Twenty
years ago a Paraguayan colonel told me that there
were two Gods in the Universe. I was shocked
and utterly confused and I immediately requested an
explanation. He stated with no hesitation: "There
is a God in Heaven and another one on Earth".
Once again I asked: What do you mean? He explained
that the one on Earth is called: “The Almighty
Dollar”. Through the years, I continue to question
the colonel’s theory.
Today, I think that it is fair to say: The colonel
was absolutely correct.
When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, the world went to
war against Saddam under the pretext of morality. Nevertheless,
the Royal Kuwaitis in Egypt at that time were living
the high life, driving their ostentatious limousines,
boasted to the world that they had sufficient money
to be able to pay off officials to liberate their country.
President
Chávez of Venezuela is well known
to be against everything that the United States stands
for. He is against Free Trade Agreement of the Americas
(FTAA). However, everyone knows that in Fort Tiuna
in Caracas there are more US Dollars and Bolivares
in cash than in the Central Bank, which in the end
that is what really counts. Also, Venezuela has managed
to sign major contracts with European and American
Petroleum companies. In order to carry out such a huge
operation, equipment such as one hundred helicopters,
have already begun to arrive in Venezuela. And that
is what matters. We are doing business.
President
Castro has been in Cuba for the past 44 years controlling
a population of more than twelve
million souls. It does not matter what the Cuban exiles
have done. Their efforts in lobbying and promoting
in the mass media, in the United States and around
the world have gone unheard, regardless of the key
and important positions in the government they may
hold. Nevertheless, in the island nothing has changed.
People still fry eggs with water, still brush their
teeth with salt and water, and women still sell themselves
to survive, while the world watches uncaringly and
cold heartedly. At the same time, Canada, major countries
of Europe, and even the United States have been signing
commercial deals with Cuba. Because in the end "Business
is Business"
After
the Vietnam War ended, we thought it would have taken
a long time for the United States to establish
diplomatic relations with that part of the world, since
an experience of that nature had left a profound impact
on the American psyche. However, soon after, some
European companies started to make contact with the
communists in the new Vietnam. If seen from a trade
point of view, this meant millions of consumers (or
millions
of dollars, as you prefer to look at it). Also the
American corporations began to pursue an establishment
there, so that the Market was not left solely
for the Europeans, even though the law in the United
States
prohibited any relation with this Asian country. In
the mid nineties, President Clinton signed a bill to
reestablish relations with Vietnam.
President
Aristide is a tyrant who has destroyed a country
of eight million people, and is still in
power. The mass media and top officials of the United
States government have reported that 15% of the drugs
that enter the United States come through Haiti. The
most wanted drug trafficker of Haiti, Jacques Ketant,
was arrested in June 2003 by the DEA. He admitted openly
that Jean Bertrand Aristide was his employer. Surprisingly,
the poorest country of the Americas has the third most
influential lobby in Washington. According to the press,
some US politicians, some leaders of the O.A.S., and
CARICOM have received "Contributions" from
the government of Haiti to keep the present’s
leaders in power. Money Talks.
This takes us to a worrisome situation, because we
are sending a very clear message: It does not matter
if the governments and their countries are in obvious
disagreement with the democratic principles professed
by the United States, European countries, and Latin
America, just as long as there is business and money,
one can follow any doctrine.
And even more worrisome is that the message also
entails as an example of life to the youth. We are
telling them that:
1. It does not matter how you make the money, as
long as you make it.
2. Make sure you have enough of it.
3. If they catch you, just get a good, expensive lawyer (perhaps a thousand
dollars an hour or more). He will defend you one way or another; he will solve
your problem. And it does not matter how much it costs or how many people he
must buy.
As
they say: "MONEY TALKS" |
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