JUSTICE FOR THE GOOSE, BUT NOT FOR THE GANDER?

Raven is napping on a cushion in one of the rattan chairs. He looks tuckered out, so I tiptoe around as I make myself a cup of tea and a sandwich.

“What kind of sandwich is that?”

Raven is perched on the cushion, suddenly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Sort of.

The typical: ham and cheese on raisin. I thought you were crashed for the morning.

“So did I. I was trying to escape.”

He yawns, flutters over to the table and edges toward my sandwich.

From me?

“From the latest round of patent hypocrisy, double-talk—you know—the Bush Gang’s usual M.O. This time expounded by Condoleezza Rice. About Bolivia.”

Raven extracts a raisin from my sandwich.

Don’t be a martyr, guy. I’ll make myself another one.

“Thought you’d never offer.” He tucks in.

So what did Miss Petrobucks say about Bolivia?

“You’ll love it. She announced to the Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa that it was absolutely imperative to support the “constitutional government of Bolivia”!

Constitutional? The US IMPOSED Sanchez de Lozada! The US Ambassador advised the Bolivian Congress that if they put Evo Morales in the presidential chair that the US would call in all loans and they would never see a red cent of loans or aid in the future.

“Don’t you see something else a bit strange?”

Yes, Rave, I do. The Bush Gang is insisting on propping up that guy—whom everybody calls “The Gringo” because he has spent most of his life in the US, and speaks Spanish more poorly than I do—as the supposed constitutional president of Bolivia, while at the same time they are doing everything they can think of to overthrow Hugo Chavez—who IS the constitutional president of Venezuela!

Raven buzzes over to the computer screen, cocks a dark eye at me?

“Double standard? Racism, perhaps? Here’s another good follow-up quote, from US spokesman Richard Boucher: ‘The internacional community and the United States will not tolerate any interruption of constitucional order and WILL NOT SUPPORT any regime which arises through antidemocratic means.' Wow! And they couldn’t wait last year to be the first to announce their support for the government—in quotes—of Carmona in Venezuela."

Double-speak, Rave. In the case of Bolivia, they know that if Sanchez de Lozada falls—and 4 of his ministers resigned yesterday—they won’t be seeing the gas shipments. And, in the case of Venezuela, we know they want to control the oil AND the gas from there.

“Not to mention that they hate Chavez because he doesn’t kiss their asses.”

Crude language, Rave.

“Crude situations call for crude language. Any more raisin bread around here?”