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Latin American Blowhard Watch
Former
Nicaraguan dictator/current Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega
addressed the United Nations yesterday, shedding his much-vaunted
new, "moderate" image. The AP
reports:
Ortega had started off addressing the central theme of this year's General Assembly meeting - climate change - but he quickly launched into a tirade against global capitalism, meandering from his notes and speaking well beyond his allotted 15 minutes.
The world is under "the most impressive, huge dictatorship that has existed - the empire of North America," he said. An "imperialist minority is imposing global capitalism to impoverish us all and impose apartheid against Latin American immigrants and against African immigrants."
Elsewhere in Latin American, Venezuela's megalomaniacal leader Hugo Chavez, who skipped* the UN climate confab to meet with K-Pax star Kevin Spacey, set a new record on his Sunday gabfest Alo Presidente. The Guardian's Rory Carroll reports from Caracas:
The clock showed it was just after 7pm. The Venezuelan president had started at 11am, more than eight hours earlier - a new record. He looked into the camera and grinned: "The first time in history."
Welcome to Aló Presidente!, a television chatshow like no other. Sunday's edition, No 295, was the longest yet, a marathon of politics and showmanship, and for many proof that Venezuela has become a country governed largely through television.
* Venezuela's government-run news agency, Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias, said that despite Chavez's UN snub, the government "has a lot to say about the [climate change] issue and to (sic) clearly show the significant responsibility the capitalist system has in environmental decline."
NP|9.26.07 @ 1:10PM|#
8 hours?! I don't think even Castro can top that one (though in pure redundancy the Comandante probably still stands alone).
Episiarch|9.26.07 @ 1:18PM|#
who skipped* the UN climate confab to meet with K-Pax star
Kevin Spacey
Wait...Latin Americans, meeting with aliens? This is very
disturbing...haven't you seen The Arrival?
|9.26.07 @ 1:52PM|#
Hmm, I think that the worst pollution seems to happen on land
that the government owns.
Is there some new meaning of capitalism that I am not familiar
with?
VM|9.26.07 @ 2:05PM|#
Epi -
actually, not to worry. Keyser Soze will be at the meeting,
too.
ProGLib:
it's inspired by Koko!
|9.26.07 @ 2:11PM|#
"Venezuela's government-run news agency, Agencia Bolivariana de
Noticias, said that despite Chavez's UN snub, the government "has a
lot to say about the [climate change] issue and to (sic) clearly
show the significant responsibility the capitalist system has in
environmental decline.""
Sez the oil baron ...
|9.26.07 @ 2:12PM|#
Wow, Ortega is still a true believer. I an SOOOO
surprised.
Goddam, he's an idiot.
|9.26.07 @ 2:15PM|#
One look at the picture and all I can think is, "Gay Pride! Gay
Pride!"
You know when the Persian midget said there were no homosexuals in
Iran, he may have been telling the truth. He may have flirted with
Ground Zero but he thought The Village was fabulous!
|9.26.07 @ 2:15PM|#
VM,
Koko the Signing Gorilla may not exactly make sense, but her words
aren't entirely random, either. These jokers watched
Bananas and thought it was a documentary. "From now on,
the official language is Swedish."
We may be far from perfect, but we're no dictatorship or even a
real hegemony. We're just rich, powerful, influential, and damned
good looking.
Troll|9.26.07 @ 2:18PM|#
The world is under "the most impressive, huge dictatorship
that has existed - the empire of North America," he said. An
"imperialist minority is imposing global capitalism to impoverish
us all and impose apartheid against Latin American immigrants and
against African immigrants."
Sounds good but then he is pro-life just like Ron
Paul!
Marcvs|9.26.07 @ 2:28PM|#
If only we could emulate such Latin American visionaries like
Hugo Chavez instead!
And what's up with the "empire of North America"? Mexico and Canada
won't do any of our empire building for us. They just tag a long
and reap the benefits of our world dictatorship.
|9.26.07 @ 2:32PM|#
Does this mean that Chavez is the subject of today's two minute hate? Good, I was tired of hating that guy from Iran. Good thing that the world is so full of potential candidates.
|9.26.07 @ 2:36PM|#
We may be far from perfect, but we're no dictatorship or
even a real hegemony. We're just rich, powerful, influential, and
damned good looking.
Pro Libertate, speak for yoursef. I'm not that good looking.
|9.26.07 @ 2:38PM|#
Re: Troll | September 26, 2007, 2:18pm
I don't respond to the muttering bag lady, either.
|9.26.07 @ 2:38PM|#
You know, the 1984 analogy isn't apt. We're not at war
or going to war with anyone in South America. It's perfectly valid
for us to dislike people with dictatorial records or dictatorial
ambitions. "Cause, you see, we're still mostly free and still
mostly like freedom.
Not to say that I like the pre-war demonization propaganda that
we've seen in the past--Hussein = Hitler? I'm having trouble with
that one still.
J sub D,
I meant collectively. We're the Hollywood to the rest of the
world.
theOneState|9.26.07 @ 2:50PM|#
Latin American Blowhard Watch:
Jon Stewart Edition
For those of you who boycotting Jon Stewart, you might have missed
it - this was interesting (if awkward).
|9.26.07 @ 2:52PM|#
An "imperialist minority is imposing global capitalism to
impoverish us all ..."
Do they even teach economics in his country?
|9.26.07 @ 2:55PM|#
"Imperialist minority is imposing global capitalism to
impoverish us all"
When you're a have-not, this makes sense.
Kate|9.26.07 @ 2:58PM|#
Ortega is a punk, a washed-up dictator who is pissed off that he can't be center-stage anymore like he was in the 80s; for now, he has to defer to Chávez. However, I would be much more cautious of his wife Rosario Murillo; she's the brains behind the operation in Managua.
Syloson of Samos|9.26.07 @ 3:05PM|#
Pro Libertate,
While I'm no fan of Noriega, I've always thought that the rhetoric
about him prior to the invasion of Panama was way over the top.
Syloson of Samos|9.26.07 @ 3:09PM|#
What exactly was the cassus belli for our invasion? Was it the indictment?
|9.26.07 @ 3:23PM|#
What exactly was the cassus belli for our invasion? Was it
the indictment?
War on Drugs, I think.
Syloson of Samos|9.26.07 @ 3:34PM|#
J sub D,
Well, the indictment concerned drug trafficing. I do remember the
invasion being a rather quickly called affair - something like a
forty-eight hour time window
Syloson of Samos|9.26.07 @ 3:36PM|#
Ahh, here is the justification by President Bush (the first one obviously): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_invasion_of_Panama#Background
|9.26.07 @ 3:49PM|#
S of S,
Indeed, that is one example of overdoing it. As was invading
Grenada to save Christmas. I'd have been perfectly happy with
invading Grenada to stop the Cubans.
VM,
When the Gators win it all, America wins it all.
|9.26.07 @ 4:10PM|#
If that was supposed to be convincing propaganda, I just feel
bad for Ortega.
It seems as if I've now heard both Ortega and Ahmadenijad pay lip
service to Africans, although I'm fairly certain that neither
Nicaragua nor Iran has done any more for Black people than the
"North American Empire".
Doctor Duck|9.26.07 @ 11:20PM|#
What is it these days, just use words randomly?
Yes! I mean, booties!
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