KAOWAO NEWS NO.
107
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Newsletter for social justice and freedom in Burma
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March 16 - 31, 2006
Readers’ front
Corrupt hospital workers threaten fight against curable
diseases at refugee camp
Alternative solution for fuel turned into forced labour
in Karen State
Farmers left with nothing after selling paddy to army
Canada’s Policy on Burma: Cham Toik
Statement of the Second Burma Forum
Mon Women Day held in America
Close Down AEIOU Programme, Due to Lack of Funds
The War Drums Are Getting Louder
Bridging the Gender Digital Divide in FOSS
Readers’ front
Dear readers,
We invite comments and suggestions on improvements to
Kaowao newsletter. With your help, we hope that Kaowao
News will continue to grow to serve better the needs of
those seeking social justice in Burma. And we hope that
it will become an important forum for discussion and
debate and help readers to keep abreast of issues and
news. We reserve the right to edit and reject articles
without prior notification. You can use a pseudonym but
we encourage you to include your full name and address.
Regards,
Editor
Kaowao News
kaowao@hotmail.com,
www.kaowao.org
On “Burma: In Search of a Solution For All” (By Nai Ong
Mon)
Dear Kaowao,
You are doing a great job. The important thing is the
information you passed around. The only thing that all
of the civil society organisations in the region should
do, is to give pressure to our respective governments to
do something positive.
Philip Jionisi
Dear Kaowao,
A really stimulating contribution. no other comment is
offered.......but this historical overview is a sleeping
timebomb.
Ruslana
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Corrupt hospital workers
threaten fight against curable diseases
at refugee camp
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(Kaowao: March 31, 2006)
Tham Hin refugee camp has been stricken by
an outbreak of diarrhea for over two weeks,
says a Mon refugee from the camp.
“The hospitals in the two camps don’t have
enough medicine to treat diarrhea. But Thai
medical workers order refugees to go to the
hospitals for treatment even though they are
not that sick, they try to get more patients
to come so that UNHCR will give them more
funding,” the man said under the condition
of anonymity.
“Meanwhile, they turn away malarial
patients because they don’t want them to die
in the hospital. About 40 from a Karen
refugee camp and about 7 from Person of
Concern (POC) camp situated close together
are suffering from diarrhea last week,” he
added.
The camps, lacking in infrastructure and
short of funding for medicines, do not have
the appropriate drugs to treat people
suffering from curable diseases such as
malaria and diarrhea. The camp hospital can
only provide paracetamol, a mild painkiller,
to treat patients suffering from the deadly
diseases.
“We don’t have enough medicine for the
patients. Medical workers can only provide
paracetamol even though patients are
suffering from malaria,” he said. The Mon
refugee added that one Karen patient died of
malaria because the hospital is out of
anti-malarial drugs to fight the disease.
Tham Hin camp, near the Thai-Burma border,
has a population of some 9,000 predominantly
ethnic Karen refugees. It is located in a
mountainous area of Ratchaburi Province;
about two hours drive from Bangkok.
Refugees International reported Tham Hin
refugees suffer from lack of land, severe
overcrowding, and extreme limitations on
movement beyond the camp’s boundaries.
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Alternative solution for
fuel turned into forced labour in Karen
State
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(Kaowao: March 26, 2006)
The State Peace and Development Council in
Pha-ann Township is implementing its physic
nut (castor oil) growing project by forcing
the local populations in Karen State to grow
the plant, sources said.
Sources from southern Pha-ann Township said
that middle school students were forced to
grow 200 plants each, while villagers in
Kanni village track southern Kaw-ka-reik
Township were extorted 700 Kyats of Burmese
currency to fulfill the project.
“Students in my village were forced to grow
200 physic nuts and the head of teacher
(middle school) is frustrated with the
order,” said Miss Mi Cetanarmon, a young Mon
woman who worked as teacher in the area.
Nai Swoh, a Mon politician from Kaw-ka-reik
told a Kaowao reporter by mobile phone that
about 3000 households of the village track
consisting of eight villages (mostly Mon
villages) were forced to pay on orders by
the village headmen received from the local
commander and township officer.
The State Peace and Development Council is
planning a nation wide physic-growing
project to produce bio-diesel fuel, which
can be used in farming equipment. In Mon
State the government is planning to put into
production 500,000 acres of plant
cultivation within the next 3 years and 7
million acres nationwide.
In Three Pagodas Pass town area, the SPDC
authorities are giving top priority to the
residents by giving land, which is not yet
officially recognized, if they grow physic
nuts, a Kaowao reporter from the border
said. The Oslo based DVB radio reported a
Burmese villager from Pe-kone Village, of
Magwe Division in central Burma was arrested
on 8 March for ‘criticizing’ the government
imposed nationwide physic nut plantation
project.
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Farmers left with
nothing after selling paddy to army
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(Joi Htaw, IMNA: March 20, 2006)
Farmers in Paung Township have been forced
to send what is being called the “paddy tax”
to Moulmein, the capital of Mon State. They
had to spend money from their pockets to
meet the transportation costs.
The authorities did not pay even the
transportation cost, said a farmer from
Zinkyaik village in Paung Township.
“We have to send the paddy very far, near
Moulmein. We also have to pay for the cost
of transporting it by car. There is nothing
left for us,” he added. From Zinkyaik to
Moulmein is about 10 miles.
The Township Peace and Development Council
said they took the paddy from the farmers
with their consent. But the farmers were
actually threatened that they would be put
in jail if they did not send the paddy by
the TPDC set dateline, said a resident.
Moreover, in order to force farmers to send
the paddy tax on time, the Township Peace
and Development Council barred rice
processors in Paung Township.
Therefore the residents were unable to
convert paddy to rice which means, the
farmers were not allowed to trade in paddy
if they did not sell it to the military.
“They did not even say when they would allow
the rice processors to operate. But some
small rice processors in the farm can
operate but we have to go very far,” other
residents said.
Some farmers are finding it difficult
arrange for their own food because the rice
processors have been banned.
The households who own 10 acres of land and
above had to give 10 baskets of paddy (20
cans of paddy) and those with less than 10
acres had to give 5 baskets (10 cans of
paddy).
The market price of 10 baskets of paddy is
30,000 Kyat but the military authorities
paid only 17,450 Kyat.
The military has not taken paddy tax from
farmers for the last three years and this
year only Paung Township had to give 10
baskets of paddy (20 cans of paddy).
The other townships in Mon State have been
quiet. But last year, the southeast
commander bought paddy from farmers in
Thanpyuzayart Township by force. They bought
six cans per acre.
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Canada’s Policy on Burma
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(By Cham Toik)
Canada has paid particular attention to the
ongoing political crisis in Burma by making
it possible for Burmese political leaders to
get together and work at drafting a
constitution. I would like to outline the
initiatives undertaken so far by my host
country and recommend further action to
strengthen its position on
facilitating democracy in my homeland.
According to the website of the Canada’s
Department of Foreign Affairs, “Canada's
policy on Burma is a direct reflection of
the severe problems that the Burmese
military government has created for its
people, and the security concerns that the
policies of its leadership and actions of
its armed forces pose for the international
community.”
From the above statement, the Government of
Canada remains deeply concerned about the
human right’s of the Burmese people and is
firmly committed to promoting democratic
reform. According to Canada, the biggest
obstacles to peace in Burma is the military
government and they feel the most effective
way to bring about change is by working in
conjunction with the international community
and actively encouraging other nations,
particularly its immediate neighbours, to
press Burma's rulers to take concrete steps
towards genuine political dialogue with the
opposition.
The Canadian government has put in place a
number of bilateral political and economic
measures to put pressure on the military
regime. In July 2003, for instance, Canada
imposed restrictive measures targeting
senior members of the regime. Under these
measures, the Burmese leadership, senior
government officials and members of the
military are to be denied visas for
admission to Canada. As well, Canada has
repeatedly called on the Burmese government
to release the over 1,000 political
prisoners of conscience and Nobel Laureate
Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.
Since 1991-2, Canada has provided over $18
million in aid to Burmese refugees in
neighbouring countries, including Thailand
and Bangladesh, through multilateral
organizations such as the UNHCR, MSF and
ICRD. Assistance has also been provided to
support peace building initiatives and
emergency humanitarian aid (such as food and
medical aid) in refugee camps outside Burma,
undertaken by non-governmental organizations
such as Inter Pares, the Burmese Border
Consortium, and Canadian Lutheran World
Relief.
In partnership with the Canadian government
and CLWR, the late Shan leader, Dr. Chao
Tzang Yawnghwe launched a National
Reconciliation Program (NRP) based on his
vision for a strong civil society governed
by the ethnic nationalities and their
people.
In this case, the NRP initiated to solve the
root cause of Burma’s ongoing political
crisis. The major problems that exist in
Burma now is a failure in establishing a
genuine federal union agreed upon through
the Panglong Agreement hammered out on
February 12, 1947, signed by General Aung
San and other ethnic nationalities. When
Burma gained independence from Britain in
1948 the hopes of establishing a Federal
Union
were dashed after General Aung San was
assassinated. The rights of the ethnic
nationalities were rejected by the central
government and civil war broke out.
The newly independent states spiralled into
war and chaos and Karen and Mon villages
were burnt to the ground with many lives
lost. The Karen National Defence
Organization (KNDO) and Mon National Defence
Organization (MNDO) were driven to take up
arms after their leaders were imprisoned and
assassinated. Since then, the struggle for
self-determination and equal rights have
played a vital role up until the present day
and solving the nation wide crisis will not
come about until all the ethnic
nationalities have a say in how they will
govern their people.
I, personally, worked with the National
Reconciliation Program while I was in
Thailand during 2001-2. Through this
program, the diverse ethnic nationalities of
Burma have been able to discuss and draft
their state constitutions for a future
Federal Democratic Union. I am pleased to
inform you that our Mon people have been
able to discuss a future constitution for
Mon state. Representatives from other
states such as Arakan, Chin, Kachin, Karen,
Karenni, and Shan have also started the
process of drafting their own state
constitutions, also. Since then, the ethnic
nationalities have held regular conferences
and meetings together in an exercise of
state building while keeping in mind the
interests of the people within an atmosphere
of unity and good governance. With the
joint support of Canadian NGOs and the
Government of Canada, this exercise has
given us a better understanding of the
problems we will face in the future. It
will undoubtedly contribute to the
betterment of the Union of Burma.
As we all are aware, today in Burma, human
rights abuses are rampant. There is no
freedom of speech, press, association or
assembly. The economic, social and political
situation is very unstable and fragmented.
After a long dictatorship, poor governance
and military repression of the population
has taken a heavy toll on the people who
suffer continually from economic poverty,
from being uprooted through forced
relocation, from forced labour and armed
conflict by the government’s measure to
repress the opposition and guerrilla
warfare. As well, in a climate of disorder
and no rule of law, rampant human
trafficking, rape as a weapon of war, and
opium production continue unabated along
Burma’s borders and deforestation from the
lack of enforcement power will have a
negative impact on future sustainability.
The general sentiment of the people is that
the government is incapable of good
governance and is only concerned with wiping
out its opponents while repressing the
people to abide by its burdens of imposing
excessively high taxes to fight the
insurgents. As a result, thousands of
refugees continue to seek refuge along the
border in the neighbouring countries.
Regarding Canada’s Policy on Burma, Canada
has been putting pressure on the military
regime by denouncing its grave human rights
violations. But the Government of Canada
could do far more if it was really committed
to finding a way to ending the political and
humanitarian crisis.
There has been good news that Canada will
accept at least 500 government-sponsored
refugees from the Burma border areas this
year. This is a great
signal for
us, because “about 9,500 Burmese refugees
scheduled to be resettled in the United
States from Thailand this year are in limbo
because their indirect support for armed
rebels opposed to their repressive
government has put them in technical
violation of American antiterrorism law.”
A concern among Burmese activists now is
Canada’s increasing focus on other countries
in allocating funds through its aid
program. Canada's aid efforts have been
based on strategic considerations or on
situations where Canada might be able to
make a difference based on strong
people-to-people ties, as stated on the
website: “The Government is committed, at a
minimum, to doubling (relative to 2001)
Canada's international assistance to more
than $5 billion per year by 2010, with an
increasing focus on Africa. Canada's
increasing fiscal health has enabled the
Government to increase its provision of
Official Development Assistance and other
international assistance. In 2004-05 the
Government allocated $3.74 billion to
international assistance.”
While it is welcomed that aid is being
directed to Africa, I would like to
recommend to the Canadian government to keep
its focus on Burma and to stay the course in
supporting democratization, but also
increasing funding to humanitarian efforts.
According to Burma Canadian activists, when
it comes to Burma, Canada falls behind other
liberal democracies such as the U.S., UK and
the Scandinavian countries. (“Canada Needs
To Do More About Burma” by Tin Maung Htoo/
Coordinator of Burma Forum Canada).
The Canadian government must continue with
its objective in pressing for political
reform and to take decisive action to ensure
that the benefits achieved so far in
promoting democracy will be maintained and
even reinforced with additional funding and
support to meet the necessary conditions to
build good governance.
Canada has a favourable role to play in the
international community because of its
contribution toward peace keeping. With its
mediation power it should use Canada’s
influence to bring the case of Burma to the
regional and international institutions.
Canada can lobby in different international
forums such as UN, APEC, EU and ASEAN and;
mediate other states to bring the case of
Burma to the United Nations Security Council
as proposed by Noble Peace Laureate
Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu and former
president of the Czech Republic Vaclav
Havel. Without international support, it
will be a long road ahead for the people of
Burma to build a peaceful and harmonious
democratic federal Union.
(A presentation at the Burma Forum held in
Ottawa on March 17-18, 2006.)
Works cited
“Government of Canada Website”
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/asia/main/country/can_policy_burma-en.asp
Last updated 2006-03-10
Provision of Anti terror Law Delays Entry of
Refugees
New York Times: March 7, 2006
“Canada's International Development: A
Snapshot”
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/cip-pic/ips/infokitcida-en.asp
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Activism
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The Statement of the Second Burma Forum
(Canada)
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Ottawa, March 21, 2006
The 2nd Burma Forum (Canada) was
held successfully at the Embassy West Hotel
in Ottawa from March 17 to 18, 2006. The
forum participants widely represented
democracy activists from Burma including
ethnic nationalities across Canada and the
United States along with representatives
from Canadian Burma support groups. The
forum touched on all Burma related issues
but mainly focused on the humanitarian
crisis, recent new political initiative of
the National League for Democracy (NLD) and
Canadian foreign policy towards Burma.
It is indeed the second opportune time for
Burmese Diasporas and Canadian supporters
across Canada to get together to exchange
views and concerns on situation in Burma and
to generate collective policy
recommendations to the Government of Canada.
After having two-day long frank and open
discussion, the Forum unanimously agreed the
following messages to deliver to the
Government of Canada.
Humanitarian Crisis in Burma
The forum gravely concerns upon rampant
humanitarian crisis in Burma and fully
supports the recent call of student leaders
from inside Burma on urgent needs of
humanitarian assistance to Burma.
The forum also agrees with the student
leaders asking the establishment of a joint
mechanism comprise with the SPDC, democracy
forces led by the NLD and International
donors to receive and manage the
international assistance. (Statement of the
“88 Student Generation” can be found as
attached)
The forum fully supports the principles of
the NLD on humanitarian assistance that
transparency, accountability and closed
monitoring are fundamental necessities to be
an effective assistance delivery system.
The forum believes that the humanitarian
crises are not because of natural disaster
or scarcity of resources but only as a
result of systemic failure of incumbent
authorities in Burma. Therefore, an urgent
humanitarian intervention by international
community under the auspices of the UN
Security Council is strongly recommended in
addition to provision of humanitarian aid.
The forum urges the Government of Canada to
increase humanitarian assistance
significantly in order to cope with
appalling situation along the Burma border
as well as inside the country.
NLD’s new political initiative “Olive
Branch” Offer
The Forum fully respects the will of the
people clearly expressed through the 1990
general elections and thus supports recent
proposal by the NLD for power sharing, as a
practical solution for protracted political
stalemate in Burma. (Statement of NLD can be
found as attached)
The Forum expects the NLD’s political
initiative will lead to a stage that will
allow equal participation of all ethnic
nationalities in the political process as
the best means for national reconciliation
in Burma consecutively expressed in the UN
General Assembly resolutions since 1994.
The forum strongly urges the State Peace and
Development Council, ruling military regime
of Burma, to get into gracious Burmese New
Year, which will begin from April 17, 2006,
by responding positively to the mutually
acceptable proposal of the NLD.
The Forum urges the Government of Canada to
support the NLD’s initiative and also
encourages international community,
especially ASEAN countries, China and India
to lend their support.
Canadian Foreign Policy on Burma
The Forum appreciates and thanks on current
measures and efforts by the government and
people of Canada for restoration of human
dignity and democracy in Burma but still
believes that the Canadian Government could
and should do more effectively in both
unilateral as well as multilateral levels.
The Forum urges the Government of Canada to
implement the Burma Motion, which was passed
by majority vote in the House of Commons in
May 2005.
The Forum welcomes and thanks the call of
former Czech President Vaclav Havel and 1984
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Arch-Bishop
Desmond Tutu of South Africa, calling for
the UN Security Council (UNSC) to act in
Burma.
The Forum welcomes the first ever
closed-door briefing of the UNSC on December
16, 2005, on the situation in Burma and
expects the UNSC will continue to seize the
matter. The Forum urges the Government of
Canada to increase its diplomatic effort to
make this possible.
The Convening Committee is preparing for
detailed report and will submit to the
Government of Canada soon.
The Forum deeply appreciates the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs Canada, Euro Burma Office
and Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) for
their strong support to make this event
successful.
The Forum also appreciates all Forum
participants and volunteers for their hard
work for the success of this event.
The Forum sincerely expects that the
Canadian Government will take these
recommendations, which reflect collective
desire of the Burmese community in Canada,
into serious consideration.
Convening Committee
Burma Forum Canada
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Mon Women Day held in America
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(By Mi Wossorn: March 14, 2006)
3rd anniversary of Mon Women Day was celebrated in Fort
Wayne, Indiana state, organized by the Mon Women
Organization (USA).
On March 12, over 90 Mons gathered for the Mon Women Day
which recognizes on the birth date of a famous Mon Queen
Mi Jao Bu (Shin Saw Pu) in honor of her ability, grace
and truthfulness that brought the Honsawaddy Mon kingdom
to the glory of peace and prosperity. In the morning,
alms donation was made to the Buddhist monks, received
the five precepts and shared merits to those who passed
away in Mon national struggle and the Queen.
Brief biography and the joint statement of Mon Women
Organization from the USA and Canada were read during
the gathering. The Mon Women Organization also reported
their annual activities and organization budget. “We
are happy to celebrate this special day to honour our
respected queen and raising awareness’ of Mon women
issues” said Mi Pakao Rot, Secretary General of the MWO.
Mi Jao Bu, the only queen in Burma, was born on 12th day
of 12th in the year of 755 Mon lunar calendar (Mar 23,
1394). She was abducted by the Burmese King Thiha Thu on
the way to pay respect Shwedagon Pagoda. She was then
seized as a queen of the Burmese kings in Ava. Mi Jao Bu
was secretly brought back to Honsawaddy by two Buddhist
monks. She ruled the Mon kingdom for 19 years and
passed away at the age of 76.
The first Mon Women Day was celebrated in 2004 in the
USA and Canada.
Close Down AEIOU Programme, Due to Lack
of Funds
The tertiary educational programme for the Burmese
Refugees, IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons), Migrant
Workers and Potential Youths from inside the country may
have to close down due to lack of funds. EWOB which has
been silently implementing this project for the last six
years (including 3 years pilot project) is now facing
acute funding problems as it can no longer feed the
students nor provide transport to Chiangmai University
and pay honorarium to the professors and office staff
and most importantly is unable to transport them back to
their own community.
The main donor has allotted only one third of the
overall budget this academic year, before sending an
evaluation team. Even though there is a bright prospect
for renewing the support in the ensuing years, the
Programme’s fund will be completely depleted by the end
of March 2006.
The 27 students (1st 2nd and 3rd
years) from 11 ethnic groups including the Burmans are
now in the doldrums.
The AEIOU Programme which is a
de facto
National University in Diaspora is not even in the
agenda of the Burma Donor’s Meeting to be held at the
end of this month in Brussels (EIAS). So there is no
hope of getting from anywhere else. Hence they appeal to
any compassionate, sympathetic and passionate individual
or organization to help them with any amount they can
donate expeditiously. The minimum budget to complete
this programme is just Euros 25,000.
Around the globe
The War Drums Are Getting Louder
(By Stephen Lendman / Countercurrents.org:
01 April, 2006)
The
way things are today, why on earth would the "big fool
lunatics in charge" in Washington ever want another war
or maybe two of them. Already they're "waist deep in the
Big Muddy" in two out-of-control debacles in the Middle
East and Central Asia, and the country is leaching
multi-billions we don't have to pay for them. Despite
this hopeless chaos, it looks almost certain we're now
headed for a new one against another Middle East
4-letter country beginning with the letter "I", and may
try to "double our displeasure" by including a "fracas
in Caracas." I just learned about an "Operation Bilbao"
which appears to be blueprint to overthrow the Chavez
government and likely includes in it targeted
assassinations starting with the guy in charge.
Do these neocrazies in Washington really think they can
pull all this off - wars on four fronts. Don't these
guys have anyone around with a sense of history? Forget
about morality and such. These folks have none of that.
But even kids in high school learn that Hitler was
doomed when he decided to wage war on two fronts. And we
all know what happened to Napoleon and a few other less
notables. It's what happens when your "eyes get bigger
than your stomach", and the indigestion that results is
called "demise by overreach." It's no different now than
a couple of generations ago or a couple of centuries
either.
AGAIN, IT'S FOR THE OIL STUPID, AND THE THIRD AND FOURTH
TARGETS ARE IRAN AND VENEZUELA
Call it the curse of having too much oil or maybe any.
If only they just grew stuff we eat there instead of
pumping the stuff our "gas guzzlers" do. Iran and
Venezuela have so much of the "black gold" their
countries are practically floating on it. But in a world
where a predatory USA can't even breathe without it,
that makes them public enemies one and two - unless they
agree to hand it all over to us. In "Godfather"
language, that's called "making an offer they can't
refuse." That's the way it works in a world where "only
what we say goes and we make all the rules." Any nation
unwilling to follow our orders and obey them becomes a
target for regime change by whatever means it takes -
including by illegal aggression using industrial
strength nuclear weapons the US now plans to throw
around like hand grenades.
I've written some in other articles about Iran and said
then and now I believe things are "hotting up" as my UK
friends would say. They're No. one in the target queue,
and it could be (nuclear) bombs away at any time. But
here I only want to discuss Venezuela because after Iran
I have almost no doubt Venezuela is next. The US may
even try to make it a twosome in their infinite lunacy.
These reckless, lawless fools are often wrong but never
in doubt. When you rule the world or want to, you even
believe you have the right to blow it up.
To understand what's in the wind, all you have to do is
clean out your ears, open your eyes and pay attention.
The US war drums are beating a duet, and they're getting
louder. Listen up, here's the message on the Venezuelan
front. On March 28, the Virginia Pilot of Norfolk, VA
(that's where the biggest US naval force is based and
where I once lived for a year) reported that the US Navy
is sending an aircraft carrier strike group composed of
four ships and 60 aircraft to Caribbean and South
American waters for a "major" training exercise. All
four ships are capable of launching cruise missiles that
might and could be armed with nuclear warheads. By my
reckoning, that's a provocative and hostile act.
Now combine that with the growing hostile rhetoric
coming out of Washington directed at Hugo Chavez. I
wrote in a previous article that Latin American expert
James Petras wrote (now some months ago) that the US has
a strategy to overthrow President Chavez by military
force and at the same time destroy the Cuban revolution
in a "two step" process - "first overthrow the Chavez
government in Venezuela, cut off the energy supply and
trade links (to Cuba) and then proceed toward economic
strangulation and military attack." He also believed
then the US would employ a "triangular strategy" to
overthrow Chavez - "a military invasion from Colombia,
US intervention (by air and sea attacks plus special
forces to assassinate key officials) and an internal
uprising by infiltrated terrorists and military
traitors, supported by key media, financial and petrol
elites."
That's an ominous scenario to consider, but now add to
it the kind of Washington rhetoric that makes it all
sound possible. Here's some of the language from 2005 to
the present, and it's getting meaner. Various US
officials including CIA Chief Porter Goss, Deputy
Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld and a growing number of others have
called President Chavez a "threat to democracy" and an
"elected dictatorship", and they said it without even a
touch of irony. They accused him of doing "away with the
rule of law, (packing) the courts (and) carrying out
anti-democratic activities" like a dictator.
It gets worse. The just updated National Security
Strategy, published so we can all read it, specifically
singles out Hugo Chavez as "a demogogue awash in oil
money (who is) undermining democracy and seeking to
destabilize the region." The complicit US corporate
media echo this venom as often as the Washington
lunatics ask them to. And there's lots more of it
including a recent US Army report that calls Hugo Chavez
"the largest threat since the Soviet Union and
Communism", and Don Rumsfeld compares him to Hitler.
And in case you missed it, I'll repeat what John Pilger
(one of my great heros) wrote on March 30 on
VHeadline.com titled: "British Channel 4 paints
President Chavez a Dictator -- Hugo to go?" I watched
that ugly and appalling piece of rot on March 27,
painful as it was to do it. In his article Pilger says
"This was a piece seemingly written by the US State
Department....." It sure sounded like it, and I've heard
enough of it through the years to agree. Here's a choice
line from it Pilger quotes: "He (Chavez) is in danger of
joining a rogue's gallery of dictators and despots
--Washington's latest Latin nightmare." There's so much
more of the worst kinds of gross lies and deception in
the Channel 4 report, but you get the idea. Read the
Pilger article if you haven't yet. Unlike myself, a
simple amateur, he's a pro's pro, an honest one, and as
good as they come.
All of what I cite above are the clearest signals yet
something is up and will happen - the only question is
when and precisely what. I only hope but do believe Hugo
Chavez is listening and hunkering down for "the
inevitable."
IN AN ORWELLIAN WORLD THE ONLY TRUTHS ARE THE LIES WE
SAY ARE TRUTHS
It makes no difference to the Washington crowd that Hugo
Chavez was democratically elected twice, is loved by the
overwhelming majority of his people and has already
survived three attempts by the US to oust him. Coming up
for sure is number four. Chavez surely knows this and
also believes (as do I) that this time the US plan is to
kill him. In US perverted logic, they believe - no more
Hugo Chavez, no more Bolivarian revolution. Well,
President Chavez may have a thing or two to say about
the first premise, and the Venezuelan people may have a
thought or two about the second, at least the 80% of
them who cherish it and will likely fight to keep it.
Readers should understand and never forget that Hugo
Chavez gave the people of Venezuela a participatory
democracy and an array of essential social programs for
everyone, especially the 80% or more poor or desperately
poor who never before had them. That's why the majority
of Venezuelans love him, will likely fight to protect
and keep him, and will never easily surrender the
essential services they now have. That's also why the US
hates him and will try to remove him. He represents the
greatest of all threats to us - a good example, one that
may spread to other nations, and we can never tolerate
that. It's bad for business. By US rules it's
corporations first, second, third, and to hell with the
people. We're doing the same thing here in the US so why
would we ever care about those dark-skinned Venezuelans
- except the rich ones, of course. With them the only
color that counts is green.
For the ordinary people everywhere, the virulent
undercurrent of racism always surfaces as a key factor
in the target countries we choose. Since the beginning
of the republic, race hate has been so much a part of
our white leaders' DNA that even caucasian Arab people
aren't white enough. And the only post-WW II war we've
fought that's an exception was the illegal aggression
against and breakup of Yugoslavia. In that case,
strategic factors outweighed race. The exception, as
they say, proves the rule.
THE US ROAD TO TYRANNY LEADS THROUGH AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ,
IRAN AND VENEZUELA
I've written several times before that the George Bush
junta today is taking the US from a republic to tyranny,
and we're already perilously close. This is a man who
believes he's "above the law" and the "Constitution is
just a goddamed piece of paper." I say this in deadly
seriousness, this is not a test, it's real and it's
coming unless we find a way and soon to stop it. Is
anyone paying attention? All my senses detect it enough
to make my skin crawl, and I'm desperately trying to
sound the alarm to all I can reach including Hugo Chavez
who I respect, admire and can only wish we had someone
like him here. We need a lot of Hugo Chavezes and a few
more Paul Reveres to echo the alarm, but this time it's
not a case of "one if by land and two if by sea." It's
coming at us from all directions, and it may be armed
with a nuclear warhead abroad and the end of our
republic and sacred constitutional rights here with
martial law and tyranny replacing them. It's that
serious. Is anyone listening?
(Stephen Lendman
lives in Chicago and can be reached at
lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
Also visit his blog site at
sjlendman.blogspot.com.)
-
GLOBAL: Bridging the Gender Digital
Divide in FOSS
Social justice advocates welcome the development of Free
Open (or Libre) Source Software (FOSS) and regard it as
having the potential to make a significant contribution
towards bridging not only the digital divide, but also
the gender divide. According to the Association for
Progressive Communications, the Free Open Source
movement is based on ''Open'' pillars: Open Source, Open
Standards and Open Content. FOSS (or FLOSS, as it is
sometimes called) gives a licence to users to access
software source codes, modify them and redistribute the
original or modified programs. Women, both in the North
and South, stand to gain tremendously from the FOSS
movement and it is hailed as having the potential to
deliver appropriate information and communication
technology on a grand scale to disadvantaged groups.
http://www.awid.org/analysis/index.php
