Viva La Revolución

I just read The Nation's Reflections on a Decade of Civic Revolutions in Latin America and found it to be an informative summation of the recent political happenings in Latin America. It has become apparent to me in the last few months how imperative it is for us North Americans to know what is REALLY going on just to the south of us. We have had and still do have a HUGE presence there, and unfortunately, we have not used our powers for much good at all.

Here are some blurbs:

Contrary to the US media's frequent depictions, Latin America is home to vibrant democratic societies in which organized citizens press for social changes against political elites, an openly hostile corporate media and traditional oligarchs who still control most economic activity.

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Despite the paranoia of the media and much of the Washington foreign policy establishment, changes occurring in the region are not driven by anti-US plots hatched in Caracas or La Habana. In fact, many in Latin America are quietly "giving up" on the United States, developing regional trade and strengthening ties with countries such as China, India, Russia and South Africa.

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Get THIS-

Unfortunately, with Barack Obama in the White House, US policy toward Latin America has changed little. Though the Summit of the Americas early this year raised expectations, Obama's administration has in fact escalated Bush-era policies. The United States refuses to label the June ouster of democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya in Honduras a coup; it is moving ahead with plans to establish seven new military bases in Colombia, setting off an arms race in the region; it has extended the embargo on Cuba; and with the Merida Initiative it supports continued "drug war" militarization of Mexico.

I remember hearing about how Obama and Chavez briefly met a few months back, and how the media reported that Obama was "cordial" and exchanged a few words with Chavez. It's not that the West sees Chavez as a mean, scary man, but rather as a threat to their self-serving capitalistic approach to Latin America...and it IS unfortunate that Obama seems to be coloring within the same old lines.

I came across this informative little summation of the events that have taken place and are taking place in Honduras (courtesy of alternet.org). It's in comic-strip form, so it's a quick and easy way to get the gist of what's going on- and it's also nice for those of you who like to read dem picture books. It helps see what a major rule the US plays in all this.

I also found a link to the blog, Honduras Coup 2009, which gives regular updates on what's going on...y'know because most major media coverage of the coup is biased b/c the coup leaders have suspended alternative media and blown up the towers for the alternative media sources in Honduras.

Honduras

As Americans, we tend to miss out on global news and what is really going around the world if we're not looking for it. For instance, how about this military coup going on in Honduras?!

President Manuel Zelaya was literally forced out of office by gunpoint on June 28 after he announced that a non-binding consultation on whether citizens supported changes to the consitution would be held.

t r u t h o u t | Amnesty: Honduras Testimonies Show Extent of Police Violence

The above link is an article about Amnesty International's report documenting "'serious ill-treatment by police and military of peaceful protesters' in Honduras, warning that 'beatings and mass arrests are being used as a way of punishing people for voicing their opposition' to the coup."

The following is a timeline of events, courtesy of BBC online:

28 June: Zelaya forced out of country at gunpoint

5 July: A dramatic bid by Zelaya to return home by plane fails after the runway at Tegucigalpa airport is blocked

25-26 July: Zelaya briefly crosses into the country from Nicaragua on two consecutive days

21 Sept: Zelaya appears in the Brazilian embassy in Tegulcigalpa

27 Sept: Honduras issues 10-day ultimatum to Brazil and threatens to close embassy

As of Sunday, coup leader, decreed a 45 day suspension of the current constitution.

And TODAY (09/29), he's now saying civil liberties could be restored.

Let it be known that this is a big HONKIN' deal, okay?

And we all SHOULD know what's going down in other

countries...

especially because we cast our

big, American shadow far and wide and

it reaches each and every one of them.