Protesters set one building on fire Friday and threw objects at police in the streets of this resort city as the leaders of 34 nations began the fourth Summit of the Americas. Video showed flames and smoke on the bottom floor of one multistory building just blocks from the summit site.
“Wow!” Bush stated when he saw the uproar. “They love me. They really love me!”
Earlier in the day, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez led thousands of protesters in a rally against President Bush's policies.
Bush was expected to see Chavez at the summit later in the day. At a brief news conference, Bush said he would be "polite." Bush also said he viewed his participation in the summit as an "opportunity to positively affirm our belief in democracy and human rights and human dignity." And anyone saying anything differently was just itching for a secret Gitmo vacation.
Chavez, who U.S. leaders have said is a source of instability in the hemisphere, condemned what he called U.S. imperialism while demonstrators opposed to the Iraq war and U.S.-led trade policies called Bush a "fascist" and a "terrorist." Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona also participated in the protest, wearing a T-shirt accusing Bush of war crimes.
They apparently missed the press conference where Bush pointed out that he was there to impress them with his politeness and support of human rights.
Bush said he was gratified by his meetings with leaders of several Central American countries, which he described as "young democracies" eager to implement a free trade agreement. “Bless their widdle punkin hearts,” Bush said sweetly. “They're so cute at this age!”
Bush's first meeting Friday was with leaders of nations that joined the Central American Free Trade Agreement. CAFTA was narrowly approved by Congress in July after an intense push by the White House and a reminder that Congress was already bought and paid for by the multinational businesses that requested CAFTA.
9 comments:
I'd like to see Bush and Chavez go at it in a cage match, with special guest referee "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. Whooo!
it's so unbelievable that he just goes on as if he doesn't get it and life is peachy.
i wonder if he ever wakes in the middle of the night, nudging Babs "Do you think I'm really doing the right thing? Have I been wrong?"
And if he does, why doesn't she slap the crap out of him and say "HEll yeah you're wrong!" and kick his butt out of bed and tell him no nookie till he resigns?
But I guess she probably would just sleepily say, "Honey, you're okay, just go back to sleep, it won't seem so bad in the morning."
clever. And again, I enjoy your photos-i can't remember are they yours??
so do you by chance have a link for the CAFTA? I'd like to read it. Is this connected with OxFam?
Funny. Seriously:)
Oh, and hipchickmamma, do you expect the President, any President to just stop doing his job because some idiots are violently protesting and tearing up their own home? Naaah.
www.ravingconservative.com
Thanks for bringing some sanity, DL!
The rest of you read about people indiscriminately destroying Argentinian property (because, rationally, they don't like Bush) and don't think twice about it? Sick.
I'm proud to be on the opposite side of those violent, idiotic vandals.
No words of condemnation from the non-violent, peace-loving leftie crowd? Interesting.
Gwen (isn't there a singer by this name?),
Yes, my photos. CAFTA (Central Amer. Free Trade Agreement) is a thing that I'd suspect that OxFam would be strongly opposed to, as it hurts workers here and especially there. "Free" trade sounds like a good thing but, in the real world (see NAFTA) it turns out to benefit the multinational corporations, the candidates they pay for, and not many others.
What Free Trade Agreements have resulted in thus far is a "race to the bottom." That is, whichever country is willing to overlook the most environmental and labor-related detriment, that country gets the jobs. But once the down-bidding is done, these very low-paying jobs are not beneficial to the workers.
For more on FTA's, you can check:
http://www.witnessforpeace.org/
tools/cafta_testimony.htm
And a clarifying point: Just because I'm opposed to FTA's as they exist doesn't mean that I'm opposed to the notion of global trading...just that many of us recognize the problems inherent in unrestrained capitalism.
If we want to start talking about FAIR Trade Agreements, then that's something I could be interested in.
yea there's a singer. and i'm not her. but i like to pretend that i'm a rock star who lives a wild and crazy life that people are jealous of. that way they listen to all the bullshit i have to say. except i don't think what i have to say is bullshit.
thanks for the link, i'll check it out.
That post made me smile.
You wouldn't, by some small, SLIM chance know a Dr. Geoff Weiss, would you Dan?
Nope. Should I?
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