In a forceful move against the socialist centrist policies of Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales, residents of Santa Cruz province, the country’s wealthiest, heeded the call of their Governor, Rubén Costas and last night seized control of Viru Viru airport, Bolivia’s busiest.
Landlocked Bolivia, South America’s poorest country, has the region’s largest (per capita) indigenous population. Variously estimated as between 56% and 70% of the country’s citizens, Bolivian indigenous people elected one of their own, Morales, who is an Aymara, in 2006.
Morales, a protégé of Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, took control of all of Bolivia’s airports upon taking office in early 2007. Along with control, Morales’ central government also appropriated all landing fees, a substantial revenue stream, especially in the case of busy Viru Viru. Normally, local governments retain such revenues and control of the airport itself. In thirty years of dealing with airport authorities all over this hemisphere, I never encountered a situation where control of an airport (and especially landing fees) was vested in the nation’s central government.
This is not the first time residents of Santa Cruz province have resisted the socialism of the Morales government. Governor Costas has declared often and loudly that control of Santa Cruz will not be ceded to the Morales administration. The governor has the backing of a solid majority of Santa Cruz’s citizens, and in this instance the citizens have demonstrated they are prepared to act to defend their interests. According to Reuters, local authorities initiated the crisis by demanding that arriving flights pay landing fees, in cash, to them. In response, the Morales government sent in approximately 220 troops to retake control of the airport on Thursday, whereupon Governor Costas issued his call for action by the citizens. As the International Herald Tribune notes:
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Dave Nalle
This is exactly the kind of situation for which Chavez has been building up his military. If Morales can't exert control I imagine we'll see Chavez backing him up with troops pretty quickly.
This also brings to light one of the fundamental problems of socialism. Socialism cannot function in even the short term if it does not take away the assets of the productive class in the society and use that wealth to strengthen the state. Very little of the wealth will be used to benefit the poor, and the country will cease to produce wealth as it did under capitalism, but the assets seized will be used to perpetuate the government until they run out.
Sociaism is largely about plunder and exploitation.
Dave
2 - Clavos
"This is exactly the kind of situation for which Chavez has been building up his military."
No question.
I have no doubt that Chávez's long term goals are centered on plans for hegemony over as much of the hemisphere as he can manage.
3 - Dave Nalle
When he's done driving his own country into the dirt he'll have to look somewhere else for revenue and resources to keep his movement alive.
Dave
4 - REMF
"When he's done driving his own country into the dirt he'll have to look somewhere else for revenue and resources to keep his movement alive."
But where else will GW look?
5 - moonraven
Neither clavos nor Nalle has ever been to Bolivia and neither knows ANYTHING about its government or its leader, Evo Morales.
Evo, whom I HAVE met and talked with extensively--although 4 years ago so before he was elected president--is not pushover.
The US has been running a risky CIA operation out of the US Embassy in Bolivia, and the ambassador was declared persona non grata about 10 days ago.
The folks in Santa Cruz are nothing but Bolivian versions of Venezuela's oligarchy, los escualidos. They have been trying a separtist movement that would allow them to control the bulk of the resources and leave the majority indigenous population in the highlands literally high and dry.
They will not succeed.
Cheerleaders like clavos and calvo/nalle should get on a plane and get down there while there is a tiny window of opportunity. Then maybe they will see Latin American politics in situ--instead of through clavos' gusano buddies in Miami.
6 - brian
'In a forceful move against the socialist centrist policies of Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales, residents of Santa Cruz province, the country’s wealthiest, heeded the call of their Governor, Rubén Costas and last night seized control of Viru Viru airport, Bolivia’s busiest.'
this is where Morales needs to show he is no pushver...its laughable to see the 'wealthiest' using street demo tactics! When they were in control, they just sent in the army and killed the demonstrators.
They are not resisting 'socialism' they are fighting to ensure they hoy poloi dont get any more of the power and wealth they believe belongs to them.
=================
Dave: 'When he's done driving his own country into the dirt he'll have to look somewhere else for revenue and resources to keep his movement alive.'
Dave shows his continued and antidemocratic hatred of the people..esp if they are dark skinned. Morales has not drioven his country into the ground..thats what the 'wealthiest' were doing when they were in power...and thats why they are no longer in power...
7 - Lapdog
"Santa Cruz leaders want autonomy from La Paz and a bigger share of their state's natural gas revenues, but Morales needs the cash for other, desperately poor parts of the country.”
Cash for the desperatley poor!!! This is unheard of! It's beyond reason! Has the world gone mad?
I...I... can't seem to catch my breath....fetch the smelling salts...do hurry.
8 - Doug Hunter
Oh Brian, the old racism mantra really added to your verbal splooge. That's all the left has, everything is racism, it's the only thing keeping the lie alive. I'm starting to believe that reality must be racist.
Anyway, I know you're an emotionally driven empathetic person, that's why you take the political positions you do. I'd like to let you in on a little secret, the right cares about people too. We just don't let emotions get in the way of what works and what works is capitalism.
You're right about the wealthy, they live extravagant lives, they waste lots, and they hate the sweaty stinky masses. What does this mean though? They're blowing money on yachts and private planes and mansions, but.... You need people to build these yachts, experts in fact. You need pilots and paving equipment and aircraft importers to provide them their private planes. You might need a crane to erect the phallic symbol in front of their mansion and a professional artist to paint a mural on it's walls. Even their security guards need cool suits and sunglasses.
A whole class of people technically skilled and professionally competent is needed to fulfill their shallow whims. We call this the middle class and they get paid enough that they can clean the stink off themselves so the rich don't have to puke while they're being served. Envy and jealousy drive this group to want to be the rich and they work hard towards this goal producing hordes of wealth along the way chasing what is mostly a fantasy. Everyone benefits from this massive dose of skilled productivity from the wannabes and the capitalist system prospers... driven by greed, envy, and snobbery.
Then there's your worldview. Let's forget reality for a moment, that capitalist countries have wealth, power, and plenty beyond the wildest imaginations of people from only a century ago. Let's forget that marxism has resulted in mass starvation, the greatest genocides in human history, the abject poverty of masses of people in countries of natural bounty, and the ever present leftist dictators spewing nonsense and erecting larger and larger self portraits on every corner . Let's forget all the empirical data and go on a thought exercise instead. (if you can't think or understand historical facts I feel for you, but it would help me understand your position) What would taking that wealth away from the elites and handing it to the stupid lead to? No need for cranes, or pavers, or yachtbuilders. No money for painters (except dictator portraits) or pilots or fancy schmancy caviar importers. All you need is a mule loaded down with corn sent to the corners of the world with a note saying 'thanks for voting' and a picture of the dictator. Your corn and your wealth will soon be turned to a pile of shit by the unwashed masses.
Life was created by the repeated selective application of death, ugly but effective. Wealth is the same way. Nature provides us with the raw materials to create wealth, how we choose to spend it is up to us. It's yachts and mansions or piles of shit, you decide.
9 - moonraven
The above two posts by Doug are the single biggest load of self-aggrandizing horseshit yet posted on this horseshit-driven site.
You, Doug, are in no position to condescned to anyone.
You are, in fact, ignorant working class all the way.
Stop dreaming.
The biggest single genocide in recorded history was the genocide of 90 MILLION Native Peoples in this hemisphere. Those victims were relatives of Evo MOrales and they were MY relatives.
Try learning some history before you shit all over it.
10 - Tuca
You have met him many times-then why don't you go back there and help in with the "revolution"? Oh by the way, Communists(socialists) have killed about 100,000,000 people the past 100 years or so to "free the oppressed". In Grenada the Cubans murdered far more people than were killed in "Black October". They just took them out in the countryside and killed them. Socialists are pathological liars. They need to lie because what they preach does not work in the real world.
The true story is that Hugo Chavez paid the Bolivian Army millions to back Evo Morales and keep quiet the fact that there are many flights coming into Viru Viru with arms and troops from Venezuela-no paper trail needed. At the incident at the airport there were soldiers with Venezuelan flags on their shoulders. What were they doing there? There are also Venezuelans in plain clothes with military haircuts coming in as tourists. This is not a civil war-it is a Communist(socialist)offensive backed by Hugo Chavez to take over Bolivia with Evo as his puppet. His "presidential" campaign was backed heavily by Chavez money.
"Dave shows his continued and antidemocratic hatred of the people"???????
What kind of democracy has a president who wants the governing body or parliament to declare him "president for life"?
I am not from Miami-I am from Bolivia-native born. My uncle started the Trotzky Party in Bolivia and my mother and sister were Communists. I grew up with a picture of Lenin in my living room.
Communism(socialism) is the biggest lie perpetrated on the civilized world. It nevers works and costs millions of lives to figure that out every time a Communist comes to power. There was no oligarchy in the Soviet Union? None in in Cuba or China? You better take a good whiff of what you are shoveling because it doesn't smell like roses to me.
Rule of thumb-never believe anything a Marxist-Communist or Socialist tells you. In Communist(socialist) countries everyone is the same-miserable. The people in power have their perks just like in a capitalist nation. But the best thing is that when they have to do their dirty work to stay in power, God is not there to show them restraint.
11 - Clavos
"The biggest single [myth about] genocide in recorded history was the [one about the] genocide of 90 MILLION Native Peoples in this hemisphere."
There. Fixed it for ya, mr.
12 - Doug Hunter
1) There weren't anywhere near 90 million native Americans here when it was discovered.
2) Some of that smaller number survived and assimilated. Me and you are both proof.
3) Smallpox does not equal genocide or maybe to you it does. If so, perhaps you can throw modern deaths due to alcohol and transfats in there. Hell, the number's still climbing.
I understand the need to come up with something to counter the well established and proven 20th century genocides (Stalin, Mao, etc.) that have resulted from the left's strong propensity for dictator worship, but bringing up deaths by plague from tribal people 500 years ago is pretty weak.
Try sticking to the old racist/bigot cliche next time, leave the facts and logic to those more well suited.
13 - moonraven
Clavos, the racist redneck now joins the Turks in the refusal to admit to genocide.
He is the one who is fixed--but in his case the correct term is, of course, CASTRATED.
There must have been a reason--too many catfights in the neighborhood, I assume.
Now we have an ersatz Bolivian on the site!
Caloo, calay--wonder who invented this one? I sure don't: HIs "I am not from Miami" is a dead giveaway.
Chavez President for life? Another lie. There is nothing about being declared president for life in the Venezuelan constitutional reform.
There is the provision of continued re-election. And there will be a referendum about that on Dec. 2nd.
Why, Nalle, do you not raise an issue about the SEVENTEEN European countries whose constitutions allow for indefinite numbers of re-elections of the president. You could start with France and Germany. Tell them they are commie pinko fascist dictators and see how much they care.
14 - Doug Hunter
First words.
'Clavos, the racist redneck'
I knew you could do it!!!
15 - moonraven
Right, Doug--what comic strip are you a character in?
When this hemisphere was "discovered"? Are you fucking nuts? How can you discover a hemisphere when people have been living there for 40,000 years?
Where do they get you creeps, anyway?
You can't all be living on clavos' boat and nalle's trailer--so you must just come from their computers.
Why do I get the feeling that there are only 5 real people posting on this site....
16 - moonraven
This planet spins on two elements: Money and Racism.
Period.
Anything else is just windowdressing.
17 - Tuca
Moonraven-you sound like someone who is full of hate-you are not looking for democracy-you are looking to get even and no money or power or how many white people you kill, or throw in jail or beat, or property you confiscate are going to get you even-it must be very difficult to live with such hate inside you. 90,000,000 indigenous people lost? Another Marxist lie-you sound worse than the sports betting guys who hawk their 1-800 lines on the radio. Same tired old blah-blah. Go buy yourself a new car-you'll feel better. Or how about a plane to ticket to the "workers paradise"?
18 - Tuca
Put me in the money column and moonraven in the racist column.
19 - Tuca
Actually Mr. History, there were recently found bones in the Midwest of Caucasian people that are older than the "Native American" tribes-so maybe your people wiped out our people out first.
By the way you were the one who used the word Miami-I was born in Sucre-my father was the mayor and my mother was the Minister of Education-like I said she was a Marxist through and through.
20 - Clavos
¡Bienvenido(a) a Blogcritics, Tuca!
You've already had your baptism of fire with mr; most of the people on the site are much more polite and reasonable than she.
¡Espero que te veremos muy seguido!
21 - moonraven
Tuca is less of a Bolivian than I am.
He is a white male invention of the Miami resident on this board.
The clone posted in #11: I am not from Miami....
Yet he says he never mentioned Miami--that I did that.
Right.
He tells us he is Bolvian through and through, yet white.
Right.
And his folks were Marxist oligarchs? No such folks ever existed in Bolivia.
Nor anywhere else in Latin America.
He suggests I should leave my home in Mexico to go to "his" country--and do, precisely WHAT?
He and clavos tell us that the genocide against Native peoples never happened in this hemisphere. That it was a marxist lie.
When did Marx talk about genocide of Native Americans? Which chapter of El capital addressed that topic?
Clavos has finally reached the meltdown point on this site: the only thing that is unclear is, is he the guy in the Margaret Hamilton witch costume of which only the purloined ruby slippers are left--a bit early for Halloween--or is he Monsieur Valdemar, who crumbled into detestable putrescence in the Edgar Allen Poe story, The Facts in the Case of....?
Pull the other one.
I am not going to contribute one more word to the clavos/calvo fraud here on BC.
It's over.
22 - moonraven
"Espero que" takes a subjunctive verb form in Spanish.
Just the lesson for the day.
23 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Welcome to the list Tuca. I forgot a lot of my Spanish trying to learn Hebrew.
I dunno guys,
This whole thing sounds like a fight between the Colorados and the Blancos - I forget which one of them is loaded with whose money. My gut take is that what is going on in Bolivia is a proxy war between American money and Venezuelan money. But since I don't know enough to comment intelligently on either side of the relevant issues in Bolivia, I won't.
I will note that Doug Hunter's comment #8 is a perfect apotheosis of a world based on exploitation, what we call in Hebrew "ha'olám hashéker", the world of lies.
In his world, you are damned if you do and damned if you don't. It don't make no difference. There is vicious exploitation all around, and the way he draws it, the only difference is who manages to escape the brunt of a short, brutish life of poverty and broken dreams.
Absent any religious belief of my own, I'd say he has got the world pegged perfectly. Taking my own beliefs into account, I'd simply say he has the world pegged as it is now.
As for the woman who comments under the screen name, Moonraven, it should be borne in mind that she is embittered by the genocide of her own people at the hands of the whites who arrived in the Americas from the 1500's on. What is relevant here is not that 90 million people died or nine million people died, but that it was a genocide of murder and disease spread that destroyed her civilization. That is the bottom line here, and it is knowledge enough to embitter anyone who has sufficient education in their own traditions to have to live with it.
The most interesting thing to emerge from the comments here, from my own point of view, has nothing to with Bolivia or politics at all.
Tuca, you wrote,
"Actually Mr. History, there were recently found bones in the Midwest of Caucasian people that are older than the "Native American" tribes-so maybe your people wiped out our people out first."
Among the Mayan ruins are found carvings of Indians abusing what are clearly white people with beards. Indians tend not to have beards. These carvings are pretty old, at least 3,000 years, and indicated some kind of contact existed between Europeans and Native Americans long before the 1500's.
Tuca, an article about the finds you mention would be welcome here, at least by this reader.....
24 - Lapdog
Mmmmmmm, Doug honey, I just read #8 and it made my nether regions go all tingly. You sound like a real man of the world. Give me some more of that trickle-down theory you bad boy, it gets me so hot.
25 - Dave Nalle
Tuca, try to overlook the insults of the socialist shills. Some of us appreciate your honesty and your experience.
Isn't it interesting that those of us like Tuca and myself who have first hand experience of socialism and communism in their rawest form are the ones who are most opposed to them? That ought to tell those whose minds are open something very signficant.
BTW, the discoveries to which Tuca refers go back some years. Apparently there were nomads who came to America in the early phase of the last ice age in the 'old' stoneage. They're currently being called Paleoamericans. They were wiped out (genocide) by the mesoamericans who are the ancestors of our current 'native' americans, who of course are no more native than anyone else is, having originated in the old world just as much as the European colonists.
Dave