Re: [OPE] Venezuela and Human Rights Watch

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Paula
  To: Outline on Political Economy mailing list
  Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2008 2:34 AM
  Subject: Re: [OPE] Venezuela and Human Rights Watch

  Paul B: "the issue here is how the multiplicity of 'facts' / events/ responses are constructed and used, ie in whose interests they are interpreted."

  No, that is a non-issue on this list; we all know that the right will 'construct and use' all kinds of facts and events for their own purposes. The issue is whether we aim to have our own independent interpretation, or whether we accept at face value the arguments of whoever they happen to be misrepresenting.

  " .. then given that somewhere there is always someone who knows more than each of us about some topic or other, we would never discuss anything, or be allowed to have an argument."

  Then you should not ask others to abstain from a discussion until they know more.

  I said " with the greatest respect perhaps the situation in Venezuela should be studied before expressing very abstract and unclear notions of 'freedoms' and 'rights'." NOT that you should abstain from a discussion, but that the discussion should NOT be based on very abstract and unclear notions of 'freedoms' and 'rights'... OK?

  "With respect to the oil Lockout in Venezuela I find it astonishing that anyone ...other than the managerial, and generally highly paid technicians and their political promotors ..."

  Did all 18,000 fired workers fall into these categories? It seems unlikely.

  All of them broke their employment contracts. Legally the government was entirely within its rights. What was it to do...?? leave these well paid managers and technicians in the same position as before... to carry out sabotage exactly as they had done before? 18,000 is a relatively small and coherent group of people to direct and organise by the Chamber of Commerce organisers. They acted in a coherent and well directed manner... the aim was to break the government and persist with the privatisation procedure - which was very near completion when Chavez was elected. If this had been completed, Venezuela today wouldn't be taking the historically unprecedented progressive steps it is now. Their money would be subsidising the western financial system, organised with the full support of your 18.000

  By the way what do you think of the 5000 employees that have been dismissed by Lehmans in London...... their rights? given that they weren't organising an anti state campaign?....

   
  Paul

  Paula

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Received on Sun Sep 28 13:42:09 2008