At meeting in Brazil, Washington is scorned

[DogPoundPup]

Source: International Herald Tribune

SAUÍPE, Brazil: Latin American leaders took another step away from the decades-old orbit of the United States at a meeting here that brought together nearly all of Latin America and the Caribbean, but excluded the United States and Europe.

And in the process of convening the leaders of 31 countries, Brazil once again flashed its credentials as the undisputed leader of Latin America.

But the host country's highly popular president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, an ally of the United States, did not prevent the leaders from celebrating the inclusion of Raúl Castro, Cuba's president, and from using the occasion to attack the United States and Europe for their roles in causing the global economic crisis that is roiling this region as well."Cuba is returning to where it always should have been," Hugo Chávez, Venezuela's president, told reporters. "We are complete."

The United States became a punching bag at the three-day conference, which ends Wednesday, in this tourist haven in Brazil's Bahia State. Castro was hardly alone in assailing the United States and what he called its "neo-liberalist" model for the credit crisis, which is affecting many other economies.

Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/17/america/17latin.php

[acmavm]

1. Gee, it sounds like they resent us raping their lands and killing their

people all in the name of 'democracy'. I mean, those peasants ARE a mortal threat to Chiquita Banana you know. And we can't have Amurikan companies being thwarted in any of their plans and schemes to use and abuse their land now, can we? I mean, just like Iraq, it really belongs to us, no?
:sarcasm:

[natrat]

5. that part of the world has been getting screwed for a while by the european

cortez the killer-neil young


He came dancing across the water
With his galleons and guns
Looking for the new world
In that palace in the sun.

On the shore lay Montezuma
With his coca leaves and pearls
In his halls he often wondered
With the secrets of the worlds.

And his subjects
gathered 'round him
Like the leaves around a tree
In their clothes of many colors
For the angry gods to see.

And the women all were beautiful
And the men stood
straight and strong
They offered life in sacrifice
So that others could go on.

Hate was just a legend
And war was never known
The people worked together
And they lifted many stones.

They carried them
to the flatlands
And they died along the way
But they built up
with their bare hands
What we still can't do today.

And I know she's living there
And she loves me to this day
I still can't remember when
Or how I lost my way.

He came dancing across the water
Cortez, Cortez
What a killer.

[RaleighNCDUer]

7. Naw, we're just missing something in the translation -

they love us, because the Monroe Doctrine protects them from exploitation by European powers, and they are ever thankful to us for our protection.

[SpiralHawk]

2. "I guess me and my republicon cronies have done IT again. Smirk." - Commander AWOL

"At least we republicon homelanders are, um, consistent. Smirk."

- Commander AWOL (R)

[SpiralHawk]

3. "No one could ever have imagined..." - Condi

"...that U.S. foreign policy would be soooo screwed up under my patented republicon, um, 'leadership' Smirk. Oh well, time to cash in on a Big Bucks kiss-ass Exploiter job with a republicon-crony oil company, and get some shoe shopping done. Smirk."

- Condi (R)

[Judi Lynn]

4. This has to prove to you how twisted our corporate "reporters" are, when they try to tell us

Latin American leaders are using "us" as a "punching bag."

What people anywhere do NOT repudiate the people who have harmed them greatly? They would not be human if they DIDN'T!

It was NOT the American people who have bullied, harassed, tortured, slaughtered people in the Americas. It was done usually behind our backs and hidden for decades before any of us found out about it. People in Latin America are very aware this dirty business was done without the approval of the American public.

It was covert because our right-wing scumball Republican Presidents who did the filthy work against Latin America did almost all of it COVERTLY, and the rest twisted and spun until it was unrecognizable for public consumption. They knew it wasn't right, they knew it was morally wrong, and that the public would NOT stand behind them.

Nice try, International Herald Tribune (owned by the New York Times). You never fail to lie to us. Loved your work on Iraq. Love and kisses to Judy Miller.

[tclambert]

6. Can't somebody figure out how to profit on truth?

I guess it's like they say: "Honesty is the most important thing. Once you learn to fake that, you've got it made."

[a la izquierda]

8. Except Nicaragua...

Ronnie Raygun had the support of lots of Americans. I did an assessment of media interpretations and LTTE during the late '70s and '80s in regards to the activities in Nicaragua. Many, many Americans enjoyed Raygun's support of the Contras there. The Sandinistas were "too Communist" for most Americans...though interestingly, I did read an article about a canned food drive and bake sale to benefit families who had lost relatives during the fighting, with the money going to groups in support of the Sandinistas. I have to say, for many years I was not a fan of Jimmy Carter because of his waffling on the clear human rights violations under the Somoza regime, which was clearly a regime propped up by the US government...he sure as hell redeemed his Presidency in my view with his work after leaving office.

Guatemala and El Salvador are different stories altogether and my students, most of whom weren't born 'til the closing years of the worst atrocities, had no idea. Even I didn't know how bad it was, because I was only a kid in the '80s.