Palast: Will The Gang That Fixed Florida Fix the Vote in Caracas Sunday?

[lostnfound]

http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=358&row=1

<snip>
Therefore, Chavez is expected to win this coming Sunday's recall vote. That is, if the elections are free and fair.

They won't be. Some months ago, a little birdie faxed to me what appeared to be confidential pages from a contract between John Ashcroft's Justice Department and a company called ChoicePoint, Inc., of Atlanta. The deal is part of the War on Terror.

Justice offered up to $67 million, of our taxpayer money, to ChoicePoint in a no-bid deal, for computer profiles with private information on every citizen of half a dozen nations. The choice of which nation's citizens to spy on caught my eye. While the September 11th highjackers came from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon and the Arab Emirates, ChoicePoint's menu offered records on Venezuelans, Brazilians, Nicaraguans, Mexicans and Argentines. How odd. Had the CIA uncovered a Latin plot to sneak suicide tango dancers across the border with exploding enchiladas?

What do these nations have in common besides a lack of involvement in the September 11th attacks? Coincidentally, each is in the throes of major electoral contests in which the leading candidates -- presidents Lula Ignacio da Silva of Brazil, Nestor Kirschner of Argentina, Mexico City mayor Andres Lopez Obrador and Venezuela's Chavez -- have the nerve to challenge the globalization demands of George W. Bush.

OMG.

[TahitiNut]

1. "Who will watch the watchmen?"

:grr:

[genius]

2. I'm concerned about the same thing.

The Democratic Party ought to go down there and monitor the situations.

[Fovea]

3. Holy S**t!

This is the 80's all over again.
So where is Hassenfus, and where is Ollie North?

I can easily see this being a large scale scandal.
Maybe not here in the states, but man will this f**k with our remaining allies. Real democracies get a little touchy when you Cheney around with their elections.

[Joanne98]

4. unreal

does the congress know what their spending their money on? 67 million dollars. what an outrage. i wonder if choice point is scrubbing lefists felons off the roles. bastards. i swear the bush family thinks they own the world.

[shraby]

5. Think they own it???? Looks

like they do...on our dollar.

[dumpster_baby]

6. Wow! Great find! This story really encapsulates DECADES of American policy

Most other western countries are just concerned mostly with providing the highest quality of life for their citizens. They spend tax dollars on social safety net concerns like universal health care, etc. But we spend ours interfering with democratic elections.

And it is not going to get any better with Kerry, who has already painted Bush as being soft on Chavez.....

[leftchick]

7. didin't choicepoint used to be owned by Saudis?

Or perhaps I am thinking of Accenture. At any rate this news is very grim. :(

[Moderator]

8. Title and not LBN

Title should be:
VENEZUELA FLORIDATED


There is a thread in General DIscussion on this subject:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=2194914