“That’s enough shit from you, Yankees.” - Hugo
I’m going to declare this pretty much my favourite political quote of all time. You had a good run with ‘Fuddle Duddle’, Pierre, but all things do come to an end. Some days, you really just gotta tell a muthafucka how it is.
Anyways, over the past two days things have gotten somewhat heated across South and Central America. The US Ambassadors for both Bolivia and Venezuela have been given their marching orders, told they are now persona non grata. The reasons are… well, it’s South America and if you hear about some wild shit going down chances are…
It’s also thirty-five years to the day when an American backed coup led by Pinochet seized power in Chile.
Yesterday, right-wing militias began destroying government offices across La Paz, Bolivia. I don’t want to sound insencere when I say this, but it’s basically rich folks hiring mercenaries to burn down stuff for no other reason than they’re slightly less rich than before Evo Morales came to power. Not content to let their ogliarchy slip into obscurity, they begun destroying the natural gas pipelines that run into Brazil alongside aid distribution centres… basically… if it’s a positive for the society it’s gotta go up in flames according to these folk.
However, it’s seems like it’s rallying these countries to come together as the community they are. The last few years have seen the prime ministers and presidents of South America work together on trade, energy, economic and security concerns. Lula de Silva, president of Brazil, has offered to handle the security for the pipelines and even the capital city by sending in both troops and police officers. Good on him. Chile has promised food and medical supplies to replace that which has been destroyed and to make up the shortfalls that will come when the States shuts off it’s USAID program to the country.
Enough of your shit, indeed.
Politics, salsa and socialism, seriously