Scraps from the Pile...

Well, at this point, I'm just plain frustrated by the war in Iraq along with many of the policies of the U.S. administration. I do think the war was started on false pretenses, and the leak of a British memo begins to point in this direction. It's just a shame that apathy reigns. Also, there's not much press in the U.S. about the Bush trip to Europe. I wonder how he's being received by the general public over there.

In Columbia, "troubling" new developments in U.S. military involvment. Two soldiers were caught trying to supply weapons to the paramilitaries. These are the same people who the U.S. is supposedly trying to defeat by sending soldiers and vast amounts of aid to the country. I doubt it's a case of two rebelious soldiers acting on their own. Here's the NYTimes account of the story.

A BBC article on eco-tourism in Ecuador raises some interesting questions. The Achuar people seemingly have a good deal with a tourism group, where the Indians are taught how to run the business, and in 6 years, they will take over complete operations. This is done in the name of preservation, both of the indignous people, and of the surrounding environment. However, the jobs at the lodges are are the antithesis of the indigenous way of life, although this is probably better than the exploitation that the oil companies would bring to the region.

Interestingly, in Mexico, Obrador has had all charges dropped. This is probably due to his overwhelming popular support. Now, can he take the presidency in '06?