Monday, April 27, 2009

New Latin America Leaders Not Leftist??

To the Petoskey News Review:
Your Editor Kendall Stanley asked for opinions on which columnist he should choose for dismissal. I am writing to offer my opinion regarding Georgie Anne Geyer, as I find it almost laughable that he considers her to be a moderate. In her last article for instance, she describes new leaders in Latin America as "not leftist in traditional Marxist terms, but rather broadly and emotionally leftish, essentially nonideological". I can only assume that since the very definition of Marxism is from each according to his ability, to each according to his need, Geyer recognizes that they do not fulfill that definition due to their “nonideological” total authoritarianism, the jailing of their political critics, the running of their countries with an iron fist, and their disrespect of basic human rights. Our US State Department has declared there are “numerous rights violations under Chavez”, that he represses opposition to his administration. "I sting those who rattle me," Chavez has said in one weekly TV address, "so don't mess with me, Condoleezza!" The recent warning given by our own Department of Homeland
Security's leader Janet Napolitano, by the way, makes me understand that now in the United States political critics of our government are being isolated and threatened by being named as possible terrorists which all local police departments have been warned to watch. Do we not recall Hillary Clinton’s screech, “I'm sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you're not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we're Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration". I guess we conservatives are not being called unpatriotic, just ripe for being terrorists. Does that make you feel better?
Ideology by definition is supposed to mean "the body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual group, class or culture." I guess Latin leaders ARE non-ideologues, as they don't CARE about the needs and aspirations of anyone but themselves. Take Chavez, for instance. I do not find Chavez to be "mystical", nor Messiah-like, as Geyer does. His getting chummy attention, with not a condition required, from what used to be the greatest power on Earth is definitely not helpful to America. Chavez has recently suggested that Venezuela and Iran must build a New World Order, along with a new bank which shall replace the IMF and World Bank. How do you think Obama's new “good neighbor policy” is working so far?
While admitting that Cuba is impoverished, she does not connect the dots to the agenda and policies of Castro in making it so. If Castro is such an "historic inspiration" to Geyer, perhaps she should note that even though Raul Castro said last week that he was open to talk about "everything, everything with the Americans", he also has no intention of changing a thing. Nor does she mention that the health care of those in Cuba is rationed by Castro's government, just as it will have to be in the USA if we indeed institute government paid health care and health insurance, as was admitted by none other than Tom Daschle, President Obama’s first, but flawed by being a tax cheat, choice to be head of this effort.. President Obama's "Good Neighbor Policy" includes new $200 million in loans to Cuba. These come rife with the probabilities of the loan money never reaching those who actually are impoverished, which is often the case with American money sent abroad. Geyer admits that "these leaders actually accomplish little palpable for their people", which she says is not the point! What, pray tell, should the point be, then?
Ms. Geyer saw in Chavez a "Messianic Glow". I assume Geyer must also see in our new President a “Messianic Glow”, for he has already declared that he and his followers are “the change we have been waiting for”, predicting that “this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal." In my view, President Ronald Reagan is our “historic inspiration”. Ms. Geyer is no moderate, but she does continue to give me plenty of material for presenting a conservative’s viewpoint.

1 comment:

  1. conservativecornerkarenApril 27, 2009 at 3:36 PM

    Jon - I'm impressed with your citations of history. Help me out here. What are you saying in relation to new and old Latin leaders and Obama's relationship with them?

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