Ecuador Indians protest US talks, economy hurt

[struggle4progress]

15 Mar 2006 00:46:26 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Alonso Soto

TABACUNDO, Ecuador, March 14 (Reuters) - Thousands of Ecuadorean Indians blocked highways with burning tires and rubble on Tuesday to protest U.S. free trade talks as a second day of demonstrations began to hurt the Andean country's economy.

Protesters briefly scuffled with hundreds of police sent to contain protests in eight central highland provinces after roadblocks hampered transport of flower and farm products and threatened to push up consumer prices.

Stick-wielding Indians clad in ponchos and short-rimmed hats blocked highways with burning slabs of wood in Tabacundo, a city 28 miles (45 km) north of Quito, to demand President Alfredo Palacio quit free-trade talks with Washington.

Indians said the trade deal will put them at a disadvantage with American farmers and further disrupt their culture. <snip>

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N14348067.htm

[cliss]

1. Is there a culture or group of people on earth

that Bush has not alienated? About 2 years ago, there was a story of some tribal elders who "put Bush & Cheney's spirits in a jug, and threw it in the bottom of the river". It was an attempt to contain these 2 men. Quaint.

I think this was in Thailand (?)

Who can blame these people?

[1932]

2. The policies of Lawrence Summers and Robert Rubin were no better for

people in the developing world. Neoliberal trade polies can't be blamed only on Republicans.

And if you're really worried about how the IMF and Treasury Department policies hurt the rest of the world, you better make sure you pick one of the few good democrats on these issues come 2008, becuase this is a situation where there's much more difference within the Democratic party than there has been between Democratic and Republican administrations since Kennedy died and with the rare exception of a few very specific situations, like Carter's Panama and South Africa policy and Clinton's Haiti and Cambodia policy.