One Million Protest in Brazil Last Night – Tropical Spring

By Michael Collins
COTO Report

Sparked by a public transportation fare increase in Sao Paolo a week ago, an estimated one million people showed up in cities across Brazil expressing  discontent with the limited opportunities they face and an indifferent government.

“It’s not really about the price anymore,” said Camila Sena, an 18-year-old university student at a Wednesday protest in Rio de Janeiro’s sister city of Niteroi. “People are so disgusted with the system, so fed up that now we’re demanding change.”  USA Today, June 20, 2013

Gary Webb: An American Hero

By Volaar

Eight years ago, December 10, 2004, respected and award-winning investigative journalist Gary Webb was murdered by a conspiracy of an apathetic citizenry, corporate malfeasance and government corruption.  The Sacramento County coroner, Robert Lyons, publically, if hastily, characterized the gunshot wounds in Gary Webb’s head three times before finally ruling the double-gunshot wound to Webb’s face a “suicide,” noting the use of a .38 caliber revolver, the presence of a suicide note and Webb’s close friend and ex-wife, Sue Bell, claiming that Gary, “had been depressed about being unable to obtain employment from another major newspaper for some time.” The San Jose Mercury News, on orders from “on high,” had terminated Gary Webb’s career progression after they claimed they had discovered errors in trivial matters of fact in his career-capping exposé, “A Dark Alliance” (ADA).

Fast, Furious and Outrageous

By Volaar

Wayne Madsen has learned from his contacts within the Beltway intelligence community that Jared Lee Loughner is an “MK-ULTRA” programmed assassin and that US District Judge John Roll and Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords were targetted for assassination.  The reason for the decision to target Judge Roll and Congresswoman Giffords has to do with their knowledge

Jews, Zionism and conspiracy theories

By Bob Row
Gloria Mundi

Sergio Bergman (2nd from right) is an Argentine rabbi of frequent media appearances who associated himself with local center-right politicians. He endorsed the movement headed by Mr. Blumberg (who’s son died when kidnapped) for “security” against marginalized youngsters. Then organized an NGO to raise money from wealthy Jews and contend in the community elections. Last Sunday he got elected as legislator for the Buenos Aires Autonomous Government City Council (equivalent to the Columbia district) ranking first in the list of the incumbent Mayor, Mauricio Macri (Berlusconi’s local version). Macri’s main contender on behalf of the progressive national government was the former minister of Education, Daniel Filmus -also a Jew.

Understand the Globalization of Poverty and the New World Order

By Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research

The Globalization of Poverty and the New World Order
Preface to the Second Edition

Barely a few weeks after the military coup in Chile on September 11, 1973, overthrowing the elected government of President Salvador Allende, the military Junta headed by General Augusto Pinochet ordered a hike in the price of bread from 11 to 40 escudos, a hefty overnight increase of 264%. This economic shock treatment had been designed by a group of economists called the “Chicago Boys”.

At the time of the military coup, I was teaching at the Institute of Economics of the Catholic University of Chile, which was a nest of Chicago trained economists, disciples of Milton Friedman. On that September 11, in the hours following the bombing of the Presidential Palace of La Moneda, the new military rulers imposed a 72-hour curfew. When the university reopened several days later, the “Chicago Boys” were rejoicing. Barely a week later, several of my colleagues at the Institute of Economics were appointed to key positions in the military government.

Honduras Freedom Ride: Video of Zelaya’s Return

By Lisa Sullivan
School of the Americas Watch

This past Saturday, Fr. Roy Bourgeois and I accompanied President Manuel Zelaya back to his native Honduras, almost two years after a military coup led by SOA graduates removed him from his country at gunpoint. The short flight
we took with him, from Managua to Tegucigalpa, was a journey packed with laughter, tears, songs, nerves, hugs, and decades of history.

Above all, this was an epic Latin American journey, a brief Latin American freedom ride of sorts. It was a moment to display to a world that does not often look this way, a loosely woven cloth of Latin American sovereignty and integration. As the only U.S. citizens invited to be part of a small group of international accompaniment, Roy and I felt extraordinarily privileged to be sharing this moment with our Latin American sisters and brothers.

Cindy Sheehan on Venezuela, Honduras and CELAC

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was formed February 2010 to exclude the US and Canada which control the OAS (Organization of American States), and will be formally launched on July 5, 2011. ~Ed.

“Yankees, go Home!”

By Cindy Sheehan

“Nobody messes with Venezuela. Venezuela must be respected.”
Rafael Ramirez, Venezuelan Energy Minister

I am in Caracas, Vz today (May 29th–Casey’s birthday)—a country I love and a people that I support with all my heart in their struggle against US imperialism and corporate interests so they can make their own lives better.

Nine of us came from the US to support the people of Venezuela in rejecting the US economic sanctions that were imposed by the State Departments because, apparently, Venezuela sent two shipments of oil product to Iran.

Amid bloody repression, Zelayas returns to Honduras

Porfirio Lobo and Manuel Zelaya shake hands on May 23, 2011 (Guardian UK)

By Rady Ananda

Since Obama’s first coup on June 28, 2009, when Honduras President Manuel Zelaya was kidnapped and flown to a U.S. military base in Palmerola before being spirited out of the country in his pajamas, Honduras has endured lethal repression under the US-installed dictator, Porfirio Lobo. But today, May 28, 2011, Zelaya returned.

On May 23rd, Colombia president Juan Manuel Santos and Venezuela president Hugo Chavez brokered a deal that allowed Zelaya to return so that Honduras will be readmitted to the Organisation of American States, thus gaining access to international “aid” funds.

Latin America Shakes Off the US Yoke

By Mark Weisbrot
The Guardian

On Thursday, the United States expelled the ambassador from Ecuador, in retaliation for Wednesday’s expulsion of the US ambassador from Ecuador. This now leaves the United States without ambassadorial relations in three South American countries – Bolivia and Venezuela being the other two – thus surpassing the Bush administration in its diplomatic problems in the region.

US Ambassador Heather Hodges was declared “persona non grata” and asked to leave Ecuador “as soon as possible”, after a diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks showed her saying some disparaging things about Ecuador’s president, Rafael Correa. In the cable, she alleges that President Correa had knowledge of corruption by a former head of the national police.

Although the Bush administration intervened in the internal affairs of countries such as Bolivia and even Brazil, it was somewhat better at keeping its “eyes on the prize” and avoiding fights that would distract from its main goal. The prize, of course, is Venezuela – home to the largest oil reserves in the world, estimated by the US Geological Survey at 500bn barrels. Washington’s goal there for the last decade has been regime change. The Bush team understood that the more they fought with other countries in the region, the less credible would be their public relations story that Venezuela was the problem.

Partnership of Equals

By Fidel Castro Ruz
Global Research

Saturday evening, the 19th, after a sumptuous banquet, NATO leaders ordered the attack on Libya. Of course, nothing could occur without the United States claiming its irrefutable role as supreme leader. From its command post of that institution in Europe, a senior official declared that “Odyssey Dawn” was about to begin.

World public opinion was deeply touched by the tragedy in Japan . The number of victims of the earthquake, the tsunami and the nuclear accident has kept on growing. By now there are thousands of dead, missing and radiation contaminated. Resistance to the use of nuclear energy will also grow considerably.

The world is suffering, at the same time, the consequences of climatic changes; shortages and prices of foods, military spending and the squandering of natural and human resources are increasing. War was the timeliest event that could happen at this time.

Obama’s trip through Latin America moved into the background, people were hardly paying any attention to it. In Brazil , the contradictory interests between the United States and this sister nation have become evident.

Chevron runs from $8.6 billion judgment in Ecuador

By Greg Palast
www.gregpalast.com

Chevron Petroleum Corporation is attempting to slither out of an $8.6 billion judgment rendered yesterday by a trial court in Ecuador for cancer deaths, illnesses and destruction caused by its Texaco unit.

I’ve been there, in Ecuador.

I met the victims.  They didn’t lose their shrimp boats; they lost their kids.  Emergildo Criollo, Chief of the Cofan Natives of the Amazon, told me about his three-year-old.  ”He went swimming, then began vomiting blood.” Then he died.

Who’s afraid of a Palestinian State?

By Bob Row

On Feb.16 a summit to be held at Lima, Peru will be attended by nine South American leaders and eleven Arab chiefs of state to discuss a proposal of declaration by the first, recognizing an independent Palestinian State.

Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador and Bolivia  recently recognized a Palestine State along borders prior to the 1967 war, including East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Chile also did it, but without reference to a map. Others are yet to decide (Venezuela and Uruguay favor to agree).

Hope in 2011 – Peoples, Civil Society Stand Tall

By Ramzy Baroud
Global Research

When the Iraqi army fell before invading US and British troops in 2003, the latter’s mission seemed to be accomplished. But nearly eight years after the start of a war intended to shock and awe a whole population into submission, the Iraqi people continue to stand tall. They have confronted and rejected foreign occupations, held their own against sectarianism, and challenged random militancy and senseless acts of terrorism.

For most of us, the Iraqi people’s resolve cannot be witnessed, but rather deduced. Eight years of military strikes, raids, imprisonments, torture, humiliation and unimaginable suffering were still not enough to force the Iraqis into accepting injustice as a status quo.

Wikileaks, the United States, Sweden, and Devil’s Island

By William Blum
Anti Empire Report

December 16 … I’m standing in the snow in front of the White House … Standing with Veterans for Peace … I’m only a veteran of standing in front of the White House; the first time was February 1965, handing out flyers against the war in Vietnam. I was working for the State Department at the time and my biggest fear was that someone from that noble institution would pass by and recognize me.

Venezuela’s Enabling Law: 5 Questions & Answers

Venezuela's National Assembly in December passed the Ley Habilitante, or Enabling Law, granting the President the authority to decree laws for the benefit of torrential rain victims (Agencies)

Venezuela ranks fifth among countries with the lowest level of malnutrition in Latin America and is among the world’s top 10. Still, the world’s media, owned by neoliberal capitalists who support a corporate global dictatorship, continues to paint Hugo Chavez as a devil, especially since Venezuela passed the “enabling law.” But, the US also has such a law; it’s called a signing statement. Further, the US presidency (first under Bush and continued under Obama) has usurped complete dictatorial control thru various unconstitutional laws passed, with several more now under consideration.

Global elites hate Chavez because he is taking back land and natural resources formerly owned by multinational corporations and giving it to Venezuela’s peasants and state-run companies. As to direct defense of what he is doing, below is this 5-point response by Correo del Orinoco International:

Wikileaks: Documents Confirm US Plans to Destabilize Venezuela

By Eva Golinger
Global Research

State Department documents published by Wikileaks evidence Washington’s plans to “contain” Venezuela’s influence in the region and increase efforts to provoke regime change

A substantial portion of the more than 1600 State Department documents Wikileaks has published during the past two weeks refer to the ongoing efforts of US diplomacy to isolate and counter the Venezuelan government.

Hitler’s Shadow Reaches toward Today

By Robert Parry
Consortium News

The U.S. government protected Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie in the years after World War II and later unleashed the infamous Butcher of Lyon on South America by aiding his escape from French war-crimes prosecutors, according to a new report issued by the National Archives.

The report, entitled “Hitler’s Shadow,” concentrates on the decisions by the U.S. Army’s Counterintelligence Corps to use Barbie and other ex-Nazis for early Cold War operations, but other work by investigative journalists and government investigators has shown how Barbie’s continued allegiance to Nazi ideology contributed to the spread of right-wing extremism in Latin America.

All the Colonel’s Men: Behind the Ecuador Coup Attempt

By The Real News Network

Colonel Lucio Gutierrez is suspected of being behind the attempted coup in Ecuador. His name is linked to four coups. Previously the president of Ecuador, he was deposed for massive corruption.

The CIA, the KKK and the USA

Image by Bob Row

By Sherwood Ross
Global Research

By assigning covert action roles to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), it is as if the White House and Congress had legitimized the Ku Klux Klan to operate globally. That’s because the CIA today resembles nothing so much as the “Invisible Empire” of the KKK that once spread terror across the South and Midwest. Fiery crosses aside, this is what the CIA is doing globally.
 
The CIA today is committing many of the same sort of gruesome crimes against foreigners that the KKK once inflicted on Americans of color.

Tuskegee, Guatemala

Dr. John Cutler during the Tuskegee experiment

By Margaret Kimberly
Black Agenda Report

The Nazi “Doctor of Death,” Joseph Mengele, lived out his last years in hiding and infamy in South America. But the American Dr. Mengele, Dr. John C. Cutler, who infected human beings with syphilis in Guatemala, and studied syphilis in men in Alabama while denying treatment to them, died in the bosom of the American medical community, a man of honor and high esteem. Cutler’s diabolical crimes were “normalized and praised” because they were committed against non-white people.