May 23, 2008 We are long past weary on reminding of the necessity to have and hold functional due diligence on the state of the narcostate called Ecuador. We reject all so called Reports such as those of March, 2008 from the OAS and the hapless Carl Meacham who today claim aberrantly that they have not the time nor the staff to make full Reports, relying as they have on "NGOs" who abhor law and order and despise Uribe of Colombia and any normative North American essential such as due process. We know this because their own "Reports" relied on known FARC agents like Gustavo Larrea and overpaid NGOs whose sole purpose remains the fostering of narcozones in the Andes,  calling this "democracy building" when it is not.
 
Today, the OAS's Insulza is notably seen whining to the MIAMI HERALD's Oppenheimer, himself a friendly fellow but fully and completely known as a U.S. Democratic Party voyeur, that while he-Insulza- conspired to insist to the world and under oath to the U.S. Congress that the FARC is not a terror group and must be handled politically as an irregular or NGO style group, he has lost this propaganda battle on round one. Insulza de facto tells us this because he cries that he has not enough staff nor enough money in the bloated, overpaid Soros NGO pass through zone called the OAS which does essentially move and ratify all that Chavez,. Soros, Correa and Castro seeks in Latin America and has, by his own hand, no use whatsoever for functional data, forensic materials or due diligence in Insulza's unending voyage to be the next Soros man to lead Chile in to the waiting arms of the Chavez-Correa criminal cartel.  When politically requested to clarify the OAS's non support for law and order and its position that the FARC is basically an NGO, even as the FARC is enabled and co funded by a rasher of supportive U.S. Democrats and US based NGOS today, Insulza whined to the Spanish language media post US Congressional Hearing that the North Americans did not understand the Latin need to manipulate law and order and the drive to make legitimate that which should never be legitimized, which Insulza thinks is very important by caveat.  And when asked to correct and clarify his anti-truthtelling positions, Insulza was handed a platform readily served up by Oppenheimer to denounce U.S. Republicans for their positions of principle regarding the burgeoning cottage industry called NGO funding to help Grow and Enable the FARC, currently underway thanks to US AID and the OAS and George Soros's anti Plan Colombia politicians, propagandists and perps. Oppenheimer, himself a past Peronist attorney from Argentina, understands civil law to jigger law and order but he has no concept of common law nor does he functionally support these essentials of democracy finding political solace in the OAS whine and wheeze passive aggressive mentality which serves no one while refusing to assist functional growth for Latin America, deteriorating as it is in general today from its own criminality.
 
 
On May 22, 2008, the INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE noted that,  “President Alvaro Uribe's government says the documents indicate Chavez was seeking to finance and arm the FARC while Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, was seeking close ties. Both neighboring presidents deny the accusations."
 
The Reyes documents do indeed “indicate Chavez was seeking to finance and arm the FARC while Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, was seeking close ties." But Insulza cannot bring himself to state this fact and he takes up air space with Oppenheimer to blame the horrible US Republicans for stopping his little FARC growing teams and for not giving him enough money. Rubbish we say: the OAS wasted hundreds of millions of dollars on foolishness and sloppy so called diplomacy.
 
Make no mistake: Correa and Chavez are equally complicit in their state sponsorship of the FARC and anyone who tells you differently is a liar. But there are plenty of lies going on today about Ecuador, mostly paid for by the Chavez-Castro regime running Ecuador today. Following the overpaid propagandists at Fenton Communications, the government of Ecuador on Thursday hosted a very showy cruise down the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.  to lobby, soothe, and propagate false support for the legitimization of that which should never be legitimized in the western hemisphere. U.S. government officials, lobbyists and Congressional staffers joined Ambassador Gallegos and his gaggle of liars in what can presumably have costed the people of Ecuador at least $200 a head to cruise the riverbanks of the Free World all the while debasing and denouncing the essentials of freedom itself.
 
This breezy, cynical and completely dishonest event to wine and dine so called U.S. governmental decision makers and keep the Congressional staffers in line so that no one would declare Ecuador a State Sponsor of Terror, when it is, followed the presentation of Ms. Heather Hodges to the Washington community as the newly minted U.S. ambassador to Ecuador. Ms. Hodges informed an incredulous breakfast group from the Council of the Americas (COA) that she would build Ecuadorean-USA relations when everyone knows that there is no possible way that legitimate North American businesses will be bettered in Ecuador by anything that Ms. Hodges foolishly promised, which of course included her massive support for all current and upcoming US AID contractors to save Ecuador from becoming a functional democracy again and a land where only criminals perform. We know his because the COA has teamed up with US AID and the Government of Ecuador  actors to  remarkably bring to Quito a show and tell this June to lie a lot again about the glories of idiots who foolishly believe that Rafael Correa will honor anything legitimate when his regime will not and has not. It is inconceivable that Ms. Hodges actually would believe that this US AID-Government of Ecuador "free" conference in June at the Swissotel will restore law and order and grow direct foreign investment. But she does apparently drink of this propaganda which of course crafts harm to any legitimate North American investor while no doubt hoping for a re dux of the internecine gold cartel building business. We understand that the Sorosites of the Peter Romero - Andean gold mining business era still support Ms. Hodges for her kindnesses in the late 1990s and as their future contract protector and avatar of the end of democracy in Ecuador but we do not understand why she says what she says: the woman apparently has no grasp of reality on the ground and no knowledge that Ecuador is indeed a lawless narcostate. Her only task obviously is to protect and defend the anti-Colombia and anti USA Sorosites crawling literally all over Ecuador to craft a more perfect narcostate. And if you do not believe this, ask Ms. Hodges what she will do to increase U.S. interests in Ecuador...she seriously will tell you that relations could not be better even though relations could not be worse. We presume that she will not have any meaningful information before decamping to the U.S. Embassy in Quito because she has just revealed her sheer ignorance and unpreparedness for the post. Does no one brief these protected diplomats anymore? Just another US AID cheerleader who ignores the rest of the U.S. government in Ecuador...such as trade and commercial statistics, US DEA, US Treasury and the Pentagon whose very analysis is fully ignored again.
 
And if you enjoy being hoodwinked or lied to or seriously think it is a great thing to steal from normal U.S. companies, then you will enjoy the COUNCIL of the AMERICAS investor show in Quito this June, with the "support" of Corporación Andina de Fomento in association with the Ministry of Foreign Relations.

You know too that the InterAmerican Dialogue works on several of these so-called Latin financial reports. You are also aware that no one from the Government of Ecuador is honest in any sense. We know this because Rafael Correa has not once done one honest thing as president of Ecuador, including his refusal to deliver anything resembling an audit or budget of the government. Every step of the way, he has lied to and manipulated the people of Ecuador and is a national disgrace: he needs to resign and take his entire Cuban-Chavez government with him and all their avatars for the end of liberty. And while busy pondering the lunacy of selling Ecuador to investors who know better, go ahead and ask WHO is paying for this event? Like their expensive cruise on the Potomac River, someone is paying for space, meals and drinks.
 
And when we say that Ecuador is not a democracy we say this because that is a fact. Ecuador has no real justice, no open media and no Congress and is in bed with Chavez and the FARC...and that is just for starters. "President" Correa runs his legislating efforts through the unconstitutional Assembly hidden away in Montecristi to make illegal, hidden governmental decision if and when Correa tells them to do so. But US AID keeps on cheerfully reporting that they are "fixing" this problem when nothing could be further from the truth.
 
On May 21, 2008, Goldman Sachs Emerging Market Report had this to say about the outlaws running the so called government of Ecuador:
 
"ECUADOR - Constituent Assembly to Extend Sessions until End July
The Constituent Assembly decided to extend its work for another two months, until July 26.

The Assembly has been working for about six months in drafting a far-reaching new Constitution but progress has been extremely slow.

We expect the new Constitution to further concentrate power in the Presidency and validate a larger, more interventionist role for the State in the economy."
 
We say that they are outlaws because this gaggle of teen agers called the ASSEMBLY with no training and no preparation and no noticeable intelligence- but taking lots of state money- are acting with unconstitutional powers to do illegal things to make Ecuador a narcostate. We all know that President Correa has already told us that this "new" Chavista-backed constitution [supported as it is by the narcostate enablers from the Soros teams littering Ecuador] was written long ago and indeed it was. And this constitution will legitimize all that should never be legitimized.

We see the same efforts underway in Venezuela and Bolivia, only slightly different but the shades of differentiation are intentional while meaningfully in lock step. On  5-22-08 the HERITAGE Foundation in Washington, D.C. stated that, “Instability in Bolivia is a threat to the entire South American continent and to the United States. The Bush Administration and Congress, joined by other pro-democracy U.S. allies, should do everything possible to support the establishment of market-based democracy in Bolivia...Morales needs to recognize there are limits on the power of the central government and on his ability to reshape Bolivia into a socialist workers paradise. That model has been tried before—in the former Soviet Union. It failed miserably then, and the people of Bolivia know that it is doomed to fail again in the future. The U.S. should remain vigilant throughout and seek, through public diplomacy, coordination with regional allies, and work with institutions of civic society, to foster the spirit of democratic capitalism in the Andes."
 
We remind that only speculators and political manipulators, seen often in bond point spreads and spot oil traders as well as oil derivatives traders, make money and power from the misfortunes of Andead  instability, notably working through Iranean and Venezuelan led instability. The other core group that makes lots of contract money directly off instability and mayhem are overpaid Chavez-backed and George Soros-backed propagandists, strategists and criminal cartel enablers, often one and the same.
 
Here is an American comedy cartoon showing the gravity of the ultra leftist faces in the USA, notably pro socialism:



The MIAMI HERALD notes that Bolivia and Ecuador at the Andean Community voted down Peru's petition to be both with the CAN and with the US FTA trade deal. Ecuador shows its sole reason to be denied ATPDEA trade benefits now: it is a deceptive anti USA and lawless government that has no regard even for intellectual property rights and certainly no respect for World Bank BIT offering CIADI arbitration, which the GOE now denies in all future contracts.

The government of Ecuador is a disgrace and an unlawful one at that.

In another cheery and breezy support piece for Correa's criminal cabal, the COUNCIL of the AMERICAS [COA} also reports, "Correa appointed Admiral Luis Jaramillo, a former submarine commander with modest experience in the oil industry to replace Zurita (also a former navy officer). But it remains to be seen if the leadership shift of Petroecuador, which has a 51 percent stake in the country’s crude oil production, will help boost output. In 2007, Correa’s government raised windfall taxes on oil from 50 to 99 percent and announced intentions to renegotiate oil contracts with foreign firms. Some companies have responded to Ecuador’s evolving energy policies by bringing cases against the country in the World Bank’s International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes, including a recent suit by Murphy Exploration. Last week, in a move to stave off declining output, Ecuador’s oil ministry made an offer to reduce the windfall tax for foreign firms if they maintain production levels this year.

Ecuador, which produces more than half a billion barrels of oil each year, serves as the U.S.’ second largest supplier of crude oil in South America, according to the Energy Information Administration. While it sells a majority of its exports to the United States, Ecuador has increasingly looked to the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez—an outspoken critic of Washington—for support in boosting its oil production."

Remarkably, neither the COA nor the people of Ecuador insist that Correa cease and desist his unlawful take over of the profoundly corrupt PetroEcuador and that this known wallet for Correa's communist cartel in Ecuador be returned to sustainable accountability. Ecuador's Navy, a joke in and of itself, has no capacity to do anything but reward Correa's state thefts. A submarine man himself, Mr. Jaramillo, will indeed submarine any credibility left to PetroEcuador which is only slightly- barely keeping its doors open, weighted down as it is by massive internal theft and inoperability- supposedly over 2/3 of Ecuador's GDP and state revenues although no one knows what it does or where its money goes. Admiral Jaramillo will do for PetroEcuador what he has done all his life: run silent, run deep and when in doubt....torpedo anything that might offend the ruling junta called Correa's cartel.

It is not known what, if anything, will be on the table regarding Andean-North American relations one year from today. This is good business for spot oil traders and derivatives swaps mavens but bad business for common citizens. What we do know is that Chavez and the FARC want and desire the maintenance of the U.S. Democrats in the U.S. Congress and, as they tell us, the enabling of the FARC under Barack Obama. The NEW YORK SUN on 5-22-08 writes of Obama and his real or not real pledges to "negotiate" with Iran and/or Hugo Chavez's FARC: "But true legitimacy comes not from diplomacy but from a government based on freedom, democracy, and the rule of law, which America has and Iran does not. In enumerating the things that would qualify Iran for the "carrot" of improved relations with America, Mr. Obama yesterday mentioned ending support for terrorism, recognizing Israel, and ceasing its nuclear weapons program. He made no mention of allowing freedom of the press, religion, assembly, or genuine elective democracy in Iran."
 
Yes it is true: for now at least the USA does operate a government based on freedom, democracy and rule of law which America has and Cuba, Venezuela, Iran and Ecuador do not. Ending their support for crime and terror is a good place to begin and no amount of dishonest Investor Road Shows to the Swissotel can cover up the fact that in Ecuador today there is no democracy, no freedom and no rule of law.

Bolivia's Evo Morales just signed a full and formal joining of the militaries of Venezuela and Bolivia. Essentially Correa has already done the same, if he were honest about this. You think this is cause to celebrate? We think that Insulza should kick Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela out of the OAS for bad behavior and tell them to grow up and stop spending someone else's money.

-Pedro Camargo for ECrisis