May 17, 2009  Love among the dictators of Latin America: Chavez, Correa, Morales, and Noriega-Castro never works. It is not love but instead some bizarre addiction to manipulative living, complete with all the caveats that go with control freaks who do indeed mandate and dictate that no one's life is quite so important as their self-centered, narcissistic little world view which they do control at the expense of anything else. This is not love. Love in the time of Latin America's new dictators is not love but ruination and failure. Success demands freedoms- all freedoms- not the walling off of truths.
 
Here is a superb analysis from last week which correctly notes, "Hugo Chávez is a tin-pot dictator who has debauched Venezuela's democracy. Normally in such circumstances, an American president would show reserve. The weirdly ebullient Mr. Obama did not... Other than physically controlling their populations, the biggest problem for autocrats -- most of them narcissistic monomaniacs -- is maintaining the legitimacy of their authority, which by definition is always on thin ice.... It is early in the Obama foreign policy. They say the right thing on political rights. But there appears to be no coherent strategy beyond "talk to our enemies." So far, what do we see? Hugo Chávez is smiling. His fellow prison wardens around the world are smiling. The joke must be on someone else." Read it here.
 
Like Dr. Doolittle, we do not pay these "top" leaders to talk to the animals. We expect a game plan toward progress. Narcissistic manipulators such as Chavez and Correa consider that protecting their own narcissism IS the game plan and the rest....well, it is all tertiary to their self protection.

Read this article:
US: Obama Among the Dictators - by Daniel Henninger

As for Correa's bond market manipulations, full extortion and machinations are at play here:
Ecuador Won't Accept 40 Cents On Dollar For Bonds

But wait: Roubini- who has no clue what occurs in Ecuador will soon enough be "moderated" by a nice talking head from CNN and still no one will get any facts about anything in this "great" economic presentation coming your way on May 20:

FORO ECONÓMICO 2009

And following close on the heels of Correa's bond market extortion plan and his pro FARC extortion plan with the USA, here is Correa's lawsuit- now teamed with the USA's Donziger for maximum money making for this duo against Chevron Texaco.  The New York Times writes that "In Ecuador, Resentment of an Oil Company Oozes"

It is noteworthy that someone spent a lot of money to ship Romero to the outback of Ecuador- money that the now bankrupt NEW YROK TIMES does not have.

For our part, we do point out that Chevron Texaco has hired Mickey Kantor for reasons quite inexplicable to those following this fraudulent case. But this newspaper, shilling for Obama's pal Donziger and Correa, wants to tell the world that there is a deal on the table and that the merits of the case be dammed, along with accuracy in reporting by this puff piece. This piece states, "The lobbying effort in Washington appears to be an effort to pressure Ecuador to come to the table and work out a deal. “We want to resolve this in a reasonable fashion,” Mr. Kantor said."

We can only hope that Kantor is doing what he usually does: act as a loose cannon. Chevron Texaco has done nothing wrong, has broken no laws or agreements and has performed nothing criminal except to be so thoroughly stupid as to mangle its own self defense  with some of the stupidest, most arrogant lawyers and counsel who miss the advantage every step of the way because they are lazy and arrogant. There is no deal to cut with Correa and Donziger and Kantor is reprehensible to even suggest this, as he is quoted so doing. We say to Correa and Donziger-Obama:  ni un paso adelante, basta.

Why would Chevron's shareholders consider that Kantron can cut a deal for something they did not do and spend lots of money for some crime they did not commit? This is responsible behavior? We think not and say again: not one step more. If the facts have merit and the truth will out, then stay with the truth.

Like the British today who are so angry at their corrupt Parliament- urging the flushing of corrupt government, we agree:

From The Sunday Times of London
Gerald Scarfe cartoon: May 17 2009

And while one is busy flushing, please take all non-rule of law idiots with you, or as the following piece decries, "the arbitrariness" of Hugo Chavez with you:

Read this article: The Venezuelan Dictatorship of Hugo Rafael Chávez

-Pedro Camargo for ECrisis