Kucinich to Bush Administration: Let Salvadorans Vote

[snoochie]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2004

Contact: Matt Harris: (o) [phone], (c) [phone], [e-mail]

With El Salvador preparing to vote this Sunday, March 21st, Dennis Kucinich today urged that the Bush Administration not interfere in the elections or attempt to influence the outcome.

Two top officials from the Bush Administration have made strong statements against the country's left-wing FMLN party that, according to Kucinich, "threaten the integrity of Salvadoran elections."

Last Sunday, in a phone-in press conference at right-wing ARENA party headquarters, White House Special Assistant Otto Reich said he was worried about the impact an FMLN win could have on the country's "economic, commercial, and migratory relations with the United States."

In February, Assistant Secretary of State Roger Noriega told voters to "consider what kind of a relationship they want a new administration to have with us."

In a country where family remittances constitute 16% of the national economy, this message has a powerful influence over voters.

Congressman Kucinich said: "Unfortunately, what is going on in El Salvador is representative of a Latin American policy that is not about promoting healthy democracies, but instead focused on making Latin American nations bend to U.S. commercial interests."

"The people of El Salvador have a right to free and fair elections without interference from the United States. The U.S. cannot claim to be a leader in promoting democracy worldwide and at the same time hinder democracy by attempting to influence the outcome of elections abroad," Kucinich said.

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[leesa]

1. If only Americans were mature enough for democracy, Kucinich would

be a shoe-in.

[ima_sinnic]

2. oh, I feel sick

Back in the late 80s-early 90s we battled Bush Sr. over this very issue. Everytime the Repukes come into power Latin America and the Caribbean suffer. They are so greedy they can't stand it when even a tiny island nation tries to make its own way, its own way. My Jamaican ex-husband had many tales of violence and bloodshed during Jamaican elections in the 80s, with US-backed Seaga, the "capitalist," passing out US-supplied guns. His well-financed and corrupt campaign did succeed in gaining power for a while but the people became so impoverished and oppressed that he was voted out by a landslide and the "socialist" Michael Manley, who was forever undermined and harassed by the U.S., was voted in. Education, health care and other services were then markedly increased. He was succeeded by P.J. Patterson (? or there might have been another spell of Seaga, first--voters never do learn, do they? or perhaps the ballots were corrupted); apparently Seaga's last reign was so awful that "the capitalists will never win again." But now I do hear the beginnings of a campaign to harass Jamaica again for "harboring" Aristide. Bush and his reptile friends just can't get enough blood on their hands.

on edit: meant to say, thank you, thank you, thank you Dennis Kucinich for being the only politician I know of to have the cajones to come out with this. I voted for you in our Florida primary, by the way, and you got 10% of the vote in my county.

[snoochie]

4. Glad to hear you voted for him

He's doing a hell of a job of speaking out.

[bobthedrummer]

3. Aerial mind control has been used by the US to influence foreign elections

where there's a will, there's a way.
http://www.raven1.net/commsolo.htm