REAL ESTATE PRICES SKYROCKET IN MISSOURI?
As a result of last week’s scandal with Tony Blair attempting to suppress the commentary of David King, a scientist from the UK who had commented that Bush’s policy of denying global warming was even more dangerous than terrorism (how does that play in Spain?), more information is coming to the surface about the disastrous effects of abrupt climate changes.
Yesterday’s PROCESO magazine ran a story, “Apocalipsis, ya” (Apocalypse Now), about the report by the Global Business Network that was commissioned by the Pentagon and later given the deep six by the same government agency because it contradicted the Bushites’ position that global warming doesn’t exist.
Raven, I think this is serious business.
”Science fiction, more likely. Those CBN guys say that the US and Mexico will be going to war over the use of the water from the Colorado River!”
They have practically done that already, Rave. Where have you been hiding your head?
“I think I won’t pursue that….”
Listen. There’s more than just that PROCESO article which is a scary script. On the Common Dreams site there’s more:
Ten years after the ratification of a United Nations treaty on climate change, greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global warming are still on the rise, signalling a "collective failure" of the industrialized world, according to the Washington-based World Resources Institute (WRI), a leading environmental think-tank.
"We are quickly moving to the point where the damage will be irreversible," warned Dr. Jonathan Pershing, director of WRI's Climate, Energy and Pollution Program. "In fact, the latest scientific reports indicate that global warming is worsening. Unless we act now, the world will be locked into temperatures that would cause irreversible harm." “
“Your species, again. Destroying the planet.”
I know, guy. But what’s going to be done? Listen:
Studies over the past decade have shown that the warming trend continues. "The five warmest years in recorded weather history have taken place over the last six years," noted WRI's president, Jonathan Lash.
"The ten warmest years in recorded weather history have taken place since 1987. Whether it's the retreat of glaciers, the melting of the permafrost in Alaska, or the increase in severe weather events, the world is experiencing what the global warming models predict," he said.
Europe, the main champion of the Kyoto Protocol, suffered its hottest year on record last year. Some 15,000 people in France alone died due to heat stress in combination with pollution, while European agriculture suffered an estimated $12.5 billion in losses.
Britain's most influential scientist, Sir David King, recently excoriated the Bush administration for withdrawing from the Protocol and ignoring the threat posed by climate change. "In my view, climate change is the most severe problem we are facing today," he wrote in Science magazine, "more serious even than the threat of terrorism."
Even the Pentagon recently issued a warning that global warming, if it takes place abruptly, could result in a catastrophic breakdown in international security. Based on growing evidence that climate shifts in the past have taken place with breathtaking speed, based on the freshening of sea water due to accelerated melting of glaciers and the polar ice caps.
“Freshening?” What kind of word is that?"
I don’t know, but the article goes on to say:
Given enough freshening, the Gulf Stream that currently warms the North Atlantic would be shut off, triggering an abrupt decline in temperatures that would bring about a new "Ice Age" in Europe, eastern Canada, and the northeastern United States and similar disastrous changes in world weather patterns elsewhere--all in a period as short as two to three years.
Wars over access to food, water, and energy would be likely to break out between states, according to the report. "Disruption and conflict will be endemic features of life," according to the report. "Once again, warfare would define human life."
Even if climate change is more gradual, recent studies have argued that as many as one million plant and animal species could be rendered extinct due to the effects of global warming by 2050. A recent report by the world's largest reinsurance company, Swiss Re, predicted that in 10 years the economic cost of disasters like floods, frosts, and famines caused by global warming could reach $150 billion annually.
"Accelerated development of a portfolio of technologies could stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations, enhance global energy security, and eradicate energy poverty," noted David Jhirad, WRI's vice president for research. "We urgently need the political will and international cooperation to make this happen."
Raven bursts into hysterical laughter.
“Political will? International cooperation? Who are they kidding? Don’t they know that this is the Age of Unilateralism?”
There’s hope, Rave. Yesterday the voters in Spain threw out the burros that hitched their wagon to the Bush star.
“A tiny ray of hope, that. The US burros need to throw out Bush. Then maybe international cooperation will have a shot. In the meantime, how about microwaving a spot of Earl Grey?”
I’ll microwave your spot, all right…Even Walter Cronkite is up in arms over global warming. Listen to this:
One thing we have to keep in mind: While these might only be worst-case scenarios, many of the conditions and processes scientists think might trigger them already are present or under way. Global warming is at least as important as gay marriage or the cost of Social Security. And if it is not seriously debated in the general election, it will measure the irresponsibility of the entire political class. This is an issue that cannot, and must not, be ignored any longer.
"Okay. I give up. I'll make my own tea."
Monday, March 15, 2004
Saturday, March 13, 2004
WASP IN THE COFFEE
Raven and I have been loafing since we returned to Mexico. He has several buddies in the area that meet up with us at the swimming complex here in the village, so he’s happy.
This morning it’s back to trying coffee for me—blood pressure inching downward makes me feel invincible again.
Raven is mooning around in the sun coming in the kitchen window.
“Hey. There’s a wasp in my coffee!”
The bird is having none of that. He dumps the cup and the wasp beats a hasty retreat, buzzing in zigzags to the front door.
“So. What would Jung make of that?”
Probably he would be more on target if it were a scarab beetle. But I think it means that you are supposed to look at things more closely, not just gulp down adventure after adventure.
“In that case, the message should have been for you. In your cup.”
Or maybe it’s something we can analyze politically. Who is the wasp in the coffee, politically speaking?
“Disingenuous question, I see. Hugo Chavez already nailed that for us this week when he said that the biggest single threat to the survival of the planet is George W. Bush.”
Some scientist in the UK said much the same thing. He said that Bush’s disregard of global warming was more dangerous than the wars he’s intent on waging all around the planet.
“Then you have it. The wasp in the coffee is Bush. Too bad he didn’t drown.”
You’re the one who saved his life.
“Just a reflex action. Next time I’ll let him drown.”
If there is a next time….
Raven and I have been loafing since we returned to Mexico. He has several buddies in the area that meet up with us at the swimming complex here in the village, so he’s happy.
This morning it’s back to trying coffee for me—blood pressure inching downward makes me feel invincible again.
Raven is mooning around in the sun coming in the kitchen window.
“Hey. There’s a wasp in my coffee!”
The bird is having none of that. He dumps the cup and the wasp beats a hasty retreat, buzzing in zigzags to the front door.
“So. What would Jung make of that?”
Probably he would be more on target if it were a scarab beetle. But I think it means that you are supposed to look at things more closely, not just gulp down adventure after adventure.
“In that case, the message should have been for you. In your cup.”
Or maybe it’s something we can analyze politically. Who is the wasp in the coffee, politically speaking?
“Disingenuous question, I see. Hugo Chavez already nailed that for us this week when he said that the biggest single threat to the survival of the planet is George W. Bush.”
Some scientist in the UK said much the same thing. He said that Bush’s disregard of global warming was more dangerous than the wars he’s intent on waging all around the planet.
“Then you have it. The wasp in the coffee is Bush. Too bad he didn’t drown.”
You’re the one who saved his life.
“Just a reflex action. Next time I’ll let him drown.”
If there is a next time….
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
CLEANING THE AUGEAN STABLES
"Well, your favorite candidate for President of the US just dropped out of the race."
Raven turns his head away from the TV screen.
I said he was the best of a bum litter, Rave. Wesley Clark. Too bad he's out of the race, but I hope he ends up on the ticket. He's the only one with the common sense and organizational skills to clean up the mess the Bush Gang has created. Especially in Iraq.
"Clearly a Herculean task."
Yeah, right up there with cleaning the Augean stables. Look what the petrocriminals have done in Iraq: created anarchy. In the past 24 hours alone at least 100 people have been killed in car bombings.
"Not to mention the ongoing inferno of Afghanistan."
I'm sure the CIA operatives are happy there. They've got their opium trade back up to where it was before the Taliban closed that caper down.
"Making themselves the first priority target in the process."
And look at the chaos here in Caracas. The opposition is agitating for another coup attempt--with US financial backing, of course. On Sunday President Chavez denounced the continuing flow of NED (National Endowment for Democracy, haha!) dollars to opposition groups. Documents declassified under the US Freedom of Informaction Act show that after the failed coup in April of 2002 (staged with somewhere between 1 and 3 million dollars from the NED) the money has continuing pouring in to those same folks, and is scheduled to continue at least through September of 2004. The hysterically conflictive atmosphere that's driving me to the plane for Mexico tomorrow morning has the Bush Gang's oily fingerprints all over it.
"It's too goofy for me. I guess they want to try another coup because the polls all show that even if there were a referendum and a new election, Chavez would win with more than 50% of the vote."
We're not talking about rational people, Rave. The Bush Gang includes such luminaries as Alfred E. Bush, Mad Dog Cheney, Death's Head Rumsfeld, Rasputin Rove, Wile E. Wolfewitz and, as cheerleaders, Uncle Tom Powell and Aunt Jemima Rice. And the oligarchy here is so inbred--doubtless because of being terrified of sharing human rights with their fellow citizens--that they can't have 2 brain cells to rub together.
"And your species is at the top of the food chain. Evolution is ironic, isn't it?"
Sure is, guy. We need a revolution within evolution or all the species--except maybe cockroaches--are going to be history.
"Bummer. What have I done to deserve this?"
Don't take it personally, Birdy Boy. You may have put the sun and the stars and the moon in the sky, but you didn't create the atom bomb.
"Thankfully, that's one trick they can't blame on me. Didn't Einstein say if he had known they were going to build a bomb he would have been a watchmaker in Switzerland?"
Probably. J. Robert Oppenheimer, director of the Manhattan Project said, as the test bomb exploded over Trinity, New Mexico: "I have become death".
Raven is peering intently at the TV screen again.
"Hey, why do they keep calling that guy, Howard Dean, John?"
Beats me. Maybe it's another way the media has cooked up to discredit him. Especially since he asks the hard questions. I think John Dean did time for the Watergate caper. Anyway, he was one of Nixon's gang.
"NIxon! Now there's a good candidate."
He's dead, Rave. And he was a Republican anyway.
"Too bad. I liked that they called him Tricky Dick."
Rave, you're impossibly egocentric today. Pretty soon you'll be printing up bumperstickers.
"'Clean a sticky wicket with Tricky' has sort of a nice ring to it. Besides, if dead people can vote--and they seem to be model citizens in that regard--they should be ablt to run for office. And be elected, too."
I suppose they would do less damage.
"I think we've figured it out: the recipe for peace in the world!"
Right. Dead presidents. Thanks, Rave.
"Well, your favorite candidate for President of the US just dropped out of the race."
Raven turns his head away from the TV screen.
I said he was the best of a bum litter, Rave. Wesley Clark. Too bad he's out of the race, but I hope he ends up on the ticket. He's the only one with the common sense and organizational skills to clean up the mess the Bush Gang has created. Especially in Iraq.
"Clearly a Herculean task."
Yeah, right up there with cleaning the Augean stables. Look what the petrocriminals have done in Iraq: created anarchy. In the past 24 hours alone at least 100 people have been killed in car bombings.
"Not to mention the ongoing inferno of Afghanistan."
I'm sure the CIA operatives are happy there. They've got their opium trade back up to where it was before the Taliban closed that caper down.
"Making themselves the first priority target in the process."
And look at the chaos here in Caracas. The opposition is agitating for another coup attempt--with US financial backing, of course. On Sunday President Chavez denounced the continuing flow of NED (National Endowment for Democracy, haha!) dollars to opposition groups. Documents declassified under the US Freedom of Informaction Act show that after the failed coup in April of 2002 (staged with somewhere between 1 and 3 million dollars from the NED) the money has continuing pouring in to those same folks, and is scheduled to continue at least through September of 2004. The hysterically conflictive atmosphere that's driving me to the plane for Mexico tomorrow morning has the Bush Gang's oily fingerprints all over it.
"It's too goofy for me. I guess they want to try another coup because the polls all show that even if there were a referendum and a new election, Chavez would win with more than 50% of the vote."
We're not talking about rational people, Rave. The Bush Gang includes such luminaries as Alfred E. Bush, Mad Dog Cheney, Death's Head Rumsfeld, Rasputin Rove, Wile E. Wolfewitz and, as cheerleaders, Uncle Tom Powell and Aunt Jemima Rice. And the oligarchy here is so inbred--doubtless because of being terrified of sharing human rights with their fellow citizens--that they can't have 2 brain cells to rub together.
"And your species is at the top of the food chain. Evolution is ironic, isn't it?"
Sure is, guy. We need a revolution within evolution or all the species--except maybe cockroaches--are going to be history.
"Bummer. What have I done to deserve this?"
Don't take it personally, Birdy Boy. You may have put the sun and the stars and the moon in the sky, but you didn't create the atom bomb.
"Thankfully, that's one trick they can't blame on me. Didn't Einstein say if he had known they were going to build a bomb he would have been a watchmaker in Switzerland?"
Probably. J. Robert Oppenheimer, director of the Manhattan Project said, as the test bomb exploded over Trinity, New Mexico: "I have become death".
Raven is peering intently at the TV screen again.
"Hey, why do they keep calling that guy, Howard Dean, John?"
Beats me. Maybe it's another way the media has cooked up to discredit him. Especially since he asks the hard questions. I think John Dean did time for the Watergate caper. Anyway, he was one of Nixon's gang.
"NIxon! Now there's a good candidate."
He's dead, Rave. And he was a Republican anyway.
"Too bad. I liked that they called him Tricky Dick."
Rave, you're impossibly egocentric today. Pretty soon you'll be printing up bumperstickers.
"'Clean a sticky wicket with Tricky' has sort of a nice ring to it. Besides, if dead people can vote--and they seem to be model citizens in that regard--they should be ablt to run for office. And be elected, too."
I suppose they would do less damage.
"I think we've figured it out: the recipe for peace in the world!"
Right. Dead presidents. Thanks, Rave.
Monday, February 09, 2004
LEAVING MY CLOTHES
Well, that's it, Rave. We're booked for Mexico City on Thursday.
"You mean you're booked. I'm the Invisible Flyer."
Whatever. I'm sure you'll be happy to see your buddies again.
"Yeah. I'll get to have a social life. Instead of hanging around here watching TV news and you wasting away to nothing."
I never knew depression was a way to weight loss. Probably it isn't. Probably it's being on the Saturn line. I won't have to pack most of my clothes, but it's not worth it to lose weight suffering.
"Suffering in stereo, too. Polarization in the public sphere, hysteria, name-calling, death threats, conspiracies. And that's just here in Caracas. On TV the same stuff is on cable, but with different countries' names attached to it: Iraq, Pakistan, Israel, the US, the UK, etc. Makes my head ache."
Gee, Rave, I'm sorry I got you into this. Can birds take aspirin?
"I don't think so--pills are dosed by body weight. But you what probably would beat back my headache for awhile?"
(I had to ask.)
"A little stroll through the sushi bar at the Hilton might just do the trick."
You know I'm allergic to fish.
"Order carrot tempura or something. That'll keep you busy while I'm chasing Salmon upstream. Anything but be here listening to some Archie Bunker lookalike talking about playing in a rock band with John Kerry, back when dinosaurs were top dog on the planet."
I think Archie was on something else. Playing somebody's father.
"Okay, okay. Are we heading for the Hilton or not?"
Sure. The Bourgeois Bird will get the Salmon. Considering the Bolivar went to 2,800 to the dollar on the black market this morning, maybe I'll be able to pay the check.
"Or you could leave them your clothes...."
Well, that's it, Rave. We're booked for Mexico City on Thursday.
"You mean you're booked. I'm the Invisible Flyer."
Whatever. I'm sure you'll be happy to see your buddies again.
"Yeah. I'll get to have a social life. Instead of hanging around here watching TV news and you wasting away to nothing."
I never knew depression was a way to weight loss. Probably it isn't. Probably it's being on the Saturn line. I won't have to pack most of my clothes, but it's not worth it to lose weight suffering.
"Suffering in stereo, too. Polarization in the public sphere, hysteria, name-calling, death threats, conspiracies. And that's just here in Caracas. On TV the same stuff is on cable, but with different countries' names attached to it: Iraq, Pakistan, Israel, the US, the UK, etc. Makes my head ache."
Gee, Rave, I'm sorry I got you into this. Can birds take aspirin?
"I don't think so--pills are dosed by body weight. But you what probably would beat back my headache for awhile?"
(I had to ask.)
"A little stroll through the sushi bar at the Hilton might just do the trick."
You know I'm allergic to fish.
"Order carrot tempura or something. That'll keep you busy while I'm chasing Salmon upstream. Anything but be here listening to some Archie Bunker lookalike talking about playing in a rock band with John Kerry, back when dinosaurs were top dog on the planet."
I think Archie was on something else. Playing somebody's father.
"Okay, okay. Are we heading for the Hilton or not?"
Sure. The Bourgeois Bird will get the Salmon. Considering the Bolivar went to 2,800 to the dollar on the black market this morning, maybe I'll be able to pay the check.
"Or you could leave them your clothes...."
Thursday, February 05, 2004
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
Yesterday Raven and I were going to check out the solidarity march to celebrate 12 years since President Hugo Chavez' failed coup of February 4, 1992--an attempt which led to his spending 2 years in the slammer and being elected President in 1998. I am afraid we were not as intrepid as the thousands of folks that marched 8 kilometers and spent much of the afternoon and evening being rained on.
Did you notice, Rave, that in the opposition's march most of the folks had umbrellas?
"Yeah. And there were very few in the chavistas' march. Maybe umbrellas are a bourgeois symbol here?"
Maybe. I am sure glad I have one, though. I would have been soaked without it.
"Well, I have nothing to do with that. My feathers see me through just fine."
Raven and I were watching the end of the march on tv, listening to Chavez' very emotional recounting of the 1992 attempt to change the trajectory of Venezuela--a country with one of the most venal oligarchies in Latin America, divided by race and class and intensely dependent on imported food and goods to satisfy basic needs. Toward the end of his speech, Chavez talked about reclaiming more land in the areas surrounding Caracas to plant yucca and other basic food products.
"I don't like yucca", Raven indicates. "It doesn't have any flavor."
I have to admit that I don't care for it either. But it's a traditional element of the diet here in the Caribbean Basin. And the point is not the taste, it's to have a self-sustaining agriculture.
"My species inclines to hunting and gathering, not planting. Speaking of gathering, what do we have for snacks?"
Some kind of cream puffs. And peach yogurt.
"I'll pass on the yogurt. Break out the puffs."
Raven beaks into one of the puffs. Ravenously, you might say. I am giving him the eye.
"What's the problem? We're watching tv. Watching tv without eating is like--oh, I don't know...."
This isn't exactly "The Simpsons". Or "El Chavo del Ocho".
"I know that. Eating is a learned response to watching tv. Probably why most of the people in the US are so grossly overweight."
Shut up and listen, will you? We're watching a country's people grab hold of their future. Those moldy oldies in the opposition march with their candles and black dresses and wreaths of flowers, they're all about the past--when their privileges were all that mattered here.
"And umbrellas." Raven crams the last of the cream puff into his beak. "Don't forget about their umbrellas. Who said, 'After me, the deluge'?"
One of the Louis--15th or 16th. That was a question in questionable taste, guy. Under the circumstances of a nation's people recovering their birthright, anyway.
"Sorry. Speaking of taste...."
Have another cream puff.
"Hmmm. Sounds a little like 'Let them eat cake', don't you think?
Maybe you'd rather watch "Grounded for Life"?
"I'm ignoring all threats--with veils or umbrellas. Turn up the volume, will you? This guy is dynamite."
Yesterday Raven and I were going to check out the solidarity march to celebrate 12 years since President Hugo Chavez' failed coup of February 4, 1992--an attempt which led to his spending 2 years in the slammer and being elected President in 1998. I am afraid we were not as intrepid as the thousands of folks that marched 8 kilometers and spent much of the afternoon and evening being rained on.
Did you notice, Rave, that in the opposition's march most of the folks had umbrellas?
"Yeah. And there were very few in the chavistas' march. Maybe umbrellas are a bourgeois symbol here?"
Maybe. I am sure glad I have one, though. I would have been soaked without it.
"Well, I have nothing to do with that. My feathers see me through just fine."
Raven and I were watching the end of the march on tv, listening to Chavez' very emotional recounting of the 1992 attempt to change the trajectory of Venezuela--a country with one of the most venal oligarchies in Latin America, divided by race and class and intensely dependent on imported food and goods to satisfy basic needs. Toward the end of his speech, Chavez talked about reclaiming more land in the areas surrounding Caracas to plant yucca and other basic food products.
"I don't like yucca", Raven indicates. "It doesn't have any flavor."
I have to admit that I don't care for it either. But it's a traditional element of the diet here in the Caribbean Basin. And the point is not the taste, it's to have a self-sustaining agriculture.
"My species inclines to hunting and gathering, not planting. Speaking of gathering, what do we have for snacks?"
Some kind of cream puffs. And peach yogurt.
"I'll pass on the yogurt. Break out the puffs."
Raven beaks into one of the puffs. Ravenously, you might say. I am giving him the eye.
"What's the problem? We're watching tv. Watching tv without eating is like--oh, I don't know...."
This isn't exactly "The Simpsons". Or "El Chavo del Ocho".
"I know that. Eating is a learned response to watching tv. Probably why most of the people in the US are so grossly overweight."
Shut up and listen, will you? We're watching a country's people grab hold of their future. Those moldy oldies in the opposition march with their candles and black dresses and wreaths of flowers, they're all about the past--when their privileges were all that mattered here.
"And umbrellas." Raven crams the last of the cream puff into his beak. "Don't forget about their umbrellas. Who said, 'After me, the deluge'?"
One of the Louis--15th or 16th. That was a question in questionable taste, guy. Under the circumstances of a nation's people recovering their birthright, anyway.
"Sorry. Speaking of taste...."
Have another cream puff.
"Hmmm. Sounds a little like 'Let them eat cake', don't you think?
Maybe you'd rather watch "Grounded for Life"?
"I'm ignoring all threats--with veils or umbrellas. Turn up the volume, will you? This guy is dynamite."
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
REIGN OF TERROR
Raven and I had a singularly bad theater experience Sunday night at the Caracas Atheneum.
"You know, when you had that attack of diarrhea at the intermission, we could have voted with our feet. With your feet, anyway."
And with your wings, guy. It's that I couldn't believe what an insane production it was, as if they had deliberately decided to shoehorn all the exaggeration, hysteria and lynch mob mentality of the Venezuelan society into Büchner's "Danton's Death". And they tarted it up into the bargain.
"The tarts were the only good part, I thought--though smearing rouge on their nipples was abit much."
Rave, it's not a play about prostitutes. It's about the Reign of Terror, about Robespierre leading the Jacobins--and France--down the path to disaster. A path strewn with severed heads. And acting "holier than thou" while he did it. Instead of creating a republic, he created state-imposed terror and civil chaos.
"Are you sure we weren't watching a play by Orwell?"
I see your point. Napoleon was right around the corner waiting to cross out "All animals are equal", and substitute "Some animals are more equal than others".
"So much for liberty, equality and brotherhood. More like Robespierre as Big Brother. And maybe Danton had to die because he, too, had blood on his hands?"
Not too many revolutions are bloodless, guy. Although here in Venezuela, maybe. Though the counterrevolution here has not been bloodless. By staging this play in Caracas, though, I believe the US-backed opposition is trying to make Chavez into either Danton or Robespierre.
"He doesn't strike me as being either. But I guess if I had to choose I would make him Danton. More than anything else because he tried a military coup 11 years ago."
Eleven years ago tomorrow, in fact. It's nothing new that the opposition is calling for magnicide, so if Chavez is Danton, who is Roberspierre?
"He's not here. He's in the Oval Office. Probably drooling on his desk. As a born-again believer he thinks God's on his side when he sets heads rolling around the globe."
Too bad his own head isn't still unconscious on a tavern floor in Texas.
"Oh, he's still unconscious, all right. He's making decisions based on the primitive unconscious archetypes your species has about Good and Evil. That's why I believe he is Robespierre."
Only his Reign of Terror is on a much bigger scale. He's not just terrorizing US citizens; he's exported terror to other countries: Iraq, Afghanistan and whatever other country he can find on a map.
"In that case the only good thing is that he probably can't read a map. But he's also fueling terror in Israel, Colombia and Paraguay. In Paraguay, at least, a front is organizing to resist the militarization of the Triple Border--to keep the world's biggest aquifer out of US control."
If they don't resist, the next step, as we know, will be grabbing hold of the Amazon and the Orinoco. And in this case these guys started heads rolling without even a revolution--just a palace coup after the last presidential election.
"So, instead of 'The revolution devours its children--like Saturn' like in the Büchner play, it's 'The government destroys the citizens'."
And citizens of other countries, too.
"By the way, didn't you say you're on your Saturn line here?"
I'm definitely feeling gnawed on by the hysterical atmosphere here, Rave.
"I've been meaning to mention that we've only been here a week, and already your clothes are too big...."
Raven and I had a singularly bad theater experience Sunday night at the Caracas Atheneum.
"You know, when you had that attack of diarrhea at the intermission, we could have voted with our feet. With your feet, anyway."
And with your wings, guy. It's that I couldn't believe what an insane production it was, as if they had deliberately decided to shoehorn all the exaggeration, hysteria and lynch mob mentality of the Venezuelan society into Büchner's "Danton's Death". And they tarted it up into the bargain.
"The tarts were the only good part, I thought--though smearing rouge on their nipples was abit much."
Rave, it's not a play about prostitutes. It's about the Reign of Terror, about Robespierre leading the Jacobins--and France--down the path to disaster. A path strewn with severed heads. And acting "holier than thou" while he did it. Instead of creating a republic, he created state-imposed terror and civil chaos.
"Are you sure we weren't watching a play by Orwell?"
I see your point. Napoleon was right around the corner waiting to cross out "All animals are equal", and substitute "Some animals are more equal than others".
"So much for liberty, equality and brotherhood. More like Robespierre as Big Brother. And maybe Danton had to die because he, too, had blood on his hands?"
Not too many revolutions are bloodless, guy. Although here in Venezuela, maybe. Though the counterrevolution here has not been bloodless. By staging this play in Caracas, though, I believe the US-backed opposition is trying to make Chavez into either Danton or Robespierre.
"He doesn't strike me as being either. But I guess if I had to choose I would make him Danton. More than anything else because he tried a military coup 11 years ago."
Eleven years ago tomorrow, in fact. It's nothing new that the opposition is calling for magnicide, so if Chavez is Danton, who is Roberspierre?
"He's not here. He's in the Oval Office. Probably drooling on his desk. As a born-again believer he thinks God's on his side when he sets heads rolling around the globe."
Too bad his own head isn't still unconscious on a tavern floor in Texas.
"Oh, he's still unconscious, all right. He's making decisions based on the primitive unconscious archetypes your species has about Good and Evil. That's why I believe he is Robespierre."
Only his Reign of Terror is on a much bigger scale. He's not just terrorizing US citizens; he's exported terror to other countries: Iraq, Afghanistan and whatever other country he can find on a map.
"In that case the only good thing is that he probably can't read a map. But he's also fueling terror in Israel, Colombia and Paraguay. In Paraguay, at least, a front is organizing to resist the militarization of the Triple Border--to keep the world's biggest aquifer out of US control."
If they don't resist, the next step, as we know, will be grabbing hold of the Amazon and the Orinoco. And in this case these guys started heads rolling without even a revolution--just a palace coup after the last presidential election.
"So, instead of 'The revolution devours its children--like Saturn' like in the Büchner play, it's 'The government destroys the citizens'."
And citizens of other countries, too.
"By the way, didn't you say you're on your Saturn line here?"
I'm definitely feeling gnawed on by the hysterical atmosphere here, Rave.
"I've been meaning to mention that we've only been here a week, and already your clothes are too big...."
Friday, January 30, 2004
WAITING FOR GODOT, CARACAS VERSION
In the recption area (read glorified guardhouse) for Palacio Miraflores. Day 3 of waiting for President Hugo Chavez' personal secretary.
Raven has the magical ability to make himself invisible. He's lucky. I, in my traditional black line A-line dress, could use either his invisibility or his feathers. Today he's invisible, so I have to be fairly discreet when I talk with him. I don't need to be labeled La Gringa Loca. Not yet, anyway.
There are 7 of us here waiting who were also here waiting yesterday. Eight, if you include Mr. Invisible. Of those of us who are visible, I am the only one smiling. The others all have their arms crossed and look decidedly grumpy. But they don't have Raven whispering in their ear.
"I'm trying to keep my feathers from ruffling:"
(You disn't have to be here.) I am talking without moving my lips. Like Joe--er--Charlie McCarthy.
"Yeah I do. The only part of my natural habitat that is here is you."
(Geez, Rave. I've never been called a habitat before. You make it sound like I have cooties or something.)
"Iwasn't trying to offend. I would just rather suffer here with you than hide from the chain-smoking chambermaid in the hotel."
(What do you mean, HIDE? You're invisible!)
"Keep your voice down. People are staring. I don't FEEL invisible in the hotel. I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb."
(So do I, guy, and I'm not a bird.)
"You might as well be. You don't look like these other folks."
(Rave, do I hear the tiniest tinkle of racism here? Shame on you!)
"No way. I'm just pointing out that you stick out like a sore thumb, too."
(So my solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution might appear suspect?)
"Probably. I don't know if it's always the case. I wasn't here with you last April in the Solidarity Event. I was chicken."
(Ouch. Now you're looking down on other birds?)
"Just a figure of speech. I have nothing against fowls. Well, maybe a little against their stupidity."
(I think we're going in circles here. I'm starting to feel dizzy.)
"You shouldn't have bleached your hair."
(Now you're slinging stereoptypes around.)
"Naw. I'm just trying to entertain myself. And you."
(Thanks. Maybe you could do something else: take a nap, for example.)
"I don't want to miss the action."
(Action? Waiting? The sound of one hand clapping?)
****
After a tour and a little wait in the chapel, a sweet mix of First and Second Empire, we finally meet our Godot. Raven even stays awake in the meeting, and doesn't use his invisible condition to pull any capers. I breathe a big sigh of relief that he doesn't send all the documents on the guy's desk into outer space.
(Thanks, Rave. I know you could have made a real mess in there.)
"My patience between tricks is legendary."
Then he leaves my shoulder to open the door in the outer office--that would have been a fun trick--and finds that we are locked in.
In the recption area (read glorified guardhouse) for Palacio Miraflores. Day 3 of waiting for President Hugo Chavez' personal secretary.
Raven has the magical ability to make himself invisible. He's lucky. I, in my traditional black line A-line dress, could use either his invisibility or his feathers. Today he's invisible, so I have to be fairly discreet when I talk with him. I don't need to be labeled La Gringa Loca. Not yet, anyway.
There are 7 of us here waiting who were also here waiting yesterday. Eight, if you include Mr. Invisible. Of those of us who are visible, I am the only one smiling. The others all have their arms crossed and look decidedly grumpy. But they don't have Raven whispering in their ear.
"I'm trying to keep my feathers from ruffling:"
(You disn't have to be here.) I am talking without moving my lips. Like Joe--er--Charlie McCarthy.
"Yeah I do. The only part of my natural habitat that is here is you."
(Geez, Rave. I've never been called a habitat before. You make it sound like I have cooties or something.)
"Iwasn't trying to offend. I would just rather suffer here with you than hide from the chain-smoking chambermaid in the hotel."
(What do you mean, HIDE? You're invisible!)
"Keep your voice down. People are staring. I don't FEEL invisible in the hotel. I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb."
(So do I, guy, and I'm not a bird.)
"You might as well be. You don't look like these other folks."
(Rave, do I hear the tiniest tinkle of racism here? Shame on you!)
"No way. I'm just pointing out that you stick out like a sore thumb, too."
(So my solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution might appear suspect?)
"Probably. I don't know if it's always the case. I wasn't here with you last April in the Solidarity Event. I was chicken."
(Ouch. Now you're looking down on other birds?)
"Just a figure of speech. I have nothing against fowls. Well, maybe a little against their stupidity."
(I think we're going in circles here. I'm starting to feel dizzy.)
"You shouldn't have bleached your hair."
(Now you're slinging stereoptypes around.)
"Naw. I'm just trying to entertain myself. And you."
(Thanks. Maybe you could do something else: take a nap, for example.)
"I don't want to miss the action."
(Action? Waiting? The sound of one hand clapping?)
****
After a tour and a little wait in the chapel, a sweet mix of First and Second Empire, we finally meet our Godot. Raven even stays awake in the meeting, and doesn't use his invisible condition to pull any capers. I breathe a big sigh of relief that he doesn't send all the documents on the guy's desk into outer space.
(Thanks, Rave. I know you could have made a real mess in there.)
"My patience between tricks is legendary."
Then he leaves my shoulder to open the door in the outer office--that would have been a fun trick--and finds that we are locked in.
Thursday, January 29, 2004
RAVEN'S LAST WALTZ
Raven was feelilng out of his element here in Caracas, missing his fellow Ravens from the village in Mexico. Then he saw two Ravens on television--flying, playing, flipping acrobatically--and with snow-covered mountains in the background.
"Must have shot that footage in mating season," he commented. As the program's emphasis changed to Snake, he changed the channel.
The beautiful face of Robbie Robertson appeared on the screen.
Wow, Rave, it's "The Last Waltz"!
"Wouldn't be surprised."
No, guy--it's one of my favorite films. The Band, Dylan, Van Morrison, Neil Young, etcetera.
"It was the farewell aspect that I noticed."
Raven is very homesick, already. After only 2 days.
****
Raven is rocking
and rolling with "The Last Waltz"
on television.
He was watching himself fly,
changed channels when he saw Snake
and flapped his wings for
the joy of nostalgia
as The Band struck up
the end of the Seventies.
Raven can live eighty years;
if he looks backward,
and keeps flying straight forward,
he'll never get lost.
He will live in reflections
like the Hootchy Kootchy Man
of Muddy Waters,
dry his eyes remembering
both singer and song,
and further up the road no
one will give him trick for trick:
he is no prisoner
of white lines on the freeway.
This midnight rambler
is ready for his close-up;
he will stay forever young.
Raven was feelilng out of his element here in Caracas, missing his fellow Ravens from the village in Mexico. Then he saw two Ravens on television--flying, playing, flipping acrobatically--and with snow-covered mountains in the background.
"Must have shot that footage in mating season," he commented. As the program's emphasis changed to Snake, he changed the channel.
The beautiful face of Robbie Robertson appeared on the screen.
Wow, Rave, it's "The Last Waltz"!
"Wouldn't be surprised."
No, guy--it's one of my favorite films. The Band, Dylan, Van Morrison, Neil Young, etcetera.
"It was the farewell aspect that I noticed."
Raven is very homesick, already. After only 2 days.
****
Raven is rocking
and rolling with "The Last Waltz"
on television.
He was watching himself fly,
changed channels when he saw Snake
and flapped his wings for
the joy of nostalgia
as The Band struck up
the end of the Seventies.
Raven can live eighty years;
if he looks backward,
and keeps flying straight forward,
he'll never get lost.
He will live in reflections
like the Hootchy Kootchy Man
of Muddy Waters,
dry his eyes remembering
both singer and song,
and further up the road no
one will give him trick for trick:
he is no prisoner
of white lines on the freeway.
This midnight rambler
is ready for his close-up;
he will stay forever young.
Friday, January 23, 2004
REQUIEM FOR THE RIVER
(Raven is feeling cheerier, has gone out to say his farewells to his buddies who hang out by the river.)
Raven is circling
raindrops over the river,
whooping and cackling:
it is the first rain in months,
and he's spinning his feathers
at the novelty.
Although the sign by the bridge
says "Don't throw garbage
in the river!", plastic bags
of trash swirl their way downstream:
a smorgasbord for
Raven, no ecologist,
to pick and choose from.
Pecking at the plastic scabs,
he stains the river with death.
(Raven is feeling cheerier, has gone out to say his farewells to his buddies who hang out by the river.)
Raven is circling
raindrops over the river,
whooping and cackling:
it is the first rain in months,
and he's spinning his feathers
at the novelty.
Although the sign by the bridge
says "Don't throw garbage
in the river!", plastic bags
of trash swirl their way downstream:
a smorgasbord for
Raven, no ecologist,
to pick and choose from.
Pecking at the plastic scabs,
he stains the river with death.
PAJAROS
Raven is trying to get himself together for the trip south. In La Jornada he found a quote from St. John of the Cross that he hopes will bolster him in a place where no other members of his species will be available to crony around with:
"The conditions for a lone bird are five:
1. He must fly to the highest point.
2. He must not suffer for lack of company, nor for the lack of his own kind.
3. He must point his beak toward the sky.
4. He must not have a definite color.
5. He must sing softly."
Raven is not in agreement with point number 4, as he is big on Black Pride. Singing softly has never been part of his repetoire, but he's willing to give that a shot....
I think we're getting close to getting him off the ground again.
Raven is trying to get himself together for the trip south. In La Jornada he found a quote from St. John of the Cross that he hopes will bolster him in a place where no other members of his species will be available to crony around with:
"The conditions for a lone bird are five:
1. He must fly to the highest point.
2. He must not suffer for lack of company, nor for the lack of his own kind.
3. He must point his beak toward the sky.
4. He must not have a definite color.
5. He must sing softly."
Raven is not in agreement with point number 4, as he is big on Black Pride. Singing softly has never been part of his repetoire, but he's willing to give that a shot....
I think we're getting close to getting him off the ground again.
GOIN' SOUTH
Raven and I are packing our bags for Venezuela again. Raven doesn't have a whole heck of a lot to pack, but he is a little edgy that he's going to be away from the friendly confines of his habitat again. (The range for ravens stops more or less at the border of Mexico with Guatemala.) Our few months in Guayaquil, Ecuador, really bumbed the bird out. But venezuela is where the action is, so we're off to spend three months in the crosshairs....
Raven and I are packing our bags for Venezuela again. Raven doesn't have a whole heck of a lot to pack, but he is a little edgy that he's going to be away from the friendly confines of his habitat again. (The range for ravens stops more or less at the border of Mexico with Guatemala.) Our few months in Guayaquil, Ecuador, really bumbed the bird out. But venezuela is where the action is, so we're off to spend three months in the crosshairs....
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
COFFEE AND CANDIES
The Special Summit of the Organization of American States, hosted by Mexico’s President Fox—on his knees before the power of Washington—in Monterrey was so entertaining—sometimes so infuriating—that Raven and I did not squeeze in a blog during the 2 days of the conference.
As my blood pressure edged toward the normal range last night, I fell asleep before the hour of the 10 o’clock news. Raven was out catting around (can birds cat around?), but the kids woke me up to watch an interview with Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez—fun to watch him restraining himself from turning the sheep-eyed interviewer upside down and spinning him around. He ended with a few bars of “Mexico Lindo”….
Today’s La Jornada, Raven pointed out, has some very entertaining passages from Chavez’s contribution to yesterday’s sessions. Raven has been kind enough to translate them:
In the third and final work session Chavez said: “Latin America is at the gates of hell—it’s on the wrong track, and it’s necessary that the continent’s leaders assume their responsibility to revert this situation.
About the humanitarian fund which was proposed in the final declaration, he asked that it be financed by a part of the resources that Latin American pays for external debt and by money impounded from drug trafficking.
Finally, he expressed that his government was glad that corruption would be combated, and could not resist adding: “I have located various corrupt Venezuelans. I know where they live and that they have many millions of dollars that they took out of Venezuela. I can give you their addresses right now.”
In the press conference Chavez affirmed that a new leadership is forming in the continent: “No one should feel offended, but this new force, this whirlpool, in South America is stronger than the currents of the Amazon and the Orinoco.
In the dispute that emerged between the presidents of Chile and Bolivia (result of Chavez saying he was dreaming of going swimming at a Bolivian beach, then seconded by Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan and others), Chavez took Bolivia’s part: “Lagos squashed Bolivia”—and added with uncontainable sarcasm: “and he’s a socialist!” He recognized that the Chilean leader received a lot of internal pressure, but decided to continue putting his finger in the wound: “When Bolivia obtains the corridor to the sea that they’re demanding, I will offer Bolivia the resources necessary to construct the highway.”
And he finished by saying: “When I heard Ricardo Lagos say that Chile owed nothing to Bolivia, I got so mad that I demanded coffee and candies!”
Thanks, Rave.
The Special Summit of the Organization of American States, hosted by Mexico’s President Fox—on his knees before the power of Washington—in Monterrey was so entertaining—sometimes so infuriating—that Raven and I did not squeeze in a blog during the 2 days of the conference.
As my blood pressure edged toward the normal range last night, I fell asleep before the hour of the 10 o’clock news. Raven was out catting around (can birds cat around?), but the kids woke me up to watch an interview with Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez—fun to watch him restraining himself from turning the sheep-eyed interviewer upside down and spinning him around. He ended with a few bars of “Mexico Lindo”….
Today’s La Jornada, Raven pointed out, has some very entertaining passages from Chavez’s contribution to yesterday’s sessions. Raven has been kind enough to translate them:
In the third and final work session Chavez said: “Latin America is at the gates of hell—it’s on the wrong track, and it’s necessary that the continent’s leaders assume their responsibility to revert this situation.
About the humanitarian fund which was proposed in the final declaration, he asked that it be financed by a part of the resources that Latin American pays for external debt and by money impounded from drug trafficking.
Finally, he expressed that his government was glad that corruption would be combated, and could not resist adding: “I have located various corrupt Venezuelans. I know where they live and that they have many millions of dollars that they took out of Venezuela. I can give you their addresses right now.”
In the press conference Chavez affirmed that a new leadership is forming in the continent: “No one should feel offended, but this new force, this whirlpool, in South America is stronger than the currents of the Amazon and the Orinoco.
In the dispute that emerged between the presidents of Chile and Bolivia (result of Chavez saying he was dreaming of going swimming at a Bolivian beach, then seconded by Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan and others), Chavez took Bolivia’s part: “Lagos squashed Bolivia”—and added with uncontainable sarcasm: “and he’s a socialist!” He recognized that the Chilean leader received a lot of internal pressure, but decided to continue putting his finger in the wound: “When Bolivia obtains the corridor to the sea that they’re demanding, I will offer Bolivia the resources necessary to construct the highway.”
And he finished by saying: “When I heard Ricardo Lagos say that Chile owed nothing to Bolivia, I got so mad that I demanded coffee and candies!”
Thanks, Rave.
Monday, January 12, 2004
RADIOATAQUE
Raven and I are watching and listening to a clip from yesterday's "Alo President", as Hugo Chavez comments about the horrendous results of the application of neoliberalsim/savage capitalism in Latin America--and in passing, in his own words, Chavez shoots an arrow from the bow of the indigenous leader Guaicaipuro, returning the blast of artillery that Condoleezza Rice unloaded at him last week.
*The story of Guaicaipuro is a model of heroism. The Spanish conquistadores, led by Diego de Losada (founder of the city of Caracas), waited until night to sneak into Guaicaipuro's village in the mountains and set fire to the houses. After they launched a fire bomb onto the roof of his house, Guaicaipuro was forced to open the door and go out. He held a club in his hand, and faced with the superiority in weapons and numbers of the Spanish, shouted:
"Come here, cowardly spaniards! See how the the last free man in this land dies.!"
"Sounds like Che Guevara in La Higuera, Bolivia, when the guy who was assigned to shoot him entered the room, and Che told him to pull himself together, that he was going to kill a MAN," is Raven's opinion.
This morning Chavez landed in Monterrey, here in Mexico, to give a piece of his humanistic philosophy and his mind to the Bush Gang. Although he has commented that for him to speak his mind in the 3 minutes allotted in the Cumbre Extraordinario (convoked by Bush to threaten the governments of Latin America with his belligerent manequeism) is a ridiculous proposition.
"I expect they will give more than three minutes to Bush, though", Raven sneers, "although in his case he could empty his cerebrum in less than 15 seconds."
And then we could flush its contents.
Meanwhile, we two birds will be awaiting the declaration of sovereignty on the part of Chavez--who said that Venezuela would not tolerate any interference on the part of the US, or any other foreign power--to be the high point of the summit in Monterrey.
Raven and I are watching and listening to a clip from yesterday's "Alo President", as Hugo Chavez comments about the horrendous results of the application of neoliberalsim/savage capitalism in Latin America--and in passing, in his own words, Chavez shoots an arrow from the bow of the indigenous leader Guaicaipuro, returning the blast of artillery that Condoleezza Rice unloaded at him last week.
*The story of Guaicaipuro is a model of heroism. The Spanish conquistadores, led by Diego de Losada (founder of the city of Caracas), waited until night to sneak into Guaicaipuro's village in the mountains and set fire to the houses. After they launched a fire bomb onto the roof of his house, Guaicaipuro was forced to open the door and go out. He held a club in his hand, and faced with the superiority in weapons and numbers of the Spanish, shouted:
"Come here, cowardly spaniards! See how the the last free man in this land dies.!"
"Sounds like Che Guevara in La Higuera, Bolivia, when the guy who was assigned to shoot him entered the room, and Che told him to pull himself together, that he was going to kill a MAN," is Raven's opinion.
This morning Chavez landed in Monterrey, here in Mexico, to give a piece of his humanistic philosophy and his mind to the Bush Gang. Although he has commented that for him to speak his mind in the 3 minutes allotted in the Cumbre Extraordinario (convoked by Bush to threaten the governments of Latin America with his belligerent manequeism) is a ridiculous proposition.
"I expect they will give more than three minutes to Bush, though", Raven sneers, "although in his case he could empty his cerebrum in less than 15 seconds."
And then we could flush its contents.
Meanwhile, we two birds will be awaiting the declaration of sovereignty on the part of Chavez--who said that Venezuela would not tolerate any interference on the part of the US, or any other foreign power--to be the high point of the summit in Monterrey.
Saturday, January 10, 2004
A TRUE ILLITERATE
In keeping with the spirit of a government headed (figuratively speaking) by a president with an IQ at the point of being invisible, yesterday's shameful stand-up comedy routine by Condy Rice precipitated her being labeled "a true illiterate" by Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez (with an IQ clearly well into triple digits as well as a tongue which occasionally could etch glass.)
"I don't have another word to describe her, " Chavez said. "We'll send her a copy of the Robinson Method; let's see if she can learn to read and to respect the dignity of other countries; let's see if she learns a little bit about us. Yesterday she let loose with her shameful artillery against Venezuela and against our government, saying among other things that Chavez shouldn't oppose the referendum.
"In the first place, what the devil do you have to do with referenda in Venezuela? You have nothing to do with what happens here--this only concerns Venezuelans. Why hasn't she shown any concern for the electoral process in which Bush won, that went down in history as a dubious electoral process. If he's a legitimate president or not isn't our problem, and we're not involved in it, but they also don't have any reason to be involved in anything here."
Chavez also reminded us that Condoleezza Rice, the 12th of April of 2002, celebrated and applauded the coup, giving her blessing to the government of Carmona and the tyranny which began in Venezuela, "and now she says she's defending democracy. Go figure...."
When he's angry, Raven is even more direct than Chavez:
"I'd give her the bird."
In keeping with the spirit of a government headed (figuratively speaking) by a president with an IQ at the point of being invisible, yesterday's shameful stand-up comedy routine by Condy Rice precipitated her being labeled "a true illiterate" by Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez (with an IQ clearly well into triple digits as well as a tongue which occasionally could etch glass.)
"I don't have another word to describe her, " Chavez said. "We'll send her a copy of the Robinson Method; let's see if she can learn to read and to respect the dignity of other countries; let's see if she learns a little bit about us. Yesterday she let loose with her shameful artillery against Venezuela and against our government, saying among other things that Chavez shouldn't oppose the referendum.
"In the first place, what the devil do you have to do with referenda in Venezuela? You have nothing to do with what happens here--this only concerns Venezuelans. Why hasn't she shown any concern for the electoral process in which Bush won, that went down in history as a dubious electoral process. If he's a legitimate president or not isn't our problem, and we're not involved in it, but they also don't have any reason to be involved in anything here."
Chavez also reminded us that Condoleezza Rice, the 12th of April of 2002, celebrated and applauded the coup, giving her blessing to the government of Carmona and the tyranny which began in Venezuela, "and now she says she's defending democracy. Go figure...."
When he's angry, Raven is even more direct than Chavez:
"I'd give her the bird."
CHICKEN FEED
Ralph Nader is talking about running again. He says that it would heps the Democrats, by forcing them to move to the left, instead of being virtually indistinguishable from Republicans:
"I would not do this if I didn't really want to defeat Bush," Mr. Nader said, calling the McCarthy era "chicken feed compared with what we have now."
"Seeking justice supersedes everything," he said, sounding more than ever like a candidate. "Without justice, we have nothing in this world. We can't have freedom without justice. That's what freedom is supposed to be."
"If the second paragraph sounds like a direct quote from Hugo Chavez, well maybe great minds think alike," opines Raven as he tucks into his scrambled eggs.
That's what my grandmother always said. Speaking of chicken feed, Rave, did you see in the paper yesterday that Goerge W's IQ is exactly half that of Clinton's?
"No, but you must remember that we birds are sensitive about measuring our intelligence by the standards of your species."
The bird brain, as usual, has a point....
Ralph Nader is talking about running again. He says that it would heps the Democrats, by forcing them to move to the left, instead of being virtually indistinguishable from Republicans:
"I would not do this if I didn't really want to defeat Bush," Mr. Nader said, calling the McCarthy era "chicken feed compared with what we have now."
"Seeking justice supersedes everything," he said, sounding more than ever like a candidate. "Without justice, we have nothing in this world. We can't have freedom without justice. That's what freedom is supposed to be."
"If the second paragraph sounds like a direct quote from Hugo Chavez, well maybe great minds think alike," opines Raven as he tucks into his scrambled eggs.
That's what my grandmother always said. Speaking of chicken feed, Rave, did you see in the paper yesterday that Goerge W's IQ is exactly half that of Clinton's?
"No, but you must remember that we birds are sensitive about measuring our intelligence by the standards of your species."
The bird brain, as usual, has a point....
GEOPOLITICAL RAPE
Every day Raven and I receive e-mails from a group we belong to called "Revolución Bolivariana". Normally all of the content is in Spanish, but today we were surprised to receive one from our companero "LeoLeo", with the following subject referenced:
History repeats itself: about the next geopolitical rape by the USA: Foreign Affairs Minister Roy Chadderton Matos tells Washington D.C. to stay out of Venezuelan domestic politics.
The news article referenced from V.headline.com is in English, so we are going to send it along as a follow-up to our comments on this site yesterday:
Foreign Minister (MRE) Roy Chaderton Matos has again accused the United States of interfering in Venezuela's sovereign political affairs ... the statement came after US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice urged President Hugo Chavez Frias to "demonstrate that he believes in democratic processes" by allowing a possible recall referendum on his rule to "go through unhindered, unfettered ...and then living up to the terms of it."
Chaderton Matos says the possibility of holding the vote is not up to President Chavez Frias but to an autonomous National Elections Council (CNE) which is charged with verifying the more than 3.4 million signatures that Chavez opponents say they've submitted to petition a revocatory referendum. He adds that it is rather "surprising" that Rice didn't understand that or that she must otherwise be ill-informed.
Pro-Chavez Frias parliamentarians have lodged complains over widespread fraud in the November 28-December 1 signature-gathering campaign with many duplicates, signatures from dead voters etc. Meanwhile anti-Chavez Frias groupings are piling pressure on the CNE to resume verifying the signatures, which were turned in three weeks ago ... it has been fraught with procedural delays and the Christmas-New Year holudays.
There has been a week of contentious exchanges between Washington D.C. and Caracas with Cuba-hostile Condoleezza Rice saying it was beyond her believe "why anybody who believes in democracy or wants people to believe that they believe in democracy would want to have anything to do with Fidel Castro."
Paranoid US officials have accused Venezuela and Cuba of cooperating to undermine democratic governments through funding and indoctrination; however Venezuela's MRE Chaderton Matos immediately cites that the United States (in its own questionable interests) had relations with several countries whose governments are indeed not democratically house-clean.
President Chavez Frias has also been quick to deny US statements such as Rice's last Wednesday claim that "Colombia has concerns about activities that Venezuela may have been involved in" ... an obvious reference to earlier (denied) claims that Venezuela has "allowed Colombia rebels to use Venezuelan territory as a springboard for attacks."
Chaderton Matos says: "If Dr. Rice harbors the naive intention of provoking a fight between Venezuelans and Colombians, we can assure her that there is no power capable of achieving this objective!"
Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel says Venezuela hopes to have a normal relationship with the United States despite the tensions but that under President Chavez Frias, relations with the United States have undoubtedly been strained over ties to Cuba and criticism of Washington's principal policy goal for Latin America ... a proposed Free Trade Agreement of the Americas. However the rot really set in when Washington clearly took sides against democracy during the opposition-launched coup d'etat in April 2002 although they slammed into damage-control reverse as soon as US puppet dictator Pedro Carmona Estanga was himself overthrown by the overwhelming will of the people just two days later.
Nevertheless, Vice President Jose Rangel has taken on US Secretary of State Colin Powell following the latter's ill-chosen remarks on Venezuela's referendum which Rangel describes as "impertinent!"
Powell had pronounced, Thursday, that there will be a referendum vote against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez if signatures are approved to activate the consultation. Rangel says "It is an impertinency, of course ... but Powell says a very interesting thing -- if the signatures are gathered there will be a revocation referendum. Obviously yes."
"Anyway, it is not up to Mister Powell, the US State Department or the United States ... but the National Elections Council of Venezuela will decide."
Raven looks confused:
"Does this mean that Venezuela is not a U.S. colony?"
Every day Raven and I receive e-mails from a group we belong to called "Revolución Bolivariana". Normally all of the content is in Spanish, but today we were surprised to receive one from our companero "LeoLeo", with the following subject referenced:
History repeats itself: about the next geopolitical rape by the USA: Foreign Affairs Minister Roy Chadderton Matos tells Washington D.C. to stay out of Venezuelan domestic politics.
The news article referenced from V.headline.com is in English, so we are going to send it along as a follow-up to our comments on this site yesterday:
Foreign Minister (MRE) Roy Chaderton Matos has again accused the United States of interfering in Venezuela's sovereign political affairs ... the statement came after US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice urged President Hugo Chavez Frias to "demonstrate that he believes in democratic processes" by allowing a possible recall referendum on his rule to "go through unhindered, unfettered ...and then living up to the terms of it."
Chaderton Matos says the possibility of holding the vote is not up to President Chavez Frias but to an autonomous National Elections Council (CNE) which is charged with verifying the more than 3.4 million signatures that Chavez opponents say they've submitted to petition a revocatory referendum. He adds that it is rather "surprising" that Rice didn't understand that or that she must otherwise be ill-informed.
Pro-Chavez Frias parliamentarians have lodged complains over widespread fraud in the November 28-December 1 signature-gathering campaign with many duplicates, signatures from dead voters etc. Meanwhile anti-Chavez Frias groupings are piling pressure on the CNE to resume verifying the signatures, which were turned in three weeks ago ... it has been fraught with procedural delays and the Christmas-New Year holudays.
There has been a week of contentious exchanges between Washington D.C. and Caracas with Cuba-hostile Condoleezza Rice saying it was beyond her believe "why anybody who believes in democracy or wants people to believe that they believe in democracy would want to have anything to do with Fidel Castro."
Paranoid US officials have accused Venezuela and Cuba of cooperating to undermine democratic governments through funding and indoctrination; however Venezuela's MRE Chaderton Matos immediately cites that the United States (in its own questionable interests) had relations with several countries whose governments are indeed not democratically house-clean.
President Chavez Frias has also been quick to deny US statements such as Rice's last Wednesday claim that "Colombia has concerns about activities that Venezuela may have been involved in" ... an obvious reference to earlier (denied) claims that Venezuela has "allowed Colombia rebels to use Venezuelan territory as a springboard for attacks."
Chaderton Matos says: "If Dr. Rice harbors the naive intention of provoking a fight between Venezuelans and Colombians, we can assure her that there is no power capable of achieving this objective!"
Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel says Venezuela hopes to have a normal relationship with the United States despite the tensions but that under President Chavez Frias, relations with the United States have undoubtedly been strained over ties to Cuba and criticism of Washington's principal policy goal for Latin America ... a proposed Free Trade Agreement of the Americas. However the rot really set in when Washington clearly took sides against democracy during the opposition-launched coup d'etat in April 2002 although they slammed into damage-control reverse as soon as US puppet dictator Pedro Carmona Estanga was himself overthrown by the overwhelming will of the people just two days later.
Nevertheless, Vice President Jose Rangel has taken on US Secretary of State Colin Powell following the latter's ill-chosen remarks on Venezuela's referendum which Rangel describes as "impertinent!"
Powell had pronounced, Thursday, that there will be a referendum vote against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez if signatures are approved to activate the consultation. Rangel says "It is an impertinency, of course ... but Powell says a very interesting thing -- if the signatures are gathered there will be a revocation referendum. Obviously yes."
"Anyway, it is not up to Mister Powell, the US State Department or the United States ... but the National Elections Council of Venezuela will decide."
Raven looks confused:
"Does this mean that Venezuela is not a U.S. colony?"
Friday, January 09, 2004
NEW GIG FOR CONDY: READING MINDS (FOR A PLATE OF LENTILS?)
“Hah! Now we have another member of the Bush Gang shooting her mouth off.”
Raven pours himself a cup of de-caf.
“This stuff has no get up and go to it.”
It isn’t supposed to get you up and going, guy. It’s just supposed to make you think you’re drinking coffee. I assume the big mouth in question is Condoleezza Rice?
“Who else? That Aunt Tomasina, embarrassment to black people everywhere, including me.”
So, what’s her beef?
“Ah, a wink at the Mad Cow….Nice. Listen to this from Yahoo News: ‘There are roles that Venezuela has played that have not been very helpful," Condoleezza Rice, US President George W. Bush's national security adviser, said in a briefing ahead of next week's Summit of the Americas in Mexico.’”
Helpful to whom? Where is it written that Venezuela is supposed to be the crying towel for the Bush Gang?
“Let me continue: ‘Rice cited tensions between Venezuela and neighboring Colombia as well as Chavez's good relations with Castro, who has outlasted successive US presidents for four decades despite pressure from Washington on his regime.'"
"'It is beyond me to understand why anybody who believes in democracy or wants people to believe that they believe in democracy would want to have anything in that regard to do with Fidel Castro, because that's the one truly undemocratic regime in the region,' Rice told reporters.’"
Hmmm. Seems like the one truly undemocratic regime in this region is The U.S.
“There’s more: ‘She also called on Chavez to abandon efforts to block a vote on cutting short his term after opposition leaders filed paperwork containing 3.4 million signatures gathered to support such a referendum.'"
"'The best thing that President Chavez could do at this point is to demonstrate that he believes in a democratic future for Venezuela by carrying out the wishes of his people in this regard,' said Rice.'"
I see. She is now a mind reader of what the Venezuelan people want. Apparently she thinks their votes in the ballot box do not represent their wishes?
“Well, remember who she’s working for. The US people’s votes in the 2000 election, when they elected Gore president, obviously were not considered.”
Good point, Rave. Is there more?
“Yeah: ‘She added that the United States was "working very closely" with the Organization of American States and non-governmental organizations that are "trying to ensure that this process goes off without interference.'"
Gee, guy, how much is she charging for the mind reading sessions? Seems to me the only interference in the democratic process in Venezuela has come from the US….Is that it?
“On the aporrea.org site they indicated also that when she compared the political situation in Venezuela with that of Peru a few years ago. She used this as an example of how with the help of the Organization of American States a country can come out victorious from a difficult political period.”
What a riot! Not only does she read the minds of entire countries (without, of course, speaking their language), but she also does stand up comedy. The president of Peru has been changing his cabinet every 15 minutes—expelling suspected lesbians and anyone else who doesn’t agree with his World Bank style of managing the country. His approval rating, the last time I checked, was 10 percent—otherwise referred to as “in the toilet”. Even the people opposed to Chavez put his rating at 40 percent—fairly phenomenal in Latin America after 5 years in office….
“Well, at least Danny Glover and a bunch of other African Americans are in Venezuela this week to redress the balance. They are talking about the US campaign of disinformation against Venezuela.”
I noticed that. They also indicated that the spirit of Martin Luther King was alive and well in Caracas.
“Good place to be black. Too bad my habitat stops at the border with Guatemala…”
“Hah! Now we have another member of the Bush Gang shooting her mouth off.”
Raven pours himself a cup of de-caf.
“This stuff has no get up and go to it.”
It isn’t supposed to get you up and going, guy. It’s just supposed to make you think you’re drinking coffee. I assume the big mouth in question is Condoleezza Rice?
“Who else? That Aunt Tomasina, embarrassment to black people everywhere, including me.”
So, what’s her beef?
“Ah, a wink at the Mad Cow….Nice. Listen to this from Yahoo News: ‘There are roles that Venezuela has played that have not been very helpful," Condoleezza Rice, US President George W. Bush's national security adviser, said in a briefing ahead of next week's Summit of the Americas in Mexico.’”
Helpful to whom? Where is it written that Venezuela is supposed to be the crying towel for the Bush Gang?
“Let me continue: ‘Rice cited tensions between Venezuela and neighboring Colombia as well as Chavez's good relations with Castro, who has outlasted successive US presidents for four decades despite pressure from Washington on his regime.'"
"'It is beyond me to understand why anybody who believes in democracy or wants people to believe that they believe in democracy would want to have anything in that regard to do with Fidel Castro, because that's the one truly undemocratic regime in the region,' Rice told reporters.’"
Hmmm. Seems like the one truly undemocratic regime in this region is The U.S.
“There’s more: ‘She also called on Chavez to abandon efforts to block a vote on cutting short his term after opposition leaders filed paperwork containing 3.4 million signatures gathered to support such a referendum.'"
"'The best thing that President Chavez could do at this point is to demonstrate that he believes in a democratic future for Venezuela by carrying out the wishes of his people in this regard,' said Rice.'"
I see. She is now a mind reader of what the Venezuelan people want. Apparently she thinks their votes in the ballot box do not represent their wishes?
“Well, remember who she’s working for. The US people’s votes in the 2000 election, when they elected Gore president, obviously were not considered.”
Good point, Rave. Is there more?
“Yeah: ‘She added that the United States was "working very closely" with the Organization of American States and non-governmental organizations that are "trying to ensure that this process goes off without interference.'"
Gee, guy, how much is she charging for the mind reading sessions? Seems to me the only interference in the democratic process in Venezuela has come from the US….Is that it?
“On the aporrea.org site they indicated also that when she compared the political situation in Venezuela with that of Peru a few years ago. She used this as an example of how with the help of the Organization of American States a country can come out victorious from a difficult political period.”
What a riot! Not only does she read the minds of entire countries (without, of course, speaking their language), but she also does stand up comedy. The president of Peru has been changing his cabinet every 15 minutes—expelling suspected lesbians and anyone else who doesn’t agree with his World Bank style of managing the country. His approval rating, the last time I checked, was 10 percent—otherwise referred to as “in the toilet”. Even the people opposed to Chavez put his rating at 40 percent—fairly phenomenal in Latin America after 5 years in office….
“Well, at least Danny Glover and a bunch of other African Americans are in Venezuela this week to redress the balance. They are talking about the US campaign of disinformation against Venezuela.”
I noticed that. They also indicated that the spirit of Martin Luther King was alive and well in Caracas.
“Good place to be black. Too bad my habitat stops at the border with Guatemala…”
Thursday, January 08, 2004
THE CHOCOLATE BOMBER
“Geez, those guys are idiots.”
Raven turns away from the t.v. screen in disgust.
I wasn’t watching, Rave. Which idiots?
“Some FBI jokers—now running the show at the Mexico City airport—decided that there was a bomb in a guy’s suitcase that was padlocked. So there was a big hoo hah and it turned out that the suitcase contained coffee and chocolate.”
Odd that coffee and chocolate would arouse the suspicion of metal detectors. Or maybe those are now typical bomb ingredients. Does the C-4 in C-4 plastic explosives stand for coffee or for chocolate? And who was this chocolate bomber?
“A gringo tourist. Wouldn’t you know? Tall, blond, crewcut—clearly a dead ringer for Osama Bin Laden.”
A very busy guy, that Osama. And omnipresent, like God. Trips to the IMSS clinic for dialysis don’t slow him down from training guerrillas among the five star hotels on Isla Margarita, Venezuela, and kidnapping the aquifers in Paraguay—and now terrorizing the Mexico City airport with chocolate bombs. This is starting to sound like a cut-rate version of “Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?”.
“Good detective work, gumshoe.”
And in other news?
“Just the usual. Twenty five convicts were broken out of a supposed maximum security prison in Michoacan.”
Twenty five?
“I guess they figured it would be as easy to break 25 guys out of jail as the 5 drug dealers they were supposed to break out.”
Apparently they were right. And where are they now?
“Some of the non-drug dealers have been scooped up already. Who knows about the others. They’re probably not at the Mexico City airport, though.”
Unless they are checking the passengers….
“Geez, those guys are idiots.”
Raven turns away from the t.v. screen in disgust.
I wasn’t watching, Rave. Which idiots?
“Some FBI jokers—now running the show at the Mexico City airport—decided that there was a bomb in a guy’s suitcase that was padlocked. So there was a big hoo hah and it turned out that the suitcase contained coffee and chocolate.”
Odd that coffee and chocolate would arouse the suspicion of metal detectors. Or maybe those are now typical bomb ingredients. Does the C-4 in C-4 plastic explosives stand for coffee or for chocolate? And who was this chocolate bomber?
“A gringo tourist. Wouldn’t you know? Tall, blond, crewcut—clearly a dead ringer for Osama Bin Laden.”
A very busy guy, that Osama. And omnipresent, like God. Trips to the IMSS clinic for dialysis don’t slow him down from training guerrillas among the five star hotels on Isla Margarita, Venezuela, and kidnapping the aquifers in Paraguay—and now terrorizing the Mexico City airport with chocolate bombs. This is starting to sound like a cut-rate version of “Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?”.
“Good detective work, gumshoe.”
And in other news?
“Just the usual. Twenty five convicts were broken out of a supposed maximum security prison in Michoacan.”
Twenty five?
“I guess they figured it would be as easy to break 25 guys out of jail as the 5 drug dealers they were supposed to break out.”
Apparently they were right. And where are they now?
“Some of the non-drug dealers have been scooped up already. Who knows about the others. They’re probably not at the Mexico City airport, though.”
Unless they are checking the passengers….
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
MORE U.S. INVASIONS
Raven has crumbs on his beak this morning.
“Rave, you ate the rest of the rosca!”
Raven glances around the room.
“Who, me? Nah. It must have been those 3 wise guys who finished it.”
Ay, wise guys. They’re not supposed to be mafiosos, but Wise Men. Kings. It was pretty tasty, though. And, as the guy from Alcoholics Anonymous who sold it to me pointed out, it was for a good cause. As for the 3 wise guys, who might they be?
“I’ll give you a hint as to who they aren’t: George Bush (father and/or son—take your pick), Dick Cheney and Vicente Fox.
Raven discreetly polishes his beak, effectively disposing of the crumbs from the rosca.
I wouldn’t have picked any of them. The biggest sucker, at the moment (por ahora, in the words of Hugo Chavez after his military coup failed in February of 1992), is clearly Vicente Fox.
“Because he fell on his face while hitting the piñata in Los Pinos?”
No, Rave. because he has allowed the FBI to invade Mexico. They are crawling like cockroaches through all the airports—especially in Mexico City—terrorizing all the Mexican passengers (Monday night the president of the Mexican Senate, who was flying to Los Angeles, was practically strip searched!), and canceling flights (costing the Mexican carriers a big heap of money.) Fox has tossed Mexico’s sovereignty out the window, and even said that the presence of FBI agents, bomb-sniffing (and no doubt butt-sniffing) dogs as well as the flotsam and jetsam from the US Embassy, in the airports was “normal”.
“If human rights violation are the rule of the day, then I suppose he’s right.”
Raven is poking around in the refrigerator.
“Don’t we have anything to drink besides water?”
What do you want, guy: coca cola? You’d better grab the water while you can. The Senate of Paraguay just approved the invasion of US troops in the Triple Frontera (with Brazil and Argentina)—they key to this idiocy is the announcement that they will be joint maneuvers with the Paraguayan navy!
“I’ll say. Isn’t Paraguay—like Bolivia—landlocked?”
So far as I know it is. This time the US believes that Osama Bin Laden has taken control of the world’s largest fresh water aquifer—and they’re going to take it back from him? So start guzzling the H2O, guy.
“Advice taken. Not only that, but the new US primary school geography text, “Introduction to Geography”, by David Norman, indicates that in the middle of the 1980s the US and the UN took control of the entire Amazon region because it was located “in one of the poorest regions of the world and surrounded by irresponsible, cruel and authoritarian countries.”
Irresponsible, cruel and authoritarian? Amazing description of the Bush administration. Now they are changing the maps even before they invade the countries. And your average US citizen, who doesn’t even know on which continent Brazil is located, wouldn’t know the difference. So we’ve got the FBI in Mexico, the US Army in Iraq, Afghanistan, Paraguay, Bolivia....
“The force they sent in October to pulse the peace when The Gringo was booted out of the presidency is still there?”
Evo Morales says yes, and that they’ve killed indigenous folks in the mountains.
“Mexico, Iraq, Afghanistan, Paraguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia (of course!)....”
And undoubtedly they are dreaming of a beach in Venezuela.
“I assume you’re referring to Hugo Chavez and Jimmy Carter dreaming of a beach in Bolivia?”
I might be, but the latest round of accusations that Castro, Chavez and Morales are buzzing guerrillas all around the continent to destabilize “democratically elected governments” sounds like the US plans to have another go at overthrowing the democratically elected president of Venezuela.
“We ARE coming up on the second anniversary of the US financed 47 hour coup.”
Last year they were too busy bombing the shit out of Baghdad to invade Venezuela. This year they have more troops, and because Iraq’s oil production is still in the toilet, more incentive to go after Venezuelan oil.
“Dogfaces in Maracaibo in April?”
The only thing that surprises me about the agenda of the Bush Gang of Petrocriminals (to which we must now add Aguacriminals) is that almost nobody else seems to regard their invasions and other terrorist acts as being the least bit irregular.
“Who was it who said: ‘There’s a better universe next door; let’s go.’?”
I believe it was e.e.cummings, Rave.
“You think he was right?”
Raven has crumbs on his beak this morning.
“Rave, you ate the rest of the rosca!”
Raven glances around the room.
“Who, me? Nah. It must have been those 3 wise guys who finished it.”
Ay, wise guys. They’re not supposed to be mafiosos, but Wise Men. Kings. It was pretty tasty, though. And, as the guy from Alcoholics Anonymous who sold it to me pointed out, it was for a good cause. As for the 3 wise guys, who might they be?
“I’ll give you a hint as to who they aren’t: George Bush (father and/or son—take your pick), Dick Cheney and Vicente Fox.
Raven discreetly polishes his beak, effectively disposing of the crumbs from the rosca.
I wouldn’t have picked any of them. The biggest sucker, at the moment (por ahora, in the words of Hugo Chavez after his military coup failed in February of 1992), is clearly Vicente Fox.
“Because he fell on his face while hitting the piñata in Los Pinos?”
No, Rave. because he has allowed the FBI to invade Mexico. They are crawling like cockroaches through all the airports—especially in Mexico City—terrorizing all the Mexican passengers (Monday night the president of the Mexican Senate, who was flying to Los Angeles, was practically strip searched!), and canceling flights (costing the Mexican carriers a big heap of money.) Fox has tossed Mexico’s sovereignty out the window, and even said that the presence of FBI agents, bomb-sniffing (and no doubt butt-sniffing) dogs as well as the flotsam and jetsam from the US Embassy, in the airports was “normal”.
“If human rights violation are the rule of the day, then I suppose he’s right.”
Raven is poking around in the refrigerator.
“Don’t we have anything to drink besides water?”
What do you want, guy: coca cola? You’d better grab the water while you can. The Senate of Paraguay just approved the invasion of US troops in the Triple Frontera (with Brazil and Argentina)—they key to this idiocy is the announcement that they will be joint maneuvers with the Paraguayan navy!
“I’ll say. Isn’t Paraguay—like Bolivia—landlocked?”
So far as I know it is. This time the US believes that Osama Bin Laden has taken control of the world’s largest fresh water aquifer—and they’re going to take it back from him? So start guzzling the H2O, guy.
“Advice taken. Not only that, but the new US primary school geography text, “Introduction to Geography”, by David Norman, indicates that in the middle of the 1980s the US and the UN took control of the entire Amazon region because it was located “in one of the poorest regions of the world and surrounded by irresponsible, cruel and authoritarian countries.”
Irresponsible, cruel and authoritarian? Amazing description of the Bush administration. Now they are changing the maps even before they invade the countries. And your average US citizen, who doesn’t even know on which continent Brazil is located, wouldn’t know the difference. So we’ve got the FBI in Mexico, the US Army in Iraq, Afghanistan, Paraguay, Bolivia....
“The force they sent in October to pulse the peace when The Gringo was booted out of the presidency is still there?”
Evo Morales says yes, and that they’ve killed indigenous folks in the mountains.
“Mexico, Iraq, Afghanistan, Paraguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia (of course!)....”
And undoubtedly they are dreaming of a beach in Venezuela.
“I assume you’re referring to Hugo Chavez and Jimmy Carter dreaming of a beach in Bolivia?”
I might be, but the latest round of accusations that Castro, Chavez and Morales are buzzing guerrillas all around the continent to destabilize “democratically elected governments” sounds like the US plans to have another go at overthrowing the democratically elected president of Venezuela.
“We ARE coming up on the second anniversary of the US financed 47 hour coup.”
Last year they were too busy bombing the shit out of Baghdad to invade Venezuela. This year they have more troops, and because Iraq’s oil production is still in the toilet, more incentive to go after Venezuelan oil.
“Dogfaces in Maracaibo in April?”
The only thing that surprises me about the agenda of the Bush Gang of Petrocriminals (to which we must now add Aguacriminals) is that almost nobody else seems to regard their invasions and other terrorist acts as being the least bit irregular.
“Who was it who said: ‘There’s a better universe next door; let’s go.’?”
I believe it was e.e.cummings, Rave.
“You think he was right?”
Friday, December 26, 2003
HAPPY HOLIDAYS: State-Induced Psychological Terror
Raven and I are very busy these days, but we want to say just how horrified we are at the Bush Adminstration's (Petrocrimnals') policy of continuing to terrorize the US public. The latest caper of canceling Air France Christmas flights from Paris to LA--although Air France found absolutely nothing out of the ordinary in regard to passengers on any of the flights--on the basis that terrorists were going to fly to LA and perpetrate an act of terrorism, was another turn of the screw in the campaign to keep folks in the US scared shitless.
We will say it again: here are two regimes in the world that need to be changed ASAP: those of the US and Israel. They are without a doubt the most dangerous, ruthless and cynical regimes in history. Atilla, Genghis Khan, Hitler and Stalin had nothing on these guys.
Raven: "Give them the bird for the holidays. Tar and feather them, too. I will gladly donate my tailfeathers for this project!"
(For those of you who read Spanish, LA JORNADA has an excellent article on this topic today: www.jornada.unam.mx)
Raven and I are very busy these days, but we want to say just how horrified we are at the Bush Adminstration's (Petrocrimnals') policy of continuing to terrorize the US public. The latest caper of canceling Air France Christmas flights from Paris to LA--although Air France found absolutely nothing out of the ordinary in regard to passengers on any of the flights--on the basis that terrorists were going to fly to LA and perpetrate an act of terrorism, was another turn of the screw in the campaign to keep folks in the US scared shitless.
We will say it again: here are two regimes in the world that need to be changed ASAP: those of the US and Israel. They are without a doubt the most dangerous, ruthless and cynical regimes in history. Atilla, Genghis Khan, Hitler and Stalin had nothing on these guys.
Raven: "Give them the bird for the holidays. Tar and feather them, too. I will gladly donate my tailfeathers for this project!"
(For those of you who read Spanish, LA JORNADA has an excellent article on this topic today: www.jornada.unam.mx)
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