves (all slaves) had fought back????

Pacifism is a selfish act, a sin (IMHO), if you are not willing to kill for your defence or the defence of justice then you are part of the problem...


not all killing is murder.

[DoYouEverWonder]

20. My comments to you

had nothing to do with being a pacifist.

It had to do with the fact that posting such nonsense in public forums can get yourself and the owners of this site into trouble. If you wish to continue to defend the idea killing of Americans either here or abroad, no matter who they happen to work for, then I will have to alert the mods to remove your posts.

[jmcgowanjm]

19. And look who's taking it upon themselves-not the State Dept!

Southern Command, responsible for U.S. troops
in Central and South America, decided to send
the team despite the lack of a request from either
the State Department or the Bolivian government,
Costello said.
       “It’s not something we’ve been directed to do,”
he said Friday. “The commanders, as they
monitored developments, thought it was a prudent
thing to do to look at the situation.”

http://www.msnbc.com/news/981797.asp?0cv=CB10

Look to see where Morales goes.
http://www.socialistworker.org/2002-2/415/415_05_Bolivia.shtml

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

15. The A-B-C of Popular Revolt Or, How They Got Rid of a Tyrant in Bolivia

from Narco News:

http://www.narconews.com/Issue31/article885.html

who've been covering this extensively in their final days:

http://www.narconews.com/

& for a blogger following all this:

http://www.bigleftoutside.com/

[newyorkdork]

16. wouldn't it be wonderful

if drugs were decriminalized and the economies and governments of SA countries wouldnd't be warped out for the money you can get graowing drugs?

[newyawker99]

17. Hi newyorkdork!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[jmcgowanjm]

18. And Miami gets another Butcher

Poor Florida. So far from God. So invaded by oligarchs.
I love Al Giordano.

[tlcandie]

21. Great speech given in Bolivia by Arundhati Roy ..

Must read...she's from India..it is titled, 'Confronting Empire'

http://www.arundhatiroy.org.uk/

<snip>
What can we do?

We can hone our memory, we can learn from our history. We can continue to build public opinion until it becomes a deafening roar.

We can turn the war on Iraq into a fishbowl of the U.S. government's excesses.

We can expose George Bush and Tony Blair - and their allies - for the cowardly baby killers, water poisoners, and pusillanimous long-distance bombers that they are.

We can re-invent civil disobedience in a million different ways. In other words, we can come up with a million ways of becoming a collective pain in the ass.

When George Bush says "you're either with us, or you are with the terrorists" we can say "No thank you." We can let him know that the people of the world do not need to choose between a Malevolent Mickey Mouse and the Mad Mullahs.

Our strategy should be not only to confront empire, but to lay siege to it. To deprive it of oxygen. To shame it. To mock it. With our art, our music, our literature, our stubbornness, our joy, our brilliance, our sheer relentlessness - and our ability to tell our own stories. Stories that are different from the ones we're being brainwashed to believe.

The corporate revolution will collapse if we refuse to buy what they are selling - their ideas, their version of history, their wars, their weapons, their notion of inevitability.

Remember this: We be many and they be few. They need us more than we need them.

Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.
<snip>

Another link with more about her writings and book...

http://aroy.miena.com/

[BrotherBuzz]

22. Surprise! A California connection

California energy: Bloody chaos over California gas deal

By Jim Shultz -- Special to The Bee - (Published October 19, 2003)

<snip>

COCHABAMBA, Bolivia -- California is one of the largest energy users in the world. Providing that market with energy into the future is a corporate enterprise worth many billions of dollars. An energy consortium named Pacific LNG hopes to do just that, by tapping into an energy source halfway around the world -- enormous natural gas reserves in Bolivia.

However, since mid-September, widespread protests in Bolivia opposing the gas deal have left more than 27 people dead and scores of others wounded. The president was forced to resign Friday. Once again a corporation with key ties to California finds itself the catalyst of a civic uprising, seeking the benefits of a deal that had been backed by guns, soldiers and tear gas.

<snip>

Herein lies the lesson for Pacific LNG as it seeks a deal to tap Bolivia's gas supplies for California. Gone are the days of the "banana republic" when Latin American governments could protect unpopular investment deals with military force. However clear the words may be on paper, an agreement with the Bolivian government on gas won't mean very much if it continues to face widespread public opposition.

<snip>

Bolivia is sitting on enough natural gas to supply California with all it could want for decades, and still make barely a dent in what would be left for Bolivia's own use in the future. California first-world energy prices should also produce enough revenues to support real investments in Bolivia's future, in schools, heath care, housing and other basic needs. The barriers to the deal are not supply or economics, but corruption and a well-grounded lack of public faith.

<more>

Sacramento Bee article

Could this turn into the mini war Bush* needs to bolster his sagging polls? Also, does this Pacific LNG sound a lot like Enron redux? Lastly, don't forget Bechtel is involved in this mess!

The Bush* plan in all things: 'Privatize the profits and Socialize the costs'

[salin]

23. Thanks Tinoire,

I have not followed this as closely as I should - have little time right now - so am bookmarking this thread and the news links for closer perusal later this evening or tomorrow am. Thanks for pulling the links together and starting a discussion on the topic. We really do need to pay attention to this.

[knight_of_the_star]

24. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!

Bush and his cronies are so afraid of nations recruiting terrorists to use against us, they wouldn't harbor terrorists if we didn't give them a reason to hate us! They fuel the war of their own making, and I bet the know it.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!

[Cat Atomic]

25. I read in another thread that 10k US troops are being sent to

Bolivia. Is that correct? Or is it just "advisors"?