Ignorance is Bliss
I've been following with great interest the "valijagate" story out of Miami, Venezuela and Argentina, because I love when those who point their fingers get caught in the same crimes they accuse others of.
Yesterday there was a great editorial in The Washington Post, that after I read it found it had been somewhat misquoted in the Hispanic presses.
For those of you not aware of this whole "valijagate" thing here is the short short version: a venezuelan with US Citizenship gets caught by Argentinian custom agents with a briefcase containing $800K in cash. He is investigated by US authorities who find some undeclared "foreign" venezuelan agents offering this guy $2 million for his silence. What's to keep quiet? That the $800K were a "gift" from Chavez to Cristina's campaign.
Argentina's reaction? The same old rhetoric: Bush is trying to subjugate Argentina b/c of its relation with Chavez. Venezuela's reaction? Same as Argentina. Add to that the whole US wants to take over the world a lá Pinky and the Brain, and you get the picture. Oh and let's not forget Morales, who also joins the chorus as another suitcase with money is suspected in Bolivia. Smokes and mirrors, the most recent being linked to the role of Venezuela and Kirchner in the FARC negotiations.
Would it be too much to have reacted just saying that this is not true and that the evidence will demonstrate their innocence? That the guy with the suitcase is lying? Of course; that doesn't fit into their populist rhetorice; it is much easier to put the blame on the big bad Yankee empire, and squarely on its hated leader - Bush. Which of course, keeps their real problems entertained.
Never mind that as the Washington Post rightly points out, Venezuela owns $4 million in Argentinian bonds; they basically own the Argentinian economy. But what I liked best on the editorial is how they point out the ignorance of other countries as to how our judicial system works; after all as we say in Spanish el ladrón juzga por su condición. They claim this as a Bush maneuver, because this is what they would do, never realizing that it's much harder to do in our system. And of course never mind the evidence, which news stories point to the Feds having recordings of the conversations.
If Bush was half as smart as his enemies outside the US, and some leftist loonies in the US, give him credit for - we would've already taken over the world.
Yesterday there was a great editorial in The Washington Post, that after I read it found it had been somewhat misquoted in the Hispanic presses.
For those of you not aware of this whole "valijagate" thing here is the short short version: a venezuelan with US Citizenship gets caught by Argentinian custom agents with a briefcase containing $800K in cash. He is investigated by US authorities who find some undeclared "foreign" venezuelan agents offering this guy $2 million for his silence. What's to keep quiet? That the $800K were a "gift" from Chavez to Cristina's campaign.
Argentina's reaction? The same old rhetoric: Bush is trying to subjugate Argentina b/c of its relation with Chavez. Venezuela's reaction? Same as Argentina. Add to that the whole US wants to take over the world a lá Pinky and the Brain, and you get the picture. Oh and let's not forget Morales, who also joins the chorus as another suitcase with money is suspected in Bolivia. Smokes and mirrors, the most recent being linked to the role of Venezuela and Kirchner in the FARC negotiations.
Would it be too much to have reacted just saying that this is not true and that the evidence will demonstrate their innocence? That the guy with the suitcase is lying? Of course; that doesn't fit into their populist rhetorice; it is much easier to put the blame on the big bad Yankee empire, and squarely on its hated leader - Bush. Which of course, keeps their real problems entertained.
Never mind that as the Washington Post rightly points out, Venezuela owns $4 million in Argentinian bonds; they basically own the Argentinian economy. But what I liked best on the editorial is how they point out the ignorance of other countries as to how our judicial system works; after all as we say in Spanish el ladrón juzga por su condición. They claim this as a Bush maneuver, because this is what they would do, never realizing that it's much harder to do in our system. And of course never mind the evidence, which news stories point to the Feds having recordings of the conversations.
If Bush was half as smart as his enemies outside the US, and some leftist loonies in the US, give him credit for - we would've already taken over the world.
Labels: Argentina, Hugo Chavez, Venezuela
posted by La Ventanita at 2:13 PM
<< Home