Brazil Sees Coalition With Venezuela, Cuba

AP ^ | Jan 02, 2003 | ALAN CLENDENNING

[fogarty]

"Who dropped this ball?"

Bush did. Seems to me that I, along with several other freepers, noted a Communist bloc forming to our south a half-year ago. We were ignored or told that there were other pressing concerns like Iraq and that we as a nation couldn't handle more than one crisis at a time.

Next in line...Argentina and Ecuador. By the time Bush is up for re-election we may be facing an entirely Communist South America. And our southern border still isn't secured.

[Travis McGee]

That will be next.

[MonroeDNA]

Keep us informed, please!

Good insight. :)

[MonroeDNA]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Chris Dodd holing up the appointment of a guy who could solve it all?

He got pulled back due to "non-confirmation", I think...

[weikel]

This sounds like a new Axis of Evil to me( if I were President I don't know if I could get to Castro but Lula and Chavez would already be dead now).

[FreeReign]

"Who dropped this ball?" Bush did. Seems to me that I, along with several other freepers, noted a Communist bloc forming to our south a half-year ago. We were ignored or told that there were other pressing concerns like Iraq and that we as a nation couldn't handle more than one crisis at a time.

It does not follow, that because Lula was elected, that many people did not know that a communist bloc was forming.

It does not follow, that because Lula was elected, that Bush dropped the ball on this.

What should Bush have done about Lula and the elections in Brazil?

[TexKat]

Has Castro gotten over his bug bite?

[TexKat]

Let them eat cake!!!

[Norman Arbuthnot]

Oh I think Lula would take notice if North Korea was hit with crippling economic sanctions and/or a military strike that destroyed the NK's capacity to present a nuke threat.

[Question_Assumptions]

Look, people keep claiming that American's are imperialist and manipulate Latin American countries. OK. Fine. Now that we don't have Soviet expansion to worry about, if they want to ruin their countries by becomming communist, let them.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Great info TJ.

Bump!

[MattinNJ]

Sparta-Nice post of the great Pinochet.

Chilepepper-I'm really curious about how the majority of Chileans view Pinochet and would appreciate your insight.

[rightwing2]

What's with all these latin commies lately? Who dropped this ball?

This Communist insurgent victory in Latin America's biggest and most powerful country has been a long time coming. Both Castro and Lula have worked hard to take control of Brazil, a nation which developed, but never tested two atomic bombs almost a decade ago. Brazil could convert its satellite booster rockets into ICBMs with relative ease. Can anyone say, Cuban missile crisis redux? The Bush Administration dropped the ball. Against the advice of much more farsighted Latin America specialists, the President opted for a policy of non-interference in the Brazilian presidential eleciton which virtually assured the Marxist takeover of Brazil. We will spend the next half century or more reaping the consequences of his lack of vision in failing to oppose Communism and choosing to appease and accomodate Communist dictators and regimes instead.

For more insight into what the future holds for Brazil, please see the following articles.

CNSI Articles on the Ongoing Communist Takeover of Latin America

[chilepepper]

There are many who are still mad at Pinochet (several thousands were killed during his regime, most just disappeared). The Left of course trys to villify him, but in General (pun :) their attempts fail with the General public (another pun :).

Chileans have a pretty healthy attitude towards Pinochet: they view him as the defender of Chilean democracy, who stepped in to do the will of the people (e.g.- overthrow Allende who had taken Chile a lot farther to the left than it wanted to go).

However, they also view Pinochet, rightfully so, as a dictator whose regime killed people and who overstayed his welcome, who allowed corruption to set in over the years, but one who set up a robust and working economic system, and with the good grace to step down peacefully when the time came.

In General the Chileans (except the far left) did not like the Spanish/British attempt a few years back to try Pinochet as a criminal in Europe: these they saw as meddling in Chilean affairs. ("Pinochet is a mean and evil ex-dictator but he is OUR mean and evil ex-dictator -- hands off!")

History, IMHO, will be very kind to Pinochet and he will go down as a true, if not perfect, Chilean hero...

[FITZ]

These guys must have missed a significant historical event that demonstrates conclusively that socialism doesn't work.

It doesn't work at all for the average citizen but it works great for the corrupt leaders who only plan to line their pockets and stay in power no matter what.

[FITZ]

These guys must have missed a significant historical event that demonstrates conclusively that socialism doesn't work.

It doesn't work at all for the average citizen but it works great for the corrupt leaders who only plan to line their pockets and stay in power no matter what.

[Hope from Venezuela]

"Look, people keep claiming that American's are imperialist and manipulate Latin American countries. OK. Fine. Now that we don't have Soviet expansion to worry about, if they want to ruin their countries by becomming communist, let them."

That would be fine if the Venezuelan people want communism. The problem with your theory is that 80% of Venezuelans want to live in a US-like democracy.

[chilepepper]

The Brazilians are too laid back to fall for a Marxist takeover. The only "true believers" in Brazil believe in sex, samba, music and caipirinhas (a drink made with sugarcane liquor very similar to rum).

True Marxism is too much work and only assholes really believe it these days (e.g.- a lot of hollywood types and gay/lesbian professors)...