blogging it real

Oh man, when Le Devoir gets it right, they get it right. Today’s front page contained the following two photos. A venomous critique on George Bush’s tour of Latin America.

Sr. W. is visiting parts of Latin America to make a better image for America. Good fucking luck! You see, since America decided to take over the title of the hemisphere for itself (I mean doesn’t America constitute the space between Nunavut and Tierre del Fuego?), things have kind of sucked for north – south relations.

For a while now, Latin America has been so incredibly tied to the United States it’s almost sickening. If the U.S. sneezes, the south catches cold, kind of thing. All of the countries in the hemisphere….except one…has stronger “trade relations with the U.S. than they do with each other. It can often be more convenient to fly from Lima to La Plaz if you connect in Houston than it is to fly direct.

But only a small slice of Latin America gets to sit on planes. Most eat, sleep, suffer and sweat it out in crippling poverty. And this is why I’m really baffled that Bush would go to Latin America. To do what? Win hearts and minds? There aren’t many left to win over buddy. “Not embracing America will create more poverty?” Latin America has embraced the U.S. platforms for quite some time now, you dumb shit, and poverty abounded faster than bananas grow!!

The devils that they are in the eyes of the northern media, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the ex-President (l’ancien président; presidente anterior; Ex-presidente; Ehemaliger Präsident; De voormalige president; Прежний президент; 前主席) of Cuba, Fidel Castro (sorry, I had to put that in as many languages as I could, because the world is just not getting the fact that the man is finished with governing the country), are heroes to many who live in Latin America. Just as those two have been tarred in the north, Bush, and most U.S. presidents for that matter, are painted black south of the rio grande. Again, your speeches, Bush, don’t count for shit in Latin America…no matter what comes out of your pie-hole!

For the elite, the U.S. has put in place wicked immigration restrictions. Sure if you’re a doctor come on through, but anything shy of that won’t guarantee free passage. Canada is also painfully restrictive when it comes to Latin American migration, and I don’t see the tide turning there either.

And then of course is the hysterical culture that goes with letting in immigrants. Bubba Beer-nut camped out on the Texas border with binoculars in hand. Nothing better to do in Texas I suppose. So, restrictive immigration, and delirious red-necks, of which Bush is supposed to be akin to. Doesn’t quite make for the warmest of impressions.

Then let’s take the overwhelming majority of Latinos who have been fucked as hard as possible by social and economic inequity over the past century or more. When political leaders came to power offering policies to create social change the U.S. usually knocks them off, or greatly aids local networks to do the job (Torrijos – Panama; Allende – Chile; and Aguilera – Ecuador). With every American airlines flight into Latin America comes businessmen destined to take over local resources; economists determined to convince governments that with economic growth among a minor elite comes happiness for all; and of course missionaries bound to convince the locals that in the next life shit won’t suck as much.

Why is Bush in Latin America? To improve America’s image? No chance. I’m guessing that the wife probably wanted a nice trip somewhere exotic to buy fancy hats and to try new food. Because I’m pretty sure that while the war on terror has been going on, Latin Americans started thinking that maybe, just maybe, it should be time to start ignoring ideas, policies, and people that come out of Washington. Maybe its time to listen to ourselves?