Right now (today) governments controlling the rain forest area of Peru are killing indigenous people who are trying to stop the destruction of their land from multi-nationals (often US based) agribusiness, oil and gas- Killing with bullets people who have no guns, no real way to defend themselves.
One could argue that what we (USA) did during our colonial period is long ago when there was no real ability for media to get the word out – and who really knew? That is NOT the case today. We know what is going on. It’s in your face, yet you still choose to egnore it.
Right now what we did (and what other nations did) to their indigenous population- nations like Peru are doing again! Yet, once again, we turn the blind-eye to it all…
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Stop-the-Killing-in-Peru-by-dick-overfield-090608-849.html
And years from now we’ll say: “…ya, that was bad. That shouldn’t have been done, who know – but that was then. What can we do about it now anyway?”
“Liberals” are very convenient- pass the buck – kick the ball down the street – soft hypocrites.* Who passed NAFTA and CAFTA giving the legal coverage and economic encouragement for these outrages? A Democrat.
This “civilized” modern “society” is f’ed up on so many levels.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/06/2009695131981421.html
Mike Wall
8:40 am on June 9th
*Soft Hypocrite
Soft Hyp⋅o⋅crite
- noun
1. a person who claims to have virtues, morals, ethics or principles, etc, that he or she actually do little real effort foster said morals, principles, etc.
2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, statements and/or actions shows his or her true attitudes to be different then claimed attudes.
Sherry L. de Alvarez
12:14 pm on June 10th
I think we fight the same battle…getting people to even hear about this stuff (where is the media on this?…enablers? ostriches?), but of more difficulty…getting them to give a crap about it for any extended amount of time. Having lived in Central America for almost seven years now, it becomes more and more difficult for me to understand and feel that I can defend the US, much less even relate to the lives led by family and friends still living at home.
http://allalvarez.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/i-so-wish-people-would-get-it/
The world is a place you cannot possibly begin to understand if you’ve never even visited it. It pains me to see the US so wrapped up in celebrity gossip and “reality” entertainment, and consumerism. On one hand it makes me almost sick to my stomach to know that is how Americans spend so much of their time and energy. In fairness, though, I do try to think about how people who are not exposed to anything else (again…media?) can possibly understand anything else. It is a battle I fight within myself daily. Trying to effectively encapsulate events such as those in Peru or here in Guatemala is so difficult because of the long history behind them and the perceived distance from home. Trying to get people to listen long enough is difficult in itself. Trying to make it relevant to them, nearly impossible.
We are fighting a number of battles here in Guatemala, where, yes, people are dying every day because of events that began long ago and are directly related to US involvement here. But, I feel anyway, that Americans have a mindset that as long as something doesn’t currently directly affect them inside their squeaky-clean, safe, white borders, all is well.
While there are a number of stories to be told from here in Guatemala as well, such as this one regarding Canada’s (gasp…what? Canada involved in harming others?!?!?) mining industry:
http://www.coha.org/2009/06/guatemala%E2%80%99s-neglected-story-continued-disregard-for-indigenous-autonomy/
the one that is really under my skin is the US’s “drug war” at the Mexican border. Great! They’re cleaning up the very important US border with Mexico! No one living close to there need to worry any longer! Hooray America is safe! Does anyone ever consider where that drug war has gone? Has it just miraculously evaporated off the map? Or maybe it doesn’t really matter as long as it is no longer encroaching onto hallowed US soil? Perhaps people really think all the big bad drug lords have just thrown up their hands, saying: “OK US, you got us. We’re sorry.” Has anyone considered the fact that operations have only just shifted to another place in the world that the US cares even less about?
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-guatemala-drugs4-2009jun04,0,6042185.story?page=1&track=rss
I don’t have an answer to any of this. Daily frustration. And prayer. …That something, somewhere, somehow will jar the US out of its classic Out-of-Sight-Out-of-Mind lifestyle choice.