permaculture

[Marimike6@cs.com]

To all--

Oscar Olivera's problem seems pretty mild compared to the usual treatment union organizers receive in South America. For instance in our staunch ally Colombia, they are simply killed, along with reporters. Colombia leads the world in numbers of union organizers and reporters killed, without investigation or prosecution.

And there is actually big news coming out of Bolivia right now. You should google up <bolivia president> and read a little about how the people have just brought down the government through their exercise of peaceful demonstration. The old president has not only had to resign but has left the country, due to popular discontent with his globalization policies-- including the very famous Bechtel water privatization scheme, which the World Bank forced on the country against the best interests of 99% of the population.

Under this plan, Bechtel converted the country from a system of dirty water available free to everyone to a system of clean, expensive water no one could afford. Ventures like this draw industry, to utilize water previously used by peasant farmers and city dwellers. Coca Cola, for instance, usually puts up a plant after a nation's water has been privatized.

So there's big news in Bolivia, for just about the first time in history. The fact that one of the protest organizers has lost his company wages and health benefits should be cause for rejoicing. At any other point in history he would have simply been shot and the body dumped in a ravine.

M. Elvin