Peru farmers block roads, Machu Picchu rail (protesting Peru's President's FTA with Bush)

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Peru farmers block roads, Machu Picchu rail
Tue Jul 8, 2008 2:03pm EDT
By Dana Ford

LIMA, July 8 (Reuters) - Peruvian farmers angry at President Alan Garcia's free-trade policies began a two-day strike on Tuesday, snarling traffic in the country's interior and closing rail service to the Inca ruins at Machu Picchu.

The actions, the latest in a series of protests held to demand the government do more to spread the wealth from a six-year economic boom, came on the eve of a nationwide general strike called by Peru's largest labor confederation.

Farmers are frustrated by the rising cost of living, want debt relief and say a free-trade deal being implemented with the United States will flood local markets with imports of subsidized U.S. agricultural goods. They are also upset at a recent law that will make it easier for investors to buy land in Peru's interior.

"It's not just one law, but all the legislative decrees we are protesting against," said Antolin Huascar, head of a national farmers' group, referring to edicts Garcia has signed to bring Peru into compliance with the U.S. trade deal. Congress gave Garcia temporary powers to issue the decrees.

"The strike is a wake-up call to the government," Huascar said.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN0829697920080708?rpc=401&

[paparush]

1. Good! I was in Peru back in Nov,2007. Lots of demonstrations by

indigenous peoples angry at their government's ever closer ties to the US. They were especially upset at the US urging Peru to eradicate coca cultivation, which would be like taking at TV from every US citizen.

Coca is culture Peru.
Coca is life in Peru.

Let the poor people stay on their lands.

[Peace Patriot]

2. Bushites support "rule by decree" for the rich in Peru (also in Colombia), but

"rule by decree" for the poor in Venezuela is tyranny!

-----

"It's not just one law, but all the legislative decrees we are protesting against," said Antolin Huascar, head of a national farmers' group, referring to edicts Garcia has signed to bring Peru into compliance with the U.S. trade deal. Congress gave Garcia temporary powers to issue the decrees.

----

When Venezuela's National Assembly did the exact same thing--granted Hugo Chavez temporary, limited powers of decree--and Bushites and Freepers and the Associated Pukes and the Miami Mafia Press and Robo-Rooters and Donald Rumsfeld, et al, did their "tyrant" chant--knowledgeable people pointed out that previous Venezuelan presidents had also been given "rule by decree" powers. They ignored this, of course, and just chanted it louder, "Tyrant, tyrant, tyrant." Now their pet "free tradist," Alan Garcia gets "rule by decree" from his legislature, and none of them bothers to make the comparison, or to say, "gee, we're sorry about that Chavez tyrant thing, it seems to be a common practice in South America. And, oh, oops, our little fascist twit in Colombia 'rules by decree,' too--and, ahem, he also bribed legislators to extend his term of office, while Chavez put his term limit to a vote of the people, lost (by a hair) and moved on. And, now that we think of it, Peru and many countries deny licenses to broacasters for use of the public airwaves for reasons less justifiable than the broadcaster actively supporting a violent rightwing military coup attempt. We're sorry we said that only when Chavez does it, with good reason, is it a dictatorship."

Nope, we didn't hear this from the fascist/corporate press, and never will. The painful ironies, and hypocrisies, and lies, and disinformation, and psyops of their reporting doesn't bother them at all. They are paid not to think.

What is the common denominator of these highly selective criticisms? When Chavez does it--or any other leftist--for the benefit of the poor, and to regulate what FDR called "organized" money in support of its victims--it is tyranny, and when fascists and "free tradists" do it, for the benefit of "organized money," it is ignored, or only reported in quotes by "striking workers," with a tag of justification by Robo-Rooters ("...referring to edicts Garcia has signed to bring Peru into compliance with the U.S. trade deal. Congress gave Garcia temporary powers to issue the decrees"), and furthermore pointing out that it is TEMPORARY.

ARE Garcia's actions REALLY needed "to bring Peru into compliance" with dictates from U.S. corporate board rooms (i.e., the White House)? Is Peru not a sovereign country? Would the Bushites--up against the wall in South America, with only two allies (Peru and Colombia), and facing a leftist landslide all over the continent--stop their bribery of the Peruvian rich if Garcia gave workers a better break? Well, we get the Robo-Rooter reporter's opinion that pissing on the workers is somehow required. Peru must kneel to the CEOs and the super-rich to be "in compliance," Dana Ford tells us. How do we know that that is even true? Has Dana Ford READ the Peru/U.S. "free trade" agreement? I seem to recall Democrats making a big deal out of the assertion that THIS "free trade" deal was OKAY, because it contained LABOR PROTECTIONS!

DOES paying the workers a decent wage put Peru "out of compliance" with the agreement? Interesting question, huh? But we will never know from the corporate press.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Peace Patriot, when someone serving the Bush empire gets a time limited power of decree, it's called

"EMERGENCY POWERS!"

As you see from the caption, it's also far better in Peru, because the _Bush-boot-licking Alan Garcia made a promise! Well, so did Hugo Chavez, but that's just not acceptable with our corporate media, and they're the ones we rely on for our White House-approved propaganda.


Last Updated: Saturday, 28 April 2007, 06:31 GMT 07:31 UK

Peru leader gets emergency powers
By Dan Collyns
BBC News, Lima



Mr Garcia has promised not
to abuse the powers

Peru's parliament has granted emergency powers to President Alan Garcia in order to deal with drug trafficking and organised crime.
Congress overwhelmingly approved the move but around 20 Congressmen walked out of the session before the vote.

President Garcia has promised not to abuse the powers, which are valid for the next 60 days.

He will only have the power to rule by decree on nine specific types of crime, most of which relate to trafficking.

More:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6602551.stm

Apparently it's all clean and on the up-and-up when the President serves U.S. corporate interests, but it couldn't be worse when the President serves his own people first, just as you pointed out.

Interestingly enough, Alan Garcia ALSO REJECTED RENEWAL OF TWO RADIO STATIONS, AND THREE TELEVISION STATIONS in April, 2007. Where's the screeching from the right-wing controlled corporate media on this?

Info. not getting any play on Uribe's position on radio/tv:

In neighbouring Colombia, which has been in the grip of civil war for nearly half a century, journalist Juan Gossaín with the RCN Radio station said in an interview with President Álvaro Uribe: "Your remarks on respect for freedom of the press lead me to suppose, for example, that you would not strip RCTV of its broadcasting licence."

To which the president responded: "I would not do that to anybody. Or rather, let them exercise journalism even without a licence; they can say whatever they want; they can operate wherever they want."

But the rightwing Uribe cannot shut down opposition TV stations for the simple reason that there aren't any, by contrast with Venezuela, where most privately-owned media outlets are openly opposed to the government.

Earlier, however, in October 2004, the Uribe administration closed the public Instituto de Radio y Televisión (Inravisión), which broadcast on three stations. Its programming included educational and cultural content, a daily interview programme on social movements, and documentaries that were often awkward for the government.

The president made the announcement about Inravisión on a Monday, and the following Thursday "the police came in and evicted the employees that same day," Milciades Vizcaíno, a sociologist by training who worked for nearly 27 years in educational programming, which was eliminated with that measure, told IPS.

The Colombian government argued that Inravisión was "inefficient."

More:
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37957

(It shouldn't be necessary to point out to people that Colombia has the worst record for physical survival of death for journalists anywhere. Some are assassinated after a season of threats, some move away after receiving threats, and the remaining ones often admit to "self-censoring" in order to avoid assassination.)

Thank you for seeing right to the bone on the original article. You spotted it all the way through the spin. Can't begin to thank you for the spirit you show in patiently pointing these things out for newcomers who haven't realized what has happened yet.

Only an awakened consciousness can guide people to these realizations, when we are all brought up surrounded by disinformation. It's up to everyone to start seeing through the deliberate misrepresentations. It takes practise.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Garcia's bringing out the Army to control the protest tomorrow:

Peruvian strike highlights wealth gap
By Naomi Mapstone in Lima

Published: July 8 2008 20:48 | Last updated: July 8 2008 20:48

Peru’s army will on Wednesday be on the streets of its big cities, policing a general strike that comes just days after the third stoppage by miners in four months.

The protests, amid economic growth of 9 per cent and strong foreign direct investment, underscore the dilemma facing the administration of Alan García, the president, in spreading Peru’s newfound wealth.

While latest government data show a 5 per cent fall in poverty last year, just over 39 per cent of the total population and almost two-thirds of the rural population in mountain and jungle regions, live below the poverty line.

The Confederation of General Workers of Peru, the country’s umbrella union body, has called the strike to protest at last year’s trade agreement with the US and to push for improved working conditions.

“Companies are making billions in profits and the government is content with 10 per cent of what it should be receiving,” said Ollanta Humala, the radical nationalist opposition leader who very nearly beat Mr García in the 2006 election.

More:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/937b11ce-4d12-11dd-b527-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

[David__77]

5. I believe Shining Path will reemerge in the next few years.

The indigenous peasantry is very unhappy with the "peace" that has settled over the country, without justice. If Peru does not reform itself and take a different path, I'm sure that they will take to arms again by the thousands.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Peruvian workers, farmers rally against Garcia

Peruvian workers, farmers rally against Garcia

REUTERS

8:59 a.m. July 9, 2008

LIMA – Thousands of Peruvians protested Wednesday to denounce President Alan Garcia's free-market policies, which they say have failed to benefit the poor during six years of booming economic growth.

Protesters waving red banners put up road blocks on highways in the regions of Ica, Puno and Cuzco, snarling traffic and closing rail service to the Inca ruins at Machu Picchu, Peru's top tourist destination, police and local radio reported. The capital, Lima, where most of Peru's recent economic growth has been concentrated, saw fewer protests.

The rallies, which coincided with a two-day farmers' strike that started Tuesday, were the latest in a series of protests held to demand the government do more to spread the Andean country's new wealth to workers and the poor. The poverty rate has fallen since Garcia took office two years ago, but still remains a lofty 40 percent.

“This is a government of the rich and of multinational corporations,” Mario Huaman, the leader of Peru's largest labor confederation, told reporters.”

More:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20080709-0859-peru-strike-.html

[twiceshy]

7. I can tell you first hand.....

(I'm married to a Peruvian)...they still farm the highlands up to 14,000 feet using the old hand hoeing techniques handed down from the Incas. They also produce some of the best most wholesome food on the planet. It would be tragic to see these methods and the hard but communal lifestyle erradicated by FTA. It's a pretty delicate balance that still works, but like they say, "how ya gonna keep em down on the farm, once they've seen the big city." Lima has grown from 5 million to 9 million in the past 10 years!

Anyway, headed back for two weeks on Saturday looking to buy property.