South America: YEAH! Awesome riots overtake Mar Del Plata, make US HEADLINES!

November 04, 2005

YEAH! Awesome riots overtake Mar Del Plata, make US HEADLINES!

I shiver with pride looking at the pictures from Mar Del Plata. Credit where it is due, I lifted the ones you are looking at from the AP and other US news feeds (Chi Trib).

Tonight, the number one US headline is the violent protest reaction to Pres. Bush landing his sorry self in Argentina (and he thought Washington was bad).

For those following this story for the past year, today's events are no surprise at all. Bush is the lightning rod for all the socio-political problems the neo-cons caused in South America, hands down. The country that lost the most is arguably Argentina, where one night in 2001 the govt. wiped out the savings of the entire middle class, creating an overnight disaster. Behind this decision- the Neo-cons in Washington, the economic theorists at University of Chicago, and the economic world structure (World Bank / IMF), all sat back on their hands while poor people in the north of Argentina starved and middle class people become paupers.

That's just the tip of the continent's iceberg. Countries like Bolivia, where neo-con economic policies arguably keep drinking water out of reach of the majority of people, have a strikingly negative stance on US policy in general.

As Che Guevera is a populist hero (with GLARING faults), Bush is the supreme enemy dictator (again not a completely correct characterization, but easy to get behind). Though I don't agree with this black and white view, it is good to see a little uprising when things are so plainly stacked against the people, and the lightning rod comes to town.

At last count, we had Chavez, Morales, and (near-diety) Diego Maradona amping up the already amped protestors.

On a personal note, it looks like they firebombed a starbucks-esque cafe I visited while I was in Mar Del Plata. Their Alfajores weren't any good, anyway. ;)

Take that Bush, and good morning Americans. The rest of the world is not so happy with our policies, or our plans . . .