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American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

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The “where is Snowden” Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

LatinAmerARGENTINA
Today’s must-read: Iran’s Latin America Strategy

Repsol Rejects Argentina’s YPF Compensation Offer
Spanish Oil Firm Calls Terms Unsatisfactory After Last Year’s Expropriation by Buenos Aires

CFK contra los pueblos originarios: Antes de subir al avión al Vaticano el líder Qom tuvo que explicar sobre sus dólares

BOLIVIA
10 Worst Countries for Tourists
Turistas Go Home

BRAZIL
The Gringo’s Guide to Demonstrations in Brazil

Brazil Protests Prompts a Media Shift
Brazil’s recent protests has allowed independent media to gain some traction in a landscape long dominated by a few mainstream giants.

Support for Brazil’s President Plummets
Backing for Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s administration has dropped sharply in the past month.

Brazilian Tycoon Batista’s Empire on Edge
Just months after he unveiled it, Brazilian commodity tycoon Eike Batista’s bid to rebalance his unsteady oil, mining and shipping empire is nearly in tatters, overtaken by a shift in investor sentiment.

Brazil’s protests
The cries are answered
The government offers a package of reforms to appease protesters. Is it enough?

CHILE
Chilean Police Dismantle Student Protests
Police have evicted protesting students from the public schools that will be used as polling stations for Sunday’s primary elections in Chile, making at least 150 arrests. Former president Michele Bachelet won, which comes as no surprise.

COLOMBIA
Colombian Land Deals Are Scrutinized
Large Firms Bought Out Deeds Distributed to Farmers

Colombia, a country without memory?

CUBA
North Korea and Castro Kingdom: Forging Bright Plans for the Future, For Sure

Afraid of Change

More U.S. Citizens Imprisoned in Cuba

Blob alert from Castro Kingdom: It’s a monster… it’s Michael Moore… it’s the ghost of Hugo Chavez…no…. it’s something else!

ECUADOR
Snowden Scrap: Ecuador Thumbs Nose at Washington

The Errors of Edward Snowden and His Global Hypocrisy Tour

And what about Ecuador? Why, just two weeks ago, this country that is apparently on Snowden’s list of possible future homes passed new rules that impede free expression. The statute, called the Communications Law, prohibits anyone from disseminating information through the media that might undermine the prestige or credibility of a person or institution (you know, like revealing a government-sponsored surveillance program). The law also places burdens on journalists, making them subject to civil or criminal penalties for publishing information that serves to undermine the security of the state (you know, like revealing a government-sponsored surveillance program).

Biden Contacted Ecuador on Snowden
Ecuador’s president said the U.S. vice president called him and asked that the NSA leaker’s asylum request be rejected.HONDURAS
US renews Honduras Travel Warning

JAMAICA
Chris Blackwell’s Jamaican Retreat
The Island Records founder and hotelier shares his love for Jamaica through his latest homegrown hit—his farm.

MEXICO
How Mexico Became So Corrupt
From Sicily to Tijuana, how monopolies and governments perpetuate one another.

Drug-Related Killings Drop in Mexico
The trend is welcome in a nation exhaused by years of violence associated with organized crime, even if the reasons behind it are hard to pin down.

The US-Mexico border
Secure enough
Spending billions more on fences and drones will do more harm than good

Mexico’s middle class
Too bourgeois to bus tables

PERU
Ancient Wari royal tomb unearthed in Peru
Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed a royal tomb with treasures and mummified women from about 1,200 years ago.

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Rolling Out The Welcome Mat For Millionaires

VENEZUELA
ALBA
Laundering Venezuela’s dirty money

Maria Corina Machado victim of a Cuban character assassination technique (counts as XXI century fascism too)

Government Imports Soar In Venezuela

The week’s posts and podcasts:
Today’s must-read

Ecuador: Maybe Assange ought to keep his mouth shut

Ecuador: No travel documents for Snowden

Alexander does the tango

Is Edward Snowden about to become the world’s most famous illegal alien?

Snowden not in Ecuador

Brazil: Left manipulating demonstrations

Where is Snowden?

Podcast:
The Snowden episode & Ecuador


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White flag Republicans, and today’s items

The vote in favor of defeat was 246 to 182, with 17 Republicans joining Nancy Pelosi and John Murtha in undercutting the war, the troops, and encouraging the enemy to fight on.

Cassandra has the the roll call of shame

http://www.castle.house.gov/ DE
http://coble.house.gov/ NC 6th district
http://tomdavis.house.gov/ VA 11th district
http://www.house.gov/duncan/ TN 2nd district
http://www.house.gov/english/ PA 3rd
http://gilchrest.house.gov/ MD 1st
http://inglis.house.gov/ SC 4th
http://www.house.gov/timjohnson/ IL 15th
http://jones.house.gov/ NC 3rd
http://keller.house.gov/ FL 8th
http://www.house.gov/kirk/ IL 10th
http://www.house.gov/latourette/ OH 14th
http://www.house.gov/paul/ TX 14th
http://www.house.gov/petri/ WI 6th
http://www.house.gov/ramstad/ MN 3rd
http://www.house.gov/upton/ MI 6th
http://walsh.house.gov/ NY 25th

Each of these Republicans have voted to embolden our enemies.

N.Z. has the full details,

Representative James T. Walsh
Phone: 202-225-3701
Fax: 202-225-4042
[Email: Rep.james.walsh AT mail.house.gov]

Representative Walter Jones
Phone: 202-225-3415
Fax: 202-225-3286

Representative Wayne Gilchrest
Phone: 202-225-5311
Fax: 202-225-0254

Representative Michael Castle
Phone: 202-225-4165
Fax: 202-225-2291

Representative Richard (Ric) Keller
Phone: 202-225-2176
Fax: 202-225-0999

Representative Philip Sheridan English
Phone: 202-225-5406
Fax: 202-225-3103

Representative Ronald Ernest Paul
Phone: 202-225-2831

Representative Frederick Stephen Upton
Phone: 202-225-3761
Fax: 202-225-4986

Representative Thomas M. Davis
Phone: 202-225-1492
Fax: 202-225-3071

Representative Mark Kirk
Phone: 202-225-4835
Fax: 202-225-0837

Representative Howard Coble
Phone: 202-225-3065
Fax: 202-225-8611
Email: howard.coble AT mail.house.gov

Representative John J. Duncan Jr.
Phone: 202-225-5435
Fax: 202-225-6440

Representative James Ramstad
Phone: 202-225-2871
Fax: 202-225-6351
Email: mn03 AT mail.house.gov

Representative Steven C. LaTOURETTE
Phone: 202-225-5731
Fax: 202-225-3307

Representative Robert Inglis
Phone: 202-225-6030
Fax: 202-226-1177

Representative Timothy V. Johnson
Phone: 202-225-2371
Fax: 202-226-0791

Representative Thomas Petri
Phone: 202-225-2476
Fax: 202-225-2356

Bruce Kessler:

Insularity and relaxation upon official comforts among Republican leaders, instead, contributed to the Democrat controlled Congress we now have that is following through on their plan to undermine the Iraq effort. Some Republican congressmen and senators – who Hugh Hewitt has aptly named “White Flag Republicans” – have joined with the Democrats. It matters not whether they have gone soft or are just playing to their local bleachers. The result is the same.

Here’s a link to the Victory Caucus.

Special thanks to Larwyn.

Update
MILITARY RECRUITING IN 2006 BEST IN ALMOST A DECADE

Democrats have fallen silent on the issue of military recruiting over the past months, and for good reason

Go read about it.

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