Legal Commentary

A Different Perspective On South America

By TChris

Whether or not the United States is spying on Bolivia, it is wasting its money in efforts to suppress native farmers who try to make a living by growing coca.

President Evo Morales said Saturday that Bolivia does not need U.S. help to control its coca crop, stepping up his anti-Washington rhetoric days after rejecting an American request to fly an anti-drug plane over the South American nation's territory. Morales also compared U.S. counter-drug efforts in the country, including Drug Enforcement Administration flights, to espionage.

"It's important that the international community knows that here, we don't need control of the United States on coca cultivation," the president told a gathering of coca farmers. "We can control ourselves internally. We don't need any spying from anybody.

Both countries have played politics by booting out the other country's ambassador. The United States placed Bolivia on an anti-narcotics blacklist. Other than encouraging anti-American rhetoric in South America, what does this failed policy accomplish? Nada. [more ...]

Shifting our perspective to Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez has an interesting idea:

[President Hugo] Chavez says he plans to start a program next year that will give away cars running on less-polluting natural gas to people who turn in old cars that consume "too much gasoline."

If Chavez will exchange a POS Landrover Freelander for something that's both fuel-efficient and reliable, I might move to Venezuela.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on October 05, 2008 (boomark / email).