Doug Carter wrote in message ...
Alex wrote:

What? I thought we'd extended NAFTA to South America, and joined GATT
and the WTO... We've been buying Mexican and Venezuelan oil for
decades, etc, etc, etc...


Ok, I was talking about southamerican countries where the US installed
dictatorships. Trade was not the motivation and the current lack of
trade agreements in those countries proves it.

In 2002 the U.S. exported commodities worth some $29
billions to South America and imported $48 billions worth.
See:
http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/industry/o...ea/rsamer.html

Doug, please!!! I said there are no trade AGREEMENTS, not that there
was no trade whatsoever! I was answering Rob's totally naive
assumption that the US would only interfere with foreign governments
to help people, enhance their living standard, make trade agreements,
etc.

If trade is not the motivation to install dictatorships
what was it?

Do you really need me to spell it out for you?

The US installed numerous dictatorships in South America for one
reason: the fear that somehow communism would take hold of what US
considered its "backyard". Your dear politicians decided it was better
to have tens of thousands of innocent people tortured and killed so
you could live comfortably in your cozy homes. Even when there was no
intention of these countries of turning "Cuba".

Have you ever heard of a movie called "Missing"? This is a 1982
nonfiction movie, with Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek. Unless you fear
your beliefs can be shaken by a simple movie, I dare you to watch it.

Before you tell me that a movie can lie, please remember that you are
talking with a witness of the kind of horror that this movie shows.
And it doesn't even show all that happened. Once you have seen it, add
torture and violation of pregnant women, appropriation of babies and
denial of their true identity... I live in a country that has gone
through that. I have been personally affected.

And just to show you how futile the US tactics regarding "lefties"
were, the current president of Argentina is precisely the kind of
"lefty" the US was most worried about back in the 70's. He survived
the US backed local military and now is in power. Does that represent
a threat to the US? Of course not, as it didn't 30 years ago, but your
politicians were so paranoid about it that they went along with the
killings.

McCarthy was considered crazy and you all still remember how it hurt
the US. We were killed by the thousands by that very same paranoia,
yet you managed to convince yourself that it didn't happen, that the
US stands only for freedom and peace. Even in the face of current
events, where literally the same "preventive attack" tactics are being
used, you still defend it.

It makes me sick.