Peru President Candidate Humala Jumps Into First Place In Poll

[bemildred]

LIMA -(Dow Jones)- A new poll shows that nationalist presidential candidate Ollanta Humala has jumped into the lead before the April 9 elections.

A national survey released Sunday by pollster Apoyo Opinion y Mercado showed that Humala has 32% support of the valid votes, up from 30% in the last poll taken a week earlier.

He is followed by ex-Congresswoman Lourdes Flores with 28% support, down from 31% in the previous poll.

The poll of some 2,000 persons taken March 15-17 also shows that in the event of a second round run-off, the two candidates would each take 50% of the vote.

NASDAQ

[cliss]

1. Let me guess.

Señor Humala is a progressive. He's leading because he's promising his consitutents that he will "reject US policies" in the region.

I read recently that while the US is obsessively focused on Iraq & Afghanistan, Central & South America is turning progressive. Washington has been neglecting is reign of terror down there, and the people are taking back their countries.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Beautiful! What a great bit of news! I've been watching the headlines

waiting for the day his numbers came up. His opposition tried to swiftboat him, and it didn't stick, of course.

I hope he keeps on bounding upward until April 9, not that far away, after all.

That country needs a decent president.

[Joanne98]

3. Then we have the Mexican election! hee hee

[Peace Patriot]

4. "The time of the people has come." --Evo Morales

Ollanta Humala is part of the amazing leftist revolution that is sweeping South America, with leftist governments elected over the last several years in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela and Bolivia, virtually the entire map of South America--a peaceful, democratic revolution that Peru is likely going to join (with Humala's election this year) and that is moving north. We're likely going to see the leftist mayor of Mexico City elected president of Mexico this year.

"Leftist"--in this context (or, really in any context)--means representative of all of the people, including large populations of poor, mostly brown and black, citizens; economic equity/various forms of socialism; self-determination, regional cooperation, and other themes common to these governments: anti-imperialist, anti-neoliberal (anti-global free piracy), anti-World Bank/IMF, anti-US "drug war," and anti-Bush and his heinous war on Iraq. Chavez (Venezuela), Morales (Bolivia) and Humala (candidate, Peru) are in particular Bolivarians (Latin unity). "Leftist" also means a changed attitude toward Cuba--an independent (from the US), self-determined view toward cooperation and integration (Cuba, for instance, is supplying free doctors, medical and other scholarships, and help with literacy programs to Venezuela, in exchange for cheap oil)--and vastly improved regional cooperation (for instance, Venezuela bought one third of Argentina's IMF debt, to help them get out from under onerous US/IMF imposed loans).

Here is a not-very-friendly-to-Humala article that gives some of his background.
http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/view/2516/1/141

Here's a better article (more straightforward reporting) about Chavez, Morales and Humala
From: http://venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1859

(Note: www.venezuelanalysis.com is an excellent source for news/opinion on Latin America.)

Like Evo Morales (just elected in Bolivia), Humala is an indigenous Indian. The indigenous are the most oppressed segment of South America's population, just now coming to power via the electoral process, after years of hard work by grass roots activists, local civic groups, the OAS, EU election monitoring groups and the Carter Center, on TRANSPARENT ELECTIONS (U.S., take note!). Evo Morales is the first indigenous to become president of Bolivia, and has a background as a coca leaf grower (sacred plant in the Andes), as well as in a grass roots rebellion against Bechtel (which privatized the water in one Bolivian city then jacked up the price of WATER to the poor; the Bolivians threw Bechtel out of their country and elected Evo president).

Hugo Chavez is part indigenous, part black, part Spanish heritage. Like Chavez (president of Venezuela), Humala (the rising candidate in Peru) is former military and had--like Chavez--previously tried to unseat an unrepresentative, fascist and brutal government (Fujimori) through a failed military coup. Both seem to have then had a profound change of heart about how to achieve fair representation in government and how to achieve a government that represents the interests of the people and the country, as opposed to the interests of the rich oligarchy and the US/World Bank/IMF. We have a stereotype of a South American military officer as corrupt and oppressive. But this is just a stereotype. In Venezuela, the military is much closer to the people than outsiders realize. It is filled with the ranks of the poor and the indigenous. It does not necessarily align with the fascists. Chavez--hugely popular and democratically elected--gained his popularity WHILE IN PRISON for his coup attempt. The same appears to be true of Peru and Humala. A military background can as well mean populist/leftist/for the people, as fascist.

This awesome leftist movement in South America first came to my notice a couple of years ago, when Brazil (president Lula da Silva, former steel worker) led the third world revolt at the World Trade Organization meeting in Cancun. I was also impressed by the enormous 'campesina' (peasant) movement that showed its influence at that meeting. Something very interesting was happening in South/Central America. Boy, is that an understatement! South/Central America is in full scale revolt against US domination. It is a huge, historic and unstoppable movement toward DEMOCRACY, justice, economic fairness, peace and independence.

In Chile, they just elected their first woman president, socialist Michele Batchelet, who was tortured by the US-supported dictator Pinochet. When the "Political Affairs" article cited above (about Humala) speaks of "Washington's concern" about all this, what they are REALLY referring to (inadvertently) is "Washington's concern" that it won't be able to impose vicious dictators like Pinochet and Fujimori in South America ever again. Poor Washington! Poor Bush! Poor Bolton! Poor Condi! Their "concern," indeed!

"Asked about what he (Morales/Bolivia) thought of the candidacy of Ollanta Humala for president of Peru ... Morales said, 'We are convinced that the indigenous people, the original people, the social movements, the victims of neo-liberalism have their candidates and I believe that in Peru compañero Ollanta is part of this movement, part of this rebellion, of this great courage of the Peruvian people. I wish him much luck and success in his campaign....The time of the people has come.”
http://venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1859

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And when we throw Diebold, ES&S and all other Bushite-controlled election theft machines into 'Boston Harbor,' we will have a leftist revolution here as well.

Power to the people! The time of the people has come!

[Peace Patriot]

5. Thanks for the photos, Judi Lynn! Here's one of Chavez, Morales and

Humala. I don't know how to do photos. Go to

http://venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1859

Two photos, actually--one of Chavez presenting Bolivar's sword to Morales, and one of the three of them at the press conference. So amazing to see these beautiful brown faces leading South American countries! (--well, Humala not yet, but quite likely!)

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[Judi Lynn]

6. Great photos, Peace Patriot, and excellent article.

How unexpected it really is to see these countries forming their own new unity, combining for their shared improvement, their own futures. I think we can all be certain _Bush is trying everything in his power to destroy their progress, and their future working together, and will as long as he remains the pResident.

Here's the terrific one showing all three men in the same place at the same time!



(You can transfer the photos by pointing your mouse at the photo, and right-clicking. When the box appears, look at the bottom entry, which should be "properties," in most cases, I think. Left click that, the properties box opens, choose "address:URL" and copy the address. Paste it into your message as is, making sure there's a space on each end. To position the photo in the center of the page, if you chose, put the words "center" on one end of the URL, inside brackets,[], and /center at the other end, also in brackets[]. If not, it will appear on the left side of your post.)

[Peace Patriot]

7. Thanks, Judy! I will give that a try (i.e., photos/images). Notice the

painting behind them. Simon Bolivar--freer of the slaves, revolutionary hero who freed South America from Spain, believer in Latin American unity. It's amazing how visionary this aristocrat Bolivar was, kind of like Thomas Jefferson, only he went even further and actually freed the slaves, and got a country named after him (Bolivia). He very nearly united all of South America with his small d democratic ideas, and passion for democracy. He would thoroughly approve of the above photograph: three brown-faced leaders of Latin America, in front of his picture, passing his sword to the first indigenous president of Bolivia!

I sense something spiritual behind this political movement, and I rarely mention it, because I don't want to talk gobble-de-gook, and I really don't know much about the spiritual backgrounds of these leaders, except that Evo was invested by ten thousand Andean Indians, in a ceremony led by the elders, preceding his inauguration, and some hints of Chavez's ideas about Christianity (real Christianity, i.e. generosity). And I imagine that going through torture--as Michele Batchelet did--would require all of your spiritual resources, to survive in tact as a personality, with the strength to end up as president. (Nelson Mandela comes to mind--30 years in prison, to emerge and become South Africa's first black president!) Both Chavez and Humala spent time in jail (for trying to overthrow fascist governments). Chavez's time in prison is when his fame as a populist hero began, and he emerged from prison with a new attitude (against violent uprising, for democracy).

None of these people are dour. None are vengeful. I sense no hatred. In fact, just the opposite--I sense joy, good humor, and no fear! Fearlessness. Maybe that's it. You have to have spiritual resources to be fearless. And when I see such fearlessness, strength and joy, I think, "Wow, SOMETHING is going on here at the spiritual level." I just presume it from what I see. And it is profound. This is not just the aura that gathers to a hero. It is something else. For one thing, it's MULTIPLE heroes. You can't review the "news" these days without discovering yet another Latin America populist hero arising and succeeding--also news of their cooperation and feelings of kinship with each other.

I know this revolution has a practical basis--in TRANSPARENT elections, for one thing--and has been preceded by some remarkable movements, such as the 'campesina' movement, and events, such as the revolt at the WTO in Cancun. It is undoubtedly the result of the hard work of many thousands of grass roots activists. In fact, I know this to be true. But still, there have been movements before, and both peaceful and violent revolts. This one is so sweeping...and so deep, and it has such a...what is it? ...such a sweet aura about it. It is as if Latin America--always a spiritual/religious place, but one in turmoil--had suddenly found its "soul", or its "soul" has suddenly coalesced, and that unique identity or "soul" is PRODUCING leaders to express itself with.

And it is such a kind, generous, fulsome "soul." Imagine Chavez, with all his difficulties, thinking to offer cheap heating oil to the poor of the United States--and free eye operations. Smart political moves, it's true. But it also seems to come from genuine compassion for us poor suckers up here in the north suffering under the Bush junta.

Latin America is a fascinating region as to religion and spirituality. Like the Kelts, they took a hard hit of violently imposed Christianity, and absorbed and transformed its images, ikons and ideas. Our Lady of Guadalupe, for instance, is a thinly veiled Ix Chel (Mayan Goddess of women and compassion). Somehow the deeper, older message from 2,000 years ago--"love they neighbor"--survived, and has combined with the wisdom of the native tribes--who have suffered so much--and with their love for the land and the earth. Latin America is where "liberation theology" was spawned--that Christianity has to actively support the struggle against oppression, or it is meaningless. And the Latin Americans--like the Kelts--have learned to live with, and to meld, several different, clashing cultures and religions, and have somehow maintained real strength in the original sub-cultures that the dominant culture sought so ferociously to extinguish.

Well, they have floated some sweet hope up into our region, that's for sure. Whenever I despair over the Bush junta, I think of Latin America and I smile. What sweet irony that Latin America, to which the people of the U.S. are so oblivious, and which barely receives a word of comment in our stupid, controlled press, is showing the way to true democracy--and to true Christianity, for that matter.

[BrotherBuzz]

8. Bush* still has Paraguay, don't forget Paraguay!

:rofl: