America-Bashing Book Chavez Gave To Obama Is Suddenly A Best Seller

• April 19, 2009

It’s a book accusing America of “opening the veins” of South America, and essentially blaming our country for everything that’s wrong down there (as if America, and not the cruel and thuggish socialism of tyrants like Hugo Chavez were what’s wrong with South America). Now, thanks to Obama accepting the book its suddenly a best seller.

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) A book by an Uruguayan journalist that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez gave to President Barack Obama is now the No. 5 seller on Amazon.com.
It’s an astounding jump for “Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent,” by Uruguayan journalist Eduardo Galeano.
The paperback edition was ranked 54,295 on the online retailer before Chavez gave Obama a Spanish-language edition of the 1971 book on Saturday. It had jumped to No. 5 by Sunday.

The media spin on Obama seems to be that he’s on a “charm offensive” in South America (check out how many articles use “charm” to describe Obama’s efforts in South America, almost like it’s coordinated no?), but frankly I could use less “charm” and more standing up for America. Obama is legitimizing every horrible, awful thing South American tyrants like Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales want their subjects to think about America. Now, Obama is doing it from the perspective of “change” in that he’s claiming that he’s going to change US/South American relations, but he’s also tacitly agreeing with every awful thing Chavez, etc. has ever said about America for the sake of political expedience.
Obama’s ploy may soften relations with people like Chavez, but what good does that do the people living under Chavez’s boot?

Tags: Asshats, Domestic Issues, Politics

http://Array robert108

We never forced any South American leaders to be violent; that was their choice, and we are not to blame for it.
Our interventions were always designed to save the people from the exploitation of communism, and we often failed, since communism gives an agrarian population the false promise that they will own their own land. That false promise is a powerful drug to such people, and they want to believe it. When the reality arrives, that they are simply subjects of a monarch in a different form(the commie ruling elite), then tend to get violent, and understandably so.
Unfortunately, the reality of the Cold War was the the commies sought to destroy us by creating a world in which communism was the only choice, since it can’t compete on an equal basis with free people making free choices.
It is hard to sell the benefits of freedom, and the responsibilities that come with it, to people who have always been under the thumb of a ruling class.
ryanb_a3

So now that this book is the #2 best-seller on Amazon.com, and now that every banna-republic and socialist dictator knows how to REALLY plug a book to the American people, will someone down there please give Obama a copy of Jesus Huerta de Soto’s “Money, Bank Credit, and Economic Cycles”?
Maria Elena

It is easy to blame America for most of the ills of Latin America. It is a country to be envied. We have been raised to believe that this is a rich country, a morally depraved country that idolizes empty celebrities, with money and freedom to do what it chooses. On the contrary, Latin America has had its share of instabily, poverty, living scared of voicing any criticism against our government. A neighbor or family member can be the one to deliver you to your government for voicing such criticism. If Latin America wanted to put blame of the past, then we should start with Spain who slaughtered and enslaved our people or the myrriad of liberating forces than turned up being masked dictators. I see America and my heart bleeds. You do not know what you have. Every time you give away your freedom you never get it back. We learned that the hard way. One thing I can tell about Latin America that America does not seem to have: pride. We are proud of our country no matter the suffering. We are proud of who we are and where we come from. I think you have forgotten that.
bill-tb

So America was around in the 1500s and no one knew? Stupid is as stupid does.

Notice how ZERO is turning into rev Wright at an ever increasing pace.
carrick

Robert108, when our well-meant foreign aid ends up in the hands of the elite, and perpetuates an economic structure that otherwise would be unstable, then we need to change our policy.

In much of South America, their markets are anything but free. And it is that which begets much of the social unrest. Injustice always does hat.

Even in the US, subsidies rarely help the independent business owner, they almost always help large business owners, and make it harder for the small guy to compete with them. Farm subsidies being an example of that.
http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com/ Reaganite Republican

Chairman Zero and Red Hugo have a lot in common- both are arrogant narcissists with a racial victimhood complex… and habitual liars.
-
Both displayed contempt for democracy/opposition once elected- and are absolutely clueless re. economic manners. And both are out to serve a far-left agenda while dragging a bountiful nation into the abyss.
-
So these two have plenty to yap about-
-
Actually, I think I respect Chavez more- he might be a misguided socialist twit, but at least he’s honest about it.
robert108

Robert108, when our well-meant foreign aid ends up in the hands of the elite, and perpetuates an economic structure that otherwise would be unstable, then we need to change our policy.

What do you recommend? The solution of the lefties seems to be to give aid and comfort to the commie dictators, like Daniel Ortega got from the Dem culture of corruption in Congress.
As I said, when you’re dealing with people who have always been peasants, the choices are limited. We consistently chose to support leaders who weren’t in the Soviet camp.
Blaming the US for what is a fundamental flaw in South American culture is the typical disinformation we get from lefties.
carrick

Rob, the book has it’s problems, but I think you need to be a bit more careful about how you represent it.

Yes we did interfere many times in Latin America, yes there often negative consequences for the people of Latin America when we did.

The author is wrong on several important points (his leftist perspective gets in front of his ability to objectively analyze the facts). But it is a factually based discussion, and as such, we are allowed to critically examine the factual part of manuscript and draw our own conclusions.

This is a far cry from e.g. a Dino diatribe or an RBB url cherry picking.

The book is also not lenient on Europe’s role in exploitation of Latin America. I think we can all safely agree that this has happened.

My own perspective: Well meant US foreign policy has done more harm than our interventions ever did. In my opinion, well meant foreign funding just finds its hands into the elite wealth holders, and simply perpetrates a two-class society (in some cases it may even go as far as “allows a two-class society to exist”).

Our funding distorts the natural forces of the free markets in those countries.

An exception being Chile 1973, where we and the USSR both deserve the blame for the carnage that followed that. Salvadore Allende was an agent of the KGB, that’s just established fact now, and the US supported coup followed his illegal attempts to abridge the Chilean constitution. The US wasn’t going to tolerate the expansion of Soviet influence into South America, the Soviets were wrong for trying independent of that. Allende’s rise and swift fall and the purge that followed were natural consequences of external meddling.

This is a good book, and an excellent place for us to reexamine the road forward from here, and how to best change our foreign policy to meet our goals of democratizing South America. I view this as a continuation of Bush’s doctrine, and that is a good thing.
http://www.dartemis.net/blog/ sayanything-42

Hear her, hear her.
mathematicaster

You’re right. If we don’t keep doing the same thing that we have been nothing will change! Why would we want to be able to talk to people we disagreed with who believe that we are too arrogant to talk to them? I wish more people were sensible like you.
lastofthepatriots

Maria, Docdave speaks the truth… There are many of us who have pride in our country. You do not see much of it in the media because the mainstream media is controlled by those on the left who have drunk the cool-aid of the Obama propaganda machine and are intoxicated – they will not sure the masses of us who ARE proud. I also have faith in that there are many more who are, deep, deep down inside also proud, but are currently also intoxicated with the current presidency and its popularization. Currently it seems to be “Uncool” to be proud.

Heck, I guess I am one of the “Uncool”…
ollie-B

What’s the matter with you, Rob? Can’t handle the truth, can you?
Tell me, how many American Presidents have been killed by elements of a foreign government? Now tell me how many Latin American and other world leaders have been assinated by elements of the U.S. government because we thought we knew what was best for the country.
docdave

In truth this countries involvement in central and south America is checkered since the Monroe doctrine. However, the doctrine was in response to the European colonialists who were trying to control the regions.
jimmypop

All this “charm” is going to back fire on Obama.

i hope you re right, but i dont think it will. people will just continue to walk over him.
docdave

We are proud of who we are and where we come from. I think you have forgotten that.

Not all of us, Maria, not all. If you had gone to one the nationwide tea parties, you would have seen a lot of proud Americans.
http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/author/sparkiearbuckle sayanything-81

It’s a book accusing America of “opening the veins” of South America, and essentially blaming our country for everything that’s wrong down there (as if America, and not the cruel and thuggish socialism of tyrants like Hugo Chavez were what’s wrong with South America). Now, thanks to Obama accepting the book its suddenly a best seller.

Rob hasn’t read the book and has a problem with free folks making personal purchasing decisions. Obama has mindcontrol over all of them, right Rob? And Obama’s evil intentions are transparent to Rob, the super-blogger.

heh.
http://sayanythingblog.com robport

This is a good book, and an excellent place for us to reexamine the road forward from here, and how to best change our foreign policy to meet our goals of democratizing South America. I view this as a continuation of Bush’s doctrine, and that is a good thing.

I’ll take your word for it on the book, Carrick, but I’m more worried about the perception here.

Chavez’s regime isn’t doing anyone any good. And Obama’s legitimizing it. That’s the problem.

What’s the matter with you, Rob? Can’t handle the truth, can you?

I don’t have a problem with truth. I have a problem with legitimizing cruel, socialist dictators.

I’m not defending American foreign policy as perfect. I’m attacking the liberal impulse to emphasize with tyrants like Chavez when they blame America for all the ills in the world.

All this “charm” is going to back fire on Obama.
http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/author/sparkiearbuckle sayanything-81

I don’t have a problem with truth.

Then maybe you should read books before you rip on them. If you rip on them before you read on them, some may say that, indeed, you do have a problem with truth.
our-man-t

Cruel + Thuggish ???? Check your own back yard before you judge others …… although I suppose there are a few countries left in this ol world that don’t have troops and bases or active conflict based on your own warmongering government….. how many more innocent people will suffer in the name of this freedom and democracy that kills those they claim to liberate. Wake up man !
http://www.infowars.com/our-troops-do-not-protect-our-freedom-and-we-should-stop-thanking-them-for-doing-so/

SayAnythingBlog.com

America-Bashing Book Chavez Gave To Obama Is Suddenly A Best Seller

Create a SAB Readerblog

Recent Comments