I haven’t been getting out much. You might think the result should be more blogging and not less, but the opposite is the case. Anyway I got out a couple of times in the past two days.
Month: March 2005
Getting back on
Sorry for the week+ absence. Will be back this week, but intermittent over the next two weeks in general. Explanations then.
Abbas Shaken Up as Dissent Grows
Signs are increasing that attempts to legitimate an orderly transfer of power in the
The clashes in
Class antagonisms are also sharpening, with many perceiving the current re-assertion of central PA authority as an attempt to disarm the armed resistance groups whose recruitment base is largely centered in poorer areas and refugee camps. On Saturday, roughly 2500 unemployed workers in
And while tensions within Fatah are percolating, there are signs that the broader antagonism between the Islamic resistance movement in
The… um… empire strikes back
So about Bolivia.
It seems Mesa was a tougher nut to crack after all. The Bolivian Congress refused to accept his resignation. Another wave of protests have followed. Evo Morales from the Movimiento Al Socialismo has had some meetings with Mesa today. Mesa’s supporters are rallying in the streets to support him. Things are moving very fast – one way to keep up is to visit NarcoNews, where Luis Gomez has been reporting a couple of times a day.
More on democracy flowering (Bolivia & Colombia)
First of all, readers probably know by now that Bolivia’s President (Mesa) has resigned. Readers probably remember that Mesa was not elected, but put in power in an agreement after the previous president, Sanchez de Lozada, was ousted. Mesa was ousted for doing the same sorts of things Sanchez de Lozada did – giving the country’s poorly distributed resources away to multinationals with little benefit to the country’s majority. Mesa was ousted in much the same way – people power. For some good context, see this article by Webber and Spronk.
Now on Colombia’s flowering of democracy, which readers are less likely to know about already. Again the communities of Northern Cauca in Colombia have shown the way. They organized a clean, people’s plebescite in 5 municipalities in Northern Cauca. These municipalities are characterized by their structures of participatory democracy, ecologically sane development, and cultural and political autonomy. With those disclaimers, it is still an impressive showing. Of a total population in these 5 communities of 171942 people, and an electoral population of 68448, 51330 people voted. Of those, 50305 voted no to the FTA with the US, and 691 voted yes.
The people’s plebescite on FTAA in 2002 in Brazil had 10 million people voting and had a major impact on Brazil’s stance in negotiations. If Northern Cauca’s example ignites a national process, something could change in Colombia. All this is happening in the midst of major massacres and assassinations, like the one in San Jose de Apartado, which was done by the Colombian army itself, with impunity, just weeks ago. The media could have had a field day – spinning this the exact same way as they spun the Lebanon, Ukraine, or Iraq elections. Courage in the midst of terror. Assertion of democratic will in spite of the worst kinds of abuses. But… no.
Come to think of it, about Lebanon, how are they spinning the pro-Syria rally in Lebanon, organized by Hizbollah?
MAS DEL 98% DIJO NO AL TLC EN LA CONSULTA POPULAR DEL
CAUCA
[ 03/07/2005] [ Fuente: COORDINACION CONSULTA ] [
Autor: COORDINACION GENERAL CONSULTA POPULAR TLC]
Hablan los hechos y caminamos la palabra. El pueblo de los 5 municipios del Cauca, acudió masivamente a las urnas y en una elección sin precedentes por su transparencia, organización impecable, contenido y participación, decidió que rechaza la negociación y firma del tratado de libre comercio entre Colombia y los Estados Unidos. Presentamos un resúmen de los datos con el 98% del escrutinio.
De la excepcional jornada del domingo 6 de marzo, convocada por las organizaciones populares que conforman el Congreso Itinerante de los Pueblos en el Oriente Caucano debe resaltase:
1. Votaron 51,330 personas en los municipios de Inzá, Páez, Silvia, Caldono, Jambaló y Toribío. Sobre la base de una población electoral máxima registrada de 68,448 personas en los 6 municipios, se esperaba, en los cálculos más optimistas, que votaran unas 40,000, lo cual habría estado por encima de la participación electoral histórica en estos municipios. La votación en las elecciones para los actuales alcaldes municipales fué de 39,900 personas después de costosas y largas campañas.
2. El 89,51% de quienes votaron eran mayores de 18 años, para un total de 45,943 votos. 5,387 jóvenes entre 14 y 17 años votaron en urnas separadas, es decir un 10,49% de participación.
3. A nivel de cada municipio, este rotundo NO AL TLC quedó discriminado así:
PAEZ:
Población Total: 29385, Población Electoral: 14000,
Votos NO: 8871, Votos SI: 146. TOTAL: 9194.
INZÁ:
Población Total: 22000, Población Electoral: 10000 ,
Votos NO: 7399, Votos SI: 213. TOTAL: 7705
CALDONO
Población Total: 32500, Población Electoral: 11000 ,
Votos NO: 7555, Votos SI: 46. TOTAL: 7667
SILVIA
Población Total: 41236, Población Electoral:15281,
Votos NO: 8809, Votos SI:79. TOTAL:8907
JAMBALO
Población Total:14148, Población Electoral: 7000,
Votos NO:6028, Votos SI: 66. TOTAL: 6121
TORIBIO
Población Total: 32673, Población Electoral: 11167,
Votos NO: 11721, Votos SI: 141, TOTAL: 11913
CONSOLIDADO:
Población Total: 171942, Población Electoral: 68448,
Votos NO: 50305, Votos SI: 691. Total: 51330.
4. La transparencia y legitimidad de este proceso de consulta diseñado por las organizaciones campesinas e indígenas fue verificada por veedores y veedoras nacionales e internacionales de los más diversos sectores incluyendo representantes de la iglesia, partidos políticos, organizaciones no gubernamentales y de derechos humanos, movimientos sociales, organizaciones de mujeres y ambientalistas, sindicatos, académicos e investigadores, periodistas, senadores y representantes a la cámara. Además de verificar todo el proceso de votación y escrutinio, los veedores y veedoras firmaron las actas finales certificando la veracidad y transparencia de los resultados.
LOS HECHOS HAN HABLADO Y EL PUEBLO DEL ORIENTE CAUCANO HA DECIDIDO QUE NO QUIERE LAS NEGOCIACIONES Y FIRMA DEL TRATADO DEL LIBRE COMERCIO PARA COLOMBIA, COMO SE VIENEN REALIZANDO CON LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS.
QUEDA PLANTEADA DESDE ESTA PALABRA DE LOS PUEBLOS DEL CAUCA LA CONVOCATORIA DE CONSULTA AL RESTO DEL PUEBLO COLOMBIANO PARA QUE DECIDA SI ESTÁ DE ACUERDO O NO CON LA NEGOCIACION Y FIRMA DEL TLC.
In case you didn’t think this blog celebrates democracy…
If you’re a regular visitor you know that this blog does not share in the general celebrations around the flowering of ‘democracy’ in the Israel-Occupied Palestinian Territories, nor in Lebanon, nor in Iraq, nor in Haiti, nor even in the Ukraine. Nor is this a place where the US is held up as the model of democracy.
Continue reading “In case you didn’t think this blog celebrates democracy…”
5 people killed in Alberta
The Canadian media are full of reports of 5 people killed in a shootout at a marijuana ‘grow-op’. 4 police officers conducting a raid were killed by a gunman, who himself was killed by return fire.
All deaths are tragedies. Murders are particularly horrible. Preventable murders are still worse. People affected, the families, should have time to mourn. And yet the deaths are already being used to justify policies that will produce more such deaths and compound the tragedies.
Democracy in Lebanon!
There seems to be an orgy of self-congratulation in the media about the arrival of democracy in Lebanon. How wonderful. It’s like the Ukraine.
Readers of this blog know the Ukraine situation was more complex than the people’s movement beating the Russian-backed authoritarian regime story declared in the West.
The situation in Lebanon seems to me to be more complex still.
I want to call your attention to a piece by Ghassan Makarem that you might have seen. That supplies some needed context.
CBC takes the edge off some Haiti killing
Very nice little piece of blogging by Dru at the Dominion. Please read.