US SOCIAL FORUM 2010 DETROIT, MI

By Edward Mercado
Detroit - June 22 - 26 2010

Near the border with Canada and in a City devastated by the destructive forces of Capitalism and outsourcing over ten thousand progressive activist gather in the Motor City of Detroit. Once an iconic city for the Automobile industry now has lost almost one third of the population due to the economic crisis the capitalist system is facing.

Leftist organizations and individuals gather from all over the US and some from other countries to participate and exchange in hundreds of workshops.

There were dozens of panels on Latin American issues which included ALBA, Venezuela, Colombia, Haiti among others, climate change, militarization, socialism, anti war, and pro Palestine talks. The forum was well organized and attended.

Near the end of the forum the film South of the Border by Oliver Stone was presented, the location of the showing was over capacity. (a must see!)

INTERCULTURAL MEDICINE

By Edward Mercado

Boston - April 26 2010

Very representative of the Venezuelan Bicentennial in less than a month an Afro Venezuelan consul general and  now a Dr. Noly Fernandez a Wayuu woman and Director of the Inter cultural Health program in Venezuela visited  Boston, and Vermont for a series of lectures about the achievements and lessons learned in the Inter Cultural Medicine Program in effect in Venezuela in the 4 regions were most of the 40 Native Indian tribes (people) are inhabitants.

Dr. Fernandez spoke of the political right earned on the new Bolivarian Constitution which recognizes their rights as people, culture and over their territory.

Her lectures captivated the audiences in Hospitals, Schools of medicine, Universities and even local activist.

AFRO VENEZUELA IN THE BICENTENNIAL

By Edward Mercado
Boston, April 3 2010

 Venezuelan Consul in  New Orleans Jorge Guerrero,  long time activist and member of the Afro Venezuelan network of organizations visited the city of Boston for a series of lectures in various prestigious universities of the area, the talks were circled by the Venezuelan Bicentennial, Afro Venezuelan issues, social struggles, and consequences of colonialism and capitalism, given with great context of Latin American History and present.

The talks were organized by the Consulate of Venezuela in Boston in collaboration with the National Lawyers Guild Massachusetts chapter. The lectures concluded with a public presentation and open panel with Bill Fletcher, Jorge Guerrero and Venezuelan Consul General in Boston Omar Sierra.

The visit to Boston was follow by a series of talks in the City of Chicago organized by the respective diplomatic body in the windy city. The Illinois lectures were highlighted by a presentation about the African Diaspora in South Side Chicago attended by Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

US Military Bases in Colombia

The issue appeared in the international arena almost simultaneously with the coup d'etat in Honduras against the constitutional President Manuel Zeyala. To understand the geopolitical stand off one must look at the recent regional alliances to Counter US domination and dependence by the nations South of the Border.

In the Economic front; The President of Venezuela and commander of the Bolivarian Revolution Hugo Chavez lead many initiatives to achieve regional and South to South Integration. creating a web of countries in Our America to work together to achieve real development under the principals of sovereignty, complementary cooperation and solidarity, the body has grown and taking shape to form the ALBA-TCP which is a direct rejection to the FTAA promoted by Washington and their free market neoleberal policies.

Honduras was stroke for its affiliation with ALBA-TCP and targeted for being the weakest link in regards to popular movements in Central America, also an strategic location for the military and economic ambitions of the American Empire. The Joint Task Force-Bravo operates in the Soto Cano Air base in palmerola, Honduras. The headquarter for the Honduran Airforce and Naval academies as well. who were directly involved in the removal of Zelaya from office and his replacement with businessman and head of the Congress neofascist Roberto Michelleti, AKA "Gorilleti" for his affiliation to graduates from the mercenary institute in Ft.Benning, Georgia. Also known as the School of the Americas or its new initials since 2001 (WHINSEC) Army Commander Efrain Vaquez Veleasco iron fist of the Military dictatorship silently supported by the Obama administration.

ALBA-TCP has recently grown to 13 countries including Honduras a member before the coup d'etat. The alliance is strengthening their ties with Russia, Iran and China as they move further away from US dependence. also recently announce the pilot regional currency SUCRE which will comence with electronic trade transactions among member states.

In the Political front; UNASUR emerged as a body for political integration which has recently met with the members of the African Union to fortify their South - South alliance. During the meeting in Margarita Island and in response to the threat of US imperialism and intervention in the regions, the initiative to create SATO was debated, an equivalent to the Northern Alliance NATO. To protect the interest of the South in the South.

The Obama administration responds by supporting in advance the results of the Honduras elections under a state of military siege and with out Mel Zelaya restitution to power, and the military agreement between their stronger ally in South America. Settling 7 military bases with regional capabilities in Colombia under the Para-Narco-President Alvaro Uribe. in efforts to weaken integration efforts South of the Border and attack President Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution influence in the region and the world.

The recent visits to South America by the heads of state of Russia, Iran, China, Africa, and palestine reflect the growing support for geopolitical realignment, while NeoCapitalism continues to fall in the worse financial world crisis, making the American Empire more reactionary and dangerous then ever.

Obama's presidential slogan should have been CHANGE FOR THE WORSE.

EL Salvador: FMLN Victorious, Funes wins.

Cincinnati - BNB
EAMR
03/16/2009

Latin America continues its shift to the Left. This time was El Salvador's time to take a step forward. The Salvadorean people sends out a clear signal to Washington and the world."Latin America is Changing". US hegemony in the region takes another low blow.

Funes represents new hope and change for El Salvador politics and to an extend the region with a possible adhension to the ALBA bloc which neighboring Honduras and Nicaragua are part of. The Bolivarian Alternative against neoliberalism reflected in the US promoted FTAA (ALCA) trade agreement.

The Obama precidency and his CIA advisor better get it right this time, we are tired of arrogant imperialist policies and intervention. The US must change its view of Latin America. Peace will come only with mutual respect. We definetely don't want a repeat of the US sponsored dictatorships and civil wars of the 60's & 70's in the region, this time the resistant will be continental and backed by millions.

Ali Primera: Pueblo Salvadoreño

South American Nations Form Regional Defense Council

James Suggett - Venezuelanalysis.com
03/12/2009

Mérida- Defense ministers from Venezuela and eleven other South American nations formed the South American Defense Council Tuesday at a summit in Chile. The council will be a diplomatic forum to diffuse regional conflicts, increase transparency in military expenditures, and to promote military cooperation for the fulfillment of regional security needs.

The declaration also establishes a commitment by each member nation to respect the territorial sovereignty of other member nations, and to the protection of democratic systems of government.

The new defense council is an arm of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), a political integration organization that began informally in 2004 and was formally constituted last May. Its member countries are Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Surinam y Guyana.

The United States is not included in the defense council, but the council discussed the possibility of the U.S. participating as an observer if the U.S. changes its policy toward Cuba.

Full story here

Dispatches from El Salvador: Elections

San Salvador - CB-MLK
Jorge Marin
03/13/2009

We arrived at San Salvador on Tuesday. It is a very warm and modern city. We had our training for observers of the electoral process yesterday. I am sorry to say that the possibility of fraud is high. The selling of votes happens, where people turn in their ballots to the buyer, rather than depositing it in the ballot box and then the chain of pre-dispose votes begins. The next voter already goes in to vote with a ballot which he/she uses to vote and their own ballots are turned in to the buyer, and so on. It is up to us to make sure that every voter deposits a ballot in the ballot box.

The two parties, FMLN and ARENA, have been defending and attacking each other on the media. ARENA using the power of the government in their favor to make public some of the campaign donations to Funes (FMLN) from busisness interest. Funes has defended himself well. The polls we were shown, that were concluded on March 10th, shows the FMLN with 8% ahead of ARENA. People are showing their colors without feeling intimidated in the capital.
So far so good...

Washington's Lost Credibility on Human Rights

Mark Weisbrot - THE GUARDIAN
03/11/2009

The U.S. State Department's annual human rights report got an unusual amount of criticism this year. This time the center-left coalition government of Chile was notable in joining other countries such as Bolivia, Venezuela, and China - who have had more rocky relations with Washington - in questioning the "moral authority" of the U.S. government's judging other countries' human rights practices.

In the past, Washington was able to position itself as an important judge of human rights practices despite being complicit or directly participating in some of the worst, large-scale human rights atrocities of the post-World War II era - in Vietnam, Indonesia, Central America, and other places. This makes no sense from a strictly logical point of view, but it could persist primarily because the United States was judged not on how it treated persons outside its borders but within them. Internally, the United States has had a relatively well-developed system of the rule of law, trial by jury, an independent judiciary and other constitutional guarantees (although these did not extend to African-Americans in most of the Southern United States prior to the 1960s civil rights reforms). Washington was able to contrast these conditions with those of its main adversary during the Cold War - the Soviet Union. The powerful influence of the United States over the international media helped ensure that this was the primary framework under which human rights were presented to most of the world.

U.S.-based human rights organizations will undoubtedly see the erosion of Washington's credibility on these issues as a loss - and understandably so, since the United States is still a powerful country, and they hope to use this power to pressure other countries on human rights issues. But they too should be careful to avoid the kind of politicization that has earned notoriety for the State Department's annual report - which clearly discriminates between allies and "adversary" countries in its evaluations.

The case of the recent Human Rights Watch report on Venezuela illustrates the dangers of this spillover of the politicization of human rights from the U.S. government to Washington-based non-governmental organizations (NGO's). More than 100 scholars and academics wrote a letter complaining about the report, arguing that it did not meet "minimal standards of scholarship, impartiality, accuracy, or credibility." For example, the report alleges that the Venezuelan government discriminates against political opponents in the provision of government services; but as evidence for this charge it provides only one alleged incident involving one person, in programs that serve many millions of Venezuelans. Human Rights Watch responded with a defense of its report, but the exchange of letters indicates that HRW would have been better off acknowledging the report's errors and prejudice, and taking corrective measures.

Full article here

Body Snatchers shut down in Venezuela

Caracas - BNB
EAMR
03/08/2009

International "Bodies Revealed" Japanese exhibition was closed down and put under investigation last week in Venezuela. " it is a very evident sign of the immense moral decomposition that shakes this planet" Chavez affirmed, during this Sunday "Alo Presidente" TV program. He showed real concern for parents who bring their children to the exhibit.

"The lack of reaction by Society to this exhibit is shocking. People visit this criminal and perverse exposition as if it was a piece of art, there is no commotion. Profiting by Human Cadavers with no spiritual revolt, no human reaction in front of another Human degrade.... Not far off from the detachment of American and Israeli pilots dropping bombs over children in Iraq and Gaza."

Chavez reacted after reading the column in Diario Vea, which questioned the macabre show visited by over 15 million Humans around the world. Many sources have question the procedence of the bodies. Organizers claimed they were donated to Universities for scientific studies. Surely they were not intended to be displayed in such a manner. Other media sources claim the bodies came from China's penal system. In any case, for about $25 per person his exhibit hardly looks profitable in Venezuela after the shut down by authorities.

Venezuela: Irish paper giant Smurfit Kappa Group, Eucaliptus farm expropiated.

Portuguesa - BNB
EAMR
03/07/2009

El Piñal 3,700 acres (1,500 hectares) farm was seized by Venezuelan authorities yesterday. The Eucalyptus tree farm is blamed for the drought of several local rivers in the foothills of the Andes, affecting important crops in the region. The tree was first introduced from Southeast Asia to the rest of the world by Sir Joseph Banks, botanist, on the Cook expedition in 1770. Eucalyptus are the basis for several industries, such as pulp, charcoal and others. California enviromentalist call the highly flammable tree the evil plant.

In Venezuela the tree is use to make corrugated paper and packing products. El Piñal farm is part of Smurfit Kappa Forestry division, among several mills and farms they owned across five states in Venezuela. In South Africa environmentalist consider the water guzzling plant an infestation. During the announcement President Chavez said the lumber would be exploited rationally then the farm's vocation would be replace with another crop. Corn and beans were mentioned as possibilities. Although California activist have found it very problematic and expensive to eliminate the trunks and roots of this messy plant. The future of this land is yet to be determine.

Video of Chavez announcement:

"Aprieta las nalgas Mendoza, Polar is next if you don't comply with the Law." -eamr