The Marxist-Leninist Daily

TML expresses its heartfelt condolences and sympathy with the Chilean people following the devastating earthquake which measured 8.8 on the Richter scale and subsequent tsunami. The Chilean people suffered at least 1,000 deaths and enormous material damages said to range from $15-30 billion. An estimated two million people were affected by the earthquake, news agencies report. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has appealed for international help as rescue efforts continue. Chile urgently needs mobile bridges, field hospitals, satellite phones, electrical generators, water purification systems and field kitchens, she said.

In Concepción, Chile's second largest city, people are camped on the streets, cooking and eating outside. One resident told reporters: "What we need the most is food -- food and water. Let us not run out. We call on the authorities to make their presence known in this place, to not leave us so alone. Yesterday, the children were crying because they were hungry and they were tearing their hair out and there wasn't anything to give them."

Many residents along Chile's coast said the resulting tsunami was more devastating than the actual earthquake. An eyewitness, José González, told foreign correspondents: "I saw it very clearly. It looked like a massive snake, with water behind it. The mass of water was maybe a metre and a half high and swept away everything in its path."

TML also notes that the Throne Speech delivered yesterday was totally silent on the suffering and needs of the Chilean people, despite pretending Canada is such a caring country. It is unacceptable.

Whose Interests Are Some Canadian Media
Serving with Lies About Cuba?

The Canadian Network on Cuba (CNC) denounces the slanderous attack on Cuba that is being carried by some media on the occasion of the death of one Orlando Zapata Tamayo, a common criminal in prison in Cuba who recently died as a result of a hunger strike. Without any evidence or foundation, the media asserts that Orlando Zapata Tamayo was "murdered by the Cuban government."

Not once does the media so much as inquire who this man was or why he died, let alone what role the Cuban government might have played in this affair, to say nothing about why this has made headlines in the first place.

Orlando Zapata Tamayo was in fact a habitual common criminal. Since 1988 he was convicted of several crimes, including assault, fraud and possession of a dangerous weapon. In 2000 he assaulted Leonardo Simón with a machete, fracturing Simón's skull. Despite this record of criminality and violence, and despite the fact that his name was not even included on the now defunct United Nations Human Rights Commission's 2003 list of so-called political prisoners in Cuba, certain U.S. media all of a sudden declared Orlando Zapata Tamayo a political prisoner and certain Canadian media are following suit. They are crying crocodile tears for a man whose rights the Cuban government allegedly violated by refusing to give him a private cell phone, stove and television in his prison cell, thus forcing him to wage an 85-day hunger strike to the death.

Zapata was treated by highly-qualified specialists in several Cuban hospitals. Other specialists were also consulted. Eventually he was fed intravenously and through a nasal tube. Zapata and his family were consistently warned by the Cuban medical specialists of the dangers to his life should he persist on his chosen path. Maria Ester Hernandez, one of the specialists who treated Zapata, declared: "We explained to him the consequences of his decision at every turn and how much he was endangering his life with this. But he kept it up." The director of the National Hospital for Prisoners, Dr. Dailé Burgos, stated that Zapata was "treated with state-of-the-art drugs. The patient turned down food. His proteins, carbohydrates and fat were used up, thus he wasted away, making recovery difficult." In the end before he died Zapata was placed on an artificial respirator.

In short, every effort was made to avail Zapata of the resources of the Cuban medical system, which did its utmost to preserve his life.

Hardly acts of neglect or malfeasance! Why then are Canadian media telling lies about this case? Why don't they explain whose interests it serves to tell such lies?

Isaac Saney
Co-Chair & National Spokesperson
Tel: (902) 449-4967
Email: isaney@hotmail.com

For Whom Is Death a Useful Tool?

The total lack of martyrs within the Cuban counterrevolution is proportional to its lack of scruples. It is not easy to die in Cuba, not because life expectancy now parallels that of the developed world -- nobody dies of hunger, despite a lack of resources -- but because the law and honor prevail. Cuban mercenaries can be detained and tried in accordance with existing legislation.

In no country can the laws be violated: [in this case,] receiving money and collaborating with the embassy of a country considered an enemy. In the United States, for example, such an act can result in a harsh sentence, but they know that in Cuba nobody disappears or is killed by the police. There are no "dark corners" for "unconventional" interrogations of missing prisoners, such as those of Guantánamo or Abu Ghraib. Moreover, one devotes one's life to an ideal that prioritizes the happiness of others, not to one that prioritizes one's own.

However, in the last few days, certain news agencies and governments have rushed to condemn Cuba for the death in prison, on February 23, of Cuban Orlando Zapata Tamayo. Any death is painful and lamentable. But the media echo this time is tinged with enthusiasm: at last -- they seem to be saying -- a "hero" has appeared. For that reason, it is necessary to briefly explain, without unnecessary words, who Zapata Tamayo was. Despite all the dressing up, he was a common prisoner who began his criminal activities in 1988. He was tried for the crimes of "unlawful entry" (1993), "assault" (2000), "fraud" (2000), "assault and the possession of a sharp weapon" (2000: wounds and a fractured skull inflicted on the citizen Leonardo Simón with a machete), "public disorder" (2002), and other charges bearing no relation to politics. He was paroled in March 2003 and committed another crime on the 20th of the same month. Given his criminal record and parole status, he was then sentenced to three years' imprisonment, but the initial sentence was considerably lengthened in the following years on account of his aggressive behavior in prison.

His name does not appear on the list of the so-called political prisoners drawn up in 2003 to condemn Cuba in the manipulated and extinct United Nations Human Rights Commission -- as claimed by the Spanish news agency EFE, without verifying sources or facts -- although his last arrest coincided in time with their list. If previous political intent had existed, he would not have been released 11 days beforehand. The avidity to enroll the largest possible number of supposed or real followers in the ranks of the counterrevolution, on the one hand, and on the other, convinced of the material advantages of a "membership" fostered by foreign embassies, Zapata Tamayo adopted a "political" profile when his criminal record was already lengthy.

In that new role, he was consistently encouraged by his political mentors to initiate hunger strikes, which definitively weakened his body. He received Cuban medical attention throughout. Highly-qualified specialists in the different hospitals where he was treated -- in addition to those consulted at a number of other centers -- spared no resources in his medical care. He was fed through a nasal tube and his family was informed of every step taken. His life was prolonged for some days by artificial respiration. There is documentary evidence of everything stated above.

But there are questions that remain unanswered and which are not medical ones. By whom and why was Zapata encouraged to maintain an attitude that was obviously suicidal? For whom was his death convenient? The fatal outcome delighted the "bereaved" hypocrites. Zapata was the perfect candidate: a man the enemies of the Cuban Revolution could "dispense with," and who could be easily convinced to persist in an absurd undertaking with impossible demands (television, stove and personal telephone in his cell), which none of the real capos had the courage to sustain. Each prior hunger strike on the part of the instigators was announced as a probable death, but those hunger strikers always desisted before irreversible health incidents occurred. Instigated and encouraged to continue to the death -- those mercenaries were rubbing their hands together in that expectation, despite doctors' unstinting efforts -- his name is now being cynically paraded as a collective trophy.

Some in the media acted like vultures -- local mercenaries and international right-wing forces -- hovering over the dying man. His decease is a feast. The spectacle is sickening. Because those writing are not lamenting the death of a human being -- in a country without extra-judicial killings -- but instead brandishing it almost with glee, and are utilizing it for premeditated political ends. Zapata Tamayo was manipulated and, to a certain extent, led premeditatedly to his self-destruction, in order to meet others' political needs. Is this not a charge against those who have now appropriated his "cause"? This case is a direct consequence of Cuba's political murderer, who stimulates illegal emigration and contempt and violation of the established law and order. That is the sole cause of that undesired death.

But why are governments joining in the campaign of defamation, when they know -- because they do know -- that there are no summary executions, torture, or use of extrajudicial methods in Cuba? One can find cases in any European country -- in some cases, open violations of ethical principles -- that do not receive the attention that ours does. Some of them, like the Irish prisoners who fought for their independence in the 1980s, died in the face of the total indifference of politicians. Why are there governments that elude an explicit condemnation of the unjust incarceration being endured by five Cubans in the United States for fighting against terrorism, but which hasten to condemn Cuba if media pressure endangers their political image? Cuba has already stated it once: we can send them all the mercenaries and their families, but give us back our heroes. Nobody will be able to use political coercion against the Cuban Revolution.

We trust that our imperial adversaries know that our country can never be intimidated, bowed or diverted from its heroic and dignified course by acts of aggression, lies and infamy.

The Shamelessness of the United States Government

One out of every four prisoners in the world is in a U.S. penitentiary. The composition of these prisoners is profoundly racist: one out of every 15 black adults is incarcerated; one out of every 9 is aged 20-34 years; and one out of every 36 Hispanics. Two-thirds of those serving life sentences are African Americans or Latinos, and in the case of New York state, only 16.3% of prisoners are white.

For example, U.S. prison guards routinely use Taser guns on prisoners. According to a recent report, 230 U.S. citizens have died as a result of the use of these weapons since 2001. The report refers to the case of a county jail in Garfield, Colorado, accused of regularly using Taser guns and pepper spray on prisoners, and then tying them to chairs in extreme positions for hours at a time.

It was recently reported that 72 people have died in the last five years in immigrant detention centers.

A report released by the U.S. Justice Department during W. Bush's final term in office said that 22,480 prisoners in state and federal penitentiaries were HIV positive or AIDS patients, and an estimated 176 state and 27 federal prisoners died from AIDS-related causes. For example, a September 20, 2007 article in the Los Angeles Times reported that 426 cases of death were recorded in California prisons in 2006 as stemming from belated medical treatment. Eighteen of these deaths were considered "preventable" and 48 others as "possibly preventable." A 41-year-old diabetic patient, Rodolfo Ramos, died after having been left abandoned and covered in his own feces for one week. Prison officials did not provide him with medical treatment even though they were aware of his condition.

In at least 40 of the country's 50 states, courts treat juveniles of 14 to 18 years old like adults. About 200,000 minors in the United States are subjected to trials in courts for adults, even though it has been demonstrated that this proceeding is wrong.

Juveniles in 13 juvenile detention centers in the United States suffer from high rates of sexual abuse, and an average of one out of every three incarcerated minors report being attacked.

Approximately 283,000 prisoners are mentally ill, four times the number of patients in psychiatric hospitals.

In U.S. state and federal prisons, 4.5% of prisoners have suffered one or more sexual attacks, and 2.9% report having suffered incidents involving prison staff. In addition, 0.5% reported having been sexually assaulted both by other prisoners and by prison staff.

Physical, direct forms of brutal treatment and torture of prisoners are endemic to U.S. prisons. A British film released a few years ago, "Torture: America's Brutal Prisons," features footage from prison security cameras in Florida, Texas, Arizona and California, in which guards can be seen severely beating prisoners -- even killing some -- and using Taser guns and electric prods, attack dogs, chemical sprays and dangerous paralyzing devices.

However, the most harmful effect of this prolonged isolation is that the mental abuse of prisoners affects them alarmingly. Many prisoners go crazy (if they weren't already mentally ill), or commit suicide, as a result of this inhuman punishment. They are in restricted segregated units, and many of them are also in isolation -- but the government does not release that information. The majority of prisoners in the United States who are in isolation have been so for more than five years.

Cuba Decries Political Hypocrisy in Geneva

Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, Cuban Minister for Foreign Affairs deplored the ideological manipulation, political hypocrisy and double standard of industrialized nations on Wednesday, during a speech at the 13th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

They are the creators of the colonial system that served to plunder the nations of the South and doomed them to underdevelopment, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said at the UN Human Rights Council.

"Those who proclaim themselves as human rights defenders and try to question others are directly responsible for the most serious, systematic and flagrant human rights violations, chiefly the right to live," he stated.

In his address to the Human Rights Council, the Cuban Foreign Minister lashed out at the unique thinking the Western bloc tries to impose on the world.

They benefit from exclusive models, excluding values, media war, imminent truths, commercial subculture and imposition of conditioned responses, he stressed.

He also denounced that the manipulation of terror has allowed the U.S. and its European allies to unleash wars of domination and the conquest of energy resources in Iraq and Afghanistan, claiming millions of lives.

On this issue, he asked who would be blamed for the brutalities committed in Abu Ghraib, Bagram, Guantanamo Naval Base and other centers of torture and death. "When will those responsible be judged and impunity will come to an end?", he insisted.

"The right to live is constantly violated in the world. The existence of human life is seriously threatened by climate change," the minister commented.

After referring to the historic responsibility of "the same who unleash and conduct wars," Bruno Rodriguez described the Copenhagen Summit as shameful, "with its fraudulent and exclusive practices," he concluded.

Reconstruction Must Be Shaped by
Haitian Hands and Priorities!

In the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, genuine solidarity for the people of Haiti has become even more critical. The loss of lives, the hundreds of thousands of sick and injured, the destruction of housing and infrastructure, all of these enormous problems constitute an unprecedented disaster in a country whose population is among the most vulnerable on the planet. This tragedy has provoked a strong reaction of compassion among millions of people around the world, all sharing a desire to help and to offer support for the urgent needs of the Haitian people.

In particular, we note the remarkable contributions made by medical and emergency assistance agencies, including Partners in Health/Zanmi Lasante, Médecins Sans Frontières, and the many medical brigades provide by the Government of Cuba. Throughout this crisis, the Haitian people have responded with great dignity and solidarity -- though the international media has all too rarely reported on this. Such dignity is especially impressive given the unspeakable neglect they have suffered since the earthquake.

In contrast to this powerful human response within Haiti and around the globe, the group described in the mainstream media as the "Friends of Haiti" -- including the governments of Canada, the U.S., France, and Brazil -- has been anything but. The failure of the aid effort has been due in large part to its militarization. The "Friends" group appears to operate with an irrational fear and disdain for the Haitian people. They are preparing a coordinated "reconstruction" process for Haiti that will once again see powerful, non-Haitian decision-makers setting the course, within a context structured by military occupation and a "charity" model of assistance.

This neglect follows a pattern. An embargo on financial assistance to Haiti's elected government from 2000 to 2004 was followed by its violent overthrow on February 29, 2004. This coup d'état was carried out by a paramilitary uprising with political and military backing from the U.S., Canada and France. A two-year regime characterized by its grave human rights violations was appointed by the foreign powers, with the blessing of the UN Security Council. A Security Council-authorized police and military mission has played a preponderant role in Haiti's affairs ever since.

The aid and financial embargo continues to this day. Haiti's president René Préval has remarked on this to foreign media since the earthquake. He has complained that the aid money flowing into the country is not being directed either towards existing Haitian institutions or to creating the new ones that will be required.

The Canada Haiti Action Network is deeply concerned about the observable trends in Haiti since the earthquake. We are expressing our concerns to the appropriate authorities. We will continue to urge upon them the following principles to guide the aid and reconstruction effort in Haiti. We invite readers of this statement to do likewise.

1. Respect for Haiti's sovereignty and a Haitian-led crisis response and reconstruction

- While the January 25th Montreal Reconstruction Conference saw many leaders of the "Friends of Haiti" governments paying lip service to these concepts, it is nonetheless clear that Haitian voices, and most significantly the Government of Haiti itself, have been consistently sidelined in these discussions. Clearly, any meaningful reconstruction and development process in Haiti will require a central, decision-making role for its government and social organizations, and a dedicated and well resourced effort to build, re-build, and greatly expand Haiti's public sector and governmental capacity. All pressures on the Haitian government from the Government of Canada and other "Friends" to further privatize Haiti's public enterprises must be firmly rejected.

- The fact that Haiti was already occupied by a 9,000 strong Security Council-sanctioned military force (known by its acronym MINUSTAH) did not stop the United States government from quickly dispatching 20,000 marines of their own and seizing the Port-au-Prince airport. The Government of Canada followed this by sending 2,000 troops of its own. As is now widely known, this military control has been a major contributor to the failure to reach vast numbers of earthquake victims with urgently needed relief supplies and medical aid. The obsessive foreign concern about "looting" and "security" has proven to be inaccurate and an impediment to the relief effort. Relief activities must be de-militarized and they must be fully coordinated and overseen by the Haitian government and its agencies. All foreign NGOs and agencies should be put at the service of these local authorities and should assist them to build the appropriate structures, as needed.

- While more and more national and international agencies have come to recognize that Haiti's debt is not only odious but also a choking obstacle to its recovery and development, the International Monetary Fund and other key multilateral lenders continue to resist efforts to cancel it. Under the circumstances of the earthquake crisis, there can be no justification for Haiti sending vitally-needed funds to foreign banks.

- Another major contributor to the serious inadequacy of Haiti's infrastructure and its dire economic circumstances is the odious "debt" imposed on Haiti by France in the early 19th century under direct military threat and as a condition of establishing diplomatic and economic ties to the newly-independent republic. From 1825 to 1947, Haiti paid some $21 billion in current dollars to France as compensation for the loss of "property" of French slave plantation owners. The immorality of this extortionate debt has always been clear to the people of Haiti. Natural justice requires that these extorted funds be returned.

- The federal government must immediately recognize the dramatically changed circumstances faced by the Haitian community in Canada and those in Haiti needing access to family, support, and medical care. Such measures must include the extension of eligibility for family sponsorship to siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and adult children and temporary waiver of sponsorship application fees (as has been applied in comparable emergency situations). The admissibility rules for family reunification must also include the issuing of temporary-resident permits to allow the processing of such cases in Canada rather than in Haiti, as has been established in Haiti's tiny Caribbean neighbour state of Antigua.

For more information, please see:
- www.canadahaitiaction.ca
- www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/relief-and-reconstruction-watch/

Fredericton: Tracy Glynn, 506 458-8747
Montreal: Yves Engler, 514 618 2253
Ottawa/Gatineau: Jean Saint Vil, 613 266 0879 or Kevin Skerrett, 613 864 1590
Toronto: Niraj Joshi , 416 731 2325
Winnipeg: Jord Samolesky, 204 283 7295 or Ralph Paul , 204 996 2611
Vancouver: Roger Annis, 778 858 5179

Thousands of Zelaya Supporters Renew Protests

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, February 25, 2010: Mass demostration by Hondurans
on the 243rd day of resistance against the coup.

Thousands of Hondurans took to the streets of the capital on February 25 for the first time since President Porfirio Lobo took office on January 27, in response to a call by the National Front of Popular Resistance against the Coup d'Etat. Six teachers' unions backed the protests and called for classes to be suspended nationwide. Demonstrators called for reform of the constitution and denounced corruption and rights abuses since constitutional President Manuel Zelaya was ousted on June 28, 2009, as well as reiterating the people's demand for a constitutent assembly. Some 10,000 people set off from the capital's main university but were blocked by soldiers from nearing the presidential palace and diverted to the parliament in the city centre instead, according to organizers.

In addition, the demonstrators were protesting the murder of social activist Claudia Brizuela the day before. She was the daughter of Pedro Brizuela, a veteran leftist leader who was a founder of the now-defunct Communist Party of Honduras and is a member of the Popular Resistance Front in the northern city of San Pedro Sula. The 36-year-old Brizuela was shot dead in her home by unidentified gunmen. Her father said her death "is clearly a message aimed at intimidating my family and the Popular Resistance Front." "We are living in a police state that carries out surveillance on and persecutes the members of the resistance against the coup, and the death of my daughter can only be interpreted in this context," Brizuela told the local media.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, February 27, 2010: The Resistance removes a plaque that the coupists of the San Pedro Sula municipal government had put up to rename the boulevard after former de facto president Roberto Micheletti. In its place they put another plaque with the name that the avenue has had since 1978, Aguiluz Berlioz, and added President Manuel Zelaya's name and a quote from Karl Marx.

Regarding the truth commission assigned to investigate repression against the people since the coup, Rafael Alegría, one of the leaders of the resistance movement, told Inter Press Service that it is a "whitewash." It "will not be able to do much to clarify what happened here during the coup, which is why we are insisting that the best way to bring about reconciliation in Honduras is to push for a constituent assembly, which would allow us to 'refound' the state," he said.

Meanwhile, Lobo's foreign minister said recently that Honduras had restored diplomatic ties with 29 nations that broke off relations after the coup, while 10 others had not renewed relations.

Torontonians Say Hands Off Venezuela!

A militant rally took place at the Venezuelan Consulate in downtown Toronto on the evening of February 24 to condemn the Harper government's meddling in the internal affairs of Venezuela and to call upon the Canadian people to denounce the efforts of the Canadian state to destabilize and undermine the democratically elected government of Hugo Chávez. Similar demonstrations also took place in Calgary, Montreal and Caracas, Venezuela.

The rally was organized by the Latin American Solidarity Network and its allies in Toronto to condemn the recent public attacks against Venezuela by Foreign Minister Peter Kent, who in his recent visit to Venezuela met with so-called "opposition groups" in order to encourage them against the government of Hugo Chávez. This is not only a direct violation of Venezuela's sovereignty, it is of direct assistance to the U.S. imperialists, who have built several new military bases in neighbouring Colombia in order to wage war against Venezuela and other Latin American nations and peoples who are affirming their right to be against U.S. imperialist dictate in Latin America.

It was noted by some of the speakers that Canada is increasingly playing a despicable role in the region in trying to undermine democratically elected and popular governments such as in the case of Haiti, the recent case of Honduras and now the efforts to undermine the Venezuelan government of Hugo Chávez. It was pointed out that the Canadian people have a duty to oppose these moves and to stand with the Venezuelan and Latin American people in general who are waging a fierce resistance against U.S. imperialism and its allies such as Canada.

Other speakers brought out the fact the role of the Chávez government to raise the level of the social, economic and cultural well-being of the Venezuelan masses, and that it is also making valuable contributions to assist their neighbours such as in the case of assisting the Haitian people before, and especially after the recent earthquake. It was pointed out that Venezuela also stands for the independence and sovereignty of all nations and peoples and has supported the just struggles of the people everywhere including the Palestinian people. Thus, while the Venezuelan government by its actions is a force for the sovereignty and independence of all nations, the Canadian government is a force for war and occupation. This shows clearly who is for democracy.

The rally ended with the chanting of slogans such as "Hands off Venezuela!" and the resolve of the participants to stand with the Venezuelan people by condemning the attacks by the Harper regime against Hugo Chávez and the Venezuelan government and calling all Canadians to demand that such blatant interference in Venezuela's internal affairs stops immediately.

The organizers stated that further actions and information sessions on this issue are being planned for the near future and invited everyone to participate.

Call for Renewed Solidarity with Venezuela in the Midst of Public Attacks by the Canadian Government

After a visit to Venezuela this January, Canadian Minister for the Americas Peter Kent decried the so-called "shrinking of democratic space" in the country. Kent made his remarks in response to the Chávez government's recent temporary suspension of three TV stations, as well as violent clashes that led to the death of two anti-government student activists.

The Toronto-based Latin American Solidarity Network (LASN) condemns Minister Kent's public attack on Venezuela and seriously questions the Canadian government's genuine commitment to democratic rule in Latin America and the Caribbean. LASN would also like to bring attention to the hypocritical posturing of the Harper government which criticizes Venezuela as being 'undemocratic' while its own Parliament lies inactive for months after being prorogued by the Prime Minister for the second time in less than a year.

1. In June 2009, after democratically elected Honduran President Mel Zelaya was deposed by a U.S.-supported military coup, the Canadian government refused to take assertive measures to sanction the coup plotters. Minister Kent remained conspicuously muted in the face of widely-documented human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, torture and the shutting down of all alternative media outlets by the de-facto security forces. Furthermore, Canada quickly recognized the results of Honduras' unlawful January 2010 presidential election that was carried out under the grip of an authoritarian military regime.

2. Since March 2009, the Conservative Harper government has staunchly supported the implementation of the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) bill. Harper's support for a Colombian trade deal has not wavered, despite that country's alarming human rights abuses, the majority of which enjoy near total impunity. These abuses have been carried with direct state/paramilitary involvement or complicity and have targeted mainly civilians, social movement activists and the country's democratic opposition. Furthermore, Harper has ignored growing opposition to the free trade deal both in Colombia and Canada.

3. In the 2004 coup in Haiti, the Canadian government coordinated efforts with the U.S. and France to economically suffocate, isolate and destabilize the democratically elected government of President Jean Bertrand Aristide. Canada participated in the planning and implementation of the coup, turned a blind eye to human rights violations following Aristide's ouster and continues to occupy Haiti as part of MINUSTAH forces.

LASN views the underlying reason for Kent's attack on Venezuela as a clear indication of Canada's support for the U.S-led propaganda campaign aimed at delegitimizing and destabilizing the Chávez regime. In recent years, this dirty campaign, spearheaded by Venezuela's elite-supported "opposition" and privately-owned media has included: the widespread promotion and use of violence, sabotage, the fostering of right-wing paramilitaries and the failed 2002 military coup that threatened to plunge the country into violent chaos.

The Canadian government to respect Venezuela's path towards the implementation of popular democracy which prioritizes the needs of the country's poor and marginalized majority;

The Canadian government to disengage in any direct or indirect efforts that will contribute to the undermining of Venezuela's future stability or sovereignty;

Progressive movements in Canada and globally to reinvigorate their solidarity efforts with the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela during this critical period of renewed aggression that ultimately threatens peace and social justice in the region.

José Mujica Assumes Presidency

José Mujica of the governing Frente Amplio (FA) party assumed the presidency of Uruguay on March 1 amidst a spirit of popular celebration. For the first time, the ceremony took place in the open air before South American presidents and other special guests. Mujica was sworn in to govern for five years alongside his Vice President Danilo Astori. His wife, Senator Lucía Topolansky, presided over the event. He received the presidential sash from outgoing president Tabaré Vázquez (also of the FA) in a packed Plaza Independencia.

In attendance were: Cristina Fernández of Argentina, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Fernando Lugo of Paraguay, Evo Morales of Bolivia, Rafael Correa of Ecuador, Alvaro Uribe of Colombia and Hugo Chávez of Venezuela. Prince Felipe of Spain and Cuban Vice President José Ramón Machado Ventura were also present as was U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Senator Raynell Andreychuk led the Canadian delegation present for the inauguration.

Mujica promised to continue the policies of his predecessor Vasquez and to lead a government centred on ending poverty, and with a renewed commitment to Latin America and MERCOSUR, news agencies report.

In the days prior to his election, Mujica noted the importance for people to be organized into political parties that represent their interests, so as to have the means to take collective action. Mujica, quoted by the newspaper La Republica, noted that "without collective tools that fit our right to self-determination and personalities, great causes fail because they need the parties that are the ones that replace the fibre of the struggle in a long process," he said.

"There are no irreplaceable men; there are irreplaceable causes. When you are 74-years old, you must have the intelligence to look life in perspective," he pointed out. Mujica added that the FA is the most important party in Uruguay, saying, "We have the crucial responsibility to rule for all and with all. We have to be patient, respectful and committed to the cause."

Mujica's remarks came at a meeting to support the candidacies of FA members Ana Olivera and Marcos Carambula, who will run as canadidates in the elections in the Montevideo and Canelones municipalities, respectively, in May.

Whose Interests Are Some Canadian Media Serving with Lies About Cuba?

Condolences to the Chilean People

Whose Interests Are Some Canadian Media Serving with Lies About Cuba?

For Whom Is Death a Useful Tool?

The Shamelessness of the United States Government

Cuba Decries Political Hypocrisy in Geneva

Reconstruction Must Be Shaped by Haitian Hands and Priorities!

Thousands of Zelaya Supporters Renew Protests

Torontonians Say Hands Off Venezuela!

Call for Renewed Solidarity with Venezuela in the Midst of Public Attacks by the Canadian Government

José Mujica Assumes Presidency

Whose Interests Are Some Canadian Media
Serving with Lies About Cuba?

Whose Interests Are Some Canadian Media
Serving with Lies About Cuba?

Reconstruction Must Be Shaped by
Haitian Hands and Priorities!