Weekend news roundup

Bart weighs in on Iranians in LatAm

The best way for me to catch up on a week's missed news in the LatAm-o-Sphere is to read trusted sources. Here are just a few.

Krupa at Lat/Am Daily notes some BS hoo-hah over Iranians in Nica, while Setty at the Notebook and Gringo Juan over at Maladjusted both note some BS hoo-hah over Iranians in Venezuela. I note large helpings of BS coming out of the right side of the USA. Really wingnutz, is that all you got these days?

Evergreat Bananama Republic shows memory, as it reveals the politico invited over by Panama to hand out press freedom awards is an ex-repressor in Uruguay with a past spattered with human rights mischief.

Trouble down South Mexico way, with a lefty caravan attacked by righties with guns and death resulting. Eschew the MSM versions and get deeper into the issue via The Mex Files (arguably LatAm's best written blog).

In Colombia, Antanas Mockus leads the polls by five points according to the latest batch of surveys. Colombia Reports is strong as ever on the Presidential race and has the details.

An excellent post from Caldwell at I Think Mining. He takes the BP oil spill, adds a little Pebble Mine and asks the question "What is long term?" when it comes to mining. The geological wisdom is captured in one of the conclusion bullets when he writes:

"In the fullness of time all mine waste disposal facilities will flow to the sea–the only issue is the rate at which they do so".

Highly recommended thinkpiece. Go here.

Hillary/Evo

The background: The USA is not on friendly diplomatic terms with Iran (natch). Bolivia is on friendly diplomatic terms with Iran.

First Hillary, quoted via Two Weeks Notice:

"If people want to flirt with Iran, they should take a look at what the consequences might well be for them. And we hope that they will think twice."

Now Evo, quoted via AFP (trans: Otto):

They say that Iran exports terrorism. Do you know who exports terrorism? Those people who send troops to other countries, who install themselves in military bases, they are the ones that practice terrorism. It is the government of The United States that practices terrorism at the moment."

Useful LatAm opinion filter, available now free of charge

A simple yet very useful filter for cutting crap on LatAm political opinion as written in English language media is now available to you, dear reader.

If, in the next few days, you read op-eds that include the terms 'Brazil, 'Iran', 'Lula' 'Chávez'* and 'Good Left' and then the author of the piece professes either anger or confusion over Lula's position, you can strike that person off your list of people worth reading on LatAm affairs forever.

Caipirinhas served. The end.

*yep, Chávez..that's the biggest clue, in fact. Only in the minds of those with axes to grind will the President of Venezuela be mentioned in a story that concerns Iran and Brazil

Axis of Evo confirmed! Bolivia about to nuke YOUR CHILDREN! via Iran

We're all dead, we're all dead
Spud, Trainspotting, 1996

At last we can all relax, pull up a chair and watch as the invasion of South America in the name of Freedom™ moves from mere planning into full scale build-up and FoxNewsMiamiHerald jingo time (not just the boring old "hypothetical scenarios" that the US Military has been musing and mumbling about it).

Today Disassociated Press blows the lid off the commies super sneaky secret plan by reporting (and follow the bouncing ball carefully, dudettes and dudes) on the secret documents obtained by Israel that state that Venezuela AND Bolivia are supplying Uranium to Iran so they can make nuclear weapons and blow up Jerusalem... I think. They also manage to mix in how there are Hezbollah cells "in Latin America" (actually suspected cells in East Paraguay, but hey....no ruining this story, eh?) and how Hugo Chávez has some sort of special power to give out visas that allow Iranians to travel freely through all 11 sovereign states of South America...in the name of freedom.

Of course it doesn't occur to anyone to worry about the shitload of yellowcake that Russia exports to Iran, cos loading 10kg or so on a plane from Caracas makes for a better story and the damning proof that Evo is about to eat YOUR CHILDREN is contained in the blockbuster revelation that, "...recent collaboration with Iran in strategic minerals has generated speculation that Venezuela could mine uranium for Iran...".

No arguing with that one, eh? After all, Iraq...WMDs...you know the score, people. So welcome, officers and troops of the US Army. We'll be so glad to see you down here and be cheering you on as you secure the world's largest oil rese....oops...NOOO!!, nothing to do with it!!....as you secure South America FOR FREEDOM™ and help us all be FREE™.

Freedom Chuños Served.