General Politics Discussion Topic [closed]

Originally posted by zooey:What I meant was that MrZ seems to think that the ignorance and bigotry that has taken over this nation is beyond control and that there is no more hope for this country. Like Star Wars IV, we need a new hope.

Originally posted by haytrain:Usually I hate it when celebrities get involved in politics, but he does raise some very interesting/funny points.....

[YouTube Video]

Originally posted by aussiemofo:[..]

Have you seen Team America?

Originally posted by www.cnn.com
Deadly clashes strike Bolivia's east

SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia (CNN) -- Eight people died Thursday of gunshot wounds in clashes between pro-autonomy militants and Bolivian government supporters in Providencia in the northeastern department of Pando, an official said.

Bolivia, led by President Evo Morales, has four provinces seeking autonomy.

Hugo Mopi, spokesman for the governor of Pando, near the border with Brazil, said another 30 people were wounded in the clashes.
The dead were supporters of autonomy, and included an employee from the Pando provincial government, an environmental engineer and a housewife, Mopi said.
In the southeastern province of Tarija, near the border with Argentina, 88 people were wounded in similar clashes, Tarija government officials said Thursday.
Also in Tarija, where most of the country's natural gas comes from, autonomy supporters blew up a pipeline, resulting in $8 million in losses of exports to Argentina and Brazil, the officials said. It will take 15 to 20 days to fix the pipeline, they said.
But that may not be the only pipeline interruption. Pro-autonomy groups seized control of a pipeline valve in the nearby town of Yacuiba, also in Tarija.
Local authorities and the leader of the national opposition, Jorge Quiroga, accused the federal government of organizing armed bands of militias to take control of Cobija, the capital of Pando.
Pro-autonomy groups remained in control Thursday of Santa Cruz, where work had stopped at all central government offices.
Meanwhile, American Airlines has suspended its twice-weekly flights to Santa Cruz's civilian airport.
A low-profile federal military presence was guarding strategic installations, including a refinery and a small military airfield.
Local television showed pictures of people breaking into stores, though many stores remained open.
But government supporters in the eastern provinces appear poised to strike back. Peasants who make up the base of President Evo Morales' party have threatened during the past two days to encircle Santa Cruz.
The clashes come a day after Morales ordered the expulsion of U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg and accused the U.S. government of encouraging the anti-government protesters and supporting his overthrow.
A State Department spokesman on Wednesday called Morales' assertion that Goldberg had encouraged anti-government protests "baseless."
On Tuesday, Morales expelled agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration from the Chapare region, the third-largest coca-producing region in the world, saying the government could no longer protect them. He ordered Goldberg out, too, during a meeting that the ambassador had called to protest the DEA agents' expulsions.
On Thursday, the United States kicked out the Bolivian ambassador.
"We regret President Morales has chosen this course," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters Thursday. "It will prejudice the interests of both countries, undermine the ongoing fight against drug trafficking and will have serious regional implications."
An embassy spokesman said Thursday that the State Department plans next week to issue a report critical of Bolivia's compliance with anti-drug efforts.
Morales draws much of his support from coca growers.

Originally posted by www.cnn.com
U.S. expelling Venezuelan envoy in response to Chavez

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States is expelling the Venezuelan ambassador to the United States in response to a similar move by Venezuela, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday.


"We have informed the Venezuelan ambassador to the United States that he will be expelled and should leave the United States," McCormack said.
Separately, the U.S. Treasury Department accused Friday two senior Venezuelan intelligence officials -- Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios and Henry de Jesus Rangel Silva -- and one former official -- Ramon Rodriguez Chacin -- of assisting leftist rebels in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, with narcotics trafficking.
"Today's designation exposes two senior Venezuelan government officials and one former official who armed, abetted and funded the FARC, even as it terrorized and kidnapped innocents," said Adam J. Szubin, director of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, in a statement.
The action freezes assets the three men may have under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits Americans from conducting business with them.
The U.S. decision to expel the Venezuelan ambassador, Bernardo Alvarez Herrera, is the latest move in an escalating diplomatic battle that pits the United States against two of Latin America's leftist leaders.
It comes a day after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced that he was expelling the U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, Patrick Duddy. Chavez also said he was recalling the Venezuelan ambassador from the United States.
"He has 72 hours, from this moment, the Yankee ambassador in Caracas, to leave Venezuela," Chavez told a crowd of supporters. "When there's a new government in the United States, we'll send an ambassador. A government that respects Latin America."
The president said he was making the moves "in solidarity with Bolivia and the people of Bolivia."
Bolivian President Evo Morales on Thursday accused the United States of fomenting a coup d'etat by rich eastern department landowners against him, and he called for the U.S. ambassador to leave for allegedly encouraging those protesters.
For the past two weeks, the demonstrators in the country's richer eastern lowlands have been protesting Morales' plans to redistribute the country's natural gas revenues.
"Without fear of anyone, without fear of the empire, today before you, before the Bolivian people, I declare the ambassador of the United States persona non grata," Morales said Wednesday of Ambassador Philip Goldberg in a nationally televised speech.
The United States called the allegations baseless and kicked out the Bolivian ambassador Thursday.
The Bolivians "made it very clear what their intention was and we took them at their word," McCormack said Friday. "We take President Chavez at his word in this particular case, and we have reacted appropriately."
Before expelling the U.S. diplomat from his country, Chavez also said Thursday that he had uncovered a U.S.-backed plot to remove him from power.
"It's the empire that's behind this," he told supporters in a televised address. "They go around looking for a way to stop our revolution and, with it, to strike all the processes of change that are occurring in our Americas, in the Caribbean, in Central America."
Chavez then played a four-minute tape of what he said were conversations among current and retired members of the Venezuelan military discussing whom they could count on to support a movement against the presidential palace.
He said also that the presence of two Russian warplanes on Venezuelan soil for a training exercise "is a warning" to the rest of the world that Venezuela's allies include Russia.

Originally posted by Ale91:The Brazilian newspapers are saying that a civil war may take place soon... And obviously, Venezuela will meddle again.

Originally posted by stj0691:[..]

it's a shame countries have to meddle in such ways...and wars are never good. the worse kind being a civil war. you could say WWIII could be the worst war ever, but that does not equal what any civil war does. in a sense a civil war is technically a revolution, my only question is 'how is bolivia's gov't at the moment?'

Originally posted by stj0691:[..]

the only thing is that if these govts dont work, there could be strong thought of change. however those in charge arent willing to lose power. I'm also guessing the ones with power have control of the military, etc. however i wouldnt be the least bit surprised if there was a revolution in either country. the general rule of thumb for such revolutions is right to middle to left. usually. there are exceptions like the US, however Shays Rebellion could have sparked something huge here. plus the rule of the moderates AKA 'middle' is the middle class that are somewhat wealthy, and have a good head on their shoulders. Your 'left' would be the extremists who doubt the rule of the moderates, which creates another stage of revolution. usually involved is a reign of terror (ie the guillotine). there wasnt really a reign of terror in the US, but the tarring of torries might be such an example. then there's another stage where stability is seen by whatever government seems to float peoples boat, so to speak. hopefully this stability is not something along the lines of a dictator who is determined to rule his or her country with an iron fist. a democracy works, its the economical issues that also play a huge factor too. after the revolution in america, our economy was in shambles. it took an economic genius (Alexander Hamiltion) to save us from economic fallout. so if they can find someone who's such an economic person of high degree during stability, it will certainly help big time.

so long story short, blah blah blah there's a huge problem in latin america concerning bolivian and venezuelan governent and their stabilities. this affects the world big time considering venezuela has a hand in oil, which america relies on (think citgo). so if there's a revoltuion not only is that bad for latin america, but also in the wallets or pocketbooks of people in the US.