By SIMON ROMERO
Published: June 17, 2007
BOLIVIA’S president, Evo Morales, donned a green jersey the other day, watched a llama sacrifice for good luck and flew to a snowy spot nearly four miles above sea level, where he scored the winning goal in a brief match pitting him and his aides against a group of mountain climbers.
It was a textbook lesson in Andean political theater, and the perils a globalized sport can meet when it comes up against a small country’s nationalist passions.
On the surface, Bolivia’s president was simply staging an amusing stunt to fight a ban on international soccer games at altitudes above 2,500 meters, or 8,200 feet.
It’s well known that Mr. Morales will play soccer against virtually anyone, from the foreign press corps to local squads in the hinterlands, to let off steam, and recently broke his nose doing so. But in fact, the ban, enacted last month by soccer bureaucrats in Switzerland, played right to Mr. Morales’ trademark populism, and gave him an opportunity to act as a unifier of his otherwise fractious country.
“Bolivia’s dedication to soccer cuts across the deep dividing lines in the country, which are economic, racial, regional and ideological,” said Jim Shultz, a political analyst in Cochabamba, in central Bolivia. “Fighting the ban is great domestic politics.”
Mr. Morales was relying on an old Latin American tradition of mixing political intrigue with the “beautiful game.” The classic example involved a poisonous set of land and trade disputes between El Salvador and Honduras that boiled over into war in 1969 only after tensions rose over World Cup qualifying matches that year.
This time, the argument is ostensibly about altitude. The Federation of International Football Associations contends that soccer at great heights is medically challenging (nose accidents aside), because the air is thinner.
That position is contested by some experts. Robert C. Roach, assistant director at the University of Colorado’s Center for Altitude Medicine and Physiology, said it was hard to see any evidence of an advantage for Bolivia, since the country is not a powerhouse in world soccer. And if Bolivians gain something from playing regularly in the thin air of the mountains, they may suffer from being less accustomed to playing in the heat at sea level, he suggested.
“Heat is far more challenging for athletes than altitude,” he said.
In Cochabamba, where a hometown team with the fanciful name of Club Jorge Wilstermann is affected by the ban, the president’s struggle against FIFA drew support even from Gov. Manfred Reyes Villa, one of Mr. Morales’s fiercest critics.
Restricting competitions to stadiums closer to sea level is a special affront to a landlocked, mountainous country that has never been able to accept the loss of its coastline to Chile in a 19th-century war. Each March, Bolivia officially bemoans the loss in a Day of the Sea; marching in a place of honor are units from the Bolivian Navy, which is restricted these days to patrolling rivers and lakes.
The ban has helped bolster Mr. Morales, a former organizer of the coca growers’ union, a one-time llama herder and a self-proclaimed advocate for the indigenous people who live high in the mountains and champion the use of coca tea to counteract light-headedness there.
Those affiliations had made him a divisive figure, raising talk of secession and demands for greater political autonomy in the eastern lowlands. Now, the fight for high-altitude soccer is seen as a national cause.
The issue has even rallied other political leaders in the Andes, since the ban also affects Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Alan García, Peru’s president, called the ban “Europeanist and insolent,” but that does not reflect the full range and complexity of national passions involved. Much of the support for the ban, in fact, comes from neighboring Brazil, the region’s economic and soccer supremo.
After visiting Bolivia to play in Potosí last February in freezing rain at about 13,120 feet, Flamengo, one of Brazil’s most eminent teams, reportedly pushed FIFA into its decision by lodging a formal complaint. “The only thing I don’t understand is why it took so long to make the decision,” Edson Arantes do Nascimento, the Brazilian soccer legend better known as Pelé, told reporters.
Bolivians chafe at such comments from a big neighbor, and that only gives the fight against the ban even more of a nationalist tinge that plays to Mr. Morales’ advantage. He had already shocked Brasília by asserting greater control over the energy industry, a move that disrupted large investments in Bolivia by Petrobrás, Brazil’s state-controlled energy company.
Within Bolivia, the most pointed criticism of Mr. Morales, who is of Aymara heritage and is often portrayed as the country’s first indigenous president, tends to come from Santa Cruz, a relatively prosperous business-oriented city in the east where secessionist feeling has been running high and explicitly racist anti-Morales graffiti covers the walls.
But even there — a low-lying city where FIFA would allow games to be held — some see in Mr. Morales’s battle a position they can admire.
Eduardo Gamarra, a Bolivian political scientist at Florida International University, said Cruceños could sympathize with the highlanders since many of the top players at clubs in high-altitude cities affected by the ban come from the eastern lowlands. “FIFA has done Evo a big favor,” Mr. Gamarra said.
One commentator in El Deber, the main daily newspaper in Santa Cruz, called the ban “segregationist, shameful and ridiculous.” Another accused Joseph Blatter, the Swiss president of FIFA, of being “calculating and evasive.”
To Bolivians, it is a fair charge. A quote from Mr. Blatter, who was once considered a defender of Bolivia’s exceptionalism, is still engraved on a wall outside Hernando Siles Stadium in La Paz. It reads: “I was born among the mountains. My village is opposite the highest mountains in Europe. Heights don’t scare me.”
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
We Gave Them Our Hearts, They Gave Him A Blank Check
By David Sirota
It is a dark day in our nation's history. That sounds melodramatic - but it is true. Today America watched a Democratic Party kick them square in the teeth - all in order to continue the most unpopular war in a generation at the request of the most unpopular president in a generation at a time polls show a larger percentage of the public thinks America is going in the wrong direction than ever recorded in polling history.
The numbers are not pretty. First, 216 House Democrats cast the key vote to send a blank check Iraq War funding bill over to the Senate. As I reported at the beginning of the day and as the Associated Press now confirms, the vote on the rule was the vote that made it happen. As the AP said: "In a highly unusual maneuver, House Democratic leaders crafted a procedure that allowed their rank and file to oppose money for the war, then step aside so Republicans could advance it." Nauseating.
In the Senate, we saw lots of promises and tough talk from senators telling us they were going to do everything they could to stop the blank check. Some of them bragged that they were going to vote against the bill - as if that was the ultimate sign of heroics. Then, not a single senator found the backbone to stand up to filibuster the bill a la Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. To quote the Big Lebowski, "These men are cowards," because apparently, Senate club etiquette comes even before the lives of our troops.
The blank check sailed through the upper chamber on a vote of 80-14 with 38 Democrats (the majority of the party) voting yes. In all, at a time when 82 percent of Americans tell pollsters they want Congress to either approve funds for the war with strict conditions or cut off all funding immediately, 90 percent of House and Senate Democrats combined voted to give George W. Bush a blank check.
The worst part of it all was the overt efforts to deceive the public - as if we're all just a bunch of morons. House Democrats have the nerve to continue to insist the blank check they helped ram through the House was all the Republicans doing, and that a sham vote on a GOP amendment today - which most Democrats opposed for show - was the real vote for the war. But, again, as the AP reported, it was their parliamentary motion - passed so quickly and under the devious pretenses of mundane procedural necessity - that showed their calculated complicity. Now, tonight, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is actually sending out fundraising emails, claiming: the House just passed legislation that will go to the White House that includes critical issues Democrats have been fighting for including canceling the President's blank check in Iraq." Beyond nauseating.
I'm not a purist nor am I a "pox on both their houses" kind of guy. I have worked to elect Democratic politicians and I supported Democratic leaders when they pushed an Iraq funding bill that included binding language to end the war. But what happened today was perhaps the most stunning travesty I've seen in a decade working in Democratic politics. A Democratic Party that six months ago was elected on a promise to end the war first tried to hide their complicity in continuing the war in the House, and then gave a few token speeches as the blank check sailed through the Senate club. And it all happened, as the New York Times reported today, because these Democrats believed criticism from President Bush - the man who polls show is the most unpopular president in three decades - "seemed more politically threatening to them than the anger Democrats knew they would draw from the left."
Democratic politicians, Capitol Hill staff, political consultants and all their lobbyist friends sitting comfortably tonight in their Northwest Washington homes believe the public thinks Democrats are "weak" because they don't more strongly support leaving American troops to be killed or maimed in the middle of a bloody civil war in a country half way around the globe that had no WMD and had nothing to do with 9/11. What they seem unable - or unwilling - to realize is that the public has believed Democrats are weak not because some in the party have opposed the war, but because many in the party refuse to wield the power the public entrusts them with on all sorts of issues. At least on Iraq - the biggest issue of the day - the public's perception has proven right. As I wrote to one congressional lawmaker in an e-mail correspondence we had today: "The spoils go to those who use the power they are entrusted with, while infamy goes to those who squander it."
In the movie "Say Anything," John Cusack famously laments after being dumped that "I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen." The American people gave Democrats their heart in November 2006. In return, Democrats gave George Bush a blank check in May 2007. We gave them our heart, they gave him a blank check. That will make May 24, 2007 a dark day generations to come will look back on - a day when Democrats in Washington not only continued a war they promised to end, but happily went on record declaring that they believe in their hearts that government's role is to ignore the will of the American people.
It is a dark day in our nation's history. That sounds melodramatic - but it is true. Today America watched a Democratic Party kick them square in the teeth - all in order to continue the most unpopular war in a generation at the request of the most unpopular president in a generation at a time polls show a larger percentage of the public thinks America is going in the wrong direction than ever recorded in polling history.
The numbers are not pretty. First, 216 House Democrats cast the key vote to send a blank check Iraq War funding bill over to the Senate. As I reported at the beginning of the day and as the Associated Press now confirms, the vote on the rule was the vote that made it happen. As the AP said: "In a highly unusual maneuver, House Democratic leaders crafted a procedure that allowed their rank and file to oppose money for the war, then step aside so Republicans could advance it." Nauseating.
In the Senate, we saw lots of promises and tough talk from senators telling us they were going to do everything they could to stop the blank check. Some of them bragged that they were going to vote against the bill - as if that was the ultimate sign of heroics. Then, not a single senator found the backbone to stand up to filibuster the bill a la Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. To quote the Big Lebowski, "These men are cowards," because apparently, Senate club etiquette comes even before the lives of our troops.
The blank check sailed through the upper chamber on a vote of 80-14 with 38 Democrats (the majority of the party) voting yes. In all, at a time when 82 percent of Americans tell pollsters they want Congress to either approve funds for the war with strict conditions or cut off all funding immediately, 90 percent of House and Senate Democrats combined voted to give George W. Bush a blank check.
The worst part of it all was the overt efforts to deceive the public - as if we're all just a bunch of morons. House Democrats have the nerve to continue to insist the blank check they helped ram through the House was all the Republicans doing, and that a sham vote on a GOP amendment today - which most Democrats opposed for show - was the real vote for the war. But, again, as the AP reported, it was their parliamentary motion - passed so quickly and under the devious pretenses of mundane procedural necessity - that showed their calculated complicity. Now, tonight, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is actually sending out fundraising emails, claiming: the House just passed legislation that will go to the White House that includes critical issues Democrats have been fighting for including canceling the President's blank check in Iraq." Beyond nauseating.
I'm not a purist nor am I a "pox on both their houses" kind of guy. I have worked to elect Democratic politicians and I supported Democratic leaders when they pushed an Iraq funding bill that included binding language to end the war. But what happened today was perhaps the most stunning travesty I've seen in a decade working in Democratic politics. A Democratic Party that six months ago was elected on a promise to end the war first tried to hide their complicity in continuing the war in the House, and then gave a few token speeches as the blank check sailed through the Senate club. And it all happened, as the New York Times reported today, because these Democrats believed criticism from President Bush - the man who polls show is the most unpopular president in three decades - "seemed more politically threatening to them than the anger Democrats knew they would draw from the left."
Democratic politicians, Capitol Hill staff, political consultants and all their lobbyist friends sitting comfortably tonight in their Northwest Washington homes believe the public thinks Democrats are "weak" because they don't more strongly support leaving American troops to be killed or maimed in the middle of a bloody civil war in a country half way around the globe that had no WMD and had nothing to do with 9/11. What they seem unable - or unwilling - to realize is that the public has believed Democrats are weak not because some in the party have opposed the war, but because many in the party refuse to wield the power the public entrusts them with on all sorts of issues. At least on Iraq - the biggest issue of the day - the public's perception has proven right. As I wrote to one congressional lawmaker in an e-mail correspondence we had today: "The spoils go to those who use the power they are entrusted with, while infamy goes to those who squander it."
In the movie "Say Anything," John Cusack famously laments after being dumped that "I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen." The American people gave Democrats their heart in November 2006. In return, Democrats gave George Bush a blank check in May 2007. We gave them our heart, they gave him a blank check. That will make May 24, 2007 a dark day generations to come will look back on - a day when Democrats in Washington not only continued a war they promised to end, but happily went on record declaring that they believe in their hearts that government's role is to ignore the will of the American people.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
I'm Back...
So you can stop reading this lame-o account of my day-to-day activities galavanting around the Western Hemisphere.
I'll let you know when I have been inspired to reinvigorate the page.
I'll let you know when I have been inspired to reinvigorate the page.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Visiting and Remembrence in Rabinal
Leaving Flores at 6am, and three buses later, I walked up the front steps of the organization Qachuu Aloom (Mother Earth) where Aaron and Sarah have spent the last 4 years working on permaculture projects with the community. Tragically, I only had two days to spend there, but Aaron, Virgilio, Julian, and Maria Magdalena gave me the whirlwind tour of the organization, their demonstration site, their homes, the cemetary, and the museum.
Rabinal is perhaps known best for 3 different things. The first is the food. They say here you can eat the cheapest in all of Guatemala. And it´s true, even the beer is cheaper. Second, the Rabinal Achi is a 4-hour epic dance that has occured here for generations. It tells the story of an Achi prince captured by the Quiche who falls in love with their princess. It happens once a year, and since UNESCO named the dance a world cultural heritage site, many more tourists have arrived each year, though the rest of the year Rabinal remains pretty much off the tourist circuit. The third, and less mentioned, is that this area was amongst the most affected by the violence of the armed conflict. The government, under the guidance of General Efraín Rios Montt, carried out massaces in every village near Rabinal between 1981 and 1983, some completely eliminated and others losing hundreds of their mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters. The community Museum pays tribute to those lost in this difficult and complex struggle, and remembers those who committed these horrific acts against the people of the campo.
As I wove through the contryside on my way out of town after two days of visiting, I could only help but wonder... if these hills had eyes. Luckily, there are strong people here working to hold accountable those responsible, despite regular death threats and the few results they are able to obtain from the new governments/international community.
Rabinal is perhaps known best for 3 different things. The first is the food. They say here you can eat the cheapest in all of Guatemala. And it´s true, even the beer is cheaper. Second, the Rabinal Achi is a 4-hour epic dance that has occured here for generations. It tells the story of an Achi prince captured by the Quiche who falls in love with their princess. It happens once a year, and since UNESCO named the dance a world cultural heritage site, many more tourists have arrived each year, though the rest of the year Rabinal remains pretty much off the tourist circuit. The third, and less mentioned, is that this area was amongst the most affected by the violence of the armed conflict. The government, under the guidance of General Efraín Rios Montt, carried out massaces in every village near Rabinal between 1981 and 1983, some completely eliminated and others losing hundreds of their mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters. The community Museum pays tribute to those lost in this difficult and complex struggle, and remembers those who committed these horrific acts against the people of the campo.
As I wove through the contryside on my way out of town after two days of visiting, I could only help but wonder... if these hills had eyes. Luckily, there are strong people here working to hold accountable those responsible, despite regular death threats and the few results they are able to obtain from the new governments/international community.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
The City of Sounds
I finally left Livingston after three days of intoxicating sun, beer, and the cheapest, freshest, seafood I have ever heard of. Seriously, Im talking fish the size of footballs for five bucks, mounds of buttery garlic shrimp barely contained by the plate, and crabs, well I guess the crabs were fairly run of the mill.
After a boat tour of the Rio Dulce, some hot springs, another stop at Ak´Tenamit, and a long 5 hour bus ride standing crammed in the aisle, I arrived in Flores, the entrance to the enchanted Maya ruins of Tikal. I passed the night in town, and got to the park by 5am in order to climb the highest temple in the known Mayan world and watch a gorgeous sunrise over the dense tropical jungle. Today, unlike the sunrise from the peak of Tajumulco, was a crystal clear sky that the vastness of could not be captured in a photo...though I tried. Really, that place is big.
Regina and I spent the rest of the day trolling around the island town of Flores, taking a canoe out on the river, and making another hike up to an un-excavated temple with a beautiful view of the lake. Tomorrow, to the fertile grounds of Rabinal where I hope to visit a few friends, and learn about one of the last Achi Maya pueblos.
After a boat tour of the Rio Dulce, some hot springs, another stop at Ak´Tenamit, and a long 5 hour bus ride standing crammed in the aisle, I arrived in Flores, the entrance to the enchanted Maya ruins of Tikal. I passed the night in town, and got to the park by 5am in order to climb the highest temple in the known Mayan world and watch a gorgeous sunrise over the dense tropical jungle. Today, unlike the sunrise from the peak of Tajumulco, was a crystal clear sky that the vastness of could not be captured in a photo...though I tried. Really, that place is big.
Regina and I spent the rest of the day trolling around the island town of Flores, taking a canoe out on the river, and making another hike up to an un-excavated temple with a beautiful view of the lake. Tomorrow, to the fertile grounds of Rabinal where I hope to visit a few friends, and learn about one of the last Achi Maya pueblos.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
La Buga, aka Livingston Guatemala
In the local Garifuna tongue, its called ´La Buga´, or ´The Mouth´, but most maps still show the name of the English explorer Samuel Livingston who set eyes upon the town hundreds of years ago. From my first moment taking the boat across from Puerto Barrios, I was lucky to meet Joseph Castillo, a Belician activist and leader who believe it or not studied at Michigan State years ago! He has made it a point to give me a crash course in Garifuna culture, including where I´m sleeping, introductions to community leaders, best local food spots, and a private peek at the newly developed Garifuna Cultural Center not yet open to the public. He is on his way back to Belice to work on a project keeping local tourism development along the coast from eliminating a small Garifuna fishing community that has existed for nearly 200 years. I am pushing on to spend a day with the community of Ak´Tenamit, a local Q´eqchi´ village that has created their own schools, health care, ecotourism, and micro-economy, after generations of neglect from the Guatemalan State. And from there, The Peten.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Cowboys and the Copan Ruins
After skipping town in Antigua, I headed for the Easterly scenery of Zacapa, mainly to visit a friend of my cousin Michelles. Their family turned out to be as fantastic as anticipated and left me with a basecamp to set up at while checking out other sights in the area. This part of Guate has a couple main currents: the lowest amount of indigenous people, and a comboy fervor where it is far from uncommon to see a bus driver/shop-keeper with a six-shooter tucked in his belt.
I left my things with Oscar and the fam, and headed across the border into Honduras for a couple days, just long enough to check out the Mayan archeological sites that flank the quaint touristy town. This set of ruins, most notably, contains the longest written record of Mayan history in the discovered World, encompassing 72 steps of a brilliant stone staircase and spanning 200 years of local history. One large chunk is missing, releaved of its natural surroundings by a Harvard exploration team in the late 1800's, and now on display at the Peabody Museum in the States.
Also randomly, I ran into some familiar faces from the lake this morning here in Copan, so we are going to a concert tonight, and then Ill be on the road tomorrow for Tikal and the other wonders of the Peten. Saludos.
I left my things with Oscar and the fam, and headed across the border into Honduras for a couple days, just long enough to check out the Mayan archeological sites that flank the quaint touristy town. This set of ruins, most notably, contains the longest written record of Mayan history in the discovered World, encompassing 72 steps of a brilliant stone staircase and spanning 200 years of local history. One large chunk is missing, releaved of its natural surroundings by a Harvard exploration team in the late 1800's, and now on display at the Peabody Museum in the States.
Also randomly, I ran into some familiar faces from the lake this morning here in Copan, so we are going to a concert tonight, and then Ill be on the road tomorrow for Tikal and the other wonders of the Peten. Saludos.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Colonialism and Volcanoes in Antigua, Guatemala
If you ever find yourself spending a lengthy amount of time in rural Guatemala and feel that some sort of transition would be helpful before the complete culture shock of returning to the fast-paced North American atmosphere, then Antigua is your destination. With streetscapes that reminisce of Ann Arbor in Spring time, and just as many swanky bars and blond-headed patrons that inhabit them, I was not surprised at all to find a menu that consisted of chai lattes and nutella crepes. The colonial influences in the once capital of Guate are well preserved and the cobble stone streets have wreaked havoc on my foot dragging tendencies since the moment I arrived. Yet all of this dwarfs in comparison to the fact that a mere hour outside of the city you are able to get as close as your skins heat shield will permit to flowing streams of active lava at Volcano Pacaya. Yes, Im serious, there is lava flowing from the crater of this volcano and we climbed up mounds of volcanic rock to stand next to brilliant orange streams of molten earth. A picture would be so much better right now. Sorry. Next stop, Zacapa followed by Copan...Oscars family, the black Christ, and Mayan ruins. More to come.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Only 3 Weeks Left
I realized that my time here has nearly expired and after 2 and a half months I got to know 2 different places quite well. The only thing is, there is much more to learn and more friends to visit. So for the next 2-3 weeks, I am going to become super-cliche, super-tourist with camera flung over my shoulder and Nalgene clipped to my hip, and try to make a grand circle of Guatemala, starting here at the Lake and leaving me exhausted and broke at my plane come May 4th. Here´s the list of destinations:
Coban (Mayan ruins)
Semuc Champey (supposedly the ´most beautiful´ place in Guatemala)
Rabynal (the cheapest place to eat in Central America...another piece of objective info ;)
Tikal, El Mirador (Mayan ruins)
La Finca Ixobel (great place to chill in a hammock)
Rio Dulce, Livingston (beautiful and new culture...Garifuna)
Copan (more ruins and beach)
Zacapa (my cousin Michelle´s friends)
Guatemala City (Academy of Mayan Languages and airport)
See ya´ll soon. I´ve got lots of good pics to share.
Coban (Mayan ruins)
Semuc Champey (supposedly the ´most beautiful´ place in Guatemala)
Rabynal (the cheapest place to eat in Central America...another piece of objective info ;)
Tikal, El Mirador (Mayan ruins)
La Finca Ixobel (great place to chill in a hammock)
Rio Dulce, Livingston (beautiful and new culture...Garifuna)
Copan (more ruins and beach)
Zacapa (my cousin Michelle´s friends)
Guatemala City (Academy of Mayan Languages and airport)
See ya´ll soon. I´ve got lots of good pics to share.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
McDONALD’S USA AND ITS PRODUCE SUPPLIERS TO WORK WITH THE COALITION OF IMMOKALEE WORKERS
ATLANTA – The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), and McDonald’s USA, working with McDonald’s produce suppliers, today announced plans to work together to address wages and working conditions for the farmworkers who pick Florida tomatoes.
Beginning in the 2007 growing season, McDonald’s USA, through its produce suppliers, will pay an additional penny per pound for Florida tomatoes supplied to its U.S. restaurants. The increase will be paid directly to farmworkers harvesting tomatoes purchased by McDonald’s.
The CIW and McDonald’s produce suppliers will work together to develop a new code of conduct for Florida tomato growers as well as increase farmworker participation in monitoring supplier compliance. Farmworkers will also participate in investigating worker complaints and dispute resolution. Additionally, the CIW and McDonald’s produce suppliers will work together toward developing and implementing a credible third-party verification system.
“I welcome McDonald’s commitment to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to improve the lives of the workers who supply their 13,000 U.S. restaurants with tomatoes,” said former United States President and founder of the Carter Center, Jimmy Carter. “This is a clear and welcome example of positive industry partnership. It demonstrates also McDonald’s leadership in social responsibility and CIW’s importance as a voice for farmworker rights. I encourage others to now follow the lead of McDonald’s and Taco Bell to achieve the much needed change throughout the entire Florida-based tomato industry.” Representatives from the Carter Center, based in Atlanta, helped facilitate the agreement with the Coalition and McDonald’s.
“Two years ago, our agreement with Yum Brands marked the first step toward a distant dream of ensuring human rights for workers in Florida’s fields,” said Lucas Benitez of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. “Today, with McDonald’s, we have taken another major step toward a world where we as farmworkers can enjoy a fair wage and humane working conditions in exchange for the hard and essential work we do every day. We are not thereyet, but we are getting there, and today’s agreement should send a strongmessage to the rest of the restaurant and supermarket industry that it isnow time to stand behind the food they sell from the field to the table.”
“We have always respected the CIW’s commitment to enhancing conditions for the workers,” said J.C. Gonzalez-Mendez, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Management, McDonald’s USA. “We’ve made progress with our suppliers through our existing Florida tomato grower standards, which hold the growers accountable to standards higher than the industry, but that was only the beginning. We believe more needs to be done. McDonald’s produce suppliers are required to purchase tomatoes only from those growers that have adopted our standards.”
To foster further improvements throughout the tomato industry, the CIW and McDonald’s produce suppliers, with McDonald’s support, will also work together toward the development of a third-party mechanism that would carry out similar monitoring and investigative functions at the industry level. The third-party mechanism will be developed in such a way as to be expandable to include the participation of other willing members of the foodservice and retail food industry that buy Florida tomatoes.
CIW has ended its two-year campaign against McDonald’s and pledged to work with the company and its suppliers to drive systemic and sustainable changes in the Florida tomato industry.
http://ciw-online.org/CIW_McDonald's_Release.html
Beginning in the 2007 growing season, McDonald’s USA, through its produce suppliers, will pay an additional penny per pound for Florida tomatoes supplied to its U.S. restaurants. The increase will be paid directly to farmworkers harvesting tomatoes purchased by McDonald’s.
The CIW and McDonald’s produce suppliers will work together to develop a new code of conduct for Florida tomato growers as well as increase farmworker participation in monitoring supplier compliance. Farmworkers will also participate in investigating worker complaints and dispute resolution. Additionally, the CIW and McDonald’s produce suppliers will work together toward developing and implementing a credible third-party verification system.
“I welcome McDonald’s commitment to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to improve the lives of the workers who supply their 13,000 U.S. restaurants with tomatoes,” said former United States President and founder of the Carter Center, Jimmy Carter. “This is a clear and welcome example of positive industry partnership. It demonstrates also McDonald’s leadership in social responsibility and CIW’s importance as a voice for farmworker rights. I encourage others to now follow the lead of McDonald’s and Taco Bell to achieve the much needed change throughout the entire Florida-based tomato industry.” Representatives from the Carter Center, based in Atlanta, helped facilitate the agreement with the Coalition and McDonald’s.
“Two years ago, our agreement with Yum Brands marked the first step toward a distant dream of ensuring human rights for workers in Florida’s fields,” said Lucas Benitez of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. “Today, with McDonald’s, we have taken another major step toward a world where we as farmworkers can enjoy a fair wage and humane working conditions in exchange for the hard and essential work we do every day. We are not thereyet, but we are getting there, and today’s agreement should send a strongmessage to the rest of the restaurant and supermarket industry that it isnow time to stand behind the food they sell from the field to the table.”
“We have always respected the CIW’s commitment to enhancing conditions for the workers,” said J.C. Gonzalez-Mendez, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Management, McDonald’s USA. “We’ve made progress with our suppliers through our existing Florida tomato grower standards, which hold the growers accountable to standards higher than the industry, but that was only the beginning. We believe more needs to be done. McDonald’s produce suppliers are required to purchase tomatoes only from those growers that have adopted our standards.”
To foster further improvements throughout the tomato industry, the CIW and McDonald’s produce suppliers, with McDonald’s support, will also work together toward the development of a third-party mechanism that would carry out similar monitoring and investigative functions at the industry level. The third-party mechanism will be developed in such a way as to be expandable to include the participation of other willing members of the foodservice and retail food industry that buy Florida tomatoes.
CIW has ended its two-year campaign against McDonald’s and pledged to work with the company and its suppliers to drive systemic and sustainable changes in the Florida tomato industry.
http://ciw-online.org/CIW_McDonald's_Release.html
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
The First Rain!
Yesterday was the first real rain of the season here at IMAP, ending six months of extreme dryness. This microclimate around the lake and all the various bioregions throughout the country will soon transform into a lush paradise capable of bountiful harvests. Then, just as abruptly as it started, the celestial tap will be shut off for another six months, and the hard working farmers of Mesoamerica will return to more labor intensive irrigation methods. Only 12 hours after this humbling and equivocal downpour, our many varieties of flowers and vegetables, from the orchids to the coffee, have livened their proud stances in the gardens in a way that the daily offerings of the hose could not provide. The sprouting plants, Calendula and White Mans Footprint, stand with a small but sturdy frame like that of their Guatemalan counterparts, and leaves that rest on their haunches like the limbs of an onlooking farmer surveying his plot after a hard days work.
Monday, April 2, 2007
पॉप वुह ऎंड थे बाइबल/तोराह...
The Christiano-Judeo world share the first half of the Bible and one interesting perspective about their surroundings. The Mayans that inhabited the majority of Central America share the foundations of the Pop Vuh, which is by rough comparison the Mayan Bible/Torah. These ancient scripts both lay out a sacred relationship of people and the land that has helped me to understand a little more about the current state of affairs in parts of the world where these foundations guide policy decisions.
The beginning of the Bible/Torah repeatedly describes the land as a possession of man, which God has given to them in one form or another. God is also depicted as creating man before the rest of his creatures, which are made for man's sake. (by my interpretation)
Abraham "On that day, God made a covenant with Abraham, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river the Euphrates. The land of the Kenites, Kenizites, Kadmonites; the Chitties, Perizites, Refaim; the Emorites, Canaanites, Gigashites and Yevusites." (Genesis 15:18-21)
Isaac "To you and your descendants I give this land." (Genesis 26:3)
The LORD God said: "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him." So the LORD God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man. (Genesis 2:18-20)
Jacob "The ground upon which you are lying I give to you and your descendants." (Genesis 28:13)
Moses "I made a pact with them to give them the land of Canaan.” (Exodus 6:4)
The Pop Vuh is constructed in two parts - the written word and the living word (people), and it is not complete without both. The writing compliments what I have learned during my time here; the Mayans that follow the Pop Vuh teach and believe that humans are but another element of the Earth. That amongst the most sacred elements are the seed, water, insect, and sun. That it is not possible to own the land. And that our interactions with it must be treated the same as if we were interacting with a family member or another part of life we could not live without.
The beginning of the Bible/Torah repeatedly describes the land as a possession of man, which God has given to them in one form or another. God is also depicted as creating man before the rest of his creatures, which are made for man's sake. (by my interpretation)
Abraham "On that day, God made a covenant with Abraham, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river the Euphrates. The land of the Kenites, Kenizites, Kadmonites; the Chitties, Perizites, Refaim; the Emorites, Canaanites, Gigashites and Yevusites." (Genesis 15:18-21)
Isaac "To you and your descendants I give this land." (Genesis 26:3)
The LORD God said: "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him." So the LORD God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man. (Genesis 2:18-20)
Jacob "The ground upon which you are lying I give to you and your descendants." (Genesis 28:13)
Moses "I made a pact with them to give them the land of Canaan.” (Exodus 6:4)
The Pop Vuh is constructed in two parts - the written word and the living word (people), and it is not complete without both. The writing compliments what I have learned during my time here; the Mayans that follow the Pop Vuh teach and believe that humans are but another element of the Earth. That amongst the most sacred elements are the seed, water, insect, and sun. That it is not possible to own the land. And that our interactions with it must be treated the same as if we were interacting with a family member or another part of life we could not live without.
Monday, March 26, 2007
El Arte Hace libre al Hombre...
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/english/pcap/
ARTE EN PRISION
El arte hace libre a un hombre que cumple cadena perpetua en Michigan Isabel Conde Washington (EFE).
Mientras se enfrenta a una cadena perpetua, el tejano Martín Vargas, que lleva 35 años en la cárcel, confiesa que "su amor por el arte le hace sentir libre" y que entre rejas, "disfruta de libertades que no podría tener en la calle". "Cuando pinto siento una paz que no puedo describir" confesó el preso en una entrevista exclusiva con Efe. Llegar hasta él en la cárcel de Alta Seguridad de Michigan fue posible gracias a la Universidad de Michigan, que colabora con un proyecto para exponer en estos días obras de artistas en prisión. Vargas estaba esperando la llamada de Efe, concertada previamente con la cárcel. Tardó poco en ponerse al teléfono. Si voz sonaba profunda y tranquila. "Mi arte me permite entrar en un lugar al que la gente de fuera, siempre con prisas y distracciones, no puede llegar", explicó Vargas.
Una vida tras los barrotes puede cambiar la vida a cualquiera, así que no es de extrañar que la vocación artística de este preso surgiera mientras cumplía su condena a cadena perpetua, con posibilidad de libertad condicional, tras haber cometido una violación cuando tenía 17 años. El no habla de su delito. Se considera totalmente rehabilitado. "Al entrar en la cárcel me di cuenta de que era capaz de hacer cosas que otros no eran capaces de hacer, así que utilicé mi habilidad artística como moneda de cambio para conseguir tabaco, café y demás cosas cotidianas", dijo Vargas.
El texano explicó que hacía dibujos para amigos y familiares de sus compañeros de prisión y que también los incluía en las cartas que enviaba a su novia, Bárbara Levin, a la que conoció en 1975, cuando llevaba tres años en la cárcel. Levin, que es su esposa desde 1994, le animó a que explotara su parte artística de una manera más exhaustiva y dos años depués, Vargas fue instruido en prisión por el profesor Herschell Turner, que fue toda una influencia para el preso. "Me enseñó a utilizar la luz y la ocuridad, me instruyó en la técnica del pastel que nunca antes había utilizado, pero sobre todo me proporcionó la confianza en mí mismo necesaria para tratar diferentes temáticas", explicó Vargas.
El estilo del artista, que se confiesa influido por pintores como Botero, Diego Rivera o Degas, comenzó siendo muy realista y detallado, pero ahora parece evolucionar hacia otro "más personal", según el propio Vargas. "Me gusta más pintar lo que siento que lo que veo, porque en la expresión de los sentimientos demuestras capacidad artística y no sólo técnica", aseveró el artista. Sus sentimientos ante la espera de la revisión de su sentencia, que tenía que haber sido revisada hace cerca de 20 años, le han llevado a la culminación de obras que cada año, desde hace 12, presenta en la Exhibición de Arte de los Convictos de Michigan. "Vargas es uno de de los mejores artistas con los que contamos, su trabajo es honesto y habla sobre su experiencia propia y la humana en general, se nota que tiene visión de artista", dijo de Vargas Alexander Buzz, comisario de la exposición. "Si estuviera fuera de la prisión, podría dedicarse al arte como profesional sin ningún problema, realmente es un pintor de calidad", añadió Buzz, que además es fundador del Proyecto de Artes Creativas en Prisión (PCAP).
La 12 edición de la Exhibición de Arte de los Convictos de Michigan se organiza cada año con el PCAP y la Universidad de Michigan y cuenta con las obras de más de 220 hombres y mujeres que cumplen condena en las prisiones de Michigan. "Se trata de un puente entre las personas que están dentro de la prisión y las que están fuera para así acabar con los estereotipos que rodean a los convictos", explicó Buzz. Para Vargas la exposición es "una oportunidad en todos los sentidos que me pone en contacto con el mundo exterior y tras la cual he recibido incluso varios encargos". Su sueño como pintor "es que nunca me abandone la pasión por el arte, no por el mío, sino el arte en general que me ha enseñado a darme cuenta que hasta en la peor de las situaciones la vida está llena de belleza", explicó Vargas. "El arte para mí es como un viento, que lleva de un lado a otro, a donde quiere llevarme, el viento me lleva", añadió el artista que aseguró que cree que no hubiera desarrollado su lado artístico de no haber sido condenado. "Si hay algo que debo agradecer a mi tiempo en prisión es mi amor por el arte porque fuera hay muchas distracciones, el mundo fuera es demasiado caótico para mi sentido artístico", aseguró Vargas. Como ser humano, sin embargo, el sueño de este artista entre rejas es la libertad.
No existe condena en el mundo que acabe con la esperanza de Vargas que, a pesar de tener la posibilidad de libertad condicional, aún no ha visto esa posibilidad realizada. "Las condenas se revisan cada cinco años, por su delito tenía que haber pasado cerca de 15 años en la cárcel y luego optar a la libertad condicional, pero todavía no hemos conseguido nada", dijo Levin que, además de su esposa, es abogada. Ambos mantienen la esperanza de que el año que viene la condena de Vargas sea revisada para darles de la oportunidad de vivir juntos por primera vez desde que se casaron y al mismo tiempo, demostrar a todo el mundo que la rehabilitación es posible. EFE
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/english/pcap/
ARTE EN PRISION
El arte hace libre a un hombre que cumple cadena perpetua en Michigan Isabel Conde Washington (EFE).
Mientras se enfrenta a una cadena perpetua, el tejano Martín Vargas, que lleva 35 años en la cárcel, confiesa que "su amor por el arte le hace sentir libre" y que entre rejas, "disfruta de libertades que no podría tener en la calle". "Cuando pinto siento una paz que no puedo describir" confesó el preso en una entrevista exclusiva con Efe. Llegar hasta él en la cárcel de Alta Seguridad de Michigan fue posible gracias a la Universidad de Michigan, que colabora con un proyecto para exponer en estos días obras de artistas en prisión. Vargas estaba esperando la llamada de Efe, concertada previamente con la cárcel. Tardó poco en ponerse al teléfono. Si voz sonaba profunda y tranquila. "Mi arte me permite entrar en un lugar al que la gente de fuera, siempre con prisas y distracciones, no puede llegar", explicó Vargas.
Una vida tras los barrotes puede cambiar la vida a cualquiera, así que no es de extrañar que la vocación artística de este preso surgiera mientras cumplía su condena a cadena perpetua, con posibilidad de libertad condicional, tras haber cometido una violación cuando tenía 17 años. El no habla de su delito. Se considera totalmente rehabilitado. "Al entrar en la cárcel me di cuenta de que era capaz de hacer cosas que otros no eran capaces de hacer, así que utilicé mi habilidad artística como moneda de cambio para conseguir tabaco, café y demás cosas cotidianas", dijo Vargas.
El texano explicó que hacía dibujos para amigos y familiares de sus compañeros de prisión y que también los incluía en las cartas que enviaba a su novia, Bárbara Levin, a la que conoció en 1975, cuando llevaba tres años en la cárcel. Levin, que es su esposa desde 1994, le animó a que explotara su parte artística de una manera más exhaustiva y dos años depués, Vargas fue instruido en prisión por el profesor Herschell Turner, que fue toda una influencia para el preso. "Me enseñó a utilizar la luz y la ocuridad, me instruyó en la técnica del pastel que nunca antes había utilizado, pero sobre todo me proporcionó la confianza en mí mismo necesaria para tratar diferentes temáticas", explicó Vargas.
El estilo del artista, que se confiesa influido por pintores como Botero, Diego Rivera o Degas, comenzó siendo muy realista y detallado, pero ahora parece evolucionar hacia otro "más personal", según el propio Vargas. "Me gusta más pintar lo que siento que lo que veo, porque en la expresión de los sentimientos demuestras capacidad artística y no sólo técnica", aseveró el artista. Sus sentimientos ante la espera de la revisión de su sentencia, que tenía que haber sido revisada hace cerca de 20 años, le han llevado a la culminación de obras que cada año, desde hace 12, presenta en la Exhibición de Arte de los Convictos de Michigan. "Vargas es uno de de los mejores artistas con los que contamos, su trabajo es honesto y habla sobre su experiencia propia y la humana en general, se nota que tiene visión de artista", dijo de Vargas Alexander Buzz, comisario de la exposición. "Si estuviera fuera de la prisión, podría dedicarse al arte como profesional sin ningún problema, realmente es un pintor de calidad", añadió Buzz, que además es fundador del Proyecto de Artes Creativas en Prisión (PCAP).
La 12 edición de la Exhibición de Arte de los Convictos de Michigan se organiza cada año con el PCAP y la Universidad de Michigan y cuenta con las obras de más de 220 hombres y mujeres que cumplen condena en las prisiones de Michigan. "Se trata de un puente entre las personas que están dentro de la prisión y las que están fuera para así acabar con los estereotipos que rodean a los convictos", explicó Buzz. Para Vargas la exposición es "una oportunidad en todos los sentidos que me pone en contacto con el mundo exterior y tras la cual he recibido incluso varios encargos". Su sueño como pintor "es que nunca me abandone la pasión por el arte, no por el mío, sino el arte en general que me ha enseñado a darme cuenta que hasta en la peor de las situaciones la vida está llena de belleza", explicó Vargas. "El arte para mí es como un viento, que lleva de un lado a otro, a donde quiere llevarme, el viento me lleva", añadió el artista que aseguró que cree que no hubiera desarrollado su lado artístico de no haber sido condenado. "Si hay algo que debo agradecer a mi tiempo en prisión es mi amor por el arte porque fuera hay muchas distracciones, el mundo fuera es demasiado caótico para mi sentido artístico", aseguró Vargas. Como ser humano, sin embargo, el sueño de este artista entre rejas es la libertad.
No existe condena en el mundo que acabe con la esperanza de Vargas que, a pesar de tener la posibilidad de libertad condicional, aún no ha visto esa posibilidad realizada. "Las condenas se revisan cada cinco años, por su delito tenía que haber pasado cerca de 15 años en la cárcel y luego optar a la libertad condicional, pero todavía no hemos conseguido nada", dijo Levin que, además de su esposa, es abogada. Ambos mantienen la esperanza de que el año que viene la condena de Vargas sea revisada para darles de la oportunidad de vivir juntos por primera vez desde que se casaron y al mismo tiempo, demostrar a todo el mundo que la rehabilitación es posible. EFE
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/english/pcap/
Monday, March 19, 2007
The days of IMAP on the lake...
As I put on my third layer of clothes I started having flashbacks of Michigan winters with the fierce cold and spine-tingling winds, but as the first drop of sweat across my brow turned into a flood, reality set it - I was on a remote mountainside in the sweltering Guatemalan sun with Genaro about to harvest honey from 18 colonies of very territorial bees. I made it out without a sting, and as you can imagine, I smother everything I can with fresh honey thanks to our little friends.
When I arrived at IMAP, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I walked into a multi-lingual, multi-cultural, inter-generational atmosphere of perfect proportions. We are a team of about 10-12 people between 14 and 40, and all of the folks at the center speak in Kaqchikel first, one of 26 Mayan languages in Guatemala, and Spanish second. Here, I have continued learning a tremendous amount about the complicated, often sad, and just as often beautiful history and culture of Guatemala. The patience and willingness to share that Genaro, Ramiro, Ronè, and Chus have shown me is not something I will ever forget.
My first few days I was relegated to the top bunk in a house full of volunteers, which kept me safe from finding any scorpions in my bed, but of course, this didn´t stop me from getting zapped by one when I got out of the shower the other day. I had to cut off the third toe on my left foot to stop the venom from ascending my leg. Alas.
Here, the stories and traditions abound. For example, if you come across a hidden tunnel into one of the mountains, of which there are many, be careful because the elders say that time passes much quicker beneath the earth. 15 minutes below may cost you a day above. Ramiro passed on a trick from his grandfather about how to find a beautiful woman - something about braiding the hair of an ear of corn and reciting an old saying. I still have to sure up the details on this one. But there is certainly a pulsating current of old traditions and new, originated and imposed, and the obvious mix of them all. Stories of magic and folklore contend with those of strict religious observance, and everything inbetween.
To sum things up, the lake is the type of clear you hear about in distant lagoons, the food titilatingly fresh, and the air as crisp as a tortilla chip. Estoy contento aqui, muy contento.
When I arrived at IMAP, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I walked into a multi-lingual, multi-cultural, inter-generational atmosphere of perfect proportions. We are a team of about 10-12 people between 14 and 40, and all of the folks at the center speak in Kaqchikel first, one of 26 Mayan languages in Guatemala, and Spanish second. Here, I have continued learning a tremendous amount about the complicated, often sad, and just as often beautiful history and culture of Guatemala. The patience and willingness to share that Genaro, Ramiro, Ronè, and Chus have shown me is not something I will ever forget.
My first few days I was relegated to the top bunk in a house full of volunteers, which kept me safe from finding any scorpions in my bed, but of course, this didn´t stop me from getting zapped by one when I got out of the shower the other day. I had to cut off the third toe on my left foot to stop the venom from ascending my leg. Alas.
Here, the stories and traditions abound. For example, if you come across a hidden tunnel into one of the mountains, of which there are many, be careful because the elders say that time passes much quicker beneath the earth. 15 minutes below may cost you a day above. Ramiro passed on a trick from his grandfather about how to find a beautiful woman - something about braiding the hair of an ear of corn and reciting an old saying. I still have to sure up the details on this one. But there is certainly a pulsating current of old traditions and new, originated and imposed, and the obvious mix of them all. Stories of magic and folklore contend with those of strict religious observance, and everything inbetween.
To sum things up, the lake is the type of clear you hear about in distant lagoons, the food titilatingly fresh, and the air as crisp as a tortilla chip. Estoy contento aqui, muy contento.
Harvest of Shame: Child Labor and Free Trade in Guatemala
(http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/13/1335259)
President Bush traveled to Guatemala on Monday and said free trade can spread opportunity, provide jobs, and help lift people out of poverty. But according to a new report, there is a food processing plant less than 10 miles from where Bush spoke where children as young as 13 years old are working under deplorable conditions. We speak with veteran anti-sweatshop activist Charles Kernaghan of the National Labor Committee about the report. [includes rush transcript]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the past week on his trip through Latin America President Bush has been praising U.S. efforts to end poverty in the hemisphere and promoting the benefits of so-called free trade agreements with Washington.
President Bush, speaking in Washington DC:
On Monday, President Bush traveled to Guatemala and said free trade can spread opportunity, provide jobs, and help lift people out of poverty.
But there is a darker side about U.S.-Guatemalan trade relations: less than 10 miles from where Bush spoke there is a food processing plant where children as young as 13 years old are working under deplorable conditions.
According to the New York-based National Labor Committee, the children, working at a factory owned by Legumex, harvest and process vegetables and fruits exported to the United States.
The National Labor Committee has just published a report on the conditions at the Legumex factory. It is titled "Harvest of Shame."
Charles Kernaghan joins me now. He is a veteran anti-sweatshop activist and the executive director of the National Labor Committee.
Charles Kernaghan, director of the National Labor Committee:
The vast majority of the exports at the Legumex factory in Guatemala are sold to Superior Foods, based in Watsonville California. We invited a representative of Superior Foods to join us on the program but the company declined.
In an emailed statement, Marco Cruz of Superior Foods, wrote:
"We are committed to ensuring that all product purchased, sold or distributed by our company is produced with ethical labor practices and in strict compliance with local labor law. At every facility we work with in the U.S. and abroad, we conduct periodic audits and inspections to validate critical issues as food safety, food security, product quality and working conditions. We are surprised and concerned about the labor violations alleged in the NLC report and will immediately investigate these serious allegations in that particular facility.
"We outspokenly do not support producers who cannot clearly demonstrate that they abide by local labor laws, and we will discontinue working with this processor if abuses are evident and not entirely and satisfactorily resolved. Meanwhile, we will exert our influence to see that these allegations are addressed openly and soon, and that remedial action is taken if and wherever necessary.
"Our hope would be that fruit and vegetable production in Guatemala is ultimately sustainable and that it can and will help create the best possible opportunity for the workers and growers in that area. We'd much rather be an agent for constructive change and improvement than simply be one of a number of buyers who can even more easily simply discontinue business in this region. As a matter of policy, we continually pressure all of our suppliers to encourage progressive labor practices that advance productivity, better pay and better working conditions."
(to read the complete interview, go to http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/13/1335259)
President Bush traveled to Guatemala on Monday and said free trade can spread opportunity, provide jobs, and help lift people out of poverty. But according to a new report, there is a food processing plant less than 10 miles from where Bush spoke where children as young as 13 years old are working under deplorable conditions. We speak with veteran anti-sweatshop activist Charles Kernaghan of the National Labor Committee about the report. [includes rush transcript]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the past week on his trip through Latin America President Bush has been praising U.S. efforts to end poverty in the hemisphere and promoting the benefits of so-called free trade agreements with Washington.
President Bush, speaking in Washington DC:
On Monday, President Bush traveled to Guatemala and said free trade can spread opportunity, provide jobs, and help lift people out of poverty.
But there is a darker side about U.S.-Guatemalan trade relations: less than 10 miles from where Bush spoke there is a food processing plant where children as young as 13 years old are working under deplorable conditions.
According to the New York-based National Labor Committee, the children, working at a factory owned by Legumex, harvest and process vegetables and fruits exported to the United States.
The National Labor Committee has just published a report on the conditions at the Legumex factory. It is titled "Harvest of Shame."
Charles Kernaghan joins me now. He is a veteran anti-sweatshop activist and the executive director of the National Labor Committee.
Charles Kernaghan, director of the National Labor Committee:
The vast majority of the exports at the Legumex factory in Guatemala are sold to Superior Foods, based in Watsonville California. We invited a representative of Superior Foods to join us on the program but the company declined.
In an emailed statement, Marco Cruz of Superior Foods, wrote:
"We are committed to ensuring that all product purchased, sold or distributed by our company is produced with ethical labor practices and in strict compliance with local labor law. At every facility we work with in the U.S. and abroad, we conduct periodic audits and inspections to validate critical issues as food safety, food security, product quality and working conditions. We are surprised and concerned about the labor violations alleged in the NLC report and will immediately investigate these serious allegations in that particular facility.
"We outspokenly do not support producers who cannot clearly demonstrate that they abide by local labor laws, and we will discontinue working with this processor if abuses are evident and not entirely and satisfactorily resolved. Meanwhile, we will exert our influence to see that these allegations are addressed openly and soon, and that remedial action is taken if and wherever necessary.
"Our hope would be that fruit and vegetable production in Guatemala is ultimately sustainable and that it can and will help create the best possible opportunity for the workers and growers in that area. We'd much rather be an agent for constructive change and improvement than simply be one of a number of buyers who can even more easily simply discontinue business in this region. As a matter of policy, we continually pressure all of our suppliers to encourage progressive labor practices that advance productivity, better pay and better working conditions."
(to read the complete interview, go to http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/13/1335259)
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Cultural Phenomenons Uncovered!
In a study of my own, I have been observing what phenomenon are most prevelant here in Guate. Here are my findings...
1. The most obvious is the unbelievable kindness and generosity of most everyone I've come in contact with, especially the people at the school.
2. Whenever you think you've seen them all, there is always another use for mayonnaise. Look for it here on tacos, toast, hot dogs, and french fries. This stuff is the SPAM of Central America.
3. In a possibly related issue, dentists appear to have no shortage of work. There are more mouths full of gold dental work in Xela than there are boob jobs in LA. Sunglasses recommended.
4. I have recently found out that the childhood lullaby ¨Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be¨ is half Spanish. I wonder if mothers across the States know what they've been singing to us all these years.
5. Toyota is certainly dominating the automobile market, from the Tercel to the Land Cruiser, I would venture to say that 1 out of 3 vehicles here comes from the Japanese manufacturer.
6. And what more can I say that hasn´t already been said about the crunchy, corn, triangles of goodness. That´s right, they have Doritos, and they come in three new and exciting flavors - Verde Radiante, Nacho Atrevido, y Queso Extremo. And for the equivalent of 20 cents a bag, I think I´ve eaten enough to influence the market.
1. The most obvious is the unbelievable kindness and generosity of most everyone I've come in contact with, especially the people at the school.
2. Whenever you think you've seen them all, there is always another use for mayonnaise. Look for it here on tacos, toast, hot dogs, and french fries. This stuff is the SPAM of Central America.
3. In a possibly related issue, dentists appear to have no shortage of work. There are more mouths full of gold dental work in Xela than there are boob jobs in LA. Sunglasses recommended.
4. I have recently found out that the childhood lullaby ¨Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be¨ is half Spanish. I wonder if mothers across the States know what they've been singing to us all these years.
5. Toyota is certainly dominating the automobile market, from the Tercel to the Land Cruiser, I would venture to say that 1 out of 3 vehicles here comes from the Japanese manufacturer.
6. And what more can I say that hasn´t already been said about the crunchy, corn, triangles of goodness. That´s right, they have Doritos, and they come in three new and exciting flavors - Verde Radiante, Nacho Atrevido, y Queso Extremo. And for the equivalent of 20 cents a bag, I think I´ve eaten enough to influence the market.
STUDY SHOWS THAT HONKING CLEARS TRAFFIC, CURES CANCER
(www.xelawho.com)
GUATEMALA CITY, Feb. 6. In what appears by all accounts to be a landmark study, scientists announced this Tuesday that the aggressive, incessant honking so engrained in Guatemalan commuter culture not only instantly breaks up traffic jams, but also seems to cure cancer.
For years, it has been common knowledge that when a seemingly unavoidable queue of cars forms in the street, a few firm, confident horn blasts will remedy the gridlock. To ensure wide dissemination of this knowledge, in 2001 the Guatemalan government erected thousands of billboards featuring an image of a furious driver assaulting his steering wheel, under the large block letters: “MORE. LOUDER. BETTER.”
But in light of these latest findings, says Dr. Javier López, who oversaw the “Horn as Panacea?” study group, authorities may need to redouble their efforts to educate the population.
Sitting in Quetzaltenango's Parque Benito Juarez, watching traffic jam after traffic jam dissolve under a sweet symphony of horn blasts, Dr. López smiled and explained the results of the study. “The positive effects of honking on traffic and urban quality of life in general are already well-known,” the doctor commented. “But we hope our findings additionally demonstrate that a simple horn blast is nothing less than an empirically demonstrable exorcism for the 21st century. Indeed, it drives everything around it away: traffic, pedestrians, solitude, joy… and now, even cancer.”
Government officials have been quick to applaud the study and highlight their immediate dedication to applying its findings. Within minutes of the announcement, Efrain Rios Montt spoke to the longstanding commitment of his FRG party to redirect major, high-volume roadways away from affluent communities and through impoverished neighborhoods with overcrowded hospitals.
In a televised address, Rios Montt proclaimed, “let us capitalize on these results and finally concentrate 100% of traffic, and the life-saving cacophony that accompanies it, where it rightly belongs: with the long-suffering poor. Viva Guatemala!”
Rios Montt and other high-level officials have also been eagerly anticipating the projected findings from a separate study correlating proximity to landfills with longer lifespan.
GUATEMALA CITY, Feb. 6. In what appears by all accounts to be a landmark study, scientists announced this Tuesday that the aggressive, incessant honking so engrained in Guatemalan commuter culture not only instantly breaks up traffic jams, but also seems to cure cancer.
For years, it has been common knowledge that when a seemingly unavoidable queue of cars forms in the street, a few firm, confident horn blasts will remedy the gridlock. To ensure wide dissemination of this knowledge, in 2001 the Guatemalan government erected thousands of billboards featuring an image of a furious driver assaulting his steering wheel, under the large block letters: “MORE. LOUDER. BETTER.”
But in light of these latest findings, says Dr. Javier López, who oversaw the “Horn as Panacea?” study group, authorities may need to redouble their efforts to educate the population.
Sitting in Quetzaltenango's Parque Benito Juarez, watching traffic jam after traffic jam dissolve under a sweet symphony of horn blasts, Dr. López smiled and explained the results of the study. “The positive effects of honking on traffic and urban quality of life in general are already well-known,” the doctor commented. “But we hope our findings additionally demonstrate that a simple horn blast is nothing less than an empirically demonstrable exorcism for the 21st century. Indeed, it drives everything around it away: traffic, pedestrians, solitude, joy… and now, even cancer.”
Government officials have been quick to applaud the study and highlight their immediate dedication to applying its findings. Within minutes of the announcement, Efrain Rios Montt spoke to the longstanding commitment of his FRG party to redirect major, high-volume roadways away from affluent communities and through impoverished neighborhoods with overcrowded hospitals.
In a televised address, Rios Montt proclaimed, “let us capitalize on these results and finally concentrate 100% of traffic, and the life-saving cacophony that accompanies it, where it rightly belongs: with the long-suffering poor. Viva Guatemala!”
Rios Montt and other high-level officials have also been eagerly anticipating the projected findings from a separate study correlating proximity to landfills with longer lifespan.
Central America from 14,000 ft
So, 2 weekends ago I went on a hike with Quetzal Trekkers - http://www.quetzaltrekkers.com/guathome.html. They're an all volunteer crew that leads hikes around Guatemala. They may not get money, but I think they rather enjoy punishing out of shape tourists up and down the many mountainsides of Guatemala. And so it goes. We made it up Tajumulco Saturday night in time to catch the sun dip into a sea of clouds far into the West, and arose early enough to climb the last 200m to the peak and share the first minutes of the morning with the same firey ball of gas as the night before. I guess we shouldn´t have had beans for dinner AND breakfast, eh?
It was truly a beautiful exerience to look up and down an entire range of mountains and volcanoes, into Mexico, and the depths of Guatemala. The clouds wrapped around the slopes of each volcanic formation like a down blanket, and our long line of international hikers zig zagged our way through them like a sure line of thread.
It was truly a beautiful exerience to look up and down an entire range of mountains and volcanoes, into Mexico, and the depths of Guatemala. The clouds wrapped around the slopes of each volcanic formation like a down blanket, and our long line of international hikers zig zagged our way through them like a sure line of thread.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Nothing says love like smashing an egg on someones head
Wednesday came and went as another reminder of a love or a lack thereof. Wasn't it nice in gradeschool when everyone got a valentine card, and some stale candy hearts with words on them, and the big deal was who hand selected which words for whom? Then, somewhere around 5th grade we abondoned the 'make everyone fit in' method, and went right in for the kill - flowers, chocolates, poetry, dating (Sorry, no personal gems this time, just the generics). What I want to know is - why the switch? There has to be a grown up version of our elementary school antics, right? Well, I think I've found it here. It may not be love, but it sure is fun.
Imagine going about your business, a little more aware than usual because of the day of course, when suddenly it is raining sparkles and confetti in front of your eyes. You've been 'cascaroned'! Someone, could be your neighbor, could be your lover, could be your friend, has just crushed a hollowed out egg full of confetti on your head. Feliz Dia de Cariña! Needless to say, everyone is a little shinier this time of the year. This, however, is the G-rated version. Tuesday marks carnival, and the word is everyone has lisence to go crazy. I've been advised to keep my eyes open in the streets because it's typical to get pelted with real eggs, flour, and water, and as much as I try to fit in, in reality I'm probably a pretty good target.
Hope everyone had a good one! And if not, I'll bring back some cascarones for you.
Imagine going about your business, a little more aware than usual because of the day of course, when suddenly it is raining sparkles and confetti in front of your eyes. You've been 'cascaroned'! Someone, could be your neighbor, could be your lover, could be your friend, has just crushed a hollowed out egg full of confetti on your head. Feliz Dia de Cariña! Needless to say, everyone is a little shinier this time of the year. This, however, is the G-rated version. Tuesday marks carnival, and the word is everyone has lisence to go crazy. I've been advised to keep my eyes open in the streets because it's typical to get pelted with real eggs, flour, and water, and as much as I try to fit in, in reality I'm probably a pretty good target.
Hope everyone had a good one! And if not, I'll bring back some cascarones for you.
Habia una vez, I was once a slow walker, taking the time to look up and down at my surroundings and not get anywhere too fast. Two weeks in Xela, and contrary to almost everything else about the place, I am now a furious pacer. It may be because I have been incredibly busy or because every white knuckled 'Chapine' behind an extra tinted windshield is tryint to kill me. I'm certain of it.
I also still can't believe how wrong I was about the weather, like Jordan playing baseball. I can see my breath every morning when I slip out around 7:45, and it warms up quite nicely throughout the day, but I'm still not ambitious enough to give the shorts and flip flops another go-around until I'm certaom pf sweating at the mere sight of the sun.
The hot springs were an ideal destination, settled in a lush mountainside an hour outside of Xela. The sulfur oxidized water trickles down the warm rocks into three natural pools, each of which proved capable of transforming me into a rare breed of giant white prune. We hiked around a bit, but mostly just relaxed in the 7,500 ft high pools looking out over a luscious valley that had once housed one of the worlds oldest and most advanced civilizations.
I also recently had the chance to feel the heartbeat of Xela, pulsating with every vulgar word, hand clap, and foot stomp. Oh yes, I'm talking about the futbol game. The XelaJu (SHAY-LA-WHOO) Super Chivos took on the currently first place, inter-country rival, Jalapa this past Saturday. The conditions were ripe for an upset...packed stadium, home field, and as the gerat equalizer Mother Nature decided to unleash the first rain of the year on an unsuspecting audience. Needless to say, no one left, there was merely a short scramble for all scaps of plastic capable of redirecting a few unwelcome raindrops. And the band played on, literraly. Directly behind me were the musical ringleaders, conducting each anthem and chant with unwaving dedication. The bass, snare, and trumpet plasted away, and to some disappointment, the game ended in a 1-1 tie. Alas.
I also still can't believe how wrong I was about the weather, like Jordan playing baseball. I can see my breath every morning when I slip out around 7:45, and it warms up quite nicely throughout the day, but I'm still not ambitious enough to give the shorts and flip flops another go-around until I'm certaom pf sweating at the mere sight of the sun.
The hot springs were an ideal destination, settled in a lush mountainside an hour outside of Xela. The sulfur oxidized water trickles down the warm rocks into three natural pools, each of which proved capable of transforming me into a rare breed of giant white prune. We hiked around a bit, but mostly just relaxed in the 7,500 ft high pools looking out over a luscious valley that had once housed one of the worlds oldest and most advanced civilizations.
I also recently had the chance to feel the heartbeat of Xela, pulsating with every vulgar word, hand clap, and foot stomp. Oh yes, I'm talking about the futbol game. The XelaJu (SHAY-LA-WHOO) Super Chivos took on the currently first place, inter-country rival, Jalapa this past Saturday. The conditions were ripe for an upset...packed stadium, home field, and as the gerat equalizer Mother Nature decided to unleash the first rain of the year on an unsuspecting audience. Needless to say, no one left, there was merely a short scramble for all scaps of plastic capable of redirecting a few unwelcome raindrops. And the band played on, literraly. Directly behind me were the musical ringleaders, conducting each anthem and chant with unwaving dedication. The bass, snare, and trumpet plasted away, and to some disappointment, the game ended in a 1-1 tie. Alas.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Another day, another workout
Before I arrived, I was planning on finishing each week of classes with an intellectual escape to the surrounding mountains for the weekends. Little did I know, I would be climbing a cobblestone mountain multiple times a day just to get around in Xela. Therefore, my calves are adjusted and prepared for a trip to 'Las Georginas' hot springs tomorrow morning.
The classes are going really well. I'm remembering things that I don't think I knew to begin with. I spend 5 hours or more a day with my teacher, Byron, who is also 24, and we have become good friends. Apparently, he and Flory, who runs the school, are under the impression that I am at an advanced level of Spanish so I have been asked to complete a thesis in the next 3 weeks. For those of you that know Spanish and have read the last few entries, are probably laughing because two of the four or so words not in English are spelled wrong - cerveceria and Mam. I haven't completely finalized my topic yet, but it is going to be something along the lines of 'sustainable development and the impact of a sharp rise in tourism, with respect to the different populations of Guatemala.' It is supposed to be 25 pages and a presentation to the staff and students of the school, so we'll see what happens.
This school also does a great job of connecting interested students with volunteer work in the area, whatever type you may be interested in. I, believe it or not, and even though I just ended the last sentence with 'in', am teaching English to a group of kids from the neighborhood. Most of them are related, full of energy, and whenever I ask them to pick a theme for the day it is usually futbol, which is fine by me. Also, as I learned today, the person that was helping with these classes before me was a police officer from Norway. Apparently, he was about 6'5", very muscular, and got the kids hooked on the 'helicoptero', which I have a feeling is a bit more taxing for me and aided in a profound siesta yesterday (You know, pick the kids up over your head and spin around until your both so dizzy you could fall over). And no matter what anyone says, spinning the other way does not balance out the feeling.
Last night (Thursday), in my first communal soccer experience, Guatemala beat Nicaragua on nuetral ground in San Salvador. I watched the first half in a little neighborhood bar with the local crazies, and the second half at home with the family. It was good times, and almost as exciting as Spain beating the pants off of England at the same time! Que fuerte! I can't wait to see what players the kids want to emulate on Monday when we play in the backyard of the school. I am usually the goalie, Casillas of course.
As soon as I figure out how to put photos on here, you'll see them. Hasta pronto.
The classes are going really well. I'm remembering things that I don't think I knew to begin with. I spend 5 hours or more a day with my teacher, Byron, who is also 24, and we have become good friends. Apparently, he and Flory, who runs the school, are under the impression that I am at an advanced level of Spanish so I have been asked to complete a thesis in the next 3 weeks. For those of you that know Spanish and have read the last few entries, are probably laughing because two of the four or so words not in English are spelled wrong - cerveceria and Mam. I haven't completely finalized my topic yet, but it is going to be something along the lines of 'sustainable development and the impact of a sharp rise in tourism, with respect to the different populations of Guatemala.' It is supposed to be 25 pages and a presentation to the staff and students of the school, so we'll see what happens.
This school also does a great job of connecting interested students with volunteer work in the area, whatever type you may be interested in. I, believe it or not, and even though I just ended the last sentence with 'in', am teaching English to a group of kids from the neighborhood. Most of them are related, full of energy, and whenever I ask them to pick a theme for the day it is usually futbol, which is fine by me. Also, as I learned today, the person that was helping with these classes before me was a police officer from Norway. Apparently, he was about 6'5", very muscular, and got the kids hooked on the 'helicoptero', which I have a feeling is a bit more taxing for me and aided in a profound siesta yesterday (You know, pick the kids up over your head and spin around until your both so dizzy you could fall over). And no matter what anyone says, spinning the other way does not balance out the feeling.
Last night (Thursday), in my first communal soccer experience, Guatemala beat Nicaragua on nuetral ground in San Salvador. I watched the first half in a little neighborhood bar with the local crazies, and the second half at home with the family. It was good times, and almost as exciting as Spain beating the pants off of England at the same time! Que fuerte! I can't wait to see what players the kids want to emulate on Monday when we play in the backyard of the school. I am usually the goalie, Casillas of course.
As soon as I figure out how to put photos on here, you'll see them. Hasta pronto.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
A conversation with Maria Tulia
Recently, I had the privilege of talking to Maria Tulia about the reality of life for Guatemala's indigenous population. They are far and away the majority, but like many minority controlled countries, receive far less services in respect to schools, transportation, and the like. Throughout recent history, their languages, traditional dress, and cultural practices have been discouraged by most established institutions.
As per her own experiences as a Mayan woman living in Guatemala her entire life, when Mayan children have occasion to leave their small farming communities they are programmed from a very young age to be ashamed of their skin, hair, clothes, and language. Sometimes it is overt - denial of entry to a restaurant or nightclub. More often it is subtle - backhanded references to their lifestyle as ignorant or backwards.
Maria has recently finished her thesis on the psychological effects of discrimination and racism on Mayan women in Guatemala. She focused on her life as a child in an indigenous (Mum) village, and her 18 years as a guerilla in the Civil War, where she states to me very succinctly that she obtained her real education (often times girls stop school at a very young age and even with schooling the history of 'her' Guatemala had been systematically removed from the curriculum).
She spoke to me of a Mayan history that I learned in school as a child - one with great scientific achievements, vibrant arts, and amazing music. But this, suprisingly, was not the Mayan history taught in schools 30/40 years ago, in their own backyard nonetheless.
Enter 30+ years of painful and divisive civil war between the indigenous guerillas, their allies, and the Guatemalan Army. In short, 1996 brought the 'Acuerdos de Paz' and an end to the violence. When I asked her what was the most important thing to take from this fight for equality and respect, she said it is the power of a 'public discussion' because without an issue out in the open certain people can still deny its existence. And we can't give them the opportunity.
As per her own experiences as a Mayan woman living in Guatemala her entire life, when Mayan children have occasion to leave their small farming communities they are programmed from a very young age to be ashamed of their skin, hair, clothes, and language. Sometimes it is overt - denial of entry to a restaurant or nightclub. More often it is subtle - backhanded references to their lifestyle as ignorant or backwards.
Maria has recently finished her thesis on the psychological effects of discrimination and racism on Mayan women in Guatemala. She focused on her life as a child in an indigenous (Mum) village, and her 18 years as a guerilla in the Civil War, where she states to me very succinctly that she obtained her real education (often times girls stop school at a very young age and even with schooling the history of 'her' Guatemala had been systematically removed from the curriculum).
She spoke to me of a Mayan history that I learned in school as a child - one with great scientific achievements, vibrant arts, and amazing music. But this, suprisingly, was not the Mayan history taught in schools 30/40 years ago, in their own backyard nonetheless.
Enter 30+ years of painful and divisive civil war between the indigenous guerillas, their allies, and the Guatemalan Army. In short, 1996 brought the 'Acuerdos de Paz' and an end to the violence. When I asked her what was the most important thing to take from this fight for equality and respect, she said it is the power of a 'public discussion' because without an issue out in the open certain people can still deny its existence. And we can't give them the opportunity.
Monday, February 5, 2007
2 planes, 1 taxi, and a bus
After all that, Im finally at a median temperature of 75 degrees. The flights, as expected, I spent nestled up against the window with an airline pillow and blanket. My first opportnity for error was choosing the correct taxi to take me to the bus station, but when I saw it I knew it was fate - a direct ray of sunlight radiated off the dome of the car and enclosed it in a forcefield of all things good with the world - it was a '97 Escort wagon. I was feeling spiritual so I figured it was the reincarnation of the seafoam green monster that once made the famed Monroe/Ann Arbor/Detroit triangle more times than I care to remember.
It, and the driver of course, got me safely to the bus that would take me to Xela (SHAY-LA). I dropped my bags, changed my clothes, and found the first 'Cerverceria' I could for a glass of Guatemala's finest lager, Gallo. And for about a dollar a bottle, it's well within the budget.
The route from the capital to Xela is far from a straight shot, but as we passed many signs of an alive countryside I became a bit more anxious. Dirt patch soccer games commenced wherever there was space, faded Coca Cola and orange Crush signs were far more common than mile-markers, and when an appropriate darkness set in on the bus, the little girl in the seat in front of me started throwing little pieces of paper at me.
Xela, in the light of day, is completely surrounded by beautiful mountains, the first of which I'll hopefully be visiting this weekend. The family I am staying with is extremely generous and very nice. When I told them I was vegetarian, in what I feel is a somewhat typical response in this part of the world, my host mother replied (in spanish), "So you eat ham?" "No, no meat", I said, only to be followed by, "You eat chicken?" I admired her persistence.
More later.
It, and the driver of course, got me safely to the bus that would take me to Xela (SHAY-LA). I dropped my bags, changed my clothes, and found the first 'Cerverceria' I could for a glass of Guatemala's finest lager, Gallo. And for about a dollar a bottle, it's well within the budget.
The route from the capital to Xela is far from a straight shot, but as we passed many signs of an alive countryside I became a bit more anxious. Dirt patch soccer games commenced wherever there was space, faded Coca Cola and orange Crush signs were far more common than mile-markers, and when an appropriate darkness set in on the bus, the little girl in the seat in front of me started throwing little pieces of paper at me.
Xela, in the light of day, is completely surrounded by beautiful mountains, the first of which I'll hopefully be visiting this weekend. The family I am staying with is extremely generous and very nice. When I told them I was vegetarian, in what I feel is a somewhat typical response in this part of the world, my host mother replied (in spanish), "So you eat ham?" "No, no meat", I said, only to be followed by, "You eat chicken?" I admired her persistence.
More later.
Monday, January 29, 2007
In Peace and Protest
January 27th marked a peak of potential. Multitudes of protesters converged on the national mall this past Saturday with a familiar message and new hope, and gave shape to a fervor that is bursting at the seams - seams that are loosely held together by the misinformation and untruths of the mainstream media. A parade of speakers sought to connect the realities of a post-9/11 America – the many Americans who are still quite literally caught in the wake of Katrina, a domestic energy crisis that has led to egregious foreign policy decisions, and a morally bankrupt administration who continues to directly profit from the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Americans.
Still, a new way is possible. The November elections gave Congress a new face, yet another example of the displeasure the American people have with this administration and their occupation of Iraq. At this critical juncture in the war, and amidst the decider-in-chief’s blind adherence to rampant militarism, we have an opportunity to hold these new leaders accountable. Beware presidential hopefuls of both stripes who commit to increasing the Pentagon’s already massive budget, and fail to take real steps towards a clean-energy revolution. Seeing the interconnectedness of these two issues is no longer avoidable, as our obligation to act still cannot be masked with the threat of terrorism.
I recently learned this President uses the same desk John F Kennedy once did, and nearly became ill. I pictured he and Karl Rove sitting around this centerpiece excusing the outing of Valerie Plame, concocting false justifications for the invasion of Iraq, and putting pen to paper promoting one of many points on the neo-con agenda - the very same desk where JFK signed the Peace Corps into existence, a body intended to promote peace and diplomacy, in complete contrast to the guidelines of the Bush/Cheney White House. And so here it is – do we continue to let this administration spit on the finer points of American history, or do we rise up and make them part of it.
Still, a new way is possible. The November elections gave Congress a new face, yet another example of the displeasure the American people have with this administration and their occupation of Iraq. At this critical juncture in the war, and amidst the decider-in-chief’s blind adherence to rampant militarism, we have an opportunity to hold these new leaders accountable. Beware presidential hopefuls of both stripes who commit to increasing the Pentagon’s already massive budget, and fail to take real steps towards a clean-energy revolution. Seeing the interconnectedness of these two issues is no longer avoidable, as our obligation to act still cannot be masked with the threat of terrorism.
I recently learned this President uses the same desk John F Kennedy once did, and nearly became ill. I pictured he and Karl Rove sitting around this centerpiece excusing the outing of Valerie Plame, concocting false justifications for the invasion of Iraq, and putting pen to paper promoting one of many points on the neo-con agenda - the very same desk where JFK signed the Peace Corps into existence, a body intended to promote peace and diplomacy, in complete contrast to the guidelines of the Bush/Cheney White House. And so here it is – do we continue to let this administration spit on the finer points of American history, or do we rise up and make them part of it.
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