Reply #15: Greyhound1966, I saw brief news story--that quickly disappeared from the

[Peace Patriot]

corporate newsstream--some months ago, that there was a meeting of China, Russia and I think the third one was India, about how to curtail the lawless U.S. bully, particularly as to an attack on Iran. It didn't say what their strategy might be, but my first thought was economic, and my thoughts turned to China, of course, which holds a lot of our debt paper. A blink from the Chinese and we could be in disaster city. And all three of these countries have nukes. In fact, I'd kind of figured that this was WHY Bush/Cheney haven't attacked Iran--that they have been warned. However, this current story would seem to indicate that the punishment has only begun. Perhaps a warning was issued, our madmen scoffed at it, and now we're seeing the consequences of that.

It's hard to figure what Saudi Arabia could gain from a U.S. financial collapse (or serious decline). Don't they own a lot of property and businesses here? And, as you say, the Saudis are dependent on U.S. military support.

As for Venezuela, the Bolivarians want a South American "Common Market," and common currency. But I guess Venezuela might go to the euro, temporarily, especially if this a concerted, multi-country strategy to stop an attack on Iran, and/or to punish the U.S. for Bush Junta crimes. The South Americans--and particularly the Venezuelans--are frigging sick of U.S./Bush/corporate predator games--backing coups, funding rightwing "opposition groups," winking at rightwing death squads in Colombia, and the constant stream of lying abuse and disinformation from the Bush State Department and its lapdog corporate press, against a democratic country--Venezuela. I've seen evidence that even some of the rightwing Latin American leaders are irritated at it--especially at destabilization and overthrow efforts. There is quite an independence movement under way on the continent. When the Bush Junta blocked Venezuela's seat on the UN Security Council, the OAS countered by voting Venezuela onto its Human Rights Commission. That about sums up Latin American opinion of the Bushites and their treatment of Venezuela.

Of late, I've noted a particular global corporate predator "news" campaign to paint the Chavez government ss irresponsible, profligate and incompetent in its management of Venezuela's oil.* Now that I think of it--the big deal that Venezuela just signed with China is probably the reason why. Also, Exxon-Mobile is smarting, because they think that Chavez (that is, the Venezuelan poor) didn't pay them enough for the oil infrastructure in the buyout. Exxon-Mobile appealed to the World Bank to try to get them some more money (to add to their billions and billions and billions). And, to make really bad hair days for them all, the Bank of the South (started by Venezuela, which has five or six member countries) is cutting into World Bank/IMF loan shark profits, by providing social justice-friendly loans to third world countries, starting in South America. So there is much reason for seething hatred of the Chavez government in corporate board rooms.

I think I would gage WHO might be involved in a "get off the dollar" strategy for curtailing Bush/Cheney & co. by who our fiends are demonzing or provoking. Venezuela certainly qualifies. And Russia (the missile thing) would be another. Iran, of course. But the Bushites have been deadly quiet about China, even as Chinese imports poison American children. That's the sort of thing you'd think they would throw a fit over--all maudlin and hypocritical--if they thought China was messing with them.

China has much reason to try to prevent a Bushite attack on Iran. They get a lot of their oil from Iran. But the Bushites' behavior doesn't point to them. China could be playing a quieter game of it, though--with very veiled threats, but nothing to set off Bushite alarm bells.

Anyway, I'm thinking we're in a money war, on top of everything else. Countries not just fleeing the dollar for monetary reasons, but doing so for political reasons, and out of serious concern for world stability. Being inside the U.S. (and given our corporate news media), we don't get much of a sense of how the rest of the world views us--as an out-of-control, trigger-happy, utterly conscienceless, lawless super-power, that the American people are powerless over, and that no one can control. We may be in for a hard lesson in what less powerful countries can do, if they band together.


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*(See "NYT's Tina Rosenberg Goes to School on Venezuela's Oil, and Flunks," at http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/2808.)