25 years after the end of its military dictatorship, on Oct 3rd 2010 Brazil carried out peaceful and legitimate democratic elections nationwide. Over 135 million Brazilians voted to elect the country’s president, the governors of Brasilia and 27 states, 54 senators, all 513 members of the House of Representatives and the assembly delegates of all states.
Brazilian Flag
Although elections were carried out without controversy, the final outcome remains unknown. None of the presidential candidates gathered enough votes (50% plus one vote) to be named president elect; therefore, the two top contenders will face each other again in a run-off election to be held on Oct. 31st. More important than the result per se, the elections will be testament of the nation’s progress towards consolidating its democratic principles and its stance as a leading democracy in Latin America.
It’s important to remember that this was only the 6th major election in Brazil since it overcame its worst period of human rights transgressions in recent history. The Brazilian military regime, which was in power from 1964 to 1985, was responsible for systemic human rights violations, including killings, forced disappearances, torture and the curtailment of freedom of expression. Approximately 50,000 persons were detained for speaking against the regime and roughly 10,000 went into exile. It is only after the promulgation of its new Constitution in1988 that Brazilians had their full civil and political rights restored. For such a young democracy, these elections should be seen as a victory for everyone, regardless of political party or affiliation. It empowers Brazilians to choose their own leaders and indeed, their own future.
In the weeks and months to come, we will follow the work of those empowered to lead the country into the future. We will monitor them carefully, focusing on the social and economic rights of the most vulnerable sectors in society. In the meantime, let’s join the nation in celebrating its democracy!
And even as you celebrate, Mr Ciampolini,
the Amazon vanishes daily, hourly, & on a gigantic scale,
& Her ancient native children of all species along with Her.
The game has been "regularized" at the top.
But the structure has changed not a whit.
All your advancements take place upon the widening back of this unsparing, unending, universal slaughter.
"Democracy", "elections", the "nation" ?
For whom?
At whose cost?
& til when ?
And even as you celebrate, Mr Ciampolini,
the Amazon vanishes daily, hourly, & on a gigantic scale,
& Her ancient native children of all species along with Her.
The game has been “regularized” at the top.
But the structure has changed not a whit.
All your advancements take place upon the widening back of this unsparing, unending, universal slaughter.
“Democracy”, “elections”, the “nation” ?
For whom?
At whose cost?
& til when ?
@ a.savage:
Does your whining ever stop? The people best placed to look after their own country are the Brazilians and not an all-purpose terrorist supporter/HR whiner like you.
The Amazon hasn't vanished and what is this 'universal slaughter' that you speak of? Is it the slaughter of your remaining brain cells?
@ a.savage:
Does your whining ever stop? The people best placed to look after their own country are the Brazilians and not an all-purpose terrorist supporter/HR whiner like you.
The Amazon hasn’t vanished and what is this ‘universal slaughter’ that you speak of? Is it the slaughter of your remaining brain cells?
Indeed, sir ! What indeed am i talking about, & why do i keep on saying them !
Brazilians are “the people best placed to look after” Brazil . How well you put it — i especially like that “best placed” bit .
By “Brazilians” you mean”all” “Brazilians”, sir ?
And what about entire Peoples, cultures & Nations who don’t even begin to see themelves as “Brazilians”, although they are the People who are the People of the Land ?
And what about the Amazon .. does she consider herself “Brazilian”, too ?
What does SHE think, & feel ?
What does She think of the Brazil that, by the iron laws of imperialism that created Brazil, has doomed the Amazon ?
Ahh, irony of ironies !
Those very same iron laws are today dooming Brazil & “Brazilians” … though not “all” of them just yet !
What’s happening is a new form of imperialism that’s invading Brazil in its turn.
It’s the turn of financial imperialism now.
In 2008, US Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke decided to keep all those high debts that are crushing Americans from defaulting by re – inflating the US real estate & financial markets.
His “rescue” measure, quantitative easing (QE ), went into the belly of the banks …
The very same banks that caused the crash …
And what did these banks do then ?
Did they lend the money out to the US economy that had been shrunk by debt deflation, & was of no further use to them ?
Of course not !
The banks used QE to start a new financial war of invasion…. abroad.
They’re sending the entirety of QE abroad, in a vast flight of capital !!
They’re buying up bonds & stocks all around the world, plus land & other assets that are for sale.
It’s an appropriation of monetary wealth & assets on a global scale, achieved without sending armies or military weapons.
Mainly targetting Brazil, Russia, India, China.
They’re buying up government bonds in Brazil.
The cost of US credit is 1%. Brazil’s long term government bonds have an yield of nearly 12 %.
This flood of capital inflow is pushing up non – dollar currency exchange rates.
Brazil is suffering rather than benefiting from this.
The outflow from dollars into reals has pushed up the real’s exchange rate by about 30 %.
The competitiveness of Brazilian exports is being eroded.
Brazilians are “the people best placed to look after” Brazil, right ?
Wrong.
They’re “the people best placed” to drown under the deluge.
Brazil’s already put up a 4 % tax on foreign purchases of its bonds, signalling the end of the open & unprotected capital markets which were adopted globally after World War Two.
Finance Minister Guido Mantega says, “It’s not only a currency war. It tends to become a trade war & this is our concern.”
They’re right to be concerned.
The expropriators are in the process of being expropriated.
@ a.savage:
What the hell are you on about? It seems that you’re having some sort of serious breakdown/meltdown. 🙂 Global capitalism, the Amazon and conspiracies… US bankers, evil overlords etc. Completely and utterly bonkers!
it seems that normal Brazilians are quite pleased with their increasing prosperity.
“When Lula took over it was as if the country was coming out of a war. And today things have stabilised. We are no longer known as the country of football and beautiful women. We are known as country that is economically strong.”
“[As a child] I didn’t have water. I didn’t have electricity. I didn’t have a comfortable brick home. Today, these projects are arriving in the communities,”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/03/lula-da-silva-rio-rousseff
Sir,
You react just as i knew you would.
With superficial pictures from the corporate media regarding Brazil.
You insert things i have never said: "conspiracy" & "evil overlords".
If what i say is ludicrous, why not laugh as well about the Finance Minister's words i quoted about the "currency war " now turning into a "trade war", & the "concern" he voices ?
You don't make the slightest reference to his observations.You don't say he's having a meltdown as well.
Nor do you mention the new 4 % Brazilan tax on foreign purchases of their bonds i pointed to.
No comment from you either on the point that Brazil's new tax measure signals the end of the postwar world's open & unprotected capital markets.
Brazil takes such an unprecedented & historic step… & not ONE comment from you. Nor any enquiry into why this step was taken at all.
Why this stark, unbroken silence on your part ?
2 possible reasons.
1, to you these economic developments are meaningless & irrelevant, or not that interesting or important.
2, they represent deeper waters than you'd like to, or trouble to, enter .
So only dip in a toe or two … just enough to mischievously splash your fellow dialoguer with droplets to try & inconvenience him.
The Brazilian government you eulogise so uncritically but neglect historically are, however, not laughing like you are about this matter.
They know this crisis full well & have studied & thought about it in detail even as it grew.
They are now acting on it urgently & with utmost seriousness.
Your agenda, on the other hand, is a very different one.
You want to keep all spotlights off the internal problems & crises in south Asian or South american countries & similar regions.
For you know what such a spotlight will reveal when it comes to shine upon your own state one day.
You act as a sunny & greated hearted champion of these countries, whether Burma or Brazil, … so that they can act as a buffer to keep the spotlight from focusing on your own state.
"Stay away ! Keep away!" is all you can say, apart from your superficial glossings about the wonderful "national" images of these countries & the "progress"they're all making.
You are exactly like the corporate media that keeps on saying we are all on "The Road to Recovery", happy times are here again so please don't listen to these Cassandras.
The cracks in such media images are globalizing as you laugh.
i think you're not even aware of the cracks yourself, anymore.
You've fooled yourself in the end.
Sir,
You react just as i knew you would.
With superficial pictures from the corporate media regarding Brazil.
You insert things i have never said: “conspiracy” & “evil overlords”.
If what i say is ludicrous, why not laugh as well about the Finance Minister’s words i quoted about the “currency war ” now turning into a “trade war”, & the “concern” he voices ?
You don’t make the slightest reference to his observations.You don’t say he’s having a meltdown as well.
Nor do you mention the new 4 % Brazilan tax on foreign purchases of their bonds i pointed to.
No comment from you either on the point that Brazil’s new tax measure signals the end of the postwar world’s open & unprotected capital markets.
Brazil takes such an unprecedented & historic step… & not ONE comment from you. Nor any enquiry into why this step was taken at all.
Why this stark, unbroken silence on your part ?
2 possible reasons.
1, to you these economic developments are meaningless & irrelevant, or not that interesting or important.
2, they represent deeper waters than you’d like to, or trouble to, enter .
So only dip in a toe or two … just enough to mischievously splash your fellow dialoguer with droplets to try & inconvenience him.
The Brazilian government you eulogise so uncritically but neglect historically are, however, not laughing like you are about this matter.
They know this crisis full well & have studied & thought about it in detail even as it grew.
They are now acting on it urgently & with utmost seriousness.
Your agenda, on the other hand, is a very different one.
You want to keep all spotlights off the internal problems & crises in south Asian or South american countries & similar regions.
For you know what such a spotlight will reveal when it comes to shine upon your own state one day.
You act as a sunny & greated hearted champion of these countries, whether Burma or Brazil, … so that they can act as a buffer to keep the spotlight from focusing on your own state.
“Stay away ! Keep away!” is all you can say, apart from your superficial glossings about the wonderful “national” images of these countries & the “progress”they’re all making.
You are exactly like the corporate media that keeps on saying we are all on “The Road to Recovery”, happy times are here again so please don’t listen to these Cassandras.
The cracks in such media images are globalizing as you laugh.
i think you’re not even aware of the cracks yourself, anymore.
You’ve fooled yourself in the end.
@ a.savage:
First, my own state Sri Lanka completely crushed your favourite terrorist group, the race-fixated LTTE and thus improved human rights for all Lankan citizens. How does it feel to support a racist terror group like the LTTE? My own state is moving forward to a better future. I've never supported Burma's military dictatorship.
Your ramblings about the forthcoming disaster for Brazil is hypnotically weird and odd. Perhaps a Brazilian could comment?
The Guardian as 'corporate media'? They'll be surprised to know that! Do please disprove the stuff in that article.
"20 million Brazilians have been hauled out of poverty since Lula came to power." True or false?
@ a.savage:
First, my own state Sri Lanka completely crushed your favourite terrorist group, the race-fixated LTTE and thus improved human rights for all Lankan citizens. How does it feel to support a racist terror group like the LTTE? My own state is moving forward to a better future. I’ve never supported Burma’s military dictatorship.
Your ramblings about the forthcoming disaster for Brazil is hypnotically weird and odd. Perhaps a Brazilian could comment?
The Guardian as ‘corporate media’? They’ll be surprised to know that! Do please disprove the stuff in that article.
“20 million Brazilians have been hauled out of poverty since Lula came to power.” True or false?
Both of you have a point, but it is important to remain critical of the State, even when it is making advances that are helpful for citizens; perhaps it is easy not to notice the sacrifices that are being made for this progress, as with indigenous people in Brazil. There are few quick fixes that are good for all citizens of a country, and you have to pay attention, or the sacrifices being made may not yield a long term benefit for the other citizens.
Both of you have a point, but it is important to remain critical of the State, even when it is making advances that are helpful for citizens; perhaps it is easy not to notice the sacrifices that are being made for this progress, as with indigenous people in Brazil. There are few quick fixes that are good for all citizens of a country, and you have to pay attention, or the sacrifices being made may not yield a long term benefit for the other citizens.