Bolivia Votes: The Evo Landslide and Continuing Divison
Readers: Given the strong interest in today's election, The Democracy Center team has been madly blogging in 'real time' all day, bringing news and reports from all over the country.
Since this post is particularly long we are dividing things up a bit. The top of the post offers a series of breif updates begining with the latest and going backwards chronologically. Following those are a series of on-the-street reports from four different cities -- Cochabamba, Sucre, La Paz, and Santa Cruz, to offer up a feel for the day here in Bolivia. Thank you for your interest. We invite all others who wish to add his or her observations and updates in the comments section of the Blog. We'll be back with more on Monday.
A special thanks to all my co-workers at The Democracy Center who gave up their Sunday to produce this reporting: Aldo Orellana, Leny Olivera, Lily Whitesell, Olivia Zink, and Yi-Ching Hwang. Trust me, they worked their tails off today to put all this together.
Jim Shultz
UPDATES
9:00: Evo's Address to the Nation: Returning to Presidential
Latest Results:
Evo Morales: Si (62%) No (38%)
Manfred Reyes Villa: Si (40%) No (60%)
Governors of La Paz, Cochabamba and Oruro removed from office, all other returned.
Shortly before 9pm, bumping Santa Cruz's governor off the airwaves, President Morales stepped out onto a balcony on Plaza Murillo in La Paz and addressed the nation. It was a return to Evo-the-Presidential, in sharp contrast the combative and name-calling addresses that have sprinkled the revocatoria campaign.
"Bolivia has lived today a historic day. It has deepened democracy," he declared in measured tones before a crowd draped in waving Bolivian flag and rainbow colored Whipalas. "The mandate of the Bolivian people must be respected.
He mentioned none of his adversaries by name, announcing his recognition of the Governors who had been ratified. He notably did not engage in verbal combat with his detractors in Santa Cruz nor did he refer to Manfred Reyes Villa, who stands alone among the rejected Governors in insisting that he will not leave office.
"The best way for Bolivians to unite is to respect the laws," Morales also declared, in one of several references to national unity. Morales named each of the nation's departments to emphasize the point. He also proclaimed his, "commitment to fight extreme poverty," and amidst chants of, "Evo the people are with you," said that his fight was to "bring dignity to all Bolivians."
Morales ended his speech with twin declarations: "Que viva Bolivia unida!" and Patria o muerte," the latter a favorite chant of a Morales hero, Che Guevarra. And so Morales ended his campaign with an appeal to both dimensions of his Presidency and his challenge starting tomorrow, melding together his roots as a President of South America's 'new left" and at the same time a leader desperately in need of a formula for national unity.
New mandate aside, he has a tough road ahead.
8:30: Santa Cruz' Governor Speaks
Santa Cruz's Governor, Ruben Costas, retained in office handily in today's vote, just weighed in with his televised appearance in Santa Cruz, before a large crowd of people waving the department's green and white flag. We don't know the department-by-department results yet on Evo, but it is safe to assume that he lost in the most rebellious of the eastern departments.
Costas' speech was combative from start to finish. He declared the region's commitment to autonomy and political separation from the process represented by Morales. He also laid down a string of personal insults aimed at the President. This follows by just a few days a formal call from Santa Cruz's mayor for the army to wage a coup against Morales.
This answers another question hanging over Bolivia tonight: Will Santa Cruz leaders treat the vote today as an opportunity for new negotiations and an attempt at reconciliation? Perhaps on the Pope's wedding day.
8pm: Manfred Speaks, Defiantly
Latest Results:
Evo Morales: Si (62%) No (38%)
Manfred Reyes Villa: Si (40%) No (60%)
Well we have the answer to the question; Will there be a battle for Cochabamba? Manfred Reyes Villa just gave a brief news conference in which he made the following points:
First, "I continue to be the Governor of Cochabamba." He declared the vote, as he has from the start, to be unconstitutional. Second, Evo should not celebrate his victory, since he lost (we haven't seen the regional vote yet) in half the nation's departments. Third, the reason Manfred lost, says Manfred, is that while he won heavily in the city (again, we have yet to see those results) he lost more heavily in the countryside because of "threats" against voters there my MAS backers. He didn't mention how that would work given that ballots are secret.
A quick analysis. It could be that Manfred is seeking to provoke MAS grassroots base, hoping for an attention grabbing conflict like the one in January 2007 that left 3 men dead and put Manfred on an airplane to the U.S. in Europe to play the role of democracy's champion in Bolivia. He may be just aiming to save face while negotiations happen behind the scene.
It is important to keep in mind that Manfred enjoys no support from the rest of the anti-Evo opposition in Bolivia, having just joined in an insult war with PODEMOS leader Jorge Quiroga over PODEMOS approval of the referendum law that led to today's vote.
So now two of the three key questions have been answered. Will Manfred lose? Yes. Will he fight? For now. Will MAS take the bait and give him the street confrontation he is looking for, as it did in January 2007? That we still don't know.
7:30pm: The 'Evo-Si', 'Manfed-No' Juggernaut Continues, and Reports from Around Bolivia
The lopsided vote in favor of Evo and against Manfred continues to only get only more lopsided as the votes are counted. With moe than 90% of the national voting caluculated, it looks like this now:
Evo Morales: Si (62%) No (38%)
Manfred Reyes Villa: Si (40%) No (60%)
Again, the governors of both La Paz and Oruro are losing by similar margins.
The politicians involved ought to give their various speeches soon, which will tell us as much as the vote itself. Will Ryes Villa vow to fight on despite the landslide vote aganst him? Will Evo be conciliatory or combative? Stay tuned for that.
6:30pm: Early Results - An Evo landslide and a Manfred Blowout
The national television networks are releasing early returns from the Electoral Court. These returns account for nearly 3/4 of the votes cast today, with the earliest returns slanted toward the cities as opposed to the rural areas of the country, given the added time needed to bring those ballots in to be counted.
Here's what the results show so far (rounded to the nearest percentage):
Evo Morales: Si (60%) No (40%)
Manfred Reyes Villa: Si (44%) No (56%)
And as the returns come in Evo's margin of victory and Manfred's margin of defeat are both growing markedly. If that is an indication of the impact of the rural vote the margins in both cases are likely to be huge.
At first glance what this means is that the polls showing huge support for Evo were absolutely right. It means that his support nationwide is significantly stronger now than it was in December 2005 when he was first elected (with 54%). It means Manfred can't claim he was defeated by the slanted rules. It means that the opposition in the eastern departments will either talk more in the language of defacto secession or start to negotiate. And it means that MAS will move quickly to organize another national vote, this one to ratify its proposed constitution.
More updates promptly.
5:30pm: Evo Speaks, Briefly
About an hour ago Evo gave a very brief news conference here in Cochabamba at the headquarters of the coca growers union. He congratulated Bolivians on their peaceful participation in what he called a "historic and democratic" act – reports from throughout the country are of a very peaceful vote – and then quickly left for La Paz.
We rode our bikes over quickly to try to catch him, but along with a good portion of the media, arrived three minutes late. Morales also announced that he would be meeting in La Paz with his cabinet at 6pm to discuss how to address results from the vote, thought I think any realistic reports are likely to come much later. Polling places here are required to be open eight hours, which means that many closed at 4pm. Results should start trickling in by 7pm or so. Watch for the speeches to begin closer to 9.
The main rumor watch here in Cochabamba, and question on the minds of people who live here, will be the results in the streets if Manfred Reyes Villa is defeated, as widely expected, in the revocatoria vote for Governor. Shortly after Evo's news conference I put the question to his official Presidential representative to Cochabamba. Nothing, he told me, was going to happen at least until the results are officially reported from the Electoral Court, Monday or Tuesday. While there are rival rumors that Manfred backers and MAS supporters are both preparing to "take" the state offices still black from the violence there a year and a half ago, the officers sitting in the lone national police truck guarding the door tell me they aren't expecting anything.
The one real police presence I found on my brief ride around the city center was at the main police station a block away, where a few dozen citizens seemed to be standing around waiting for something. I asked one of them what was going on. "It's the people who were drinking," he told me, lifting his hand up to his both like a tipped bottle. "And the people who were driving around." Apparently their family members are waiting for them to be released.
So can we please forget about that beer that got opened here at lunch?
4pm: Cochabamba on Foot
Under a nearly cloudless blue sky the people of Cochabamba and its surrounding communities took to the streets on foot this morning (and on bike) to cast their votes in a national referendum that will determine the fates of the nation's leading politicians, and to a good degree the nation.
Headed to the city center from rural Tiquipaya on bike, the roads normally clogged with Toyota taxis and SUVs (Bolivian automobiles, like its people, are divided) were filled with pedestrians. Parents walking with their children hand in hand, or up on their shoulders. Six-year-old boys on bikes creating traffic hazards with their oblivious criss-crossing of the street. Avenida Ecologica, the main thoroughfare to the city actually looked 'ecological' stripped of cars and draped by giant eucalyptus trees.
Actual visible evidence of an election was scarce if you didn't pass by a polling place. My neighbors had to walk a half hour each way to the public school where voting is taking place in Tiquipaya. Several pro-Evo banners were draped along the main road into Cochabamba. Appeals to voters to vote NO were more visible on the back of late-model SUVs.
The Electoral Court on Calle Simon Lopez remained cutoff from passers by, as it has been for several days. Maybe court officials fear that one side or the other is secretly planning to steal ballots, or maybe they just want convenient parking. Either way it is ribboned off.
The best ice cream in Cochabamba, Aragatza, was for sale in Plaza Cala Cala, as it always is on Sunday. The little company that sells its product out of converted mini-vans mist have snuck their van and ice cream into position before the midnight traffic curfew went into to effect. Who says Bolivians aren't good capitalists? Business was brisk.
On behalf of those working out of The Democracy Center today we were also glad to see that Tunari, our favorite place on the Prado to buy pique lo macho, was open. A volunteer is en route there by scooter to pick up lunch.
Arriving in Plaza Colon I stumbled into one of the main actors in today's political drama, Cochabamba Governor Manfred Reyes Villa. Manfred's comments have been al over the map in recent days, including a news interview Friday in which he declared his candidacy for President, whenever the next election might be. Today, surrounded by press as he came out of Catholic mass in the city center, on a day in which he has pledged not to vote (he has declared the election illegitimate) Manfred made his more immediate plans more clear. Win or lose today he won't leave his post as Governor. And with that he called for his small caravan of vehicles, slid into the door of one of the department's famous Toyota Land Cruisers and took off for somewhere not a polling station.
Say tuned for more shortly.
REPORTS FROM AROUND BOLIVIA ON 'REVOCATORAIA DAY'
Cochabamba: Three Different Views on the Street (Lily Whitesell, Yi-Ching Hwang, Olivia Zink)
Two days ago, Cochabamba rained, showering the city with drizzles and harsh winds. Rain in August is a phenomenon similar to what is happening today in Bolivia’s political scene. Unusual.
For the first time in Bolivian history, the country’s president, vice-president, and leading regional governors are being subjected to a national referendum. To stay or not stay, that is the question. And the answer is not so clear in Cochabamba.
By the stadium where the typical Sunday dog market is held, Oscar, an eighteen year old university student, plays with his for-sale puppy. From a family of six, Oscar is the oldest son and worried about his family’s economic situation. "I am thinking about getting a job, my dad doesn’t make enough to make ends meet," he announced. For Oscar, the problems of the country is caused by Evo Morales. “Since he started governing, all the problems started here in our country.”
At one of the polling stations at the local high school, a candy vendor in her fifties has a different view. “[Evo] is doing so many good things for the poor...teaching all the ignorant people how to read, how to write, so that they can defend themselves,” she proclaimed.
Finally, Marco Vargas who was walking with his wife along Avenida America Este shares his view. “I think that the best message that each one of us can take away from this is that we are all brothers, we are all from this land, Bolivia. And the government just as much as the opposition should try to find places where they overlap to move this country forward, not to sink it. Because what we do when we fight, when we confront each other, we reverse years of progress. If the government puts their ideas on the table, and the opposition puts theirs, then we can begin to build a country and a future for our children.”
La Paz: A Day Without Dynamite, or Cars (Julia McDowell)
This is the first day in weeks that the city streets have not rumbled with explosions of dynamite. La Paz is silent. The shops are closed this morning. Families and couples meander through the vacant streets, and even a few bicycles and pairs of roller blades whiz by, a rarity in this city of frenetic public transportation, aggressive taxis, and disorderly masses of pedestrians. The only sense of the days’ importance can be felt in the schools, which have been converted into voting centers all over the city, citizens flowing in and out of the dilapidated buildings and yards, dogs and children in tow. There are more police than usual, and they appear to be even more bored.
As the day wears on, a few shops begin to open. Vendors hawk pirated DVD’s on a few corners, while others sell soft drinks and candy from their stalls. The eternal faces of the city, the wraithlike figures that usually hide behind and within the metropolitan clamor, become starkly visible in the emptiness…street kids asking for alms from a sparse selection of passersby, alcoholics sleeping on the steps of closed storefronts having somehow evaded the dry law, and a street musician whose flute monopolizes the urban echoes, bouncing its solitary notes off of the city walls. These paceñas will not vote today.
It is now 3pm in the Colegio San Antonio in the center of the city, only an hour until the polls close. Marcela Jimenez, 58, is waiting for more ballots to arrive so that she can caste her vote. A bread seller, Jimenez is not a member of the MAS party, but she says, “The President can bring the country forward. Since I was a young girl, I have watched how the other governments were run by the few . . .We never thought a peasant could be president. That’s why I am going to support [Morales].”
Santa Cruz: Voting in the Island of Evo (Lindsey Frye)
It is a day of celebration here in the Plan 3000 [a strong pocket of MAS support in resolutely anti-MAS Santa Cruz]. The Sunday produce market was packed with many customers taking advantage of the holiday. One man selling vegetables explained why he didn't have much " I'm just selling the leftovers from yesterday, because it's prohibited to go to get more today." And yet people were buying up what was available.
As I walked to the polls (the local school) I met up with a woman from Sucre who's lived in Santa Cruz for ten years. She smiled when I asked her how she was going to vote and said, "I can't tell you, but I will tell you that I'm going to vote for Juancito Pinto." She explained that people here really want to throw Evo out, but that his government is the only one that has the desire to work for the poor, while other politicians work on stealing. As we walked a neighbor of the woman passed by and said, "good morning friend, off to vote for Evo?" and they both chuckled.
We passed crowds of happy people coming from voting with ice cream in their hands. Apparently the vegetable vendor was one of the few people who lost out on the holiday. All along the entrance of the school there were vendors set up selling a variety of snacks to hold over the voters waiting in line.
An older man from Guarayos stopped me on my way in to chat. I asked him if I might know who he voted for. 'Yes," he told me " I voted for Costas and not for Evo because I don't think Evo is doing his job. And when a government isn't doing its job, you have to replace it. But I'm really glad that there's been no violence." Inside the school there were crowds chattering away, some coming in, others headed out. A mason who is from Santa Cruz explained that since Morales has been elected he has had solid work, something that has never happened to him before, and the reason Morales has so much opposition is because his is the only party in Bolivia who has risen to power without having to firstnegotiate with all the other political parties.
Over lunch there were some rumors of the flocks of people coming from Argentina andsuspicion that they weren't legally registered to vote. But as the afternoon passes along, Kjarkas, hip-hop, mariachi and Chiquitano music arises from different corners of the neighborhood. In this part of the country the revocatoria referendum seems to be a typical Santa Cruz event, all ending in a big party.
Sucre: And Now the People Have a Chance to Speak (Zulema Paniagua).
Sucre experienced a pretty normal day on this revocatoria election day. Here in the afternoon we are awaiting results from the Electoral Court to see what the vote will be here in Chuquisaqa. Here the only vote is Yes or No on the President and Vice President of the Republic.
As far as incidents, there were only a few common ones, problems with identification documents and the detention of automobiles that were driving around without official permission.
Now, from the perspective of what took place here in Sucre in November (the conflicts over the demand that the capital be moved to Sucre, and the Constituent Assembly) the vote on the President means that the entire department will have its say even though opposition groups have tried to represent the whole of Chuquisaqa. That claim goes against the significant visibility of popular groups and indigenous groups and parts of the middle class who represent a different view. The groups that claim to speak for the region, like the Inter-institutional Committee do not enjoy the support of the majority of the population.
In the event that the No votes against Morales win, it is probable that the Inter-institutional Committee will feel that it genuinely does have the support of the people here. If that is the result, than radical sectors here could continue to commit acts of intolerance and violence, citing as a justification the public's support.
posted by The Democracy Center at 3:51 PM
69 Comments:
Hi
For someone that is nowhere near this election today
What is the scene like, are there any riots? is all calm?
what is the mood expected to be like tonight?
would really appreciate the feedback from anyone who is there
So far, the only threat of violence I've read about from afar is the UJC thugs batting people into "order" in Santa Cruz:
http://eldeber.com.bo
(Scroll down to "La Guerra Sucia Marco la Campana")
which is strange, because this article about a "dirty campaign" on the airwaves in El Deber, doesn't mention it, but uses the same picture that ABI used in their article about the fascist bastards who are walking around Santa Cruz today as if they have some kind of police authority granted by who?
http://abi.bo/index.php?i=noticias_texto_paleta&j=20080810111705&l=200808100088
I wonder if El Deber has the picture of this crap going on today, but chose to run a different story with it.
Or is ABI just copy pasting El Deber's photo because the UJC thugs taking University and University Student Federation (FUL) for joy-rides around town today probably look the same as some archival footage?
thanks for the reporting DC. would love to hear more as well.
The article below provides a who's who as to the players in the unfolding drama which will see Tuto tossed under the bus while the other prefectos line up behind Manfred. In that scenario, I will be the guy playing the Karl Rove part of being Manfred's brain.
I, "El Croat-Colla" ("ECC"), and Manfred will become super rich, with Goldberg's help.
Evo will be overthrown, captured and, in Bush's final act of rendition, sent to Guantanamo. I will be listed among Bolivia's richest 100 families who opposed Evo and called all the shots as listed below. Why? Because I can:
• LOS CROATAS . “ USTACHA ” UNA ORGANIZACIÓN CRIMINAL RECHAZADA INCLUSO EN LA ARGENTINA, pero aceptada en Bolivia.
• El año 1971 dichos círculos llegan al poder mediante un coronel de ejército, de ascendencia alemana, Hugo Banzer Suárez
• ADN , Acción Democrática Nacionalista, fue la versión boliviana del fascismo. Sus colores negro, blanco y rojo son una clara alusión alemana
• COLONIA YUGOSLAVA , que aglutinaba a servios, croatas, bosnios, alvanos y macedónicos, sin distinción alguna.
La colonia yugoslava no era considerada reaccionaria. La mayor parte de sus integrantes coparon cargos administrativos en las universidades. Muchos de ellos se sumaron incluso a los diferentes grupos armados, (Ivo Stambuck, Oruro),
Una vez disuelto Yugoslava. los croatas bolivianos han jugado un papel importante en la Guerra de Secesión de Yugoslavia al haber conseguido que importantes partidas de material bélico destinadas al Ejército Nacional de Bolivia sean desviadas con ayuda del Consulado Boliviano de Hamburgo hacia Croacia. En ese entonces un familiar de Jaime Paz dirigía el Consulado. Debido a ese escándalo el Consulado tuvo que cerrar por el lapso de casi un año.
El grupo croata es uno de los más activos en el proceso de desintegración de Bolivia. Ha impulsado la creación de varios grupos secesionistas, de los cuales el mas activo es " La Nación Camba ". Ha retomado el símbolo de la Media Luna , en alusión a la Media Luna Croata , que en el año 1482 se constituyo en el ultimo bastión de Europa contra la expansión del imperio otomano. Esta vez la Media Luna defenderá a la "civilización" contra los enemigos de la globalización y el progreso, los collas.
Su motivación de lucha se reduce al racismo "anti colla" y no es racional ni lógica. Se hallan organizados en torno a la UJC, ( Unión Juvenil Cruceñista), en células de barrio, la mayor parte en Santa Cruz (75) y Montero (20). (Ahora han crecido en Tarija, Beni, Pando y Cochabamba)
• ITALIANOS
Otro grupo importante de fascistas que llegó a Bolivia fue el italiano. En los años 70, Bolivia estuvo involucrada en una serie de problemas de la guerra fría secreta. La ejecución de "Toto" Quintanilla, el Cónsul de Bolivia en Hamburgo por Mónica Ertl con ayuda de revolucionarios italianos condujo a la colaboración de la inteligencia Boliviana con la inteligencia y los fascistas italianos. Consecuencia de dicha colaboración llegaron a Bolivia personajes como Diodato y otros fascistas italianos, sospechosos de numerosos actos terroristas en Italia. Todos sabemos, que Diodato formó unidades especiales en el ejército boliviano. Comandos de acción inmediata, unidades de francotiradores, comandos de "neutralización silenciosa", etc. Diodato se casó con una de las sobrinas de Banzer.
• ESTADOUNIDENSES
Otra fuerza extranjera de consideración es la presencia americana. Los americanos tienen tres tipos de fuerzas distintas estacionadas en el país. Escuadras de bolivianos, ex-miembros de las fuerzas represivas, poco confiables y de accionar limitado; latinoamericanos residentes como fuentes de información, mayoritariamente gente de negocios y escuadras de Acción Rápida, incluso una muy numerosa camuflada entre menonitas y residentes argentinos.
• MILITANTES DE LA “MEDIA LUNA ”
* Mirtha Quevedo Acalinovic sigue al pie de la letra las órdenes de Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada quién ha logrado convertir al MNR en un grupo sin forma ni contenido, a favor de la transnacionales del petróleo y el saqueo de Bolivia.
• Andrés Petricievic , que en poco tiempo se ha convertido en banquero, agroindustrial, constructor y uno de los más grandes terratenientes tanto en el oriente como occidente de Bolivia, principal impulsor de la media luna. Fue ex ministro de transportes de Paz Estenssoro y amasó una senda fortuna en la construcción de varias carreteras y el actual edificio del Palacio de Telecomunicaciones.
• Svonko Marincovic . Dicen que cuando fue prefecto de Santa Cruz por encargo del dictador Banzer se adjudicó cerca de 300 mil hectáreas cercanas a Puerto Bush. Sus nexos con empresas como EBX han quedado claros durante los últimos meses. Fue presidente de la CAINCO.
• Branko Marincovic .- Empresario ganadero que tiene tierras ilegales en ese departamento, ha acompañado a los gobiernos de Jaime Paz , Gonzalo Sánchez y Hugo Banzer.
• COMITÉ PRO SANTA CRUZ
La cara visible es la dirección de la organización político-empresarial Comité Pro Santa Cruz (CPSCZ), conducida por Germán Antelo .
• GONZALO SANCHEZ DE LOZADA. COMSUR
Miembro del CFR de EU. Tiene nacionalidad estadounidense, prestó sus servicios militares para EU. Dueño de innumerables minas y otras propiedades en forma personal, asociado o como accionista de empresas transnacionales. Se apropió, por influencia de sus familiares, de la mina “Porco” y con la “relocalización de la mina “Colquiri”. Accionista de “Don Mario”, “Inti Raymi”, “San Cristobal”, etc.
Su hermano Antonio Sánchez de Lozada , fue nombrado Contralor de la República.
• JORGE “TUTO” QUIROGA
Miembro del CFR de EU. Estudió en EU. Heredero de ADN. Tiene intereses directos en el Banco Mercantil de Bolivia.
• EMPRESAS PETROLERAS TRANSNACIONALES
PETROBRAS, (que es minoría de BRAS), British Petroleum, Total y British Gas, asociadas con Repsol - YPF en el Consorcio Pacific LNG.... Han formado un sindicato con sede en Santa Cruz, la “Cámara de Hidrocarburos”
• LA UNION JUVENIL CRUCEÑISTA . Y SUS SUCURSALES (TARIJA; PANDO; BENI Y CBBA )
Grupos de choque, de “jóvenes”, hijitos de Equipetrol, “camba-collas”, lumpen y otros. Es la carne de cañon para hacer respetar los PARO – SECUESTROS del Comité Cívico Pro Santa Cruz.
• LA FUL – Santa Cruz
Como la FUL, cientos de organizaciones de base controlados por la UJC o militantes de la Nación Camba. No nos olvidemos que en el último conflicto sobre el Mutún, la FUL exibió abiertamente armamento para amenazar al gobierno de Evo Morales.
• LA PRENSA CRUCEÑA
Periódicos como “El Deber, “El Mundo”, “El Nuevo Día”, canales de TV como UNITEL, GIGAVISION y un centenar de radioemisoras son de propiedad directa de “empresarios cruceños” y reproducen a diario la ideología de la “Nación Camba ” y “Autonomía” y son el puntal de la guerra mediática en contra del gobierno. UNITEL pertenece a la familia Monasterios (Terratenientes). A esto se suma la prensa transnacional como el Grupo PRISMA de España que tiene intereses en las petroleras.
• LOS TERRATENIENTES
Son no más de 100 familias que poseen millones de has. aptas para la producción. Son los encargados de organizar los grupos de choque para enfrentarse a los originarios y evitar que el Movimiento sin Tierra actúe. Dentro de este grupo se puede incorporar a quienes explotan madera y piedras semi preciosas en la Gaiba: La bolivianita.
• LAS LOGIAS
Las logias en Santa Cruz, se han apoderado de las Cooperativas de Luz CRE, Agua SAGUAPAC, teléfonos COTAS y desde allí despliegan sus tentáculos invisibles cooptando profesionales, empresarios, dirigentes sindicales, dirigentes políticos con el fin de controlar los espacios de poder en la región.
En esta época estas organizaciones secretas han diseñado además un nuevo plan y es el de apoderarse de los espacios culturales y de educación para ello han estructurado un plan estratégico de “ayuda” a la cultura, festivales, apoyo a la investigación, publicaciones de libros, etc. Para eso desde luego cuentan con un equipo de profesionales que trabajan principalmente para la FUNDACION NOVA creada por COTAS.
A continuación detallamos la lista de algunos miembros de las LOGIA TOBOROCHI y CABALLEROS DEL ORIENTE según el libro de Reymi Ferreira “Las Logias en santa Cruz” 1994:
LOGIA TOBOROCHI
Juan Carlos Antelo Salmón
Guillermo Aguilera Ramírez
David Antelo Gil
Percy Añez
Alejandro Aguilera Ramírez
Edgar Arteaga
Luís Bravo Hurtado
Walter Balcázar
Bernardo Canario
Guido Chazal Palomo
Nataniel Paz Jordán
Víctor Hugo Rau Eyzaguuirre
Mario Rioja
Diógenes Ureña
Jorge Valdez
Rony Velarde
LOGIA CABALLEROS DEL ORIENTE
Lorgio Fleig Arias
José Luís Vélez Ocampo
Wilmar Stelzer
Alfonso Moreno
Héctor Justiniano
Freddy terrazas Salas
Nota al margen.-
Es necesario hacer notar que existe diferencias entre las "logias" cruceñas y las tradicionales masónicas. Las primera tienen como único objetivo, acaparar espacios de poder político y económico y asumen, en gran medida, un papel de tipo racista y excluyente, mas que todo ante lo que llaman "el avasallamiento colla". Curiosamente, no dicen nada cuando el "avasallamiento" es de origen extranjero. La "Nación Camba " y el "Comité Cívico" son, actualmente, sus instrumentos políticos.
De las logias masónicas solo adoptan la forma y hasta reproducen ritos que, fuera de contexto, se constituyen en ridículas ceremonias de juramentaciones y similares. Su "radio de acción" ya no se limita a las Cooperativas (aunque allí se encuentre su núcleo básico), han extendido su influencia a los partidos políticos, medios de comunicación y, como señalaba el autor, incluso a algunos sindicatos, aprovechando a los caudillos y burócratas de turno.
• GRUPO “NACION CAMBA”
Carlos Valverde Barbery. Es, como se dice comunmente, el "poder detrás del trono". Autor de diversas publicaciones en las cuales desarrolla su ideario racista, es la base ideológica en la cuál se asientan las tesis de la Nación Camba y su movimiento en general. Reconocido militante falangista (aunque la Nación Camba se niega en reconocerlo) en tiempo de las dictaduras debido a su "eficacia" como paramilitar, Carlos Valverde Barbery fué ministro de Banzer.
Sergio Antelo . Arquitecto y ex-alcalde de la ciudad. Es la cabeza mas visible de la Nación Camba en la actualidad. Incansable (e intragable) expositor del ideario de la Nación Camba en cuanta oportunidad se le presenta. No puede evitar incluir, cada tres palabras, su intencionalidad de llegar al uso de la fuerza para "defender los sagrados designios" de nuestra región. Eso si, a las logias que saquean nuestras cooperativas no les dirige ni media palabra.
Carlos Dabdoub Arrién. Conocido médico cruceño de origen árabe Su reciente interés en cuestiones "históricas" le convierte, junto a otros miembros de Nación Camba, en el " sustento historico " de dicho movimiento. No dejan de ser interesante sus apreciaciones personales referidas a las logias . Se convirtió en una de los "escribidores" de Nación Camba. Fue como portavoz del Comité Cívico demostrando, una vez mas, que Cívicos, Nación Camba y los logieros son lo mismo.
Paula Peña Profesional joven, proveniente de una familia de inmigrantes judío-alemanes, educada bajo estrictas normas de disciplina e influenciada por el regionalismo de su padre, el conocido dirigente deportivo Edgar Peña Gutiérrez , y su tío Aldo Peña, entusiasta seguidor de la “Nación Camba ”. Licenciada en Historia graduada en la Universidad Católica del Uruguay, docente de la Universidad Estatal de Santa Cruz, donde se la conoce como “la generala” por su carácter dictatorial y no permitir la confrontación de ideas con su pensamiento y su interpretación de la historia , sobre todo regional. Uno de los temas favoritos al impartir su cátedra es el libro “Mi Vida” de Adolfo Hitler. Escribió el libro “ La Permanente Construcción de lo Cruceño” para ayudar a sentar las bases de la formación de la organización Nación Camba ”. Gracias a su ligazón con los “grupos de poder” se proyectó como referente regional encargada de difundir la visión de la Nación Camba sobre la “historia” de Santa Cruz, presentada en los medios de comunicación bajo el rótulo de “historiadora”, pero desde el momento que incursiona en la política, que eso es ser de "Nación Camba” aunque avergonzada lo oculta, su posibilidad de ser realmente historiadora ha quedado postergada . Resumiendo, hace labor de sustento ideológico y es la voz del pensamiento de las logias que desde el Comité Cívico pro Santa Cruz se proyecta
• ALIADOS NATURALES
• Prefectos de Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, La Paz, Beni, Pando y Tarija,
Estos grupos que son los remanentes del poder creado por la Revolución del 52 y los partidos tradicionales se encuentran “disminuidos en votación” pero con suficiente poder al haberse transformado en “Organizaciones ciudadanas”, tienen la tarea de impedir que prospere el gobierno de Evo Morales y fracase la Asamblea Constituyente. En su diseño de poder se estima el desgaste de Tuto Quiroga y el potenciamiento del Manfred Reyes Villa.
Estos 6 prefectos, han organizado un sindicato de prefectos y han viajado juntos a Estados Unidos y no precisamente de turismo.
Su primera acción es cooptar todas las organizaciones de base posible. Dirigentes de Transporte, OTBs, Alcaldías (Quillacollo, Sacaba, Cotoca, etc.), para construir una base social que más tarde apoyará en las calles al proyecto secesionista de Bolivia.
I voted close to where Jim was, not too far away from Tiquipaya, and everything looked just the way Jim described it. So, all is peaceful in this part of Cochabamba. I don't want to say anything about "what the mood is expected to be like tonight" - let's just wait and see. What I know for sure is that I will go back to the book I am reading right now.... :-)
anon: nice way to eat up comment post space. you know you can start up your own blog for free?
Here in La Paz it is calm. No traffic, families strolling the Prado, yet not as many people as I expected are out. Sopocachi is pleasant without the traffic. Upper Prado is as deserted as I've seen it in my three weeks here. Plaza Murillo is decently populated with families and vendors, chock full of pigeons as usual.
I'll be walking around a bit tonight if it looks OK. Maybe check out Murillo again.
Pix and commentary at m-grace.blogspot.com.
WHATS HAPPENING WITH THE CURFEW?
WHEN DOES IT END
ARE TRAFFIC AND FLIGHTS ALLOWED TO RESTART THIS EVENING OR DID I READ CORRECTLY THAT IT WONT BE UNTIL MID-DAY TOMORROW?
Without question, the vote today is important. What may be even more important is what happens following.
The following article is: "Bolivia: Is Evo in Danger after the August 10referendum ? The US prepares a civil war." by Michel Collon of GlobalResearch.ca
I recommend it as being well worth reading.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=
(Add w/o spaces) viewArticle&code=COL20080810&articleId=9785
I'd also like to suggest this blog, containing other great articles that are pertinent to today:
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/
Viva Bolivia! And a free, prosperous and united Bolivia for all Bolivians!
Regards,,,John
SPOILER ALERT!!!
As I predicted, Evo won. To have secured the win by the time only 50% of the votes were counted is phenomenal.
August 10, 2008
Morales Wins Bolivia Recall: Unofficial Vote Count
By REUTERS
Filed at 6:03 p.m. ET
LA PAZ (Reuters) - Bolivian President Evo Morales survived a recall vote on Sunday, according to an unofficial, partial count of ballots at a representative sample of polling stations, private TV channel ATB said.
Respected pollster Ipsos Apoyo conducted the quick count -- a tally of votes at a sample of polling stations -- and said Morales had secured 56.7 percent support with 50 percent of the ballots counted.
Morales and eight of Bolivia's nine regional governors faced the recall. It was not immediately clear how many of them would also be confirmed in their jobs.
(Reporting by Simon Gardner and Eduardo Garcia, editing by Chris Wilson)
PS MGrace, your url did not work for me.
hrm..... try this:
http://m-grace.blogspot.com/
Is anyone watching the analysis (read: basura) on Unitel? What a joke!
If you remember that one of Morales' campaign pledges in 2005 was the eradication of illiteracy amongst the poorest members of Bolivian society - those whose illiteracy had, amongst other things, stopped them being able to register to vote, then maybe it's no surprise the sí vote more than cancels out the number of disaffected middle class Cruceños who have been swayed by the relentless Unitel propaganda they pump across that city.
After all, one thing Bolivia does have in abundance is poverty.
I fear there will be violence on the streets of Cochabamba in a replay of 2006 and in key government buildings in Santa Cruz as those running that city have no intention of obeying some abstract conception of legality.The law to the likes of Costas and Dabdoub is, as is transparently obvious to anyone who has followed events in Bolivia, whatever they choose to say it is.
Incidentally, all that stuff in previous posts about fascism, may seem melodramatic or even adolescent to those unacquainted with recent Bolivian developments, it is nevertheless correct.I've seen them up close.The separatists are a textbook nascent fascist organisation and their youth leaders as such would be now, I feel, be preparing to employ their recent School of Americas training in low level warfare against sundry symbols and manifestations of the Bolivian State in Santa Cruz.This would enable them to protect their basic human right to employ an indigenous pool cleaner for 40 cents an hour.
I think we can all identify with that level of oppression.
Come to think of it, Anonymous, if you could post in some of the more outrageous assertions Unitel's presenters are making tonight - I'm sure we could do with a chuckle.
We don't have a public CIA propaganda machine in the UK and I'm kind of missing the thrill of watching it.
C'mon Anonymous 5:28 pm,
cut the crap with your bothersome spanish language post, you must have sent it several times before, by the way, the MNR croat Andrés Petrecivic you mentioned died several days ago, so next time you wanna post this camba-hating baloney at least take the time to erase his name off. What a nerve.
Pasadena Camba
Local Idiot To Post Comment On Internet
In a statement made to reporters earlier this afternoon, local idiot Grindio, 26, announced that at approximately 2:30 a.m. tonight, he plans to post an idiotic comment beneath a Democracy Center blog entry.
"Later this evening, I intend to not read the post in question, click the 'reply' link above the box reserved for user comments, and draft a response, being careful to put as little thought into it as possible, while making sure to use all capital letters and incorrect punctuation," Grindio said. "Although I do not yet know exactly what my comment will entail, I can say with a great degree of certainty that it will be incredibly stupid."
Grindio, who rarely in his life has been capable of formulating an idea or opinion worth the amount of oxygen required to express it, went on to guarantee that the text of his comment would be misspelled to the point of incomprehension, that it would defy the laws of both logic and grammar, and that it would allege that several elements of the video are homosexual in nature.
"The result will be an astonishing combination of ignorance, offensiveness, and sheer idiocy," Grindio said.
According to the idiot, he will become incensed at the quality and sentiment of the comments already posted below the entry will include such replies as "not great, nice try tho," "FIRSTIES!!!" and "wtf?? lol so random." At this point, Grindio said, he will feel a deep, unwavering desire to offer a dissenting opinion, which he has hinted will include the words "gay" and "reatrd" [sic].
"It is my moral obligation to alert the Internet community to the fact that anyone who doesn't agree with me is totally gay, and furthermore, that the individual who made it is a fag," Grindio said.
Pressed for further details regarding his intended post, Grindo, who will comment under the Internet pseudonym "Anon 5:28," revealed that there is a strong possibility he will inadvertently post the comment twice.
"After clicking the 'submit' button, I will immediately refresh the page so that I can view my own comment. I will then notice that my comment has not appeared because the server has not yet processed my request, become angry and confused, and re-post the same comment with unintentional variations on the original wording and misspellings, creating two slightly different yet equally moronic comments," he said. "It is my hope that this will illustrate both my childlike level of impatience and my inability to replicate a simple string of letters and symbols 30 seconds after having composed it."
Grindio confirmed rumors that he will be momentarily sidetracked by another inane task while drafting his comment. The distraction is scheduled to come at 2:25 a.m. in the form of a "related video" link featuring a man being sodomized by a horse, which Grindio will re-watch seven times and laugh obnoxiously at with his friend and fellow idiot.
"Once this minor diversion is complete, I will finish posting my comment, then sit there like the worthless human being I am and wait for other commenters to respond," he added. "Because, as I mentioned before, I have nothing better to do with my life."
Grindio said he fully expects that his comment will spawn a series of replies from other idiots around the world, who will either agree with his stance, disagree with his stance, or call Grindio himself a "d0uche" and post an irrelevant link to a separate video that they will claim to be "way funnier." According to Grindio, this is all part of the plan.
"We are blessed to be living in an age when we have a global communications network in which idiots, assholes, and total and complete wastes of fucking human life alike can come together to give instant feedback in an unfettered and unmonitored online environment," Grindio said. "What better way to take advantage of this incredible technology than to log onto the Internet and insult a complete stranger?"
According to media critic Judy Turner, this type of behavior is not uncommon among idiots.
"Grindio's comments in particular contain a degree of unoriginality and stupidity that you only see in the most muttonheaded and imbecilic Internet commenters," Turner said. "In fact, I've seen him use at least a dozen variations of the word 'gay.' Suffice it to say, Grindio is a truly stupid, stupid idiot."
Grindio concluded his press conference with a solemn vow to uphold the awful, unintelligible, anger-inducing quality of his past Internet comments.
"I promise everyone that this post will be exactly what you have come to expect from an idiot like myself," he said, "and that I will check my comment regularly so that I can call everyone who says it's stupid a fag."
courtesy of The Onion
I do hope you never go to live in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Anon.
This guy Grindio sounds like a Camba moderate to me.
He never called for Morales' assassination or advocated a race war.
That's a Camba moderate.
So come on. What outrageously biased things are Unitel saying tonight? I came to quite enjoy the audacity of their lies when I lived there.
(One of the best was when they told the city Morales was drawing up a law to make illegal for Camba to own guns but not highlanders.They believed it, but of course it never materialised.Strange for such a surefooted legislative idea :)).
God I love Unitel.
anon 5:28 PM
Please, spare us your diatribe. This is pretty much an english blog. If you can't translate, then don't blog.
Just came back from Plaza Murillo. The atmosphere was electric. Nothing like a good cueca to inspire national unity.
You're right, Jim. Morales was not combative in the least. I was slightly taken aback when he asked the crowd to acknowledge the victories of the Media Luna Prefects. Could this be a sign of a kinder, gentler Evo?
Yes, Plaza Murillo was a blast.
Too bad my Spanish is so bad; I didn't pick up mist of what Morales was saying.
Sheesh--people here don't seem to mind those infernal firecrackers.
This week will be interesting. Morales survives, but what'll happen in the east?
Told you so. On or about August 4, I wrote the following:
'Jim wrote: "I will make no predictions about the outcome on Sunday. And anyone who does is really just guessing in the dark."
Oh, yeah? Well, I don't need no stinking guessing: I predict Evo will carry the rural areas throughout Bolivia. That combined with the urban poor's votes throughout Bolivia will give him a victory of landslide proportions'
As evidenced above, I called this election correctly. Therefore, objective observers should weigh my opinions and analysis accordingly. My critics should point how they have been shown to be right or should start basing their arguments on facts instead of prejudices.
To the US Mission staff member who assigned someone to write about 16 paragraphs about me:
Thanks for the publicity. However, could you please assign somebody with stronger writing skills for the next hit job on me. If you guys wrote better more people would read your comments and make me more famous. You've already invested a lot of time fixating on me and to what avail? You're boring.
Oh, and remember that the first rule of satire is: be funny.
At first I was flattered that apparently Ambassador Phillip Goldberg (aka "Goldie" or "The Butcher of Bosnia") reads my comments and authorized spending enough money to write about 16 paragraphs about me so that I could be neutralized as a credible source of information.
Then reality: The Butcher of Bosnia only authorized that a badly written article in "The Onion" be plagerized and used against me. Dang!
I should have known the Guantanamo torture-ratifying cretins (who got their jobs at the US Mission because of their Republican party contributions) lacked even the creativity to write that badly written comedic piece. My bad.
In the spirit of Goldie's cut and paste, here is my contribution to how great it is that Bolivia gets press for something other than drug busts.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bolivia11-2008aug11,0,2039796.story
From the Los Angeles Times
Evo Morales claims win in Bolivia election
Unofficial results show the president will retain his post after recall referendum. Two opposition governors are ousted, results indicate.
By Patrick J. McDonnell
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 11, 2008
LA PAZ, BOLIVIA — President Evo Morales appeared to have won a sweeping victory Sunday in a nationwide recall election that the leftist chief of state crafted as a means of consolidating support against fierce conservative opposition.
Partial unofficial results based on quick counts at polling places indicated that between 56% and 63% of voters cast ballots in favor of Morales and Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera, according to local television stations.
Those totals easily exceeded the 46.3% that the president needed to stay in office. The reported vote also surpassed the 53.7% that the president garnered when elected in December 2005.
Supporters had plastered graffiti throughout the capital seeking a pro-Morales vote of 60%, a decisive margin that would give new impetus for the president's controversial socialist agenda of nationalizations, land redistribution and a new constitution.
Late Sunday, Morales claimed victory in front of ecstatic crowds in the Plaza Murillo in downtown La Paz.
"Today, Bolivia fights for its dignity," declared Morales, who also called for reconciliation with his opponents.
Morales, Bolivia's first Indian president, is slightly more than halfway through his five-year term. Voting trends Sunday confirmed his unwavering appeal among the western highland Indian masses who have long been the base of his support.
The opposition has bitterly accused Morales of favoring the highland multitudes at the expense of the middle class.
Preliminary results also indicated that two opposition prefects, or governors -- Manfred Reyes Villa in the central state of Cochabamba and Jose Luis Paredes in La Paz -- were ousted. Their defeats would add to Morales' apparent triumph. Under Bolivian law, once the results are officially ratified the president will name interim governors to replace those voted out.
However, a defiant Reyes Villa told a news conference in Cochabamba that he had no intention of stepping down, and he labeled Sunday's vote illegal and fraudulent.
"I continue to be the prefect of Cochabamba," he declared.
The governor alleged illegal padding of the voting rolls in Cochabamba. The state is home to the rural coca-growing zone known as the Chapare, where Morales leaped to national prominence as head of the union representing cultivators of the coca leaf, the raw ingredient in cocaine.
"I would not be celebrating if I were him," Reyes Villa said of the president. "The country continues to fracture."
The apparently ousted governor vowed a legal challenge. Such a move and the prospect of the forced removal of Reyes Villa could heighten tensions.
Paredes of La Paz took a more conciliatory approach: He conceded defeat on Bolivian television, saying he would work to ensure a smooth transition to a new administration. But he also voiced concern about deep cleavages in this nation of 9.2 million.
"I am worried about the unity of the country," said Paredes, whose popularity had been battered by corruption allegations. "I see the country full of confrontations. I hope we find a way to be together."
One other governor, Alberto Aguilar in Oruro state, a Morales ally, was also voted out, preliminary results showed.
The apparent landslide was a major boost for Morales as he confronts stiff resistance from huge swaths of the country, especially four lowland states that hold much of the nation's gas and agricultural wealth.
All four have voted for autonomy in recent months in a process that Morales labeled an illegal effort to split from Bolivia. All seek a greater share of taxes and gas and petroleum royalties now collected by the federal government.
According to the early results, voters in at least three of the lowland states -- Santa Cruz, Beni and Tarija -- appeared to cast ballots to oust Morales. There were conflicting reports about the fourth, Pando.
The four all voted to maintain their governors, all political foes of the president.
Official results are not expected for a week.
Earlier, Morales voted in his home district in the Chapare region.
"My dream is that there is a great unity of the Bolivian people," the president told reporters after casting his ballot. "We have seen a sentiment of the Bolivian people favoring democracy and in favor of making this process of change ever more profound."
So now that the circus is over, we can conclude that the looser is Bolivia. Wasted money to confirm what everybody already knew: the country is clearly divided.
The political landscape has not change, and whatever conciliatory words Evo or Linera offer, we know that they are lying. They will say whatever they want, but their ultimate plan is no to pass their bastard CPE to enshrine the indigenous as a superior creature with unlimited power over the rest and to set Evo as president for life. Even the radical civicos have reason to celebrate and make similar claims about the legitimacy of their cause.
In short, the only accomplishment of this circus is to for sides to dig deeper in their heels, further divide the country, and create an even more fertile environment for violence. My money is that Evo will again take a page from the GWB-Karl Rove playbook that he loves so much and say something along the lines "I have earned political capital, and I intend to use it," and go ahead and radicalize his push for a Cuba-style socialist state.
The biggest looser of the week (aside from Paredes) is probably Doria Medina, who will no longer be able to use his cement factory to launder money. Silly Bolivians, they think that using a business to launder dirty money or running a franchise makes them "empresarios." It's like a those silly gringoes that speculate in the real estate market calling themselves "investors"
I think I might to agree with the despicable Reyes Villa and say that this is not reason to celebrate, but to grow even more concerned.
The most anticlimactic election in Bolivia history. No surprises there.
Despite the fact that Bolivia will have to tolerate Cuchi Cuchi worshipper for another couple of years (if he decides not to perpetuate himself in power, that is) thanks to voter intimidation and fraud perpetrated by his band of monolito lovers and by Chavez petrodollar bribes, there are reasons to remain optimistic about Bolivia's future:
-Morales lost by goleada on the regions that matter the most. The more entrepreneurial, productive, and freedom loving regions of the country firmly rejected Morales' authoritarian and primitive policies. Those regions alone will prevent Bolivia to drown in the muck of primitivism, socialism, and servitude. Now, if they could only come up with an articulate and charismatic leader who can be represent them...
-Morales was ratified. As much as his lack of common sense, ignorance of world affairs and history, and haircut are to be despised, he is preferable to the second in command, the moustache-less Hitler Garcia Linera. Brrrrrr!
-Morales' fulbito skills have worsened and hasn't played the trombone in months.
;-)
The Croats are Morales' Jews
Beni is Morales' Katrina
Free Georgia!
Down with Russian genocide!
Silly anon 10:57, don't you know that the russians/soviets have a carte blanche by the "zurdos" in this part of the world?
And IF the US were to try to stand up to the ethnic cleansing going on, you'll have the Grindio's of this world condeming them as "imperialistic" and "balkanizing." Just look how he still bemoans the fact that not all mulsims and homosexuals were slaughter in Yugoslavia and has the chutzpah to call Goldberg "The Butcher of Bosnia" for stopping this true genocide.
Scary to know that these types actually think themselves as being "morally superior"
This post has been removed by the author.
"And IF the US were to try to stand up to the ethnic cleansing going on..."
Under Bush, the US does not do "stand up to the ethnic cleansing going on". Not in Georgia, Tibet or Santa Cruz. They promote it in Santa Cruz because they want to butcher Bolivia and control its natural resources. In that village idiot of Crawford, Texas' mind- if he could-it is likely he would invade Bolivia claiming to search for Osama. But it requires there be more oil there so that it could be subsequently doled out to Texas oil firms on a no bid contract basis, as is occurring in Iraq.
The scary thing is knowing that "chutzpah" culture types abound in the US Mission, having been hired based on their neocon Republican connections and campaign contributions as evidenced by Monica Gooding's testimony before Congress.
These neocons look the other way as to the bombing of civilians in Palestine, genocide in Darfur, repression in Tibet, rights abuses in China (where Bush ratifies their policies by attending the Olympics and saying nary a word of protest), de facto slavery in the Chaco and Santa Cruz areas by types like Americans Durston and Ronald Larsen.
The Butcher of Bosnia apparently seeks to add the title Butcher of Bolivia to his resume. Thus, he assigns his clowns to post on this board so as to muddle the debate by their disinformation and to chill the voice of all who protest injustice, aggression and crimes against humanity be they in Iraq, Georgia, Tibet or in the eastern regions of Bolivia.
Russia should be stopped from committing atrocities in Georgia, but that is a topic for another forum.
Someone please help me out with my loose translation of the following
cliché:
"The Croats are Morales' Jews
Beni is Morales' Katrina"
"Si los Croatas fueran los judíos Masistas, los Media Luna serían el Katrina de Evo."
Pasadena Camba
True, anon 11:22.
I'm just waiting for those millions of lefties around the world who breathe, sweat, anguish, and fart for Iraqi civilian human rights and who decry the US for liberating Iraq without UN permission to indignantly and massively march against Russia's unilateral invasion of Georgia and indiscriminate bombardment of civilian areas, causing thousands of casualties.
(loooooong silence)
Oh, wait. We're talking Russia here bullying a tiny pro-Western nation!
How silly of me. Sorry, Georgia dudes. You're on your own.
;-(
The Croats are Morales' Jews
Beni is Morales' Katrina
IRONY ALERT!!!
The neocon imperialists are presiding over the fall of the US's empire; Georgia is Bush's Cuba that he set up at Russia's border and abandoned in its time of need yet Goldberg's lackeys shift blame to "lefties".
As set forth below, what is happening in Georgia is the fault of Bush and his neoconservatives. They, like no other US political party's movement before, embarked on an empire-building adventure. That imperial quest destabilized the Middle East, hollowed out the US military by its invasion of Iraq for the purpose of getting 1) oil and 2) even with Saddam for trying to kill Bush's daddy, drove up the price of oil for the benefit of US and Saudi oil lords. By that intervention and the one that overthrew Chavez and put him in prison (thus launching a cold war with Venezuela when Venezuelans rescued Chavez and restored him to his elected office), they made Russia wealthier than it dreamed possible shortly after its empire had collapsed because it was bankrupt.
Further, the debasement of the dollar and its fall against the ruble (not to mention even the Bolivian peso) empowered Russia to rearm and seek to re-establish themselves as the hegemon in their region.
As even Republican Norman must admit, Bush-Cheney's debacle in Iraq eviscerated the US's military capacity and moral authority (Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, renditions). Bush's neocons-like Goldberg-balkanized Eastern Europe and recognized Kosovo immediately (which upset Russia because they preferred a longer timeline) like they plan to partition Bolivia and recognize the media luna as a sovereign they can control. The totality of the Goldberg neocons and the Bush's foreign policy failure cause the world to be discouraged from being associated with the US because we are seen as a global pariah. Thus, nobody is likely to follow our lead in making a stand against Russia in its quest to rebuild its empire. Everyone knows our Republican government lied, forged documents and connived to invade a sovereign country for the purpose of controlling its oil. (Who knows what they plan to do to control Bolivia's natural resources if McCain is elected?) Absent the scenario described above, perhaps the world would have joined us in standing against Russia's imperialistic agenda.
Try to get this word picture: On that movie screen within the global community's mindset, they see the US as the bad guys wearing black hats in a western of Bush's making.
Whereas, when I was a kid, I was proud to be an American because I saw us as the good guys in white hats. Thanks to the deception-laden comments the knuckle-dragging neanderthals write that Goldberg commissioned to write, I draw a bright line between them and myself and, if I have time, I will work to hold them accountable for the damage done to the countries I love: Bolivia and USA.
U...S...A......U...S...A......U...S...A
Someone needs to review basic economics and geography. Mercantilism fell out of favour a couple of centuries ago (please do not embarrass yourself by talking about f/x rates ever again) and the US has far more natural resources than Bolivia. You almost got it right regarding the oil, but missed the fact that Russia wants to control flow of hidrocarbons INTO the EU and that's perhaps the central motivation behind the attack.
ps Stick to Bolivia, Americans don't like your kind.
Pasadena Camba requested help with his translation: "Si los Croatas fueran los judíos Masistas, los Media Luna serían el Katrina de Evo."
The above was wrongly translated in an awkward/incomplete syllogism form with a conclusion and a related statement as its premise. Whereas, the idiot, whose quote was translated, simply wrote two unsupported statements of fact.
Literally translated, the following is a more accurate translation of what that twisted kneepad-clad mind wrote:
Los croatas son los judios de Morales.
Beni es el Katrina de Morales.
Let this be the last time I assist translating the musings of a degenerate mind. I only did the above because I love Santa Cruz and its humble cambas (but not its fascist leaders) and to build upon Evo's extension of an olive branch that seeks to unite Bolivia (as evidenced in last night's speech).
LEFT KOOK AMATEUR HYPERBOLE ALERT!
LEFT KOOK AMATEUR HYPERBOLE ALERT!
LEFT KOOK...
...left...
ZZZZ.
(Bush and the neocons fault)
;-)
The Croats are Morales' Jews
Beni is Morales' Katrian
I digress, Quasimodo. My catchy phrase (which will soon appear on T-shirts) is supported by facts, without dispute.
Now you may go back playing with your Monopoly money pretending to be an investor and your kiddie surfboard in your bathtub.
It's adult time.
;-)
The Croats are Morales' Jews
Beni is Morales' Katrina
Another anon (gatekeeper of opinions held by Americans as in "Americans don't like your kind") wrote,
"...missed the fact that Russia wants to control flow of hidrocarbons INTO the EU and that's perhaps the central motivation behind the attack."
My bad. How I forgot to include that key geopolitical scheme maybe because I was trying to focus on linking everything to Bolivia. I don't agree with you that it is "the central motivation" for sending a message to its former republics like Ukraine is also key along with ridding itself of Bush's Cuba.
As to f/x rates, in Moscow most people quote prices in euros instead of dollars now. Besides, what's a little hyperbole between friends trying to sexy-up a blog.
Especially in the case of you state department types at the US Mission who wrote the book on hyperbole, deception and wrong analysis. Not to mention outed a CIA spy because of her ambassador husband's political courage.
Evo WON big time. Do not cry now Gonis, Manfreds, and other mafia types.
Now is the time to get rid of the crooks, MNR and his puppets should be investigated of their ill conceived fortunes.
Let's start with Goni, Costas, and the entire Camba Sopranos.
PATRIA O MUERTE ..VENCEREMOS
VIVA BOLIVIA LIBRE..DE CAMBAS CROATAS Y LADRONES
E-G, I thought you were busy fixing your finances? BTW, what in the world gives you the idea that the U.S. military's capacity has been eviscerated? You’re talking out of your area of expertise again. (Now there’s a surprise).
As to the forum topic, things definitely haven't gotten any better. I can't fault morales this time though. Ruben might think about toning down the rhetoric a bit and Manfred needs to spend a couple of days working on his resume.
A lot of folks are calling this a draw since Ruben and the media-luna came out well ahead (compare their 2005 results yesterday's, then do the same with morales). I personally think evo won the day though. I was actually a bit surprised he didn't make more progress. He only came in 3 points ahead of the polls (which basically makes the spread), and only got rid of two thorns. Manfred was a big thorn though. (That a supporter may have fallen too is no big deal as he gets to appoint the stand-ins.) Any bets as to how long it will take for morales to call new elections? How hard will he push his agenda before those elections? Hang on to your hats cause the ride’s about to start.
G,
I said "perhaps," but if you add their desire for renewed influence in the area (teach ex-soviet republics who's still boss) I think we have most of the motivation for the attack...which still leaves open my original question unanswered: where is the righteous indignation from the lefties? why is it ok for Russia to bomb civilians wheras the US is always held to a higher standard?...it is because we are the good guys and it comes with the territory. Now should we expect condemnation from lefties regarding a nuclear bomber base in Cuba? of course not, and I can't wait on how they'll blame the US when cancer rates spike up in the island (russians tend not to be as fastidious with nuclear waste as americans).
Regarding f/x rates, reserves, and all that...strongly recommend you review mercantlism you might find out why Colbert is really an ironic name and also why you can become a super-power leveraging an extremely weak currency (china)
Norman, for all the wear and tear on the US military, recruitments are up, it has developed the most sophisticated and experienced anti-insurgent force in the world, and it is just beginning to shake-up the entire military by promoting a new generation of brilliant officers who came of age in the cauldron of Iraq.
;-)
The Croats are Morales' Jews
Beni is Morales' Katrina
Croat jew:
What do you know about the US military? did you serve? Of course not, just big mouth.
By the way recruitment is up because bushi has destroyed the economy and small towns usa are full of young unemployed people. Just look at the pictures of all the killed ones in this conflict. Young, looking for money for college, white and patriotic. Where are the sons or daughters of the croat jews? At home like you.
EVO WON by a landslide. Manfred is coward like the croat jews in Beni and katrinas mother screwer.
2:52
Once you get a grade of "C" or better from grammar school will I make the effort to take you seriously and answer you questions. Off to your homework, now.
Buh-bye.
;-)
The Croats are Morales' Jews
Beni is Morales' Katrina
Aw ;-), you spoiled it. I was waiting for E-G to jump on the bait.
Recruiting Numbers up
TIME Magazine Rating the Volunteer Army
Iraq casualties at lowest level
Marine Corps Tightens Re-enlistment
Still, I like the way leftists contradict each other. One says the military's eviscerated and the other says recruiting is up. You must have gotten his dander up though. He got a LOT of racial epithets into a tiny space!
Croat jew:
If I get a C or better I could be nominated to be a republican president. No thanks.
Keep talking croat, like the hypocrical queers who never served a day in the army, but want war.
The groups in Bolivia funding the gangs with baseball bats are criminals like the tugs who beat up "indios de mierda" in Sucre.
I am wondering how much Goni pays you to write all these crap about the jews. Goni is a facho, Manfred is a coward " a crying baby.
Marinkovic is a maricon who should go back to his country in Yugoeslavia. All of you scum should leave Bolivia for real bolivians. Go back to where you came from, or become a human being, you semi nazi fag.
so again...is it only wrong when the right uses the same tactics as the left? I don't get it. I agree we should condemn the UCJ, but why do we turn a blind eye to the "grupos de choque" that Evo and the cocaleros send to either beat up everyone from born-agains praying for animal rights to simple campesinos walking in the city with a little anti-mas sign?
Again, just when you thought lefties couldn't get whackier than Grindio, we hava an anon that blows him aways....again to think these types believe themselves as morally superior.
We progressives are morally superior because we stand against racism, homophobia, violence and for animal rights and universal human rights as articulated in the UDHR. You right wing reactionaries have the lies you spread. The case against you and your ilk has been documented with video taped evidence whose links have been posted on this blog's web pages.
Where is your evidence of what you claim, other than that god-awful dastardly deed against a couple of innocent dogs, which may have been a false flag op funded by Goldberg?
You are the masters of deception as in the case of Norman posting a link to an article in 1977 that said the voluntary army shows readiness. Whereas, a December 2003 study by the Army War College (http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=207) concluded that the war in Iraq had stretched the force to near its "breaking point." "The cumulative effect of logistical problems, spare parts shortages, and unprepared reserves is that the Army will be significantly less ready to fight for the next several years. Should another threat appear on the horizon, these issues will make it exceedingly difficult for the Army to respond with anything close to the force it mustered to invade Iraq".
Anyone is morally superior to the scumm that have ruled Bolivia for the past 500 years.
Goni, Manfred, Costas are the prime example of the abusive thieves who will stop at nothing to continue slaving the real indigenous people of Bolivia.
How would you like to have croats, germans who just arrived running your country?
I guess the arabs now bought up the USA and the chinese are slowly taking over, so all of you facists will need Bolivia to escape from them, just as when you run away from Europe.
Surprise, to you we will not allow you to continue your crooked practices.
We should invade Santa Cruz just like the rusos did, after all there are all kinds of styles. The silent ones like the arabs and chinese or the rude ones like the empires. Collas should take over by force since Costas and the croats started to claim independence, we have the right to put them in jail, or better yet in concentracion camps.
"you can become a super-power leveraging an extremely weak currency (china)"
You're comparing apples to oranges.
The ruple's rise against the dollar is a factor that helps rebuild Russia's Slavic pride and perpetuate Putin's power (forget his appointee). Building on the increase in oil-based wealth, Putin endears himself as the modern day father of Russia and restores the Russian sense of being a world power by reasserting control over their former republics. This is despite exigencies related to the fact that most Russians live in dire straits outside of Moscow, Saint Petersberg or a few of the other cities.
I was headed that direction with two race cars I bought that I planned to sell on spec to the local ostentatious oligarchs instead of selling them domestically for low-value dollars. It's not a bad working summer vacation if I had taken a few Russian models for a spin in the cars. It would be part of my PR to sell the cars at astronomical price points (in case my fiance is reading this).
E-G, I absolutely love it when you wander so far out of your territory. You make it too easy.
You are the masters of deception as in the case of Norman posting a link to an article in 1977 that said the voluntary army shows readiness. Whereas, a December 2003 study by the Army War College (http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=207) concluded that the war in Iraq had stretched the force to near its "breaking point."
Okay, so article number 2 of 4 was out of date… ya’ got me. So you rebutted with what… a 2003 article? Where to start with this one!! Let’s see, your first assertion was that the military’s capacity (to do what?) had been “eviscerated” by the Bush-Cheney Iraq war. (I love the way you always assume I’m a supporter btw.) Do my 4 linked articles effectively counter that? Absolutely, though one is admittedly old. Does your linked article support your claim? First paragraph: “ The views expressed in this report are those of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, the
Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.. Caveats aside, let’s delve deeper. What does eviscerate mean? - to remove an essential part of something and so weaken it. That the forces were stretched to a breaking point, (even if this were true which the last five years have proven otherwise), would not mean that Bush-Cheney removed any essential part. It would mean that the initial size of the force was inadequate to the task. Let’s say that your author is correct. When did Bush take office? (Hint: before 2003 but after 2001). If the forces were undermanned, then whose policies were responsible for that? (Hint: the president between the two Mr. Bush’s.) But we’re assuming that your author is correct, and still though at the breaking point they did not break. That must mean that the situation was corrected during the B-C administration. Rather than eviscerating military capacity, it actually increased (as your fellow leftist indicates). But you knew that didn’t you? Yet still you posted the evisceration remark. Who then is trying to deceive people? (Hint: he talks a big game on speculating on race cars.)
Sorry E-G, I’m just in a good mood today. I just realized that there’s only 893 days left with evo in office (unless he passes his CPE, then it’s only 2354 days). None of this do I take particularly seriously… you just presented a target of opportunity. Take care and don’t drive too fast.
Goldberg's Kosovo chicken is coming home to roost. Those that cheered on the US meddling and imperialism in the Balkans should have nothing to say here lest they expose their own hypocrisy. Camba Croats be afraid. Be very afraid.