What is Digg?163 Comments
- hkrob, on 04/20/2009, -3/+67It's official -- Obama is now more powerful than Oprah
- 1x253, on 04/20/2009, -2/+35I've read that book and while I'm no Chavez fan, it is a fair and informed telling of what has gone down in Latin America.
The United Fruit Company alone is a terrible story (which eventually changed it's name and was owned by Bush, Sr.). Latin America has had to put up with either communist dictators on the one hand or CIA installed right wing/fascist dictators on the other. The predatory lending practices of the IMF and the World Bank and the US contractors that work down there have done a great deal to steal from them everything they have. US/European intervention has undermined democracy and freedom there. Our government has assassinated popularly elected leaders.
I'm conservative leaning to the right, but what has gone on in Latin America is a sin and wrong by any standard.
John Perkins:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTbdnNgqfs8 - JanTik, on 04/19/2009, -0/+32Whatever one thinks of the book, it is interesting how polarizing the topic was at the time of writing. Actually, still is:
5 star: (31) - 57%
4 star: (4) - 7%
3 star: (0) - 0 %
2 star: (1) - 2%
1 star: (18) - 33%
(Out of 54 Reviews)
Source: http://www.amazon.com/Open-Veins-Latin-America-Cen ... - charm803, on 04/20/2009, -4/+33I don't remember if My Pet Goat had the same luck.
- t2k4life, on 04/20/2009, -11/+40I just feel that this proves that most of world never hated America or the American people, rather they hated the American Administration, their rhetoric and actions
- pinchduck, on 04/20/2009, -11/+36The irony is awesome. A dictator whose nationalization policies have driven away foreign companies, helping his economy go into a shambles a year before anyone else, gives Obama a book about how the United States (whose oil purchases is propping up Venezuela's economy) is wrecking South America. The history of poverty in South America is a history of bad governance. When looking for someone to blame, Dictator Chavez, look into a mirror.
- kd420, on 04/20/2009, -9/+28http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Condor
Chavez has some blame in the matter but it really isn't as easy as you make it out to be. The US has been ***** with South America for so long, assassinating leaders and making private companies take control of natural resources. Sure, Chavez is not a saint but overall South America would have been much better off if the US just minded their own business. - aletoledo, on 04/20/2009, -0/+16Why anyone would have voted you down is beyond me. You laid out facts and yet someone apparently doesn't like facts.
- wizzroom, on 04/20/2009, -4/+17I love these blanket statements that utterly lack any reasoning. Tell us, how exactly does a book given to our president make him a mouthpiece for the Venezuelan government?
oh and:
You + are = you're
(i.e. If you're going to make empty criticisms, then at least try to appear literate.) - booksnmore4you, on 04/20/2009, -5/+17Whose land was the company exploiting and making profit from for all so many years before then? Were they using the land to feed Venezuela or using Venezuela to feed their greed and for exports? Who the fvck gave the company right to do that in the first place? The company 100% deserved to have themselves 100% taken.
Try reading Bitter Fruit by Schlesinger and Kinzer.
Newsflash: The American Model of having everything in private hands has gotten us pretty much *****. What if all resources actually had to be used relatively equitably? - booksnmore4you, on 04/20/2009, -7/+18It's actually UNUSUAL for oil to not be partly nationalized. America is the oddball among nations in that way. And in my view, we are utterly stupid for not having partially nationalized oil. Norway, for example, uses proceeds to pay for health care for its entire population with oil profits; America lets a few pool-side stock watchers fund lavish lifestyles with it.
- crocev, on 04/20/2009, -7/+18Las Venas Abiertas de América Latina, from Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano.
- smacksaw, on 04/20/2009, -7/+18It depends which people you talk to, I suppose.
If it's the people he panders to, they love him. If it's the people who are getting screwed out of their vote, money and freedom to express themselves...I think you're the one with a fantasy to exalt one group and then dismiss the other.
Hugo Chavez is not a good man. He is not a nice guy. When he takes care of EVERYONE the same way that is positive, I'll recant. Until then, you can't be considered good when you treat others evilly. - MaxxusFlamus, on 04/20/2009, -1/+11it's because liberals read more than just Atlas Shrugged.
- nickespinosa, on 04/20/2009, -0/+10I wonder if even one of the "1 star" ratings came from someone who actually read the book.
- Branchex, on 04/20/2009, -24/+33Obama should give him a Spanish copy of The Wealth of Nations.
- sciencelovesyou, on 04/20/2009, -4/+13A man once gave me a pamphlet about how The Jews are ruining this great nation.
As such I was immediately promoted to Mouthpiece of the American Resistance to Zionist Expansion.
I've tried to object but, honestly, that hobo cuisine is the bee's knees. - inactive, on 04/20/2009, -10/+19Lulz. Do you even know what imperialism is? As far as I know, he's pretty damn good friends with other Latin American countries.
I think you meant...why doesn't Hugo Chavez just stop his dictatorship in Venezuela? (you know...like putting people in jail for criticizing him.) - relaxeder, on 04/20/2009, -1/+10Look at the timeframes of when the 1-star ratings came in, there were virtually none before yesterday. Its just a bunch of ***** morons leaving their foaming poltical views on an Amazon book review page. They didn't even read it.
- roodammy44, on 04/20/2009, -4/+12You're completely ignorant of latin american politics, aren't you?
- SpinningHead, on 04/20/2009, -1/+9It would make most conservatives sad to know that even Smith said you cant have a first rate economy without a graduated income tax.
- 1x253, on 04/20/2009, -4/+12The book is an accurate bit of research. It is informative and important for Americans to read.
Chavez is not universally hated by ONLY the rich. 50% of the population is not rich, but that's how the country is divided. I have A LOT of Venezuelan friends and live in a city where lot's of Venezuelans have had to move to to escape; Chavez is like all other communist dictators. The Communist Party takes care of it's members, dissenters are jailed, shot or at the very least starved (by not getting rations) just like in Cuba, just like in every other country where Communism has been given a try. - wolfing, on 04/20/2009, -0/+8Like republicans read more. The republican idea of 'reading' means turning closed caption on in Faux News
- joe7845, on 04/20/2009, -3/+11Unfortunately, I don't see any 1-star reviews that explain what the flaws of the book are. They are all just political rants by people who apparently have not read the book at all.
- SpinningHead, on 04/20/2009, -0/+8"The people and ruling classes of South America are responsible for their bad governance, not the United States."
You mean the dictators we installed or the far left leaders who came about as blow back from the prior dictatorships we propped up? - ryan69969, on 04/20/2009, -0/+8Soveriegn nations always reserve the right nationalize/expropriate local resources. It is very much like a taking, or imminent domain-type stuff in the U.S. The only question is whether the companies in question will be compensated ~fair-market-value for the 'taking.' If not, there could be remedy available through the ICJ.
- WarriorBlake, on 04/20/2009, -1/+9And YOU get a bailout and YOU get a bailout. EVERYONE GETS A BAILOUT!
- nirvanix, on 04/20/2009, -21/+29WTF? Your ridiculous American media portrays him as some kind of bad guy so it must be true? Why don't you go down there and talk to the people and find out how much he's done for the people there.
In the latter half of the 20th century America hugely exploited South America, removing democratic governments and setting up puppet governments and then extracting the wealth of the country. That's the true American business model. Sorry to interrupt your fantasy. - sodade, on 04/20/2009, -8/+15I know nothing about the book, but it seems strange that one would need to be biased and "unfactual" in describing how evil US foreign policy towards latin america has been.
- iiiears, on 04/20/2009, -1/+8Yeah Fine! Just famn dine; Now i have to read this and read one of Noam Chomsky's books
Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance.
Thanks a lot digg - sheesh. enough already! Could we just stick to reviews of iApple, Microsoft, torrent pirates, Ubuntu releases with no mention of mission statements and cute cat pics.
There goes my weekend. - aletoledo, on 04/20/2009, -0/+7The book is about the continued exploitation, not who did it first.
- booksnmore4you, on 04/20/2009, -4/+11@ bluekangaroo
BTW, I read your past comments.
You're a dick. I'm sure you hear that constantly in real life, but thought I'd remind you for emphasis, since you've yet to get the message. - dsmx, on 04/20/2009, -3/+10Oh come on a black guy was running for president how could oprah not endorse him?
- blinkerbug, on 04/20/2009, -0/+7Exactly.
Now, will Obama change those policies? Or will he help expand them and expand the IMF? .. - dsmx, on 04/20/2009, -0/+6when you do business in another country you abide by the rules of that country, ifthey change the rules that is just a risk you have to take when operating in another country.
- RegimeUnchanged, on 04/20/2009, -3/+9Happyphilter wrote: "It is still biased, unfactual, and as bad as it was before."
You had not even heard of this book until a couple of days ago. And now you pretend that you know all about it. You liar. - aletoledo, on 04/20/2009, -2/+8Are you saying that Americans are rude and crude?
- stephanepj, on 04/20/2009, -0/+5You guys are right about the dishonest reviews at Amazon.com. As of today (April 20th) there are so far 113 reviews listed, from 1998 to 2009. 11 years of reviews, yet 64% of them come from the last 2 days. Do you really think that even a substantial amount of this 64% obtained a copy and read it? The average rating for all reviews pre-Chavez/Obama was 3.56 out of 5. After, it was 2.67. Looking back through all of the reviews it seems as though there have always been 1- and 5-stars given with not a single page having been read, but the percentage (not only the total number) of this skyrocketed this week. My take on this? The book looks to be biased from the victim's point of view but even the bashers on the right sometimes admit it's packed full of undeniable facts. Maybe more people should reserve judgement until they've really read it?
- inactive, on 04/20/2009, -1/+6Yeah, sure he did. lol
- 1x253, on 04/20/2009, -1/+6
"... will Obama change those policies?"
I'm guessing he'll advance the Globalist Corporate agenda from a left-rhetoric position.
"Meet the new boss, Same as the old boss"
From Won't Get Fooled Again by The Who - Frodoholic, on 04/20/2009, -0/+5It just goes to show- that diggers should read the book if they are planning on voicing opinions about it. I just read the book this semester and it's an excellent resource to understanding part of what is happening in Latin America. Yes, it doesn't pain the US in a good light...but does the US always have to be painted as a beacon of hope?
- fedja, on 04/20/2009, -6/+11Few people would dispute that. However, we did hate the people briefly, recovering from the shock of seeing shrub reelected in 2004.
- motters, on 04/20/2009, -0/+5Purely on the basis of estimated oil reserves I see Venezuela as the next most likely country to be invaded in a series of oil resource related wars.
- SteelChicken, on 04/20/2009, -1/+6What about everyone else? is anyone else in trouble on or on the hook, or is *modern* America responsible for the entire's worlds problems for the last 500 years? Sure would be nice to see someone else step up once in a while.
When is Europe stepping up for the mess left after abandoning their colonies in Africa for example?
When is Japan going to finally admit and apoligize for their crimes against all of Asia during WWII, especially China? - TimDigg, on 04/20/2009, -0/+5whoops I meant "expensive"
my apologies... - TimDigg, on 04/20/2009, -2/+7I remember reading about the privatization of drinking water in south america. Water got so cheap that only a handful of people could really afford drinking water..disgusting
- Revovisionary, on 04/20/2009, -3/+8But Oprah's endorsement of Obama help put him in power.
- morningmatters, on 04/20/2009, -0/+5A lot of people probably voted on the book before they read it..
- josepablob, on 04/20/2009, -2/+6You've just bought the book but you already have those conclusions? let me tell you that your comment is "biased, unfactual" and retarded .
- ZenMojo, on 04/20/2009, -0/+4The history of poverty in South America is a history of North American interference and exploitation. Where've you been, champ? Hell, we've been installing dictators there, so it's a little ignorant to claim "bad governance" when we overthrow leadership to provide that governance.
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