Meanwhile, the price of crude oil continues to move higher minute by minute. The tensions in South America between Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela have caused greater price pressure on crude oil.
Marxism Taking Control Across Latin America
Here is an excellent article that explains more of what I will discuss following:
Colombia Stands As a Beacon of Hope
Ecuador and Venezuela, both with socialist/marxist presidents who have dissolved their legislatures and befriended Cuba's Castro, are threatening Colombia with military action. They have consistently used their oil wealth to both fund marxist guerillas and provide them with safe haven within their borders. Ecuador and Venezuela are also both members of OPEC, while Colombia is not. Colombia also is an exporter of oil, but has far smaller reserves than its two socialist neighbors.
For decades marxist terrorists have carried out relentless terrorist attacks against Colombia's oil pipelines and murdered thousands of innocent Colombian civilians; they then flee back into the neighboring Ecuadorian/Venezuelan jungles to hide. Once, a group of terrorists shot their way into the Colombian Supreme Court building with machine guns, held the judges and employees hostage for days, and then massacred them all, killing the entire Colombian Supreme Court!
In desperation, Colombia's military carried out a successful attack against these marxist guerillas a few days ago inside Ecuadoran territory, killing one of the marxist terrorist leaders that Hugo Chavez has been funding and supporting. They recovered four laptop computers in the raid that prove the connection to both Chavez and Ecuador's marxist government, including presidential campaign contributions to Rafael Correa, Ecuador's president (who, following his election, dissolved the country's legislative body). Consequently, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez is now threatening Columbia militarily and economically. These tensions are pushing oil prices even higher (at the time of this writing, about $106.50/barrel). There appears to be no end in sight for the price of crude oil.
I have lived in both Ecuador and Colombia, and I have fond affection for both their peoples. Colombia always had a better economy, primarily because of its superior economic freedom. They had more products and higher quality goods in their stores. This was so prevalent that many Ecuadorans made livelihoods just smuggling goods of all kinds from Colombia into Ecuador for resale. These goods were high quality, and it's beyond me why they would be banned in Ecuador. What's so dangerous about a gas camp grill, chocolate Mars candy bars (they sure were good, too) or ceramic plates? Columbia's economy has been so good that they have been net exporters of food to Venezuela and other neighboring countries, while Chavez' Venzuela has now sludged from being a net exporter to a net importer of food under his tyranny. Whatever he can't get through intimidation and tyranny, he simply steals or nationalizes.
I feel particularly for the people of Colombia in this case because these terrorist attacks have taken a heavy and relentless toll on the people of Colombia by Chavez' marxist/terrorist thugs for decades. I was there 25 years ago, and the marxist drug lords have been terrorizing the Colombian people for at least that long.
When I was in Ecuador and Colombia, I remember meeting an American who rode his bicycle along the Panamerican highway through Colombia. He was just a penniless bicyclist traveling through the continent. He survived attempts by these guerillas to capture, kidnap, and shoot him as he rode along the highway. That was in 1978. The Colombian people have endured these conditions for that long, with relentless military attacks, funded by Hugo Chavez' vast oil wealth and the cocaine drug lords, who work together to try to destroy the government of Colombia and force its people into a tyrannical dictatorship. So far, they have courageously resisted.
I feel particularly for the people of Colombia in this case because these terrorist attacks have taken a heavy and relentless toll on the people of Colombia by Chavez' marxist/terrorist thugs for decades. I was there 25 years ago, and the marxist drug lords have been terrorizing the Colombian people for at least that long.
When I was in Ecuador and Colombia, I remember meeting an American who rode his bicycle along the Panamerican highway through Colombia. He was just a penniless bicyclist traveling through the continent. He survived attempts by these guerillas to capture, kidnap, and shoot him as he rode along the highway. That was in 1978. The Colombian people have endured these conditions for that long, with relentless military attacks, funded by Hugo Chavez' vast oil wealth and the cocaine drug lords, who work together to try to destroy the government of Colombia and force its people into a tyrannical dictatorship. So far, they have courageously resisted.
Hundreds of Colombia's politicians who have had the courage to stand up to these brutal murderers have been killed, and one presidential candidate was kidnapped and is still held hostage nearly 5 years later. Most are too afraid to stand up to these goons for fear that they or their families will be murdered. We all have heard horror stories of the brutality of the Colombian drug cartel! The Colombian people live with it every day!
President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia is one of the few people who have stood up to these brutal marxist drug lords and lived. Many have been killed. He is educated at Columbia and Harvard Universities in the United States and is one of the few free-market leaders in Latin America. While South America has turned almost entirely socialist, he and his people have been the lone voice in the South American wilderness for freedom and free markets. He faced enormous opposition from Marxists both inside and outside his country, and remains firm in his principles of political and economic freedom, even while his neighboring Andean countries -- and all of South America -- have descended like dominoes into Marxism in the past few years.
President Uribe deserves the support and help of the United States at this moment of crisis, not in military troops (Colombia already has the best military in the region), but in moral and perhaps economic support. His country is surrounded by well-funded marxist militarists on the North, East, and South who want to depose his free government and impose marxism on his people. He faces daunting odds and opposition.
Meanwhile, the Democrat Congress in the United States continues to block a free trade agreement with Colombia, one of America's few true-blue friends in Latin America. I urge Americans to contact their Congressmen and urge them to ratify the trade agreement. It will help to solidify America's only ally in the region and make Colombia economically strong so that it can continue the battle for its own freedom on the South American continent.
Unfortunately, there appears to be no quick solution to this problem. These tensions have been simmering for 50 years, and crude oil prices are probably going to go much higher still.
President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia is one of the few people who have stood up to these brutal marxist drug lords and lived. Many have been killed. He is educated at Columbia and Harvard Universities in the United States and is one of the few free-market leaders in Latin America. While South America has turned almost entirely socialist, he and his people have been the lone voice in the South American wilderness for freedom and free markets. He faced enormous opposition from Marxists both inside and outside his country, and remains firm in his principles of political and economic freedom, even while his neighboring Andean countries -- and all of South America -- have descended like dominoes into Marxism in the past few years.
President Uribe deserves the support and help of the United States at this moment of crisis, not in military troops (Colombia already has the best military in the region), but in moral and perhaps economic support. His country is surrounded by well-funded marxist militarists on the North, East, and South who want to depose his free government and impose marxism on his people. He faces daunting odds and opposition.
Meanwhile, the Democrat Congress in the United States continues to block a free trade agreement with Colombia, one of America's few true-blue friends in Latin America. I urge Americans to contact their Congressmen and urge them to ratify the trade agreement. It will help to solidify America's only ally in the region and make Colombia economically strong so that it can continue the battle for its own freedom on the South American continent.
Unfortunately, there appears to be no quick solution to this problem. These tensions have been simmering for 50 years, and crude oil prices are probably going to go much higher still.
