The Largest Minority

May 10th, 2008 by Manila Ryce

Back in March, President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela called Colombia the “Israel of Latin America”. Today we realize how fitting that description is. Not only has there been a drive for the US-proxy state of Israel to attack Iran, but it’s now been revealed that another proxy state, Colombia, will be used to attack Venezuela, another oil-rich enemy of the US.

This so-called “final offensive” against Venezuela, aimed at taking President Chávez out of power and fracturing the country (sound like the plan in Iraq to anyone?), will be executed by Colombia’s army. Documented agreements have already taken place between Colombian President Álvaro Uribe and “the known agent of the intelligence services of the United States,” William Brownfield

This information, recorded in a document titled “Shock and Awe Theory in Venezuela: Provoke a State of Shock In Order to Command Respect,” was presented to the Venezuelan Public Ministry by former Venezuelan Attorney General Isaías Rodríguez. The document cites the Colombian Security Administration Department (DAS) in recounting a recent private meeting in which US Ambassador to Colombia William Brownfield, Colombian President Uribe, Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos, and Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos discuss the “secession of the state of Zulia, Venezuela.”

In the conversation, Ambassador Brownfield is said to have referenced a previous conversation he had with US Defense Secretary Gates, who confirmed a collaboration with Venezuelan Governor Manuel Rosales of the State of Zulia. Gates referred to Zulia as “the oil state,” which holds some of the richest oil deposits in the Americas, and expressed concern about the lacking support of the Colombian military. Governor Rosales is a staunch US-ally who participated in the April 2002 coup against his own government and intends to sell state oil companies to transnational corporations.

The source [from within the DAS] added, “The Venezuelan army will be displaced to impede the autonomy and in that moment is when the paramilitaries come into play. Uribe interrupted to express that this action was very dangerous and that he did not think Venezuelans would accept the state’s separation. ‘I know the Venezuelans well and they will not accept this, so perhaps this favors Chávez.’”

Francisco Santos rebutted Uribe, saying that “the idea is to distract Chávez while the other part of the plan is carried out in Caracas, Valencia, and Maracay”. Brownfield calmed Uribe, saying “don´t worry, everything is already prepared, we’ve been in Venezuela creating the conditions in Zulia for years, now the only thing left is to tie up the loose strings from Colombia and sew together the operation to produce the Venezuelan May.”

Uribe put Francisco Santos in charge of the details “without it looking like the Government is involved because we would go to war. The [US] ambassador ended the discussion like this: ‘this is the best moment, because the electoral season in the United States makes many people think that our country is focused on that juncture, therefore any direct or indirect action by the United States would be ruled out or unsubstantiated. Long live the element of surprise.’”

The document also mentions that paramilitaries already working with the US in Caracas, Venezuela will kidnap Chávez’s son and take him to Colombia in order to break down Chávez morally. Keep in mind that this plan comes at a time when US intelligence officials are claiming that computer files seized from a Colombian rebel leader’s laptop show strong ties between President Chávez and FARC. Hmmm, falsely linking the president of a country with a terrorist organization all to invade and steal the country’s oil resources? Yeah, like that would ever happen!

The computer files, which have already been exposed by investigative journalist Greg Palast as agenda-driven fabrications, are implicating Chávez as a “destabilizing” force in the region. Haven’t the same allegations of destabilization also been thrown at Iran? Bernardo Alvarez, Venezuela’s ambassador to the US, recently said the computer files were “false and an attempt to discredit the Venezuelan government” after the illegal Colombian attack in Ecuador to extrajudicially kill FARC guerillas increased tensions in the region.

Though the nature of this plan seems more intricate and aggressive than before, US hegemony is of course nothing new to Venezuela. Some of you may remember the failed US-backed 2002 coup against Chávez, or the CIA memo confirming that another US-backed coup has been in play against the Chávez government ever since.

The greatest adversaries to democracy in the world today are the United States and its proxy states. The terrorism which is American foreign policy must come to an end. Resistance begins at home. Let us stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters throughout ALL the Americas.

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April 26th, 2008 by Manila Ryce

April 21st, 2008 by Manila Ryce

For the first time in over 60 years, the conservative Colorado Party has lost their hold on Paraguay after leftist Roman Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo won the country’s presidential election. Lugo, who is known as the “bishop of the poor”, is a political novice who was able to defeat the experienced right-wing machine by bringing leftist unions, indigenous people, and poor farmers together to form the Patriotic Alliance for Change of seven opposition parties. He has most notably called for land reform and a renegotiation to an energy treaty with Brazil.

Lugo (who sounds like a substantive and liberal version of Barack Obama) said he had dreamt of Paraguay being a country for everyone. Once it was clear that he not only won, but that the victory would be respected, Lugo told supporters at his campaign headquarters, “I invite Paraguayans of all political types, even the ones who don’t share our ideals, to help this country that was once great be great again.” Lugo’s main competition was Blanca Olevar, a candidate from the Colorado Party who was campaigning to become the first female president.

Sitting President Nicanor Duarte of the Colorado Party told a news conference, “For the first time in our history, one party will transfer power to another without a coup, without bloodshed and without fighting among brothers.” The Colorado Party has been in power since 1947. Lugo’s win brings an end to one of the longest periods of continuous rule in the world, and is also the latest in a series of election victories by leftist leaders in Latin America.

Paraguay’s conservative government has been a violator and civil and human rights, and a key ally of Washington (of course) as the rest of Latin America has shifted to the left. That relationship will obviously crumble now that Paraguay belongs to the people. Like all leftist leaders, Lugo will have much work ahead of him to repair the damage that capitalism, authoritarianism, corruption, colonialism, and violent political repression have done to his country.

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March 29th, 2008 by Manila Ryce

Bolivian President Evo Morales has accused US ambassador Philip Goldberg of heading a conspiracy against his government. Morales has also accused USAID, the main aid organization which is supposed to provide $85 million a year in aid to Bolivia, of funding far-right political opposition. Morales said, “USAID, with funds that come American tax payers, who think they are helping the Bolivian people, is using the money in a dirty campaign against my government and especially against me.”

Anyone familiar with history knows that the US has funded terrorism against the people of Latin America for decades in the form of paramilitary forces, assassins, and far-right dictators. “The mayor of a city, who recently visited me, told me he was offered money by the US AID agency to run as an opposition congressman. They even offered to pay for his campaign.” Morales continued, “And the mayor told me that the people who work for the US agency go from house to house telling people that if they get rid of Evo Morales, they will have more money.”

Morales is attempting to introduce a new constitution which would outline a detailed bill of rights and considerable autonomy for the country’s 36 indigenous groups, who say they were shut out of power by the white population.

Opposition politicians say the charter favors native communities over the rest of the population and fails to address demands for autonomy from the eastern states.

Morales, who is a former coca farmer of the first indigenous head of state since the Spanish Conquest in 470 years, says he has endured racism from the US-backed opposition leaders. “As a trade union leader and leader of peasant movements, I witnessed and had to endure racism and I thought that once I was in the presidency that would stop. The things that some opposition groups and leaders are saying against the indigenous movement are increasingly more radical,” Evo said. “For example, the governor of Santa Cruz [a Bolivian state] referred to president Hugo Chavez as the Chief Monkey, meaning that the other monkey, the other ape, was Evo Morales.”

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March 28th, 2008 by Manila Ryce

The administration of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe (which is backed by America and acts accordingly) was condemned by the Directors of Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International USA, Refugees International, Human Rights First, and 18 other human rights groups for endangering the lives of activists by linking them to leftist rebels. The right-wing president has essentially given paramilitaries the green light to target activists by previously accusing these human rights workers of doing the bidding of FARC.

Following a wave of killings earlier this month, the human rights groups demanded in a public letter that Uribe do more to protect human rights advocates and trade union members. The letter described how at least four people protesting paramilitary death squad violence were killed recently by far-right groups as dozens more were threatened with death. It also accused close Uribe adviser Jose Obdulio Gaviria of jeopardizing the lives of protesters by suggesting the demonstration was organized by FARC.

“Baseless comments such as these are profoundly damaging to Colombian democracy and human rights, and place those against whom they are made in direct danger of violence,” the letter said. It urged Uribe to “publicly disavow statements by Gaviria and others that linked the protest organizers to guerrillas.”

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March 20th, 2008 by Manila Ryce

Venezuelan President and all around badass Hugo Chavez was awarded a complete victory over the largest oil company in the world by a British judge. As BoRev reported Tuesday:

This morning a judge tossed Exxon Mobile’s $12 billion asset freeze against Venezuela out of court, on the grounds that it was stupid. The U.S. State Department, you may remember, loudly supported Exxon in the case, which was probably the kiss of death for it in the first place.

The judge has also ordered Exxon to pay for Venezuela’s state oil company’s legal costs and compensation for damages. The oil giant secured $12 billion in freezes on Venezuela’s state oil company’s assets last month, and had a US court freeze $300 million in Venezuelan assets in a US bank. Exxon says the London ruling will not affect these orders, though Venezuela’s Energy Minister disagrees. Chavez himself has called the US measures “legal terrorism” sponsored by his enemies in Washington.

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March 12th, 2008 by Manila Ryce

Pepe Escobar discusses the recent crisis in Latin America involving Colombia’s invasion of Ecuador to extrajudicially kill FARC guerrillas.

Obama and Clinton are hypocrites in stating that pro-American states own the world and have the right to invade any country whenever the hell they feel like it, for whatever reason they deem important. American foreign policy is nothing short of terrorism. Of course, Hillary is the more aggressive pro-war corporate puppet, but neither Democratic candidate represents your interests if you actually give a damn about international law and democracy.

March 11th, 2008 by Manila Ryce

For the first time since they arrived in Bolivia as slaves 182 years ago, attitudes towards African Bolivians are changing. That’s partly because of the government of Evo Morales, which recently approved its first “multi-ethnic, multicultural” constitution.

But for many, it’s recognition of Julio Pinedo, an African Bolivian, who is now an official authority and king of the African-Bolivian community. Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo reports.