Now Lets Be Well-Behaved and Dignified.

Look if you are going to boycott work, walk out of school, or protest after work and/or school, do it with class and dignity. The whole country is watching. Fly the American flag, march in peace. Don't say stupid things if the TV people ask you questions. In the end it is about wanting to live United States, not about being discriminated against because you are Mexican.

The haters need no excuse, but don't give them one. The most succesful mass movement ever succeeded in this country because it never lost its moral compass, in the face of horrible backlashes.

And remember, this is not only about Mexicans, it is also about South Americans, Haitians, Poles, and Chinese too.

US: Immigration, Idiotic Article "Why Simper to Fidel"

Among the stupidest things I have read in a while....

Why Simper to Fidel?
(from The AMERICAN SPECTATOR)
By Jay D. Homnick

Published 4/11/2006 12:06:19 AM

NORTH MIAMI BEACH -- Life is rife with little misunderstandings: look what happened when President Bush told Seymour Hersh that he was going to try to win over Ahmadinejad with a "new Koran"! Hersh reported that we were going to "nuke Iran," so we're off to the races. And poor Cynthia McKinney thought that detector was out to test her mettle, so we're off to the racism.

We need to be sympathetic. Haven't we ever made mistakes? All of us have once looked for our glasses when they were on our foreheads or our watches when they were on our wrists. So why can't we be more understanding of a Mexican who went on a bender and wound up on the wrong side of the border? Or a South American who gambled away his return ticket at a casino and had to overstay his visa by twenty years? There's eleven million of them, but they work hard: we're thinking of moving Labor Day to Sept. 11th.

So I'll tell you what. Here's my deal. If you guys in the Senate want to ram through an immigration bill to reach out and bring all these folks into the Big Tent of the Republican Party, I'll bite my lip and go along. I won't be legalistic or puristic or a nudnik. You want me to give you your short-order cooks and your lawn guys and your house painters, you got it.

But I want something in return. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door, right here in Miami. Give me your Cubans. (No, not the cigars. Apparently Babbin copped all of those.)

HERE WE HAVE one of the great ironies. The one group of emigres with the most legitimate claim for asylum is the Cubans. The one law-abiding cadre that doesn't make large demonstrations is the Cubans. The one enclave that never presses for bilingual education but works to master English without complaint is the Cubans. (You would never hear them yelling "March!" in April.) And -- here is your full daily USDA RDA of irony -- the only reliable clique of Hispanic voters for the Republican Party is Cuban. Well, guess what? As things stand, the proposed immigration bill leaves the Cubans missing the boat.

These folks are living ninety miles from our shores under the longest-ruling dictator on the planet. While he jubilantly closes in on his jubilee, defiant in his autocracy, oppressive and restrictive and vindictive, we not only refrain from interfering in his internal affairs, we turn away his escapees. Plenty of hardy Cubans would hot-foot it here, but they get cold feet because of our "wet foot - dry foot" policy. This means that after days of baking in the sun on a makeshift raft made out of a car fender and a few pickle barrels, then swimming with labored strokes toward shore, throat parched, breathing stertorous, spirit flickering, if the Coast Guard can intercept you a foot from shore, back you go to the Communist paradise. Foot on shore, more sure of foot, you stay.

Whichever spineless State Department wonk thought that up in time immemorial has long since ossified and become fossilized in his chair. The original memo probably sits in a dusty, musty file somewhere in the National Archives under one of those classic one-word titles. It's undoubtedly called "Rapprochement" or some such elegant evasion, instead of its true name: "Tergiversation." What a sorry face to put on our noble nation!

The most recent travesty to emerge from this approach came a few months ago, when a few desperate Cubans managed to guide their ersatz craft onto shore at the base of a bridge in the Florida Keys. The Coast Guard turned them back anyway, because that bridge was no longer in service and they did not view that as an active extension of American soil. A court later reversed that ruling, but -- oops, too late -- the people are back singing "Havana, hold your hand."

The Cubans themselves are reluctant to press their case at this juncture, because they do not want to be thought of as being on an equal plane with illegals. They wonder, as we do, why the illegals are stealing the march on them, why the inmates are getting the asylum. We need to be courageous and advance their cause.

The old Cuban joke goes like this. Castro tells his people there are only wood chips to eat. They shout: "Give us wood chips! Give us wood chips!" Then he says they are down to the stones. "Give us stones! Give us stones!" Finally, one day he announces that humanitarian aid has arrived and there is food. "Give us teeth! Give us teeth!" How about a bill with some teeth?

Jay D. Homnick is a columnist for JewishWorldReview.com and a contributor to the Reform Club.

What a dumbass.

Where to even start?


"The one law-abiding cadre that doesn't make large demonstrations is the Cubans."

Ummm. remember the collective meltdown in Miami during the Elian Gonzalez situation?. The Cuban-American civic and business leadership actively called for large demonstrations, leading to shutdowns of parts of Miami. This was further fueled by prominent elected officials, including the Mayor of Miami, publically stating that they would disobey Federal Officials, and others called for massive civil disobedience. Lets not even get into people flying the American flag upside-down as a sign of protest.





"The one enclave that never presses for bilingual education but works to master English without complaint is the Cubans. (You would never hear them yelling "March!" in April.)"

That is beyond wrong, it is retarded. In the 1960's, Miami (with ample use of Federal funds) became the first major city to experiment with billingual education. Miami-Dade has been officially a "Billingual County" since 1973. And this was done by pressure placed largely by Cuban-Americans.
When non-Latinos have launched "English-Only" initiatives, Cubans have been among its loudest opponents.

The largely Cuban-American congressional delegation have also been the most ardent proponents of legalization of undocumented immigrants, sentiments that are also shared by many residents of Miami.

Coca Cola in Colombia - Weird Campus Protest

Normally, I'm all for publically shaming corporations, by among other things by calling for boycotts of their products when they do really shady things in the US or abroad.

But these things have to make sense, and this protest on UCLA's campus, aimed at Coca Cola, for actions it allegedly did in Colombia, does not.

Alec Mouhibian, a columnist on UCLA's highly regarded student newspaper The Daily Bruin took on the issue in his recent column.

The student group Coke-Free Campus wants to ban Coca-Cola products from UCLA because some of the casualties of the ongoing civil war in Colombia have allegedly included union leaders and Coca-Cola factory workers.

So he probes deeper and asks some student leaders at the protest about their reasoning:

I asked James, between his many speeches, why he's mad at Coke and what evidence he has of its guilt. "Direct your conversation to one of the organizers," he said. "I'm just here in support." Minutes later he was leading the chant, "Coca-Cola stop your lying! Because of you people are dying

Another protest leader interviewed:

Villagrana admitted "(Coke isn't) the one doing the killing. ... The paramilitary in Colombia is the one causing all these deaths, massacres and tortures." Two minutes later, she was chanting: "Cherry, diet or vanilla: Coca-Cola is a killa."

She admitted Coke was giving Colombians jobs they otherwise would not have. Two minutes later, she was chanting: "We support workers, we don't support Coke."

After these admissions, all that remained was the complaint that Coke hasn't provided enough protection for its workers. Any sensible person dreams of a world in which corporations have armed battalions guarding their factories from government intrusion. Sadly, we have yet to achieve that ideal.

Mouhibian does a great job of showing how the activists were short on knowledge but full of slogans.

turns out other folks who knew first hand about Colombia's situation had some things to say:

Her fellow riders who actually attended the meeting were jolted off their horses when a young Colombian refugee emotionally testified to the heroism of the Coca-Cola Company in her native land. She begged Coke to stay and hold its own, as the thousands of jobs it and other corporations provide help those who would otherwise probably end up joining the paramilitaries.

Colombian Professor Miguel Ceballos, of Foundation for Education, Colombia, said that no Colombian lacks a friend or family member – union or nonunion, Coke worker or non-Coke worker – who's been killed in the violence. He bashed the protestors for knowing nothing about the violent context in Colombia, where Coke is a rare force for saving lives.

So if the students did not really have a clue, why protest in the first place? Obviously it is great fun to yell at corporate pr hacks and annoy stuffy administrators. Campus "solidarity" groups like to collect like-minded groups, and organize "fronts" to raise hell over "progressive" issues.

Bigger issue is why get so fired up over Coca Cola in Colombia, in the Los Angeles area with a small Colombian community, but which also happens to be a major media market? Maybe because they won't be challenged???? Try that in a Miami school where there is a large Colombian presence, and a Colombian Institute.

I wonder (pure speculation) if this is nothing more than the "solidarity network" trying to embarrass Colombia's government. More emails from PR firms linked to Chavez????

Bolivia: Morales And His Justice Minister - Who Isn't A Lawyer

Washington Post profiles one of Morales most stupid cabinet picks.

Actually this goes beyond stupid, it is retarded. It makes Bush picking the lottery lady look like an act of genius.

Ok.. we have Justice Ministry, that presides over a legal system that has major systemic weaknesses, and where some reforms have been implemented. The criminal side is a mess -- people still languish in jail for long times, on the civil side cases can go on forever.

So Morales then goes and picks a non-lawyer to run it. Who cares if she is an ex-maid or activist. Point is, she is not a lawyer, much less a practicing attorney with experience before the major Courts.

She is an activist who suffered injustice in a Bolivian Court. Fine, there are tons of aggrieved hausfraus with "some college" in the United States, who got screwed in small claims, divorce court, or in domestic violence Court, but that does not make them qualified to be Attorney General.

She allegedly is "studying anthropology". She says silly things too. The blather about communal justice is one, people get lynched. Any serious efforts to incorporate that kind of justice into the judiciary system, requires having someone with some legal training.

This is a joke. It is like a caricature of post-Colonial Africa.

For one, a jury system introduced in the last decade isn't working very well.

It doesn't help that Bolivia spends a meager 1 percent of its national budget on the judiciary _ one of the lowest allocations in Latin America, according to the Organization of American States.

"The vast majority of (legal) conflicts don't reach the system," said Cristian Riego, academic director of the OAS's Justice Center of the Americas. Those who suffer most are indigenous people and workers in the informal economy.

Rodriguez says she'll fight to boost spending for the judiciary and make it work for the poor, who account for more than 60 percent of Bolivians.

She also wants greater respect for traditional Indian justice systems, still used in much of the country, where community elders hear cases and decide on sentences that can include corporal punishment.

"Community justice is so different from the ordinary justice system," said Rodriguez, "because you don't spend money and even though it's not legally recognized, it resolves cases in hours, or at the most in a week and doesn't add to the quarrel, it's more fraternal."

Mexico: Mexican Bloggers Take on Lopez Obrador

Mexican friends have pointed out interesting internet activity about Mexico's upcoming elections. PRD candidate, Antonio Manuel Lopez Obrador has a lot of people online fired up, with chain emails circulating, and several anti-AMLO bloggers. Some are fairly clever, others slightly cruder. Many of them are plays on the nickname for the PRD candidate, El Peje, which is pretty close to a certain naughty word in spanish whose first letters are p...e...n..d..

When AMLO appeared on TV, and said he would not answer questions about "general culture" the clip was downloaded and spread on the web pretty quickly on Your Tube. It was at one point the 51st watched clip in the world with 300,000 hits, which as Mexico en Peligro pointed out that was probably more than saw that morning program.

There are emails also circulating widely, which provide links to that, and other videos.

According to a recent poll Lopez Obrador and the PAN candidate are in a dead heat in the student vote, and among voters who consider themselves "upper middle class" and "upper class" the PRD has virtually no support. This kind of "virtual" campaigning might actually be a factor in this election.

General Anti-Obrador site

Antipeje

Blogs...

Mexico En Peligro

Peje Populista Y Marranadas Extra

Falso Mesias

Pejendejo

Galeria De Pendejos


General Article

Blog Economista - Why To Vote Against AMLO

Random Thoughts On Immigration, Immigration Reform and What Not

Big Protests

The size of these massive protests all across the nation was breathtaking. Of course, the haters in the media were quick to throw out accusations about how "carefully orchestrated" and "planned" these demonstrations were. Anyone with half a clue about the main Latino organizations in many large cities would know what nonesense that is. Groups like La Raza and MALDEF are very good at lobbying on single issues, in fundraising, for educational campaigns towards communities, they do not have the mobilization ability, they are credited with. This all happened within such a short period of time.

The momentum for this came totally from below, at most the national organizations, Spanish media, churches, and sympathetic groups channelled this energy. This was some of the most well behaved mass protests seen anywhere, period.

Amazing, how the usual idiots in the media continue to smear the protestors, by inferring they were mostly "illegals". Rubbish, there were a lot of US residents and citizens. As The Economist pointed out, a big percentage of Latino school children in Calfornia had one or more undocumented parents. This issue tears across families, talks of making their relatives criminal really riles people up, and specially in close-knit Latino families. You can tell both political parties damn well know that there are many voters there, from the way the Republicans were backpedalling after the protests.

The Flag

Spanish radio and TV should be commended for strongly recommending that marchers carry the American flag. While TV was quick to show foreign flags and some flags flown upside down, there were more images of people -very proudly- waving the US flag. Many members of the armed services too.

Speaking of flags, in the end what is the big deal? The know-nothings complain endlessly of protestors carrying the Mexican and other Latin American flags. But then again, that seems to be a tradition among immigrant groups in the US. During the Civil War entire battalions of Irishmen, many fresh off the boat, marched to their deaths waving the Irish flag. Speaking of flags and the Civil War, lets not even get into the whole Confederate thing.
Loyalty to countries of origin? How about FDR failing to aid Ethiopia from Mussolini's attack, because he did not want to offend Italian-Americans. Or Irish-Americans, generations removed from Ellis Island, raising money for certain shall we say "violent" groups fighting the British. In the end it is no more than hypocrisy and selective history.

Assimilate it.

And then, there are the cultural bigots. Thinking that these new "hordes" will not assimilate....
As Linda Chavez has argued for more than a decade, Mexican and Latin American immigrants and their children, do indeed "assimilate", in terms of learning English and increasing their educational levels. They do so in a pattern that is remarkably similar to that of Italian-Americans.

But, what really annoys me endlessly because it is so damn obvious is the following:

Outside of the United States, people complain continually about how US culture, available through mass media are "Americanizing" their youth. HOW ABOUT IMMIGRANT KIDS LIVING IN THE US!!! The tug of English mass media is (duh!) much more powerfull when you live in the US, than outside. Geez, I do not care if you are in Miami or Brownsville, kids of immigrants or new immigrants are going to watch US TV, and lots of it. They deal daily with kids who do the same thing. The numbers bear this out, young Latinos watch English language TV much more than their parents. This is a force for not only learning the language, but also "acculturation. " Call it the MTV Effect, the one that produces remarkably similar teenagers, who talk the same lingo no matter if they live in Des Moines, Ventura, or Orlando.



More Silliness

If this is in fact the Reconquista (or the reconquering of the Southwest), isn't what's good for the goose also good for the gander too? The claim is that the entire Southwest was the "Siberia" of the Spanish America's so basically, the anglo "immigrant" farmers and miners pushing westward, simply took advantage of the situation and in the end put this land to use much more productively than the post-colonial Rancheros.
So, aren't the Mexicans and others crossing the border simply doing what the "pioneers" did before? They are finding opportunities the native-born don't find, and are creating wealth that did not exist before. Then there is the obvious irony of them "taking over" parts of cities with Spanish names, but that obviously eludes the anti-immigrant Lemmings in places like Colorado.

USA: Answering Questions On Immigration

I am so annoyed at the constant demagougery coming from Lou Dobbs and from Republicans like Tancredo. The rhetoric in public and in the language of the House bill, clearly is aimed at "criminalizing" immigrants both in the Courts and in the court of public opinion.

Check out how this rhetoric and cheap sloganeering plays in the heartland, see this thread at the discussion board at the Indianapolis Star newspaper site.

Just like the anti-globaloney types, claims by anti-immigration lemmings become "true" through sheer repetition and not rationality.

Linda Chavez, who is a Republican, has a good piece demolishing some misconceptions that the demagouges throw around. WHO these so called "lawbreakers" are. The ticle was first posted by Latina Lista.

Answering Questions on Immigration
BY LINDA CHAVEZ

As the Senate continues to grapple with immigration reform, it's time to
clear the air of some broad misconceptions in the current debate. Since writing about this topic over the last few weeks, my inbox has been flooded
with e-mails raising questions.

Some critics seem especially rankled by my arguments that many illegal
aliens are "otherwise law-abiding" members of their communities. Most detractors point out that illegal aliens can't pay taxes since they aren't entitled to work. But that's only half right. Confusion and ignorance on the immigration issue abound, so, here are a few facts worth considering.

First, illegal aliens are not currently criminals. They have committed a misdemeanor civil offense under current law by entering or remaining in the United States once their visas expire, but the House-passed immigration bill would automatically make these offenses criminal felonies.

Second, illegal aliens, by definition, broke the law to enter the country, but the way they got here doesn't differ all that much from the way most immigrants came in previous eras. Until the success of the immigration restriction movement in the 1920s, people who wanted to immigrate simply showed up at U.S. ports, or in the case of Mexicans and Canadians, just walked across the border.

There were laws in place governing naturalization, which varied over time from requiring that an immigrant live here as little as two years to as long as 14 years before being eligible for citizenship. Indeed, laws requiring registration of immigrants were set up to ensure that immigrants met the naturalization residency requirements.

Unless they were from Asia (Chinese and, later, other Asian immigrants were barred or severely limited from immigrating between 1862 and 1952), immigrants had merely to show themselves to be free of "loathsome or contagious diseases"; demonstrate that they were not likely to become dependent on public assistance (still required to gain admission today); attest that they were not polygamists, convicts or prostitutes; and, later, pay a small fee. These requirements were met after the immigrants were
already on U.S. soil -- in fact, the huge numbers of people immigrating in the early 20th century led to the creation of Ellis Island off Manhattan to process the entrants.

Today's legal immigrants face a lengthy, sometimes decades-long,process, must have close relatives already living in the U.S. to stand any realistic chance of being admitted, or must possess unusual skills much in demand and have an employer ready to hire them.

Third, the overwhelming majority of illegal aliens pay taxes, including Social Security, Medicare and property taxes, not to mention sales taxes. The chief actuary of the Social Security Administration estimates that three-fourths of all illegal aliens have Social Security (and Medicare) taxes deducted from their wages.

How? It's simple.

Since it is illegal to hire someone who does not present a Social Security number (and show other documentation of legal residence), many illegal aliens use phony numbers or cards to get jobs. In 2002 alone, the Social Security Administration reported it had collected $7 billion in payroll taxes and $1.5 billion in Medicare taxes from workers who could not be matched with valid Social Security numbers.

In addition, illegal aliens pay property taxes just like everyone else, either directly, if they own homes (and surprising numbers of illegal aliens do), or indirectly through their landlords' property taxes in the form of rent. Most illegal aliens pay income taxes -- since these, too, are automatically deducted -- but they fail to claim any refunds since they are fearful of drawing attention to their illegal status.

Do these facts mean we ought to ignore the problem of 12 million illegal aliens living in the United States? Of course not. It's bad for all of us when laws are so wantonly flouted. Those who have entered the country should pay some price for having violated the law -- a heavy fine, for example, which is the usual penalty for misdemeanor offenses.

The more difficult question is how to stop more people from coming here illegally -- and the best way to do that is to increase border security and change our current, inflexible laws to make it possible for more people to come here legally.

Venezuela: Chavez and His Ambidextrous Horse

LMAO, one of the funniest things ever...

So the Boliviarian giant himself, decrees that from now on the horse on the Venezuelan flag will be turning to the left, rather than to the right..

But A.M. Mora at Publius, cites a writer on a post that Daniel had at Venezuelan News, correctly stating that the animal in question is in reality facing right, because we are viewing it FROM THE FRONT.,.....
According to Thomas the writer, it is the wearer of the shield whose vantage point controls what direction said animal is facing.

I found the change concerning the coat of arms incredibly funny. Coat of Arms - because they are derived from the front painting of a shield - are *always* read from the point of view of the *bearer* of the shield.


In other words, previously the horse pointed to the left and looked back at the *right* opposition left behind. Now the horse is not only pointing to the right, it is galopping frantically away from the left (where Chavez stands politically). The correct description of Venezuelas coat of arms is now: ".... a silver (white does not exist in heraldry) horse on blue ground, galopping to the *right*..."

LOL, Chavez equine changes, make him out to be a total jackass.

Racing: NASCAR Busch in Mexico, Half Baked Success??

Good Start:

Last spring, about 100,000 people massed at the city-center track for NASCAR's first major race south of the border. They watched little-known Jorge Goeters beat Robby Gordon for the pole, and DEI's Martin Truex Jr. beat Richard Childress' Kevin Harvick in the marquee Busch race.

It was, all in all, a good beginning.

Two countries, multi-prong strategy

France's Hispanic game plan is both admirable and makes good sense financially, given the increasing Hispanic segment of the U.S. population. Not only is the Hispanic market important to ticket sellers at California Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway, Texas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway, but also to ticket sellers in other large urban areas such as Chicago.

One big reason for NASCAR's coming to Mexico City is to show Hispanics in the United States that the sport is serious about wanting their business at U.S. tracks. The other big reason is for American companies - GM and Ford, for two good examples - to expand their use of NASCAR marketing.

As Ed Hinton says in another piece, they really made an effort to back that up.

Fox's live telecast of Sunday's Busch Series race from Mexico City will offer Hispanic audiences the option of play-by-play in Spanish via the "SAP," or Second Audio Programming, system.

Jim Hunter, the NASCAR vice president for corporate communications, makes no bones about it: "We need the Hispanic market."

Market Size

Mexico's growing economy also makes it attractive to NASCAR:

* During the past four years, family income in Mexico has gone up a whopping 50 percent. The peso is strong, and inflation is falling.
* More than two-thirds of this population is under 35.
* And there is a major construction boom in housing and in new shopping malls, Wal-Marts, Coscos, and Home Depots. Wal-Mart has almost 500 stores in the country. Home Depot entered the market in 2001 and has 50 stores, boasting a growth rate of 10 percent a year. That, of course, raises the question of why rival Lowe's, which has no stores yet in Mexico, has logos on Adrian Fernandez's quarterpanels.

The upside potential for NASCAR and its teams and drivers and sponsors is clearly large.

De Segunda

Mulhern asks a very pointed question here.

Why is France wrapping this event around a Busch race, NASCAR's second-tier series, rather than a Nextel Cup race?

Mexican racing fans are very savvy, and have seen the true best of the world. They had Formula One, the very pinnacle of motor racing, at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez throughout the sixties, and then from the 80's to early 90's. Champ Car has been racing at the circuit for the past four years, as well as top notch sportscar racing the past four decades. In addition, Monterrey hosts other top races, and the FIA World Rallye Championship was racing in Leon Mexico this same week. They know that the Busch series is. kind of............Bush may we say.



Where Da Smoke At? Bushwacked, Cars and No Stars,

So Busch does good in the US because of all the Nextel Cup drivers, competing on Saturdays.

And the Busch series itself has lost its distinctiveness the past two years, in part because of the soaring cost of racing, in part because of an influx of Nextel Cup drivers and team owners wanting to use the series for extra practice and testing. Last Saturday's Busch race at California Speedway, for example, featured 19 Nextel Cup stars, almost half the field, and the top 11 finishers were Nextel Cup drivers.

That Nextel Cup-Busch entourage may be good for ticket sales in the U.S., but many of those Nextel Cup drivers are taking this week off.

So in Mexico, we get Busch sans Stars

If Home Depot is so big here, where is defending Cup champion Tony Stewart?

If Lowe's wants to make inroads, where is its driver, current points leader Jimmie Johnson?<

In the past 15 years Mexicans have had the opportunity to see the likes of Senna, Mansell, Prost, Schumacher, Piquet, Gronholm, Sainz, Loeb, McRae, Tracy, Zanardi, Castroneves, Andretti, Bourdais, race in their country.

So lets insult the Mexican fans by not only running a second tier series, but without the stars of Nextel Cup.



Y la lana?

When NASCAR teams approached Mexican companies last year for sponsorships, the companies were generally aghast at the costs. How NASCAR addresses that financial disconnect will be closely watched.

Nothing new here, there is no money for auto racing sponsorship, most Mexican multi-nationals like Telmex and the Beer companies already have their budgets mapped out. Champ Car racing is fairly big in Mexico, had top ratings on TV and packed houses on two circuits. But even top draw Adrian Fernandez had trouble securing sponsorship when Cerveceria Montezuma cut their funding for him. A switch to the rival IRL with a decent TV package did nothing for AF, despite race wins he was uanble to run most of last year. That filtered down to other popular and talented Mexican drivers like Michel Jourdain Jr. who lost his Gigante sponsorship and was unable to get any money for his Busch efforts and Mario Dominguez who lost Grupo Herdez.
The money would have to come from US Companies.

Bolivia's Constitutional Assemblty: Compromise and MAS proposal -- Mechanics

The Official Proposal and Eventual Compromise, Mechanics.

From Miguel at Ciao a careful and informed analysis of the voting proposal, and projections about where that would leave the assembly if voting patterns from the presidential election replicated themselves.

Evo's proposal is for three delegates to be elected from each of the country's 70 uninominal legislative districts (the single-seat district tier of the House of Deputies). That would allow for a constitutional assembly of 210 members. Such a proposal isn't radical, of course, although it does give preference to population (the legislative districts are roughly based on census figures) over other forms of representation (e.g. ethnic or territorial). Smaller departments (w/ fewer legislative districts) have already complained. As of today, Beni, Pando, and Tarija won't go, Chuquisaca hasn't decided, and Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, and Oruro oppose Evo's formula for a constitutional assembly. That's 7 of 9 departments opposed.

In large measure, the reaction against Evo's constitutional assembly plan comes from the electoral formula he wants. He wants the winning list in each district to win 2 seats; the second-place list would win 1 seat. Unless, of course, a list wins a simple majority (50%+1). In which case that list would win all three seats. Theoretically, a party could win 51% of the vote in every single district & win every single seat (leaving 49% of votes unrepresented).

If voters voted as they did in the 2005 election, by legislative district, MAS would win:

Chuquisaca 13 (of 18) seats
La Paz 41 (of 45) seats
Cochabamba 26 (of 30) seats
Oruro 10 (of 15) seats
Potosí 17 (of 24) seats
Tarija 3 (of 15) seats
Santa Cruz 13 (of 39) seats
Beni 0 (of 15) seats
Pando 0 (of 9) seats

This would give MAS 133 (of 210) seats, or 63.3% of the legislature (nearly two thirds). This is a highly disproportional result, when we consider that MAS only won 43.5% of the vote across the 70 legislative districts. How votes are translated into seats can have dramatic consequences.

This obviously caused an uproar among both the opposition and in the departments, starting with Santa Cruz.
So the compromise according to MABB, based on what has been reported, is set out like this

The CA bill calls for the election of 255 members, of which 210 will be elected with direct vote. There will be three members per electoral district. Two for the party, group, civic organization, ethnic group, etc., that wins the most votes and one for the second majority. The number of electoral disctricts is 70. That satisfies the demands of the government. The other 45 members will be elected in departmental districts. That means each department will have five more members. The first two seats will go to the winner and the rest three will be distributed to the political forces achieving 5% of the vote.

One thing to highlight is the mode of seat distribution in the first 210 members. Had the government gotten what it wanted, the three seats would have gone to the political force winning 50% plus of the vote. As you can see now, it will be distributed among the first and second majorities. This was an important victory for the opposition. Another important victory was that the CA will carry on to completely reform the constitution,

Now lets go back to Miguel at Ciao, and he runs a projection, again based on the results of the 2005 elections, but based on the new electoral formula:

La Paz would elect 50 delegates (45 from its 15 districts, 5 department-wide). MAS should expect to win each district, for 30 seats, plus another 2 department-wide seats, for a total of 32.

Cochabamba would elect 35 delegates (30+5). MAS should expect to win nine of ten districts & place second in the other, for 19 seats, plus another 2 department-wide seats, for a total of 21.

Santa Cruz would elect 44 delegates (39+5). MAS should expect to win in five districts & second in three others, for 13 seats, plus another 1 department-wide seat, for a total of 14.

Chuquisaca would elect 23 delegates (18+5). MAS should expect to win in five districts & second in the other, for 11 seats, plus another 2 department-wide seats, for a total of 13.

Oruro would elect 20 delegates (15+5). MAS should expect to win in three districts & second in the other two, for 8 seats, plus another 2 department-wide seats, for a total of 10.

Potosí would elect 29 delegates (24+5). MAS should expect to win in seven districts & second in the other, for 15 seats, plus another 2 department-wide seats, for a total of 17.

Tarija would elect 32 delegates (27+5). MAS should expect to win one district & second in two others, for 4 seats, plus another 1 department-wide seat, for a total of 5.

Beni would elect 20 delegates (15+5). MAS should expect to place second in one district, for 1 seat, plus another 1 seat department-wide, for a total of 2.

Pando would elect 14 delegates (9+5). MAS should expect to place second in one district, for 1 seat, plus another 1 seat department-wide, for a total of 2.

The grand total would give MAS 116 delegates, or 45% of the constituent assembly (based on 43.52% of the total nation-wide vote across uninominal districts).

Bolivia: Compromise Reached For Constitutional Assembly

Compromise it..

This weekend an important compromise was reached in the Bolivian congress to set the ground rules for the elections to elect delegates to the assembly charged with re-drafting Bolivia's constitution, and in setting up the autonomy discussions.

Evo and MAS were trying to throttle through an arrangement where the outcome could have been a majority for MAS, if we went by the 2005 election results and Evo's current popularity. The mechanics of this proposal and of the eventual compromise are set out in this prior post, which summarizes the careful analysis by both Miguel at Ciao and MABB.

Against this lined up the opposition parties, the smaller departments, and of course the Santa Cruz-based autonomy movement, which combines its elected officials, its congressional delegation, business sectors, and the social movements. The issue is heavily tied in to the autonomy issue for Santa Cruz, since re-drafting Bolivia's Constitution would necesarilly involve setting the rules and scope for any departmental autonomy. Given the antagonism between MAS and the pro-autonomy forces - and the traditional East-West rivalry a MAS majority could stamp out any pretentions for autonomy.

From Joker to Broker, Garcia Linera As Dealmaker

joke:



How are Bush and Evo Similar?

They both have lilly-white vp's who are the true brains behind the presidency and who can't shoot worth s$#%!

Vice President Garcia Linera is being credited, even by those on the right, with helping broker the compromise. From a self-taught Sociologist,whose writings were almost Senderismo-light he now seems to have become Mr. pragmatism. Maybe he has started reading the Federalist Papers. Whatever it is, he helped cut a deal that MAS and its more radical followers did not want.

Its All Good

In the end it was probably Santa Cruz that presented the more powerful challenge and counterweight, since MAS has a majority in both Chambers. The Cruce~os did it by displaying a united front, and implicitly threatening to secede.

This is a good sign, it means that regions, social movements, native peoples, interest groups, will be represented in drafting a document that would act as a charter for the nation.

Representative Democracy is not only about popularity in polls and absolute majorities, it is about checks and balances, and protection of majority and minority rights. What MAS tried doing was no different than what Fujimori did in Peru in 1992 when he tried justifying his coup, by showing poll numbers. That is precisely what this new document should try to stop.

Music, Racing: El Tri To Headline Long Beach GP Friday

Great double bill for those checking out the Grand Prix of Long Beach. Tecate on Friday sponsors Mexican band El Tri, and on Saturday Bad Religion.

Official Press Release here.

Press Release
EL TRI SET TO ROCK APRIL 7 AT TECATE FIESTA FRIDAY

Release date: March 1, 2006

The classic Mexican rock Band “El Tri” headlines Tecate’s 2006 “Fiesta Friday” Concert, set for Friday, April 7 at the conclusion of racing activities at the 32nd Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The concert, to be held on the main stage adjacent to the Long Beach Convention Center, is free to all race ticker holders.

Fronted by Alex Lora, El Tri has sold more than 100 million albums in Mexico, spearheading the “rock in Spanish” music movement and becoming one of the most respected rock bands in Mexico’s history.

“We are thrilled to bring El Tri to Southern California and to thousands of race fans at this year’s Grand Prix,” said Jorge Cornejo of Heineken USA. “As pioneers in Mexican rock music, El Tri has greatly impacted the Hispanic music industry and to have them on our stage is an incredible honor.”

Often referred to as the “Mexican Rolling Stones” because of their timeless rock sounds, El Tri and their music have been likened to the classic sounds of AC/DC, U2 and even Jimi Hendrix. The group has shared the concert stage with, among others, The Rolling Stones, Carlos Santana, The Ramones and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

“Racing is all about speed and adrenaline and nothing can imitate that sensation quite like rock-n-roll,” said Lora. “We’d like to personally invite all racing fans to join us for an evening of great music at this year’s Fiesta Friday.”

In addition to the concert, Tecate – the official beer of race weekend – will help celebrate the ultimate speed festival with two authentic cantinas inside the race circuit, where adults 21 years of age and older can enjoy Mexican food, Tecate and live mariachi music. There will also be two “Playas Tecate,” complete with sand volleyball courts, music, food and Tecate for adults 21 years of age and older.

Bolivia: Santa Cruz Fires Warning Shots

Most of the main sectors of Santa Cruz leadership, including its new regional government, the Civic Committee, and the various business groups have stated that they will fight tooth and nail for autonomy, even if it involves shedding blood.

They warn Evo Morales' that they will continue, with the central government or not, for a referendum for regional autonomy.

Evo is pushing forward with his ideas for a Constitutional Assembly, which critics say is skewed towards MAS, and which would deprive Santa Cruz of the representation it is entitled to, proportionally.

What I think Santa Cruz is doing, is acting as a counterweight to Evo's electoral strength, by relying on its own elected bodies, and the pro-autonomy forces. Ironically, they are using the same tactics and language that Evo used to mess with elected governments in the past. But with the regional government, they do have some sort of popular legitimacy. Evo's cards are social movements in Santa Cruz that voted for him. But, there are signs that even MAS' Santa Cruz leadership can play the regional game as well, they feuded over local representatitves, claiming they had to be "born in Santa Cruz". If the pro-autonomy forces would try to exploit these differences, and try to incorporate highland migrants and local indigenous movements to their side, they could effectively end Evo's remaining stranglehold over them.

Bolivia, Mexico: PEMEX and Bolivia, LNG to be sold in USA?

Interesting note, Mexico's Energy Secretary and the head of PEMEX, Mexico's national oil and gas company, are in Bolivia right now, talking with the Oil and Gas Ministry to see if they can reach agreement on some joint ventures, as this article states.

One of the ones discussed would be the processing of gas into Liquid Natural Gas, for sale to the U.S. Remember that a prior project of sale to gas to the US, caused riots that brought down Goni, because it involved a pipeline through Chile, as well as a sale to the U.S.


Evo certainly has the political capital to try this again, right now. Having a radical reputation also helps bargaining positions, when negotiating big deals with foreign entities. If he can score a good deal for Bolivia, it would be a real coup (no pun intended). If he is serious about "industrialization", he would find the way to get some financing so Bolivia could get the capacity to produce LNG on its soil. Trinidad and Tobago is already becoming a big LNG producer, Bolivia needs to get on board.

Cuba Drilling For Oil Near Florida Keys, Republicans Use It As Excuse To Press For Drilling

Babalu found this item.
Turns out the Cubans are planning on drilling for gas and oil really close to the Florida Keys.

WASHINGTON, DC, Mar. 2 -- Cuba is moving to develop its offshore oil and gas resources, which would result in development closer to Florida's coast than the US government allows, Rep. John E. Peterson (R-Pa.) warned on Mar. 2.

"Offshore oil and natural gas drilling, sanctioned by the Cuban government, occurs within 60 miles of Florida's southern borders. Moreover, the drilling potential within the existing Cuban basin is such that oil wells will, in the near future, be as close as 35-40 miles from the Florida keys," he said.

Peterson then goes on to try to squeeze the ban on off-shore drilling in Florida..

Calling Florida "awash in gas" with the potential to be self-sufficient, he said, "I would never negotiate with one state at the expense of the country—especially one that uses 133 times the natural gas it produces."

He and Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Ha.) have introduced HR 4318, a bill that would lift congressional and presidential bans on offshore drilling for natural gas. The measure has 133 cosponsors, including more than 20 Democrats, Peterson said.

Personally, I don't want anyone, Cubans or Floridians drilling so close to Florida's coastline, which is this State's principal natural resource, and a national treasure.

I am with Senator Mel and Don on this one:

Most of the state's congressional delegation supports another bill that its two US senators, Republican Mel Martinez and Democrat Bill Nelson, introduced on Feb. 1 that would effectively push new offshore exploration 260 miles from Tampa Bay (OGJ, Feb. 20, 2006, p. 24).

Cuba: Running Out of Rum!!!

A.M. Mora has this item on Babalu,


This shows the insanity and total failure of the command economy, and the wretched lows the Castrista regime has sunk too.

Venezuela: Chavista Corruption in Caracas, Swiss Bank Shenanigans

Financial analyst and corporate specialist Kenneth Rijock has an article reprinted in Petroleum World., where he makes allegations about corruption close to Chavez. While some of it is clearly rumor and speculation, there are some very interesting and well-supported tidbits here.


Better Bank on It

The one that really caught my attention, was regarding Swiss Bank Vontobel. It operates in Caracas without a banking license, and does not mention a Caracas office in its web page list of foreign offices.
This makes me suspicious right at the start. Chavez is known for his power plays over foreign companies; Venezuelan authorities have been known to threaten shutdowns of local offices of multinationals, for small mistakes made in tax filings.

The author states, that someone making a deposit at the bank, gave Chavez associate Fernandez Barrueco as a reference, they were told that he is one of their best customers. Word has it, that the bank is the repository for the Chavista funny-money, conveniently allowing for direct deposits for accounts conveniently located in the Caymans or Switzerland.

- El banco privado suizo, Vontobel, que opera sin licencia en Caracas, es el depositario de grandes sumas de dinero provenientes de altos oficiales militares. Cuando una persona con intenciones de depositar su dinero en el banco, dio a Fernández Barrueco como referencia, el gerente del banco le comentó que Fernández era un cliente valioso. Lo curioso es que el banco no señala en ninguna parte que tenga una sucursal en Venezuela. Vontobel es el depositario designado para las “comisiones” legales provenientes del comercio, por parte de la élite bolivariana para su propio peculio.

Venezuela: Witness For Peace Visit Chavez' Personal.....PVDSA

USefull Idiots

Witness for Peace, which in the 80's distinguished itself for being among the shrillest apologists for the Marxist-Leninist Sandinista dictatorship, has now adopted the Chavez regime as its new pet idiotic regime:

By taking delegations to Venezuela in 2006, Witness for Peace seeks to play a preventative role and curb further overt or covert U.S. intervention in Venezuela. Witness for Peace’s history and credibility in navigating complex political situations in Latin America allows the organization a role in influencing U.S. policy in this politically polarized situation. Because of WFP’s commitment to political independence, our delegations to Venezuela will focus on U.S. policy and provide an opportunity for delegates to gain an independent analysis of the situation.

In furtherance of its "preventative" role, and to conduct its "independent analysis" the silly gringos visited PVDSA, the Oil and Gas company where they were told of how socially responsible the Company is. Of course socially responsible meaning a Chavista factory for new millionaries.

PDVSA recibió visita de activistas sociales estadounidenses

Petroleumworld Venezuela
CARACAS
Petroleumworld.com.ve 26 02 06

PDVSA recibió la visita de una delegación estadounidense perteneciente al grupo independiente Witness For Peace, quienes se encuentran en el país recabando información para realizar un análisis imparcial de la realidad nacional.

Witness for Peace busca cumplir un papel preventivo en la intervención de Estados Unidos en Venezuela. Su historia y credibilidad en el manejo de situaciones políticas complejas en Latinoamérica, generadas por la injerencia estadounidense en la región, obliga al grupo a cumplir una función preventiva y a consolidar su firme compromiso con la autodeterminación de los pueblos.

PDVSA informó a la delegación sobre los fondos petroleros que superan los 4 mil millones de dólares y que ha activado el Gobierno Bolivariano, a través de la Corporación, para el desarrollo social, agrícola e de infraestructura en el país.

Asimismo, los representantes de la industria petrolera nacional dieron a conocer la activación de desarrollos no petroleros por medio de los circuitos operacionales de la Industria, los cuales impulsarán el funcionamiento de los distritos sociales en Occidente y Oriente.

Bolivia: Arrest Warrant Against Repsol-YPF Rep.. Spain Not Happy

Bolivian authorities issued the equivalent of a warrant to capture Spanish-Argentinian multi-nationals head of Bolivian operations, Julio Gavito, for alleged contrband of 230,000 barrels of crude in the past two years. The investiation has been going on for the past six months, with the allegations widely used in the campaign.

The Spanish government has said it is "worried" about the situation, that it does not"contribute" to Spanish-Bolivian relations.


stories in Spanish, here and here.

La justicia boliviana lanzó ayer una orden de búsqueda y captura del representante de la compañía petrolera Repsol-YPF en el país, Julio Gavito, por presunto contrabando de 230.000 barriles de crudo entre junio de 2004 y junio de 2005, según publican páginas de Internet.

A couple of important things to remember.
In the U.S. adversarial system, police and prosecution investigate cases, bring charges, arrest suspects, and prosecute the case. They must petition judges to do such things as conduct searches and hold suspects. Defendants, conversely, have the right to counsel, and can challenge arrest warrants, searches, and charges at any stage. But Civil Code countries like Bolivia, judges do a lot of the initial. Once directed to do so by the government or congress, the Judges conduct the investigation, and have the defendants arrested and brought before them for questioning.

Ironically....
While Morales and the anti-globaloney tipes whined repeatedly about the American Multi-nationals and Bush,"evil" effects on Bolivia. it is actually Socialist governments in Brazil and Spain, that have been actively been trying to influence Bolivian policies on behalf of their multi-nationals.

Auto Racing: Unification of Open Wheel Racing At Hand?

This actually could be a reality, and I know I have said that tons of times before, here is the Autoweek story that broke this:

More than a decade after Tony George cut ties with CART and launched the Indy Racing League, after years of declining popularity and failed efforts to end the rift in Indy-style racing, all indicators suggest there is essential agreement to merge the IRL and Champ Car World Series for the 2007 season.

Turbos, and 50/50 ownership!

Points of agreement include 50/50 ownership of the merged series, which will be independent of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with George and Kalkhoven acting as co-chairmen. Both Honda (IRL) and Cosworth (Champ Car), with or without Ford badging, are in. Bridgestone is in as tire supplier, though it's not certain whether that would be with the Bridgestone or Firestone brand. There may already be agreement on more specific points, but those who know are unwilling to share that information for fear of scuttling the process or enflaming the sensitivities of self-interested parties in both camps before the deal is done.

Based on the current state of affairs, several other things are apparent. The more traditional 2.65-liter turbo V8 currently used in Champ Car seems the more likely choice, as opposed to the IRL's normally aspirated 3.5. Champ Car has a new chassis well into development with Panoz (one of the IRL's current suppliers), scheduled to debut in 2007.

Bolivia, Latin America: Chad, Development, Corruption, Washington Consensus, Part 1

According To Marcela Sanchez World Bank Admits It Is Wrong..

The reliably shrill Marcela Sanchez has an article about an apparent change in thinking at the World Bank. She goes over the conclusions of a new document issued by the Bank, in response to the failure of most Latin American countries to reverse income inequality.

Taking the "Washington Consensus" to task, she paints the report as some sort of rejection of free market reforms from the early 90's:

for more than 15 years it has focused on market reform policies, offering loans to countries that promised to lift trade barriers, deregulate and privatize industry and adopt austerity plans to stop deficit spending and reduce inflation. These reforms, which became known as the Washington Consensus, were supposed to unleash the economic potential of developing countries and spur growth. Growth, in turn, was to create opportunity for the destitute and lift them out of poverty.


Many Latin American countries took the loans and adopted the reforms. But the reforms themselves did not bring about the intended consequences. Latin America's performance has been disappointing, particularly in comparison to the dynamic economic growth and poverty reduction in Asian countries. The region now has "the highest measures of inequality in the world," with one-quarter of the population living on less than $2 a day, according to the World Bank.

But, what about countries that did not follow the so-called Washington consensus? As a leading economist pointed out, Venezuela and Cuba, had even less improvements in living standards than the rest of Latin Amemerica. But, what is undsiputed here, is the fact that the glaring inequalities of incomes continue.

Finally, Sanchez "reports" on the Banks conclusions:

Two of their main conclusions are a breakthrough for the Bank: that private sector growth is not a panacea for the poor and that inequality must be targeted directly. A third conclusion is almost heretical for the Bank: that the state needs to take on more economic responsibility than less. "Converting the state into an agent that promotes equality of opportunities and practices efficient redistribution is, perhaps, the most critical challenge Latin America faces in implementing better policies that simultaneously stimulate growth and reduce inequality and poverty," the report says.

Marcela Is Blatantly Wrong, Part 53211

Right off the bat, Marcela is factually wrong about "changes" in the banks thinking.

From the World Bank, World Development Report 2001/2002: Building Institutions for Markets

a strong and capable state is necessary to support markets, and an arbitrary and corrupt state can impede their development.

Meanwhile..On The Other Side of the World And The Other Side of The Coin

From a stagnant Latin America and a confused Ms. Sanchez, let us now go to Chad, where the World Bank financed a pipleline project in cooperation with Exxon. The pipeline revenue was set up in a way that it would help the poor directly, by setting aside revenue in a special account that would only be disbursed in projects that provided for the nations poorest.

The Exxon-led consortium was willing to build the 665-mile pipeline from landlocked Chad to the sea only with the World Bank's backing, said Rashad Kaldany, director of oil, gas and mining for the bank and its private investment agency, the International Finance Corporation. With Chad's history of civil war, ethnic strife and corruption, its oil lay untapped for decades because no one was willing to put capital at risk here

In 2000, the bank approved the project and lent Chad $37 million for its stake in the pipeline, while its finance agency lent the companies building the pipeline $100 million. Their support was conditioned on Chad's commitment to adopting a law requiring that most of the oil revenue go to poverty alleviation.

The royalties were to be deposited in an offshore account, and an independent oversight committee was to vet, approve and monitor all spending.
.

At first glance, this program rubbishes Sanchez' claims that the bank had some drastic change of thinking in regards to alleviating poverty. This 2000 project was aimed at providing funds for such basics as education and healthcare.

The Corruption Thing....

But even with the best of intention and a creative design, things have started to go awry:

But once the oil revenues began to flow into the government's coffers in 2004, the model program quickly ran into trouble.

The oversight group officially charged with monitoring the oil spending laid out a damning catalog of malfeasance and bungling last May, from overspending on office equipment to bungling or abandoning entire public works projects.

In the town of Moïssala, a water tower was approved, and an advance of $360,000 paid to the builder. But when monitors checked its progress, they found no water tower, and no one in the local government had ever heard of the project.

Many of the wells that were supposed to be dug in rural areas were still unfinished, while others were dug, but not deeply enough. The builders filled them with water from a cistern to try to fool the inspectors, said Thérèse Mekombe, vice president of the oversight panel.

The group found that the Ministry of Higher Education had bought a computer for $5,300, a secretary's chair for $3,600 and scooters that should have cost $1,000 for triple the price. Companies that won contracts to make desks for schools used scrap wood, producing desks with bucked legs and tops.

The Ministry of Health commissioned a clinic in the town of Bierre, but the builder abandoned the site with no explanation.

The largest amount of money — $51 million through last year — has been devoted to public works, mainly roads. Of that, $48 million has been assigned to a partnership formed between a foreign construction company and a company led by President Déby's brother, Daoussa Déby, according to the oversight committee.

Its The State Stupid!...

Go back to Marcela Sanchez' conclusion:

If the World Bank were to make poverty reductions measures a condition for assistance, it would be a big change in the way it helps Latin America. It would be shifting from an approach that helped weaken governments to one that seeks to strengthen them.

It is the State in Chad which is making a mess! Even with the reduced scope that the program gives the state authority, they are finding creative ways of scamming it.

Reality has a way of kicking you in the teeth. This has nothing to do with ideology, it has more to do with simple observable facts. The Soviet block countries, with their state-directed economies failed spectacularly. More benign forms of statism in places like India failed. You could almost make a rule that the larger the state, as a proportion to the size of the countries economic activity, the less efficient and unwieldly it becomes.

Where States have moved into areas normally held by the private sector, more than not, they fail spectacularly. Since they do not have the price and market pressures of the private sector they can also be big drains on a nations economy and raise public indebtness. When the state has its hands directly in the economic pie, it concentrates power in few hands. Too many will take advantage, either by direct graft or by shifting riches to cronies in the private sector, if it exists. And in places where the State employs too many people, it creates a constituency of its own, that sees itself as entitled to its position.

This applies to Chad and Latin America, where corrruption, outright graft, and crony capitalism are staples. Throw in a statist and centralist tradition, inherited from Spain, embraced equally by mlitary regimes, pseudo-democrats, and populists. Across the board, Latin American countries had a large percentage of their economic activities handled by the State, and ample corruption followed. Just look at oil-rich Venezuela, which well before Chavez had a long tradition of resource rich governments, siphoning off profits directly, steering rich contracts to elite friends, throwing handouts to the poor, and funding nonesense ventures, in the process creating a constituency for itself.


Bolivia: Strengthening the State, or Hooking Up Your Buddies?


Lets take a look at a timely example of a national government "strengthening the state." Bolivia is now wanting to "refund" government offices, such as the national oil and gas company. Evo claimis he wants to 'get rid" of the "neo-liberal model" in government.

The country has a strong tradition of clientilism, Some scholars have concluded that the state existed simply to provide jobs to the middle classes. And many were employed, since the State was very large, and was involved in many economic activities. The countries public enterprises' share of total fixed investments was an astonishing 39 percent in 1969 the highest in Latin America according to CEPAL.

The economic problems of the 80's was partially the result of national government running up debts, finding itself unable to pay its army of employees and cover losses to state firms, after sources of international funding dried up, and oil prices fell. As a result of the crisis the following Bolivian governments swallowed the pill and took drastic measures to ensure that budgets were met, payrolls cut, and government companies were sold off.

Ironically, traditional parties in Bolivia, like the MNR and MIR, were weakened by their inability to offer their middle class supporters jobs, and their richer friends contracts. Those opportunities disappeared precisely due to the reductions in the State, through cuts and privatization that these parties endorsed. It was in this vacuum that the MAS movement of Evo Morales managed to gain power, with more middle class support than expected.

To recreate the national gas company, would be to present an opportunity for the ruling party to fill it up with cronies, and let it be bled. It happened in the past, given 200 years of history and ample precedent it more than likely will happen again. And they intend to do that with other ministries.

Sanchez and the anti-globalization types seem to be endorsing the simplistic view that growing the State is to strengthen it. Sanchez completely misses the point of the banks report and conclusions. Her perspective -and those who share it - is based on a complete lack of understanding on what the Washington consensus was, basic economic reality, and of the difference between institution building and bureaucracies.

More on that in the second part...

Good New Bolivian Blogs

A couple of good blog additions for Bolivia

The first in Spanish is the aptly named Evonomics, Lecciones de Economía en Evoland or Economics Lessons From Evoland, from Antonio Saravia a professor of Economics at American University of Sharjah in Dubai. The good professor's prior blog was The Economist En Su Laberinto, which is discontinued, but still has some interesting archives.

He dissects the Evo-lution of Bolivias economic policies, and I would suggest that people like Soliz Rada, who cling to outdated 60's and 70's rhetoric could learn a thing or two from an actual economist.

Next up is Cochabamba's own Jonathan Olguin, a senior at Florida State University, whose blog, Journal of Bolivian Business and Politics, covers and analyzes Bolivian business news in a serious, comprehensive, and well-documented fashion.

Venezuela: BBC Article About Oil Boom, Chavez, Proposed Gas Sales

BBC has an interesting article on Venezuela's current oil boom.
With production officially at 3.3m barrels a day, at around 50 dollars a barrel the country is getting a lot of revenue. And with proven reserves of around 78bn barrels, the country should be "pretty good shape" in the foreseable future.

The article then goes on to show how this wealth is fueling Chavez' geo-political ambitions:

For the past year or so the government has started spending much of the wealth generated from oil sales on projects abroad.

Experts believe that President Chavez has spent some $5bn on energy ventures outside Venezuela - including new or jointly operated oil refineries in Cuba, Uruguay and Brazil.

More interesting, at least from a South American (and the Bolivian) persepctive is the new emphasis on natural gas production:

ws.

However, Mr Chavez and his ministers are increasingly putting natural gas at the forefront of their long term strategy for the next 20 years.

The oil minister - who is also the chief of PDVSA - predicts that gas may eventually supplant oil as his country's main export.

Venezuela, with its 148 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, has the largest proven gas reserves in Latin America.

"Oil will gradually run out around the world and more and more countries will turn to gas. Latin America will also have to switch to gas. In fact it's much more efficient to generate energy using gas than with oil," Mr Ramirez said.

Long way to go

Venezuela is addressing that issue by spearheading a mammoth $20bn project to build a gas pipeline.


The seven-year construction programme - which is also being supported by Brazil and Argentina - would see the pipeline run all the way from Venezuela in the north to Patagonia at the southern tip of South America.

Rest of the article here.


Local wags refer to this proposed project as the Hugo-ducto, another Venezuelan commentator described it less charitably as the Gasoduct To Hell. What is striking about this pipleine is that it would almost necesarilly have to go through some pretty rough terrain in Brazil. Some commentators have suggested that it might be cheaper to simply process and ship it as liquid natural gas on ships.
Maybe that is why it is considered "proposed", Brazil with its lack of roads and
rail in certain areas, can hardly afford to splurge on this mega-project. They probably don't object to Chavez' idea - so long as he pays. Or Lula and Petrobras might simply think that it is just another product of the Venezuelan Supremo's imagination, that will go by the wayside once he finds another pet-project.

Bolivia: 5 Billion From Petrobras? Not So Fas..t

Much has been made of the initial announcement by Petrobras' international director, Nestor Cuñat Servero that the company stood to invest five billion dollars over the next five years in Bolivia, reality again intrudes on the party.

In a tersely worded statement from its headquarters, the Brazilian oil and gas giant "clarified" what was said:

"It is not correct to state that Petrobras will invest 5,000 million dollars in projects in Bolivia." The sum mentioned by its international director is an estimate of the total investments needed for the proposed projects. And that those proposed expenditures, will be by Petrobras, its partners and YFPB, the Bolivian National Oil Company.

Lastly, and perhaps more importantly, those proposed projects must be commercially viable, which is the criteria used by the company in all of its dealings.

The article from El Diario here.
Basically this could be seen as a carrot and stick approach in the on-going negotiations. Lula tries talking some sense into Evo, then the company comes in and offers continued (and larger) investment in the Bolivian gas fields. But then the company, says that it will adhere to its normal standards, which essentially means that Bolivia will have to make guarantees and concessions on protecting the company's investments. One can almost assume that means continuing with some variation of the current regulatory regime, that is not as drastic as envisioned by the MAS types.



Commercially

Bolivia: Venezuelan "Experts" To "Help" Audit National Airline??

Bolivian Airline Lloyd Aereo Boliviano, is in financial trouble, facing a pilots strike and is being intervened by the Bolivian government. Privatized in the 90's, under the so-called capitalization model, it evolved into a real headache due to lack of transparency in the process, with the Brazilian buyer making a mess of things. They in turn were bought out by a group of Bolivians who haven't been able to turn it around.

So, the Government of Bolivia is forcing the company to undergo an audit. But, lo and behold who are they bringing in to conduct said audit? Venezuelan government "experts"? LAB managers, many of whom desperately want the mess fixed, are nevertheless aghast at the idea of a private Bolivian company being subjected to a foreign governments "advisors."

Seems pretty silly to me, after all, Venezuelan "auditors" should be auditing the massive thievery going on in their oil industry instead of annoying Bolivians.

Venezuela: Chavez Lies Exposed on Invasion Plans

Chavez had run his mouth on US TV saying he had information on a US plan to invade his kingdom. Silly people like Soliz Rada in Bolivia, and other perfect Latin American idiots of course believe him.

As reported by vcrisis, the whole thing is bogus.

The plan in question, was a war game simultation by the Spanish military, titled Plan Balboa, a summary available here. Apparently a Venezuelan officer attending a staff officers course in Spain, received a copy in one of his classes, and brought it to the attention of the Venezuelan president.

It had nothing to do with the U.S., and was used as a tool to teach high level officers on planning and executing complicated multi-national military operations. And as this article says, while the country looked like Venezuela, "Chavez" himself did not appear to be in power, because the government was described as pro-Western.

Bolivia: Evo Says DEA Can Stay, Mixed Signals Also

Morales has contradicted the resolution made by the Cocalero's powerful Confederation, which calls for expelling the DEA from Chapare region, saying that "all organizations" which combat narco-trafficking and which respect Bolivia's national sovereignity can stay in the country.

While this involves the DEA, it also would extend to the US sponsored alternative crop programs in the region.

What is less clear is if he is in fact supporting the Confederations call for allowing one cato of cocaine per individual, when his original proposal was one per family.

Interestingly enough, the fact that Morales was recently ratified again, as president of Chapare Cocalero organizations, has also caused controversy in the Bolivian Senate. Critics charge it presents a conflict of interest for a Bolivian President.

Ultimately, Evo is walking a tight line here. The proposal to increase cultivation, would clearly put Bolivia's production over the baseline figure for domestic use and for legal export. While Evo's dual role might be seen as tying him too tightly to cocalero interests, the fact is as their elected president he could give him a stronger hand in enforcing a tighter line.

Bolivia: 1.3 Billion in Bolivian Debt To Be Forgiven

According to President Evo Morales, Inter-American Development Bank is going ahead and forgiving Bolivia's 1.3 Billion dollars debt it holds. After the World Bank with 34 percent, it is the largest single creditor with 33 percent of Bolivia's 4.935 million foreign debt. 89 percent of this debt is held by the likes of the Interamerican Bank and the IMF, as this article states.

While Evo may get the headlines, credit for this goes to past Bolivian administrations who have spent years working on this, not to mention sacrifices borne by the population.

However much, the anti-globalization types yell and scream, the reality is that rational economic policies, (the Washington Consensus/Neo-Liberal bogeyman) have made this possible. First by disciplining the bloated government sector, by reducing it in size and scope, thus making it more manageable and transparent.

Privatization has also worked in areas besides the water and airline messes. State coffers gained with sale proceeds, and from taxation derived from these firms operations, one example is gas stations. And it goes without saying that corrupt officials are no longer able to siphon off money from state run firms.

Couple that with a sensible monetary policy, concentrating on fighting inflation, and you have the conditions for international organizations to be able to confidently wipe out debt and set conditions for new loans.

Auto Racing: Why Johnny Can't Drive and Joao and Juan Can

Its The Karting Stupid


Good article on Speed TV, by Cassio Cortes on why there is a lack of U.S. drivers at the pinnacle of motorsports, Formula One, and even at the top level of U.S. Open Wheel Motorsports. There are more Brazilians competing in Champ Car and IRL than Americans, at one point there were more Mexicans in Champ Car than Americans.

Quantity, not quality, is the answer here. The fact is, there are more talented Europeans and South Americans available than there are Americans, irrespective of how their amount of talent compares against each other.

The reason is that countries like Brazil have great Karting competitions at the very junior level. People in the U.S., obsessed by NASCAR have not quite gone this route, despite the fact that skills from Karting are applicable in any discpline of motorsports.

So, if you want your kid to learn the craft to follow into Speed's footsteps, or to one day shine at Indianapolis or Long Beach, you need to put him or her aboard a low-powered, mid-engined, open-wheel road racer, also known as a kart. And then hope he or she is so talented, some corporate head will be convinced to swim against the stock car racing current

read the whole article here.

Differing Views From Inside US Gov On Latin American Policy

Plan Colombia and Beyond has an interesting item on what U.S. foreign policymakers at different agencies are saying:

What’s going on here?

In just over 24 hours last week, we heard four Bush administration officials offer wildly divergent opinions about Hugo Chávez, Evo Morales and so-called “radical populism” in Latin America:

Read the rest here

so we have, Rummy:

“We’ve seen some populist leadership appealing to masses of people in those countries. And elections like Evo Morales in Bolivia take place that clearly are worrisome. I mean, we’ve got Chavez in Venezuela with a lot of oil money. He’s a person who was elected legally – just as Adolf Hitler was elected legally – and then consolidated power and now is, of course, working closely with Fidel Castro and Mr. Morales and others.”

then we have:
– Southern Command Commander Gen. Bantz Craddock, February 2, 2006

“The situation now [regarding Bolivia] is deeds not words. Let's take a chill pill.”
“The fact of the matter is that we're finding it harder and harder to send our officers to Venezuela but we do want to keep that relationship going.”
“We've had populism for years. I don't know if it is more radical.”

And then Bush, of course congratulating Evo.

What to make about this?


Bolivia, first of all, is way down the list of priorities of US policymakers. The only time Bolivia was a strong issue was with cocaine trafficking in the 80's and 90's. A joke among Bolivians was that they wished Sendero Luminoso had picked Bolivia instead of Peru, so they would get American aid.
Historically, Bolivia has been somewhat insulated from Washington. It had a revolutionary government at the peak of the Cold War, in contrast to Guatemala, which arguably was less radical, Washington actually send a lot of aid. Other Bolivian governments have done things like nationalize American oil companies holdings, without getting much of a reaction from Washington. When the MNRI/MIR government came to power, it was also seen as radical, but Washington decided to engage it fully and maintain good relations, partially because it was relieved the narco-government preceding it had fallen.

Bolivia: Random Thoughts On Evo's New Government

This might be dated, but I just read MABB's good post on the "Pre-Inaguration" of President Morales, where Evo in the Unku or traditional robe of the Colla high priest, was invested with authority in a ceremony at Tiahuanacu.

A comment from a poster said it reminded her of "post-colonial ceremonies" in newly independent third world countries, that is not off the mark. No matter what his politics and policies, Evo's acension resonates enormously with the indigenous people of the Andean region. And Evo in a very shrewd move, modified the traditional robe and staff of the Aymara to incorporate the indigenous peoples of the lowlands by adding Anacondas to the Condors in the robe, and lowland wood to the silver and gold in his staff.

If anything, Evo's skills as a politician and tactician have never been in doubt. Ecuador's indigenous movement, up to now considered the most well-organized, took a long time to reach such unity between lowlands and sierra people's. Evo not only united them, he also mobilized them effectively to deliver votes.

Historical Claims To Bolivia's Geography?

And there is historical precedent for his claim of authority over this territory, despite what some authors have said about Bolivia simply being "geographically" a country, and not a Nation. The Collasuyu extended from its center on the shores of Lake Titicaca, through the Andean plateau, into the lower valleys, and lowlands of Western Bolivia, as well as parts of Northern Chile, Argentina, and Peru. Lowland peoples such as the Guarani's and some Amazonic tribes are descendants from more nomadic Collas who pushed into that area. The unifier was the Aymara language, and the family/community agricultural system, the Ayllu, which started with familiar and tribal clusters, and which was ruled from above in a complex and interwoven system.

When the Inca ruler from Cuzco defeated the Collas militarily, he was able to incorporate the entire Collasuyu rather easily. TheAyllus of the region, simply switched alleigances to the Inca, whose peoples had also borrowed the communal arrangement from the Collas centuries before.

The rulers from Cuzco, built roads through the Collasuyu, and pushed at the frontier trying to conquer lowland tribes, and populating these regions with Collas, whom were pushed out of parts of the Altiplano and subsituted by Quechua speakers. A good part of what became Alto Peru (and Bolivia) after the Spanish conquest is simply imposed over the borders that the Inca had defined, which was essentially the Collasuyu with some added territory. It simply reflects the natural movements of peoples out of the Andes, incorporating lowlands and tropical regions.

If there is any such thing as a collective memory, the Altiplano peoples, with their common languages, have such a conception of a Nation reaching down the valleys and into the jungles.

Use of Symbols

The fact that we are at this stage in the country, is partly due to Bolivia's largely Andean ruling and middle classes There is a legacy of brutal mistreatment that extended well into the 20th century including a system of quasi-slavery for Indians, known as pongos. Racist attitudes against Indians are strong, Indio De Mierda ("Shit Indian) is a common expression among the upper and middle classes. The obvious irony is that a good chunk of these folks, are clearly descended from the same Aymaras, not only in appearance but clearly in attitude and behavior.

This kind of self-hatred, creates a strange form of self-enforced apartheid, where a premium is put on how "white" vis "brown" you look. It reminds me of the infamous "brown bag" test, used by certain creole social clubs in New Orleans, the lighter the better. There is a

Bolivia's upper and middle classes were finally confronted with the reality of highland native peoples, in the Chaco conflict. Urban youth, shared trenches and misery with the poor Indian conscripts, some dragged in chains from highland mines and farms and delivered to the lowland brush. When they returned from the war, these same veterans wanted to remake Bolivia, to actually create a sense of nation, and improve the Indians life.

The problem was that in order to sell this project to the largely middle class, nationalist voters, they adopted the strategy of referring to the Indians as "peasants" in order to incorporate them into the Bolivian polity. So after the 1952 Revolution, this was largely the focus, and the practical results were the organization of sectors of miners and farm workers, as class-based interest groups, which served as bases of support and votes for the MNR. Given their reality of the country, it might have seemed the only practical thing to do.

In the end, this compromise, might have been a mis-reading of Bolivian reality. They failed to create a sense of nation, which incorporated the largest segment of society - one which was linked by blood to many of the Andean elite. They also failed to connect with the lowlands, and generated resentment that continues to this day. Contrast that to Mexico where the Revolution adopted the symbols of their native peoples and made them part and parcel of the "official" nationalist myth. At the very least that gives everyone a sense of "nationhood" and rich kids are named after Aztec emperors. Sometimes symbols do matter.

Looks like Evo has managed to project a specific view of the Nation, incorporating the native peoples of the highlands and the lowlands, with the traditional nationalistic middle classes in the highlands and in Cochabamba. And Evo also has to remember that the last time around this Nation also collapsed like a deck of cards. This could get interesting.

Cartoons, Danish, and Angry Mobs

Atlas Shrugs some blogger who I have never read before, (and who is a total babe) has a whole bunch of stuff on the controversy.

She points out the obvious double standard, that Arabic newspapers print some ferociously anti-semitic cartoons.

The cartoons are disrespectful, no doubt about it, and maybe they reflect modern Western societies disconnection from religion in general. Print an equivalent image of Christ in Denmark or France, and no one would have noticed, most of us in the West are desensitized to it.
Doesn't help that Western European governments also are perceived as going out of their ways to be (selectively) accomodating to groups such as Muslims and their beliefs - note the whole row over a Brit city council forbidding pig images at work. Ultimately, this enforced tolerance has more to do with reaching accomodations with different cultures, based almost exclusively on their customs and behavior, as if they were not based on deeply held beliefs in a higher power.
The problem is when you get to certain countries where immigrants are pretty much denied the right to become part of the nation vis a vis citizenship, like France or Germany. These mixed messages and marginalization make for a potent cocktail and create resentment.
This also being the year 2006, thoughts and moods are instaneously transmitted back from immigrants to friends and family. A rumor in Brussels gets transmitted to Cairo and vice-versa, with appropriate embellishments in an IM or cell call in a matter of minutes. This cycle just adds fuel to the fire.

VOY MUSIC: Nice Comprehensive Site For Latin American Music

VOY Music new platform for Latin Music, has a whole lot of categories, with really good web radio links.

will update this later to provide more info about the company, just launched.

Bolvia: Dubya hollas at Evo,

So Bush apparently got on the phone and muttered something in broken Spanish to Evo,who answered back in broken Spanish.


Well, anyway it is the beginning of a dialogue of sorts.

Not bad, considering how occupied Bush is with Iraq and just about everyhing going bonkers for him domestically. As the Economist recently pointed out, Bolivia is at the very bottom of U.S. foreign policy priorities.

Speculation on who or how this came about:

Has there been a true shift in U.S. foreign policy making, from the Imperial White House and Pentagon giving more discretion to Condi and State? Was this initiative something that brewed up from the regional desks at State to Assistant Secretary of State, Shannon, who seems to be very involved in the situation, and then up to the President?


Recent budget cuts and the priority being put on Border control, might be minimizing the voice of anti-narcotics officials in US-Bolivian relations. Ten years ago, the anti-narcotics types would have been in panic mode. As the Economist also pointed out, most of the Bolivian coca production is going to labs in Brazil where it is mostly transhipped to Europe. Maybe there is a pragmatic realization that the U.S. could live with coca production at current levels in Chapare, where production was dramatically lowered after US-assisted erradication efforts.
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According to Reuters Brazil and Argentina have been urging Washington to reach some sort of modus vivendi with Evo, that would involve continued cooperation in fighting trafficking. The carrot would be continued economic aid, with Brasilia and Buenos Aires brokering the deal, and acting as intermediaries. For Brazil and Argentina that would help undermine Chavez' influence. Brazil would gain some serious leverage in resolving the differences over Petrobras' involvment in Bolivia. I am not surprised by Kirchner quietly pushing for this sort of accomodation, since it is in his countries interest to have stability since Argentina buys a lot of natural gas from Bolivia, and interruptions could lead to problems. In addition, Kirchner is walking a tight rope involving impoverished Argentinians, an economic crisis and instability in Bolivia could lead to a larger increase in emigration to Argentina, something that could be a headache for the Peronista government.


Would not be surprised if Bush's tone is also influenced by information conveyed to him by his brother, who just met with several Latin American recent trip to South America. As the Miami Herald commented recently, the governor is known to be the conduit to the White House for Latin American leaders, whom he is contact with through periodic visits to the area to drum up business for Florida.

So it could be that this approach of engagement, directed through the State Department is taking more into account the the advice of the larger South American countries.

Evo, needs to sell this to his Cocalero unions with the inducement of direct aid to them for alternative crop development. After all, many cocaleros did accept such deals in the past, and they seem to be working ok, with the region's agricultural production increasing. Morales ultimately, can crow all about "stopping" erradication of the acres still in production.. He did make fighting trafficking a priority, so he can really go after the "illegal" production. Its all wait and see at this point, but at least there is a good beginning.