» 2006 » July News of the Restless

Mystery solved?

July 27, 2006 — Sabina Becker

A couple days ago, I wondered why the anti-Chavez shadow group Sumate, supposedly an “open book” as far as its finances went, hadn’t been listing their most recent cash receipts from the US government. Well, looks like li’l ol’ Vheadline has the answer to my question:

A Venezuelan National Assembly (AN) special commission investigating outside funding for Venezuelan civil associations is attempting to sniff out opposition Sumate electoral group’s funding sources.

Patria Para Todos (PPT) leader and committee president, Jose Albornoz says the first thing the committee has discovered is that Sumate is not registered with the official exchange administration body (Cadivi).

The discovery came after Albornoz and committee members met Cadivi chief, Manuel Antonio Barroso and his board.

The second discovery is that Sumate has allegedly been receiving dollar remittances from Sivensa and Jantesa industrial companies. Sivensa is a big aluminum company, while Jantesa moves in the oil sector.

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Posted in Fascism Without Swastikas, Huguito Chavecito, Isn't That Illegal?, Socialism is Good for Capitalism!. 7 Comments »

In case you’re wondering…

July 27, 2006 — Sabina Becker

…what the current death tolls in the Israel/Lebanon and US/Iraq wars are, clicky da linkies.

And prepare for a nasty shock.

Posted in If You REALLY Care, The War on Terra. 2 Comments »

Je proteste!

July 27, 2006 — Sabina Becker

Now, this is NO way to portray a Mountie. Quite aside from the fact that Condi stands for just about everything unCanadian and couldn’t get her man if you dropped him smack on his ass in front of her, I take umbrage at this on the grounds that Mounties only ride black horses. (It goes better with the red serge. No, I’m not kidding.)

Posted in Canadian Counterpunch, Morticia! You Spoke French!, The "Well, DUH!" Files. 4 Comments »

Usually, I hate doggy clothes…

July 27, 2006 — Sabina Becker

…but I’ll happily make an exception for this:

Isn’t that adorable? (And no, he’s not my dog. Mine’s a big black Lab/Husky cross with blue eyes and white paws.)

You can get what Homer’s wearing at Bartcop.com.

Posted in Good to Know. 5 Comments »

Watch them spin this as “insanity”…

July 26, 2006 — Sabina Becker

We just know that the mainstream Venezuelan and US media are itching to paint Hugo Chavez as “loquito”, aren’t we? Well, here’s some more red meat for their attack dogs, courtesy of the Beeb…

The visit by the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to Russia is taking the media by storm, with one news agency reporting he has attracted much attention with his “emotional and spontaneous behaviour”.

“He calls Christ the first socialist in the world; George Bush an alcoholic; pro-Washington Latin American presidents poodles of imperialism”, writes Andrey Yashlavskiy in the Moskovskiy Komsomolets daily.

(more…)

Posted in Huguito Chavecito, Socialism is Good for Capitalism!. 4 Comments »

Evo shows his cojones

July 26, 2006 — Sabina Becker

Get your minds out of the gutter, people. He hasn’t turned into a flasher. But he has had a flash of serious statesmanly inspiration:

Bolivian President Evo Morales has called for change within the country’s Catholic Church, accusing it of acting as in the “times of the Inquisition”.

Mr Morales said Catholic leaders should understand the need for freedom of religion and belief.

His government recently announced plans to teach a range of religions in schools, as well as native traditions.

(more…)

Posted in All About Evo, Pissing Jesus Off. 2 Comments »

Well, stripe me pink and call me a peppermint stick…

July 25, 2006 — Sabina Becker

…because the Chavez-and-Castro-hating Miami Herald appears to have had a moment of mournful truth!

Less than five months before a December presidential election, Venezuela’s fractured opposition still has no clear candidate to square off against President Hugo Chávez, a charismatic leftist seeking a new six-year mandate.

None of the potential contenders individually is a match for Chávez, whose support stands at about 55 percent in opinion polls. Although there is broad consensus on the need for a united candidacy, there is controversy over the selection method — and even over whether to take part in the December balloting at all.

On Aug. 13, nine opposition hopefuls will submit themselves to a primary election, organized by the independent electoral pressure group Súmate. But that is unlikely to resolve the issue.

(more…)

Posted in Crapaganda Whores, Huguito Chavecito, Isn't That Illegal?. 2 Comments »

Excrements in presidenting

July 24, 2006 — Sabina Becker

While I don’t often read Dr. Susan Block’s website (it’s a bit too fetish-y for my liking), her commentaries on CounterPunch are wildly funny and, as here, incisive as all hell:

With dozens of Iraqis getting killed each day, often by men in police uniforms, central Iraq is obviously boiling alive in a Sunni-Shia civil war. Of course, no one wants to declare this war, since that is a certain way to get oneself killed. Then again, going to work, getting groceries or just sitting in one’s house huddled under one’s bed are also almost-certain ways to get oneself killed in this once fairly peaceful country that BushCo went and *liberated* into Hell.
Then there’s the "shit" between Israel and Lebanon, Israel bombing and slaughtering Lebanese innocents on a level that rivals the American bombing of Baghdad, as Hezbollah lobs Katyusha rockets into Northern Israel, killing civilians and wreaking havoc. In the past, an American president could come in and broker some kind of peace. It would be grudging and temporary, but at least it would save a few lives, humble the militants, and give the locals some breathing space. But the current American president is way too busy wriggling his middle finger up his ass, occasionally removing it to smell the situation which he then pronounces to be "shit." Since he is doing as little as possible about this, as well as the other “shit” in Iraq, not to mention the toxic “shit,” ie., waste, that is choking our environment, one can only assume our Commander-in-Chief is a coprophiliac (another fetish he has in common with Der Fuehrer).

And speaking of the Der Scheisser (a nickname I do hope will catch on), don’t miss Uri Avnery’s excellent dissection of Bush’s excrement.

Posted in Fascism Without Swastikas, Sick Frickin' Bastards, The War on Terra, W is for Weak (and Stupid). 11 Comments »

Good thing she spoke English…

July 23, 2006 — Sabina Becker

…or who knows what might have happened to Tina Hannouneh?

This is an interview with Tina Hannouneh, an American of Palestinian origin who was beaten by Israeli border guards, along with her son, at the Israeli-controlled Allenby Bridge border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank.

(more…)

Posted in Fascism Without Swastikas, Pissing Jesus Off. 2 Comments »

We are all shitheads now

July 22, 2006 — Sabina Becker

When I first heard the “We are all (insert name of plucky little hard-done-by country here) now” meme, I was put out by it. It was a little too simplistic an expression of empathy for the victims of the 9-11 tragedy, and besides, it was a bit bass-ackwards, seeing as 9-11 was more like a cold shower of welcome-to-the-world reality for Americans. So when Le Monde proclaimed that “we are all Americans now”, my first thought was, I’m unspeakably sad for those whom this has affected, but count me the fuck out of “we”. I’m still a Canadian and a citizen of the world, and no amount of terrorism is gonna change that!

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