the two are foot soldiers fighting obscurity and irrelevance

Remove all Republicans: Seems more like they are fighting imperialism and hubris coming from the US.

Shh...you'll wake the knuckledraggers.

Chavez pretty much made a fool of himself with this Columbia "invasion". I wonder how glad Raoul is to see him.

Were they holding hands and taking windy walks?

Chavez doesn't want to be the only guy without a chair when the music stops.

With Raul on his side he can at least have some confidence that the status quo, under which he maintains power, stays the same.

It'd make a great sitcom, to replace any reality show. Of course, the names would have to change from Hugo and Raul to Huggy and Raol.

it'll be interesting to see what "lil c" is all about. keeping things running smoothishly enough might not be enough

Remove all Republicans: Seems more like they are fighting imperialism and hubris coming from the US

wow, Deep.

Remove all Republicans: Marshall_Matt: the two are foot soldiers fighting obscurity and irrelevance

Seems more like they are fighting imperialism and hubris coming from the US.

but do they have the common courtesy for a reach around? DO THEY PRIVATE PYLE?

Remove all Republicans: Marshall_Matt: the two are foot soldiers fighting obscurity and irrelevance

Seems more like they are fighting imperialism and hubris coming from the US.

Well, in their own minds I'm sure that's true. U.S.meddling in Latin America hasn't really been to helpful to anybody in the long run, and with the Cold War effectively over,, there's little left but the smoldering resentment it's left behind - and exploiting that resentment has always been good for some political capital in the region. But the "Yanqui go Home!" routine is getting limited return lately - more and more Latin Americans are expecting actual performance from their governments. Anti-U.S. rhetoric is no longer enough to satisfy the hungry masses. Castro and Chavez find themselves in a rather exclusive social club these days.
The best thing for the U.S. to do is ignore these guys. They will do themselves in without any help from us (or not, if they are wise or fortunate enough), and the less we involve ourselves, the less we will get blamed for the probable outcomes.

Remove all Republicans: Seems more like they are fighting imperialism and hubris coming from the US.

You rode the short bus all through school, didn't you.

jso2897: Well, in their own minds I'm sure that's true. U.S.meddling in Latin America hasn't really been to helpful to anybody in the long run, and with the Cold War effectively over,, there's little left but the smoldering resentment it's left behind - and exploiting that resentment has always been good for some political capital in the region. But the "Yanqui go Home!" routine is getting limited return lately - more and more Latin Americans are expecting actual performance from their governments. Anti-U.S. rhetoric is no longer enough to satisfy the hungry masses. Castro and Chavez find themselves in a rather exclusive social club these days.
The best thing for the U.S. to do is ignore these guys. They will do themselves in without any help from us (or not, if they are wise or fortunate enough), and the less we involve ourselves, the less we will get blamed for the probable outcomes.

A very well reasoned post. Makes a lot of sense. What are you doing on Fark? Those kinds of posts aren't allowed here. Only tard comments like those from Remove all Republicans are welcome 'round these parts.

jso2897:
The best thing for the U.S. to do is ignore these guys. They will do themselves in without any help from us (or not, if they are wise or fortunate enough), and the less we involve ourselves, the less we will get blamed for the probable outcomes.

Problem with that is, when things really go to shiat, either by their economies collapsing entirely or their commiting hostile acts against their neighbors, we'll still get blamed for NOT having done something to prevent it.

/Damned if you do, yadayada...

ilambiquated: Chavez pretty much made a fool of himself with this Columbia "invasion".

Explain?

jso2897: Well, in their own minds I'm sure that's true. U.S.meddling in Latin America hasn't really been to helpful to anybody in the long run, and with the Cold War effectively over,, there's little left but the smoldering resentment it's left behind

Both before and after September 11, 2001, the US government's provided military and economic aid to Colombia for the purposes of counterinsurgency and counterterrorism, in addition to its Drug War assistance.

In 1999, the US State Department began sharing real-time intelligence about the guerrillas with the Colombian military. Officials told the Washington Post that they feared "Colombia is losing its war against Marxist-led insurgents." [64]

In May 2001, the Bush administration introduced the Andean Regional Initiative (ARI), which broadened U.S. intervention throughout the entire region, directing another $800 million to the project over Plan Colombia. [65] The ARI supplies military support and economic assistance and to seven Andean countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. [66]

After September 11, 2001, US government officials compared the FARC with Osama Bin Ladin, describing both of them as terrorists. [67] Senator John McCain stated that the United States now "abandons any fictional distinctions between counter-narcotic and counter-insurgency operations" [68] Author Doug Stokes has criticized this, stating that "in the aftermath of September 11th the US has dropped the pretence that its military assistance has been driven solely by counter-narcotics concerns and has now started to overtly couch its funding in terms of a strategy of counter-terrorism targeted at the FARC, who are now being linked to international terrorism as well as drug trafficking." [69]

In July 2002, "the US Congress passed an emergency supplemental spending bill that lifted a previous provision limiting US assistance to counter-narcotics efforts. Under the new rules, US security assistance can be used against 'organizations designated as terrorist organizations...'". According to Amnesty International, "the new US strategy makes US assistance to Colombia available for counter-insurgency activities for the first time, including direct action against armed groups. The US is now providing military aid for direct use in counter-insurgency operations specifically to protect US operated oil installations, such as Caño Limón."

Raul RULES!!!

Remove all Republicans 2008-03-09 06:14:12 AM

Marshall_Matt: the two are foot soldiers fighting obscurity and irrelevance

Seems more like they are fighting imperialism and hubris coming from the US.


If you don't like Republicans, fine. But don't do anything stupid like becoming a commie sympathizer.

I know with things with russia beign strange latly I could eat these words, but communism DID stop being relevent when the Union Colapsed.

Except to Collage kids.

Given the opertunity which, at some point will present itself, Chavez will be a dangerious man.

Remove all Republicans: I'm way past a sympathizer.

Oh yeah, cheaper and better healthcare, everyone having enough food to eat, no sending people off to die for oil, everyone working together to help each other out rather than being self-centered asses, no god, keep that away from me!

How could I survive if I didn't have work 70 hour weeks, driving back and forth at $4 gallon gas for oil company profits, to sit in my house that the bank'll foreclose on tomorrow, eating my food that the federal government has paid farmers to destroy to inflate prices, all in fear of getting sick and being forced to die outside a hospital so that my boss can get his 16-year-old crotchfruit a 7-series instead of a 5-series?


Have you ever lived in or visited a communist country? I have, and you have no idea what you're talking about.

The_Sponge: Have you ever lived in or visited a communist country? I have, and you have no idea what you're talking about.

You mean a Communist country? (Capital "C.")

No country I can think of ever actually stood by the tenets of "communism," they became military dictatorships. They failed their own ideologies.

whidbey: The_Sponge: Have you ever lived in or visited a communist country? I have, and you have no idea what you're talking about.

You mean a Communist country? (Capital "C.")

No country I can think of ever actually stood by the tenets of "communism," they became military dictatorships. They failed their own ideologies.

but that wont stop us from saying that communism = crime :E