#corruption in Latin America

[dialmforolrik]

[16/08/2023, Plaza de la Constitución, Guatemala] A woman holding the portrait of Juan José Arévalo – the first democratically elected president of Guatemala, after a popular revolution in 1944 overthrew the dictatorship – notices beside her Bernardo Arévalo, Juan José Arévalo's son and the unlikely leading candidate for president of this Central American country.

After decades of corrupt politicians pocketing up to 40% of the State's budget, Bernardo Arévalo has gather enormous popular support with his low-cost, power-to-the-people, anti-corruption campaign. This Sunday (Aug. 20th) the Guatemalan people will choose between him and her unscrupulous, foul-mouthed, anti-lgbtq, formerly imprisoned for illegal campaign financing opponent, Sandra Torres.

[usaigi]

Jake was opposed to Marc joining the military not because it was bad for his mental health or anything but because he hates the US and it’s neocolonial ties to Latin America

[indizombie]

UNESCO found that Latin America and the Caribbean were the deadliest for journalists in 2022 with 44 killings, over half of all of those killed worldwide. Worldwide, the deadliest individual countries were Mexico, with 19 killings, Ukraine with 10 and Haiti with nine. Asia and the Pacific registered 16 killings, while 11 were killed in Eastern Europe. While the number of journalists killed in countries in conflict rose to 23 in 2022, compared with 20 the previous year, the global increase was primarily driven by killings in non-conflict countries. This number almost doubled from 35 cases in 2021 to 61 in 2022, representing three-quarters of all killings last year. Some of the reasons why the journalists were killed were due to reprisals for their reporting on organized crime, armed conflict or the rise of extremism. Others were killed for covering sensitive topics such as corruption, environmental crime, abuse of power and protests.

‘Killings of journalists up 50 per cent in 2022: UNESCO’, UN News

[neyatimes]

Guatemala will vote for new president but critics say many anti-corruption candidates were weeded out

CNN  —  Guatemalans head to the polls on June 25 to pick a new president, as regional watchers warn of a downward spiral of kleptocracy and weakening rule of law in Central America’s most populous nation. Social democrat Sandra Torres, the right-wing Zury Ríos and center-right Edmont Mulet lead the pack of more than 20 presidential hopefuls in the general elections. Other candidates have been…

[kp777]

By Nina Lakhani and Analy Nuño in Guadalajara

The Guardian

April 10, 2023

A wave of attacks against environmental defenders has left Indigenous and rural communities across Mexico and Central America reeling amid a lack of government protection and widespread impunity.

At least two dozen defenders have been murdered, disappeared and jailed across the region so far this year, according to research by the Guardian. On Wednesday, the Indigenous rights and anti-mining activist Eustacio Alcalá Díaz was found dead in Michoacán, Mexico, three days after he was abducted by armed men while traveling with Catholic missionaries.

Díaz, who spearheaded a legal campaign to stop a transnational mining company – and won – was the ninth defender murdered or disappeared in Mexico so far this year.

Eustacio Alcalá Díaz, a Nahua land defender and anti-mining activist, has been murdered in Michoacán, Mexico. Photograph: Max Granger/Twitter

While the specific context of the repression varies from country to country, experts say a toxic mix of impunity, corruption and organised crime have permitted – and even encouraged – the imposition of extractive industries such as mining, energy and plantation crops in areas where communities depend on the land and water sources to thrive.

Across the region, authorities fail to consult local people over land use and major infrastructure projects, prompting protests and opposition that imperil the safety of community leaders, said Michel Forst, the UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders.

Read more.

[immaculatasknight]

Operation Condor goes to court

[theusarticles]

Brazil military finds no fraud in election, but refuses to rule it out | CNN

Brazil military finds no fraud in election, but refuses to rule it out | CNN

CNN  —  Brazil’s military has found no sign of vote-rigging in the country’s 2022 elections, according to a new report released this week. Yet worries persist that the report could fuel tensions among supporters of outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro, who repeatedly made unfounded claims about potential fraud on the campaign trail. Leftist former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the…

[zorilleerrant]

for people who want to know why listening to music/TV/whatever on public transportation is rude, while speaking to other people in the vehicle at the same volume is not, and speaking on the phone at the same volume only situationally is... the answer is simply convention.

there are things people expect to happen and other things people expect not to happen. that’s social convention. when people violate those standards it makes other people upset, because as a society, we need baseline assumptions about what actions people will or won’t take in common interpersonal interactions. otherwise we wouldn’t be able to live in groups.

no, there is no practical difference between listening to music or talking to another person. both are distracting to many people, annoying to many people, potentially harmful to many people, and something that the listener has no control over. the difference between them is that they’re treated differently. the reason they’re treated differently is because people are used to treating them differently, so they are marked socially in different ways.

yes, this is the exact same reason why people are treated differently based on whether they make eye contact, the tone of voice or accent they use when speaking, the way they hold themselves inside the train, etc. and many other things that make no practical difference, but are simply based on social expectations. and yes, there are many reasons to be for or against this, because it’s a complicated issue.

but that’s the real answer. it’s rude to listen to media in enclosed public spaces because as a culture people have agreed that it’s rude.

[thelostdreamsthings]

Henry Kissinger is dead.

He symbolized peak American Empire — violent geopolitics for the sake of power.

Human beings meant nothing to Kissinger, who supported depopulation programs & genocides.

He played a key role in war crimes & genocide in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, East Timor, Bangladesh;

He helped install murderous dictators in Brazil, Argentina etc. to maintain US control over Latin America.

He was also a mentor of Klaus Schwab, founder of World Economic Forum.

That he got a Nobel prize for peace shows how corrupt and evil the Western system is.

[morallyinept]

A full character analysis on COMANDANTE VERACRUZ from the film BURN NOTICE: THE FALL OF SAM AXE

I've created this as a point of reference when writing for Pedro's characters, and I hope you find it useful. Even if you just want to learn more about the character. 🖤

FULL MASTERLIST OF PEDRO'S CHARACTERS ANALYSED

FULL CHARACTER STUDY:

Basic Details:

Full Name: Comandante Veracruz (Comandante means Commander and Veracruz is his presumed last name. His first name is never mentioned)

Nickname(s): Often referred to as just Veracruz by Sam

Appears in: Burn Notice: The Fall Of Sam Axe, 2011 (first appearance at approx. 10:07)

Age (if known): Unconfirmed, possibly early to mid 30's based on physical appearance

Sexuality: Unknown/Not confirmed

Nationality: Hispanic, the film is set in Colombia with Veracruz's scenes, so presumed Colombian. However, it is not confirmed exactly where he is from

Family: Unknown/Not confirmed

Spouse/Partner: Unknown/Not confirmed

Relationship Status: Unknown/Not confirmed

Current Living Status: Alive - Veracruz was arrested at the end of the film. so is presumed in jail under terrorist/murder charges

Languages Spoken: English, Spanish

Education: Unknown/Not confirmed, however it appears he has military experience, so therefore would have needed basic school/college education to enlist in any military services

Occupation:

Job Role/Title: Leader of a militia group in Colombia

Special Skill(s): Firearms, combat training

Notable Colleague(s): Sam Axe

Distinguishing Features:

Tattoo(s): Bullseye tattoo on left hand between thumb and forefinger (Pedro's own), V tattoo on right wrist (Pedro's own)

Piercings: None

Scar(s): None notable

Other Markings: None notable

Prominent Feature(s): Sparse facial hair, five o'clock shadow, slicked/greased hair

Injuries: Veracruz fights with Sam and receives a blow to the lower gut/groin area with Sam's knee, and is punched twice in the face, resulting in a possible broken nose - it's seen bleeding profusely as he's arrested

Eye Colour: Brown

Hair Colour: Brown, appears darker as wet/slicked back

Personality:

Traits: Ruthless, cold, devious

Veracruz is a corrupt militia leader who is working against Sam. He intends to blow up the doctor's clinic as leverage to game the system for aid and plans to use a small farm the resistance group is protecting as a drugs trafficking route.

Veracruz has convinced Sam that the Espada Ardiente (the resistance group) is a dangerous group of terrorists whom Veracruz and his group are there to stop to bring peace to the community, but Sam soon discovers the Espada Ardiente is just a small group of farmers trying to protect their land and protect themselves against Veracruz and his men.

Veracruz explains he trained at the "School Of The America's in '92." The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), formerly known as the School of the Americas, is a United States Department of Defense school located at Fort Moore in Columbus, Georgia. It has a Latin American Training Center-Ground Division, which is possibly where Veracruz would have trained, specializing in their major programmes of engineering, communications, and weapons and tactics.

Veracruz is ruthless, shooting one of his own men in his commitment to his cause. In a deleted scene he states, "We have a job to do, Capitan. We were asked to supply a massacre. Is there a problem?" Indicating he has no issue with cold-blooded murder.

Fashion/Outfits:

Outfit 1 - (All scenes) Grey/Blue cargo type shirt and pants combo, back round neck t-shirt underneath, black tac vest, black thigh holster, black army style boots

Accessories: Black watch on left wrist

Weapons Used:

Weapon(s): (Exact weapons pictured below)

Veracruz uses a Glock 17 pistol, however in the film a replica is given to Pedro to act with, which is a Umarex SA177 BB Gun Repeater

Veracruz uses a M4A1 Carbine Rifle

Veracruz also uses a large, serrated knife in his fight with Sam, which he pulls from a sheath on his belt

Modes of Transport:

Vehicle(s):

Veracruz drives a 2000 model Toyota Land Cruiser, license plate OWI-619

His men drive a mix of an AM General M-35, a 1995 Chevrolet C-3500, and a 1992 Ford F-Series

Dialogue:

🗨 See Veracruz's full dialogue from the film, including deleted scenes.

Further Character Links (if any):

The Fall Of Jeffery Donovan - BTS

FULL MASTERLIST OF PEDRO'S CHARACTERS ANALYSED

[inamindfarfaraway]

I love how cleverly Black Friday recontextualizes Christmas music and imagery to be menacing and sinister:

Green is Wiggly’s colour, commonly associated with the supernatural and extraterrestrial because in terms of lighting, it’s very unnatural. You only see green light naturally occur in seemingly mystical phenomena like the auroras. In terms of animals, Wiggly’s trademark bright green is pretty rare and primarily used to warn predators of toxicity or be more attractive to a potential mate. In human culture, it’s the colour of American paper money and frequently considered the colour of greed (wanting more money and material things) and envy (wanting what others have).

Red is the lighting colour of human evil and vice. It’s most prominent in scenes like Wiley’s deal with Linda and Sherman strangling Lex. This also makes sense: red is blood, danger, fire. But together the villainous colours for lighting are the colours of Christmas. Often when things are the worst, people being immoral and Wiggly exerting his power simultaneously like during the riot, the lighting is also paradoxically the most festive.

The Christmas tinsel on the upper level looks completely ordinary, until it’s used as the tentacles of Wiggly’s true face. Not only is this being so otherworldly and incomprehensible that he’s ‘played’ by parts of the set (same with the stage light eyes), but it visually shows that he’s to a degree been part of the story the whole time, looming over the characters’ heads. An element of his spirit has always been there and remains after he’s defeated, just like the unfair, exploitative socioeconomic structures he takes advantage of. He isn’t killed at the end, merely overcome and kept at bay for now, just like the flawed nature of humanity.

In his first scene Frank, the personification of capitalism, sings sections of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” with Wiggly replacing Jesus. This is entirely of his own free will, as the toy shipment hasn’t even been unboxed. But then paralleling Wiggly with Jesus (“open your heart up to his love”, “The father’s the son, the son’s the father”, “the birth of a god”, “[Christmas Day is] going to be my birthday”, “you have kept the shepherd from his flock”, “He will rise up with joyful noise”, etc.) and associating him with Christmas music (the tune of “Carol of the Bells” is one of his leitmotifs and sung to in “Wiggle”, he’s introduced in person to jingling bells in “Made in America”) become motifs throughout the show. This theme is both a dark, terrifying perversion of everything Christmas is meant to be about, right down to Wiggly amplifying selfishness and greed while Christmas promotes selflessness and generosity; and a sobering reminder that through the extreme commercialization of the holiday, we ourselves have already corrupted it.

Why “Carol of the Bells” specifically, though? That piece of music contains the “Dies Irae” leitmotif, a widespread musical shorthand for death. The Gregorian hymn that originated it, Latin title translating to “Day of Wrath”, refers to Judgement Day. In this event God will supposedly judge all human souls and select those who have been good and followed his ways and laws to receive eternal reward, while those who have been sinful and disobedient are condemned to suffer forever. Given the strong ‘Wiggly = the Christian God but evil’ theme… what judgement do you think Wiggly would cast upon humanity? Makes the corresponding lyric “When Wiggly comes” even more ominous, doesn’t it?

[radiofreederry]

Happy birthday, Lula! (October 27, 1945)

A former steelworker and union leader, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, better known simply as Lula, was the President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010, the first President elected from the leftist Workers’ Party (PT). Becoming active in the labor movement during Brazil’s military dictatorship, Lula faced prison for organizing industrial actions against the regime. Helping to found the PT, Lula was elected to the Congress of Brazil in 1986, and first ran for President as the PT’s candidate in the 1989 Presidential election, the first held democratically since 1960. Lula lost in the second round, but proved himself a force in Brazilian politics, and was finally elected President in 2002, as part of the “pink tide” which swept Latin America at the turn of the century, in which leftist politicians came into power across the region. Lula’s Presidency focused heavily on social works and the pursuit of an independent foreign policy, although many of his policies in action were more moderate than his rhetoric and record. Lula became beloved among the poor and working class of Brazil, and he was targeted on charges of corruption which removed him as a player in the 2018 Presidential election, in which it was widely believed he was capable of defeating Jair Bolsonaro. He was released from prison in 2019. In 2022, he ran for President once more, and won.

“In Brazil, a poor man goes to jail when he steals. When a rich man steals, he becomes a minister.”

[2goldensnitches]

I don’t think it’s discussed enough how american and euro “leftists” (mostly tankies but also quite a few seriously uninformed libs) heavily romanticise latin american leaders and present them as “nicer” (read: rural simple-minded folksy grandfatherly types, which sounds insultingly close to romantic primitivism) men who are contrasts to the ugly, greedy (((capitalist-globalist))) oppressor westerners, and it plays into their stupid static idea of latin america being this one homogenous blob of rustic cuteness threatened by evil amerikkka looming over it from the north.

Fam, the “nice socialist” men you stan are corrupt as hell and do not present any meaningful progress aside from populist optics. They supposedly champion the common poor while their children are coddled nepo babies enjoying luxuries worth millions in usd as well and foreign boarding schools. Even bolsonaro is not seen as bad enough compared to, say, macron, when we had a brazilian tankie saying “brazilian nationalism isn’t bad because it’s not western” and ofc ppl like her only interact with westerners instead of other latin americans

[ptseti]

PT. 1: FORMER CIA AGENT SPILLS TRUTH ABOUT WAR AGAINST THIRD WORLD

In this 1988 video clip, former CIA agent John Stockwell spoke out about the CIA’s crimes against the people of Africa, Asia and Latin America. He called this the ‘Third-World War’ because his studies concluded that crimes against people in countries that did not align with either the United States or the former Soviet Union made up the ‘third bloodiest war.’

The term ‘Third World’ evoked pride as it was associated with anti-colonial resistance. French demographer Alfred Sauvy coined the term to refer to states adopting a policy of neutrality in the face of the 20th century’s Cold War. Today, the term is often inaccurately used to describe countries riddled by warfare, disease, poverty, corruption and general violence.

While most Third World countries have been formally independent since the 1960s, they continue to operate under European and US economic and military terms. Further, covert US intelligence operations in the 20th century had wreaked havoc, setting the stage for US military invasion and the overthrow of democratic leaders. In more recent years, the United States has bombed or aided other countries to bomb countries like Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Palestine, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia.

CIA #Agent #JohnStockWell #Crimes #Africa #Asia

[beardedmrbean]

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Mexico accused Ecuador of a blatant violation of international law before the top U.N. court on Tuesday, asserting there was no legal defense for storming the Mexican Embassy in Quito to arrest a former vice president who had just been granted asylum by Mexico.

The April 5 raid, hours after Mexico granted asylum to former Vice President Jorge Glas, spiked tensions that had been brewing between the two countries since Glas, a convicted criminal and fugitive, took refuge at the embassy in December.

Leaders across Latin America condemned the raid as a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

“There are lines in international law which should not be crossed. Regrettably, the Republic of Ecuador has crossed them,” Alejandro Celorio Alcantara, legal adviser for Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, told the court. “The actions undertaken by Ecuador not only transverse the established boundaries of international law, but also have served a disconcerting precedent that reverberates across the international community.”

Mexico’s chief of mission was shoved to the ground by police during the raid, an action captured on surveillance video that raised Mexico’s ire.

“The forceful and violent incursion of Ecuadorian authorities into the premises of the Mexican Embassy and the unjustified exercise of violence against members of our diplomatic mission, alongside the blatant attempt to justify a grave violation of international law, vividly showcase Ecuador’s disregard for fundamental, universally accepted and long-standing norms,” Celorio said.

Ecuador said Glas was wanted because of corruption convictions and not for political reasons, and has argued that Mexico’s granting of asylum to a convicted criminal was itself a violation of the Vienna Convention.

But Celorio asserted Tuesday that “There is no rule under international law that could nullify the inviolability of the embassy of Mexico and no standard under which the assault could be termed as a lawful operation.”

Two mornings of preliminary hearings at the International Court of Justice are focused on Mexico’s request for interim orders known as provisional measures to be put in force while the case progresses through the court — a process likely to take many months. Ecuador was expected to respond Wednesday.

Among the measures Mexico is seeking is for the court to order Ecuador to take “appropriate and immediate steps to provide full protection and security of diplomatic premises” and prevent any further intrusions. It also wants Ecuador to let Mexico clear its diplomatic premises and the homes of its diplomats in the country.

In its case filed April 11, Mexico also asked the court to award reparation and suspend Ecuador from the United Nations.

On Monday, Ecuador also filed a case at the International Court of Justice accusing Mexico of using its embassy to “shield Mr. Glas from enforcement by Ecuador of its criminal law” and arguing that the actions “constituted, among other things, a blatant misuse of the premises of a diplomatic mission.”

It asked the court to rule that Mexico’s actions breached a number of international conventions. No date was immediately set for hearings in the case filed by Ecuador.

[your-krazy-uncle-bob]

The Left used to accuse imperialist, resource-hungry Yanquis in Washington of cutting selfish deals with illiberal dictatorships in Latin America to grab their natural resources. 

How odd then that Joe Biden is now begging the despicable Maduro regime in Venezuela—corrupt, murderous, and anti-American—to produce more of its oil solely to send northward to America. 

Biden is quite willing to ease sanctions and condone the human rights abuses of Maduro—if his dictatorship will just open its oil spigots before the November midterm elections. 

Biden in 2020 campaigned on the supposed evil nature of the Saudi Arabian monarchy. Yet after vainly entreating Venezuela, Iran, and Russia, it was inevitable that Biden would once again supplicate the Saudis to pump more oil. 

Biden even pleaded with OPEC to increase its output and thus lower the world price of energy—again before the midterm elections. 

Biden, remember, has a bad habit of bragging that he lowered gas prices at the pump when the natural volatility of the petroleum markets leads to a fractional decrease. But once prices spike, he is utterly silent about his own role in limiting U.S. oil and gas output.

So, was it any surprise that the Saudis became the fourth non-democratic regime to refuse Biden’s entreaties? During the 2020 campaign, when gas prices were dirt cheap, and when then candidate Biden was demagoguing about ending fossil fuel, he opportunistically libeled the Saudis a “pariah” state. 

Biden also claimed that his opponent Donald Trump had cozied up to these supposedly awful Saudi royals. That accusation was especially ironic given that Trump was the first American president who had no need for Saudi oil. 

His administration had managed to make the United States the largest producer of gas and oil in history— precluding any energy dependence on illiberal regimes abroad. 

Trump was the first U.S. president whose interest in Gulf State monarchies was not energy-driven. 

Instead, he partnered with the Arab nations to end their hostilities with Israel. The ensuing Abraham Accords saw a historic thaw between the Jewish state and moderate Arab nations—given their shared worries about the unhinged Iranian theocracy. 

The Saudis are enjoying the schadenfreude of seeing their former American critic now on his knees, demanding the purportedly dirty, polluting oil produced by a supposed “pariah” state. 

In response to their “No,” a desperate Team Biden is getting nasty. Almost immediately the administration raised the idea of a pre-midterm retribution of suing the OPEC cartel as a price-rigging monopoly. It even maneuvered allies in Congress to take action to punish Riyadh for not playing the American pawn. 

The American public is repelled as they watch Biden’s pathetic theatrics of global oil begging to help himself in the midterms. They are ashamed that their recently energy autonomous country is now imploring non-democratic regimes for every drop of their oil—to the extent of threatening former allies and coaxing current enemies. 

More bizarre still, the public was once told that Biden and the Left wanted high energy prices. 

Why else did Biden upon entering office cancel the Keystone Pipeline? 

Did he not fulfill his green promises to the radical environmentalist Left by shutting down oil fields in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? 

Did Biden not dutifully hector lending agencies, pensions funds, and money managers not to loan to, or invest in, oil and gas companies? 

Did Biden not issue fewer new energy leases on federal lands than any prior president? 

Was it not Biden on the eve of the Ukrainian war who jawboned the Europeans to reject the EastMed pipeline? That project was a much-needed joint effort by three of our closest allies—Greece, Israel, and Cyprus—to bring clean-burning natural gas to an energy-starved Europe. 

In sum, did not Biden brag to the Left that he kept his campaign promises to strangle fossil fuels—both curbing supply and spiking prices—to hasten the “transition” to wind, solar, and batteries? 

Why then is Biden humiliating Americans by playing the hard-nosed ugly American? Why is he demanding foreigners pump what we ourselves have in plentitude but will not fully produce? 

The answer, of course, is raw politics. 

Biden knows he wrecked the economy by deliberately surging oil prices in pursuit of the Left’s utopian green nightmare. 

Or put another way—if it is a question of avoiding a historic midterm wipeout, Joe Biden will now do anything. 

And that anything means all the human rights sermons about ostracizing “pariah” states like oil-rich Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela go out the window. 

In winter 2021 Biden lectured us that fossil fuels were dirty obstacles to our green future. 

As winter 2022-23 approaches, Biden believes he can strong-arm his enemies to send us more of such taboo energy that we won’t produce ourselves. 

Good luck with all these utter absurdities. 

(americangreatness.com)