[Promoted from the diaries by susanbhu with a note on another underreported story: “[T]housands of Venezuelans are joining militia units created by the government to fight off anyone – especially U.S. troops – that tries to thwart President Hugo Chavez’s socialist ‘Bolivarian revolution.’ ‘We don’t want a Yankee country,’ said Julimar Garcia, a 29-year old government clerk who has been training with the Popular Defense Units since February. ‘If they put their feet down here, we’ll be ready to fight them off.'”].
Could this be a warning sign for Bush and Bug Bomb Tom?
Thanks once again to Mainstream Media for the advance notice and heads up on this one! Perhaps I must accept blame as well for not being able to keep up with world events as responsibly as I’d like…
Although the economy in the oil-rich country, also the world’s biggest exporter of bananas, has been flourishing there has been little relief for the country’s poor and Gutierrez’s support plummeted.
A man of dark, native Indian features, he promised voters a change after centuries of domination by a white elite.
Perhaps I need to slap on another layer of tinfoil, but doesn’t this sound a lot like Venezuela and Hugo Chaveza, where our government has been a busy little beaver…?
Is this another attempt at hemispheric oil resource stabilization/destabilization upon the part of Bu$hCo? I honestly am clueless about this situation, but it has a “crude” smell…
I appeal to all you knowledgeable people out there to weigh in on clarification before I go out to buy more tinfoil…
The political turmoil began in December after Gutierrez asked the legislature to dismiss 27 of 31 Supreme Court justices, a move seen by opponents as an attempt to consolidate power.
…after Bush asked the Congress dismiss 9 of the 12 Supreme Court justices, a move seen by opponents as an attempt to consolidate power.” AP, ul 4, 2005
I only changed one name, the number of justices, and the month. Reality imitating reality is stranger than art imitating life, inthis case. OOOooh, my head…!
[]ka-BOOOOOM!]
Counter-insurgents! Don’t love our freedoms! Can you believe it?
South American is clearly where it’s at in evolutionary government types, and worth keeping a close eye on.
and got some excellent well informed comments… they said basically to take off the tinfoil hats… likely the CIA just stood back and watched, intervention wasn’t necessary… looks to be more of a consequence of a failed attempt at consolidation of power… an object lesson for Bu$hCo, should they decide to open their eyes…
if the WH decides that they really mean it when Chavez says it’s the Venezuelan peoples oil.
Ecuador: New President Must Ensure Rights Protection
(Washington D.C., April 21, 2005) ? Ecuador?s new president must
move quickly to ensure respect for human rights, Human Rights
Watch said today.
Yesterday, Ecuador’s Congress voted by a majority of 60 of its 100
members to dismiss President Lucio Gutiérrez from office. The vice
president, Alfredo Palacio, was sworn in as interim president.
Gutiérrez was reported to be in the Brazilian embassy in the
Ecuadorian capital Quito and to have been granted asylum in Brazil.
He is the third Ecuadorian president to be ousted in the last eight
years.
“The transitional authorities must do everything in their power to
restore public confidence in the rule of law, and get Ecuador’s
democratic institutions working,” said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas
director at Human Rights Watch.
On April 19 and 20, at least two people were reported killed in Quito
during street demonstrations against Gutiérrez, which were met by
police using large amounts of tear gas. The demonstrators included
senior citizens, women and children. The Red Cross reported treating
more than 200 people for acute respiratory distress caused by tear
gas.
Others were reportedly hurt during violent clashes between
government opponents and supporters of Gutiérrez, who were
reportedly bused in from rural areas by the government.
Human Rights Watch called on the new authorities to ensure that the
security forces act with restraint in dealing with demonstrations and to
avoid the use of excessive force. The government should also conduct
a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of the
deaths reported during the protests of April 19 and 20.
A 58-year-old Chilean news photographer, Julio García, died of
cardiac arrest, reportedly from the effects of tear gas. A woman was
reported to have died of serious head injuries after falling from a bus
into the street and being run over by a military vehicle.
A group of about 100 protesters reportedly forced their way into the
building where the Congress is temporarily housed, beat and
threatened some members of Congress and demanded that all the
Congress resign. Protesters also later occupied the airport tarmac to
prevent Gutiérrez from leaving the country.
Public confidence in the rule of law in Ecuador was severely shaken
on December 8 when Gutiérrez and his congressional allies dismissed
27 of the Supreme Court’s 31 justices, and replaced them with their
own political allies. Facing mounting protests, on April 15 Gutiérrez
fired the entire Supreme Court and declared a state of emergency.
The Organization of American States’ Permanent Council met today
and is due to reconvene tomorrow (April 22) to discuss the situation in
Ecuador.
“Protection of human rights depends crucially on the rule of law and
the checks and balances of democratic rule,” said Vivanco. “The
Organization of American States must offer every support to help
Ecuador strengthen the functioning of its democratic institutions as
quickly as possible.”
To view this document on the Human Rights Watch web site, please
go to: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/04/21/ecuado10528.htm
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has this written up at FTS.