WAR LOOMS IN HONDURAS SOON !

Map of Honduras, South of Belize.
ZELAYA, the puppet who would be KING of Honduras under Chavez.
Emperor Chavez the new IMPERIALISTA


WAR LOOMS IN HONDURAS?

Looks like the ACTION should start this Friday, over the weekend and into next week, if any of the THREATS and INTIMIDATION factor into reality, of ZELAYA, the ex-President of Honduras and his owner, megalomaniac Emperor Hugo Chavez with his Empire Building plans for the American continent. Hugo Chavez, President for Life of Venezuela has turned IMPERIALIST.
So far, the noise has been only verbal bluster, but if IMPERIALIST Emperor Chavez is to build his EMPIRE, the threats have to be turned into reality at some point. One suspects that this is not ROCKET SCIENCE and therefore if there is anything real behind Emperor Chavez of Venezuela, then a military outfit is being prepared within Venezuela and will probably be airlifted to Nicaragua as a staging point fairly rapidly. Nicaragua is an ALBA member and the President ORTEGA is fellow comintern fellow traveler of the SANDANISTAS and the ALBA group, President for Life CABAL of Nicaragua and the continent, with plenty of practice in subversion, revolution and covert action.
One would suppose covert hit teams and assassination squads are already inside Honduras, probably composed of Venezuelans, Cubans and perhaps even Nicaraguans? If there is any meat in the bun, so to speak, things should start taking shape from FRIDAY, through the weekend and into next week.
First moves would probably be to assassinate Michelli the current President of Honduras? I would suspect that the families of Michelli, the Supreme Court people and elected Congressional people would be in danger. Kidnap at the least, murder at the worst by assassination teams can be expected. Certainly the current crop of Honduran GENERALS in the army are for the AXE if Emperor Chavez wins for ZELAYA. One should not judge the Honduran Military Intelligence apparatus to lightly either. They have their own covert hit teams and are quite practiced in the subterfuges of covert action. Do not know what they call them these days. I’m decades out of touch with those guys.
ZELAYA and EMPEROR CHAVEZ are running out of time, as new elections are scheduled to be started campaigning for very soon, if not NEXT WEEK, for the scheduled Presidential elections of Honduras in November. After which, all of the maneuverings will become moot. Emperor CHAVEZ has to get his puppet ZELAYA hands, on the strings of Presidential power and semi-legitimacy, before the end of AUGUST. Only then can ZELAYA fire all the Generals and put in his own bought and loyal GENERALS. With control of the ARMY, then he can remove Michelli and all those opposing him in the Supreme Court and the elected CONGRESS. To do that so swiftly he is going to need back up military backing, in the shape of an intervention force, probably composed of Venezuelans, Sandanistas and Cubans. If this is following the STALINIST coups of Eastern European take overs, which I suspect is the most probable scenario due to shortage of TIME.
All we have for information at the moment is the INTERNET NEWS that President Arias of Costa Rica and ZELAYA and Michelli representatives are due to have a next meeting very quickly. I think it is this week? Costa Rican President Arias ( Noble Peace Prize winner ) is pleading with ZELAYA and his team for more TIME. Which ZELAYA as puppet for Emperor Chavez of Venezuela does not have, to waste away. Consolidation gains must be swift, if the revolutionary takeover of the Honduras government is to be accomplished, thwarting any normal schedule of Presidential elections. If ZELAYA can get his hands on the strings of Presidential power for even a few days, the elections can be postponed until next year, meaning INDEFINITELY. That’s what revolutions are all about. While ZELAYA cleans the Honduran Army top brass and then appoints army leaders bought and paid for with OIL money from Venezuela. What would you do if you were a lieutenant in the Honduras military and you got offered $2 million USA dollars and a passport, to be an obedient GENERAL for a year?
In the meantime, Emperor Hugo Chavez and his puppet President for Life candidate ZELAYA are saying publicly, that this next peaceful negotiating meeting with President Arias in Costa Rica is the LAST before they take ACTION. The outcome is known, for Michelli and the government of Honduras are all DEAD, if they lose to ZELAYA and CHAVEZ. The thing that Emperor Chavez lacks though are TANKS, to block all roads and arteries in Honduras. So how all this will play out and what are the counter moves by the ARMY under Michelli and the legal elected government of Honduras remains to be seen. Certainly high alert would be necessary for the next two months, by the legal government of Honduras, until they can get the campaigning for the next Presidential election started. There must be one heck of a FIFTH COLUMN of different types of covert action people from the ALBA group in Honduras right now with their assignments, for either a revolutionary coup, or figuring a way to dominate the election process for the next President. The only thing, who will be the next puppet to replace ZELAYA for Emperor Chavez in the election campaign if it goes that way? Can Michelli run for President and be bought and paid for? The OAS has already been taken over by covert ALBA Ambassadors under INSULZA the chairman, so nothing can be expected fairly from the OAS. The OAS is today CHAVEZ’s IMPERIALIST machine, not that of the USA State Department.
CARICOM LEADERS need to be paying attention and learning from this. Certainly the four provincial island leaders of the new ALBA associates, or member countries, that left CARICOM? It would be much easier to do this in their small island places. As GRENEDA has shown in the past. Certainly, they must expect such events in the next couple of years, once they become attached to the socialist give-aways, that Veneuzelan oil money is promising in food and oil. The carrot and the stick approach.

BELIZE SHOCKED AT BACKSTABBING OF HONDURAS A MEMBER OF ALBA

ALBA SHOCKS ALL IT’S MEMBERS, OVER HONDURAS

Report from Belize, a neighbor of our friend Honduras, July, 2009

We watched the International press conference on Sunday, of senior members of the Democratically elected government of Honduras, over the organized attacks by their fellow member countries in ALBA on Honduras for an internal political squabble. They announced that the country would return to business as usual on Monday. Schools will open and government offices. The press conference revealed that ex-President Zelaya was being flown around and protected in Venezuelan government airplanes, on their payroll. President Ortega of Nicaragua is amassing military troops on the border with Honduras it was rumored and making threats of invasion, as another member of ALBA, the press corps reported. ZELAYA was refused permission to land in Honduras.
Honduras had resigned from the Organization of American States for their false reporting of a military coup in Honduras. Later the other night the OAS said they were evicting Honduras from the OAS. Since the resignation of Honduras from the OAS was already done, one can only wonder what was happening in the minds of the OAS leadership, when the country of Honduras they wished to evict was not even any longer a member. From the press and public here in Belize, it looked like an attempt to start a civil war in Honduras by the OAS. It is also going to damage the credibility of Honduras with International loan organizations, as certain rules pertain over different nuances, if Honduras was evicted by the OAS, than if they had resigned. Obviously the Organization of American States were attacking Honduras as in an ACT OF WAR. The secretariat of the OAS had their own agenda and it was not diplomatic mediation. Honduras had resigned from the OAS in protest of their inflammatory attacks of a false military coup on the country of Honduras, along with the disinformation campaign being propagated by the OAS, particularly in Europe.
While the OAS say that Honduras is a poor country, I know Honduras well, and it is far richer, more modern and developed than say our small country of Belize, which is much poorer. There are pockets of poverty in the two major cities of Honduras, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, but most of the seven million people live in rural states and live very well, off the land and home businesses. As good as here in Belize and better in most instances. I know this from running tourists all over Honduras for 40 years and have watched the modernization of Honduras since 1959.
The President of Honduras at the press conference on Sunday says he cannot understand the OAS, which is supposed to be about conflict resolution and acting in a peace creating manner and not about acting in a capacity to create wars. He also said that the regular scheduled Presidential term elections was for November 29th, with the inauguration of a new democratically elected President in January. It was hinted by somebody on the panel at the press conference, that the Supreme Court might move up the election date, to satisfy critics outside the country in the International arena. Somebody from the SENATE became interim President under the Honduran Constitutional law. A new Presidential election was in the works anyway.
Most mystifying of all; are the actions of Emperor Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who created the political ALBA organization in the America’s; currently with 11 member countries, fully one third of the 34 countries on the American continent. Honduras is a full member of ALBA under Emperor Chavez, who is looking more and more like a megalomaniac. ALBA was supposed to be about helping the poor uplift themselves. Part of the contractual terms of countries joining ALBA in the Americas, is that they would vote together in International forums as a block, under the leadership of Chavez, like in the OAS and in the United Nations and other international forums. Another part of the contract is that they would assist each other militarily if necessary against outsiders. In the case of Honduras today, Emperor Chavez has organized the other ten members of ALBA to attack a fellow member, which is Honduras over a criminal matter and abuse of power of the ex-President Zelaya, a clear internal Honduran matter. ALBA has also been putting out big disinformation campaigns on a non-existente military coup. The removal of ex-President Zelaya by Congress was about abuse of power, misuse of government facilities, using government personnel for a private referendum, for which he was using government paid workers and facilities and attempting to change a FIXED Constitutional provision, which was not allowed to be changed by Constitutional law, prohibiting Presidents from repeating terms in office. He was doing it against the wishes of his political party, cabinet and Congress. The Honduran government does not have an Impeachment Clause, neither does Belize, Greneda, Jamaica or Antigua for that matter. Honduras can either jail the President who is an alleged criminal to await a series of trials which would take months if not years, or deport him, to save embarrassment for the individual ( Zelaya ) so concerned. Normally Constitutions in the Americas that have these two options, simply deport criminal Presidents on the instructions of Congress, the political party involved and the Supreme Court.
The actions of Emperor Hugo Chavez smack of IMPERIALISM, the European method of grouping countries to attack other countries to give certain European groups, power over others. What was amazing that Emperor Chavez would actually use the grouping of ALBA countries to attack another ALBA member country, which is Honduras. One didn’t expect that. Honduras had every right to expect the other fellow ten ALBA country members to support them. Not declare war on them. The lesson for Caricom countries is loud and clear. Do not trust ALBA under Chavez, even if you join, like Antigua, Greneda and St. Vincent. Remember this double cross by ALBA on Honduras a member of ALBA up till now.
The conclusion one reaches from Belize is; that ALBA is not about poverty fighting, but about megalomania and Imperialist ambitions in Venezuela. Considering the FREE PRESS has disappeared, pretty much in Venezuela and Ecuador and is under attack in Nicaragua and other Alba countries, one can only surmise ALBA is about a PRIVATE CLUB of Tyrants, or Presidents for Life ambitions, who wish to create states of totalitarianism, under a permanent dictator, like Cuba now, or Russia back in the old days. The fuss over ALBA member state Honduras, changing President’s seems out of context for the declared poverty and social propaganda of the ALBA proclamations made by Emperor Hugo Chavez. This was not about Honduras at all, the ALBA reaction was over just one man, a person who wanted to join the TYRANTS CLUB, or President for Life grouping and to hell with fighting poverty. It was all about EGO mania. About the lust for absolute power! Now we know in Belize and other CARICOM countries and hope we are all suitably warned.
As I type this on Sunday, the latest news is that President Ortega is denying massing troops on the Honduran border, which the current Honduran president told reporters was psychological terrorism. Zelaya flew to Nicaragua, or Salvador. Where he is fini!
National Elections were due in any case in Honduras and campaigning should be starting about now by different political parties anyway.

BELIZE NEEDS TO GET CLOSER WITH VENEZUELA?

Map of Caribbean
President Chavez of Venezuela, revolutionary and socialist.
CHAVEZ AND HIS REFERENDUM - HE WON !

Well this now announced WORLD DEPRESSION sweeping around the globe, our little satellite EARTH, rushing around the sun in our solar system, on it’s elongated orbit, is in a turmoil like fire ants, stirred with a shoe, or stick. All the world television news is of DOOM and GLOOM. In the USA, fellow Democrat ex-PRESIDENT Clinton gave some suggestions to the new Democratic President OBAMA, to cut back on the DOOM and GLOOM rhetoric and sound more positive. Obama was fueling the fire of what does not have to be, making his excuses for poor performance early. Since CLINTON was successful during his office term, one can only hope OBAMA listens. As Churchill once said, there is nothing to FEAR but FEAR itself. ( at least I think it was him? )
On the local note effecting Belize. Our major FOREIGN AID assistance from TAIWAN seems to be in some jeopardy, as their manufacturing society on that small island is contracting like a house of playing cards that started toppling from a puff of wind. Taiwan economy has contracted some 12% the news say. The unemployed numbers are rapidly rising in the millions. PM BARROW has announced our foreign aid assistance in budgetary assistance from TAIWAN, has been cut back to $25 million Bz a year, for only four more years and then must come under review. I hope they keep the agriculture foreign aid assistance stuff going here in Belize?
On the other hand, our FOREIGN AID guy in socialist VENEZUELA, President Hugo
Chavez, has managed to pass a democratically run referendum correction, amendment, to change the Constitution of Venezuela, so he can run for the Presidency every term for the rest of his life. Chavez is on the way to being PRESIDENT FOR LIFE, like Fidel Castro did. That aside, a lot of the things that Hugo Chavez is doing, are now looking VERY GOOD, particularly now European and USA society is collapsing from GREED and extremist CAPITALISM. Last week, Chavez NATIONALIZED the STANFORD BANK in Venezuela, to protect Venezuelan savings from being transferred out of the country, by USA litigation and lawyers. The world wide STANFORD BANK has turned out to be some kind of pyramid scheme, with branches world wide. There is no Stanford Bank in Belize thank heavens. CANADA says they are having no problem with their economy, or fiscal world problems. Their bank regulatory system handled the USA, zero payment down mortgage debacle well and any bank purchases of what turned out to be a pyramid scheme of mortgage bundling from GREEDY capitalism run wild and uncontrolled did not effect CANADA. They are very strong.
All that said, it looks like we better start developing Venezuela as an economic trading partner and assistance in technical things. Even if right now it does not seem very practical. For all his socialist rhetoric over there, CHAVEZ is looking more like an angel and the USA is looking like some kind of declining dumbkopff? Obviously, we need to get some kind of direct shipping and airplane transportation to CARACAS as fast as possible. BOONE PICKENS oil and gas expert, is advising the USA big shots in the USA government, that the price of oil per barrel is probably going back up to $75 usa a barrel by the end of this year. Right now it is $35. He also said South America is way ahead of the USA in development of Natural Gas, 18 wheeler transportation trucks, which saves loads of money, foreign exchange and the use of natural gas driven heavy transportation systems. He says the USA needs to copy many of the South American countries conversion to natural gas, which is plentiful. Belize, Guatemala and Mexico all have abundant natural gas supplies. Though Belize seems to be burning off their energy in flares, from what I’ve heard and read here? Not sure what the problem is, here in Belize. There has been quite a bit of pickup truck conversions. Going to check it out and get more details as to operating and savings costs.
It also looks like we should turn to CANADA for foreign aid and economic and technical advice, more and more. They are doing well as a country and if you are going to learn anything from anybody, you obviously should be going with the winners, not the losers. So, the emphasis in our Belizean foreign office, should be on VENEZUELA and CANADA. Probably we should close the Washington Embassy and open it in Ottawa? The Persian Gulf and Oil countries seem to be holding their own economically. They’ve taken some financial losses, but apparently are well diversified to weather this world Depression storm, hitting planet EARTH.
The old cliché, or Chinese proverb “MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES” seems to be effecting planet Earth as we spin, hurtling through space. All in all, Belize is not really in too bad a shape at all, compared to everybody else out there in the bigger world. Our foreign debt in Belize currency seems to be actually around $1, 300 million, or a billion and a third. That is a quarter or so less than estimates have been run on. We await official budget statistics from BARROW. We need more DEBATE in the UDP. Particularly the CABINET members. BARROW and ELRINGTON seem to have monumental EGOS and need to be confronted more by their less educated, but wiser rural practical political colleagues in debates. Our rural CABINET members need to get into the tussle of opinions more over there in Belmopan, or the RADISSON hotel, or wherever our UDP government is headquartered these days?
Robber BARON, Lord Ashcroft is diversifying out of Belize, the media are quoting him, and moving his interests over to oil based Trinidad or something. He wants a better set up, foreign exchange available locality. Be sure to give him his ball and bat, when next you see him, the game seems over? Seems like both BTL and Belize Bank are declining in effectiveness in the nation of Belize? In the Toledo District and along our Western frontier, Belizeans are getting better service out of Guatemala than here in Belize. I still think our Government of UDP should be asking for a GRANT from GUATEMALA and get them to build a road connecting Big FALLS in the Toledo District to the Peten highway system. Pronto! We need to cut that transportation distance in half, currently via Flores/Santa Elena, central Peten, from Benque/Melchor frontier through the Rio Dulce. That will BOOST our economy a whole lot, because of shorter legs and transport savings for our fledgling exports. Might as well bring in the Guatemalan telecommunications system as extensions, to serve us rural Southern and Western parts of Belize too, while you are at it. THREE FLAGS just opened a new big department store in Santa Elena town and it took one and a quarter years of building to do it. They now have THREE in Western Belize. Santa Elena Town needs a bus station, an ATLANTIC BANK building, new Town Hall, as development slips over the Macal river onto our side.
Well that is enough bilious talk and gratituous advice for this Monday morning. Have fun, life is short, as Mick Flemming of CHAA CREEK told me at the Central Farm airstrip AIRPLANE Fly-in, Sunday, when I admired his new TRIKE ultra light, 81 hp, Rotax 912. What a nice fun play toy. Wish I could justify one of those as a play toy. I’m envious. I’ve got too much SCOTCH genes in my blood though. I think I’m extravagant when I buy a $5 vegetable soup and steamed rice at the Hindu restaurant, instead of my usual lunch of $1.25 Somosa and $1.25 ginger flavored lime juice. Or $2 tostados for lunch and a $1 juice in the bank section of San Ignacio down town. Silvia and I are off to COBAN, Guatemala and Lenquin Tuesday, to see the condition of the road there and look at Hotel, or hostel building opportunities. Check out the Guatemalan bank CD interest rates. The Guatemalan economy is another strong country in this world of turmoil. Belizeans are moving into Guatemala for the opportunities to diversify and expand. Economic conditions seem very favorable. Belize is becoming very regulated and restrictive by comparison, by Belizean investors talk, who are now invested over there. Belizeans also invested over on that side are very encouraging with their experiences from the last few years. Most of the newspaper reporting from our port town of Belize City seems erroneous and totally wrong. They have some sort of fixation, or phobia about Guatemala.

VENEZUELA offers Belize free medical treatment!

photo/image of Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela
Map of Venezuela

VENEZUELA OFFERS BELIZE FREE MEDICAL TREATMENTS

Two SOCIALIST countries now offer Belizeans free medical treatment. Both CUBA and VENEZUELA offer Belizeans, free round trip plane trips, accommodation, meals and all medical treatment free.
Cuba has been supplying Belize, our Cuban doctors for years. We would not have medical personal in our rural village clinics, if it was not for our friends the CUBANS. Now we are also being offered by President Hugo Chavez SOCIALIST government, free medical treatment.
Last year, the Venezuelan Embassy had mentioned to me, that they had intended to put a 737 jet liner on a weekly schedule between Caracas and Belize. This to serve the growing Venezuelan population moving here for associated diplomatic and Embassy reasons. I think later this month I will check with the Venezuelan Embassy, next time I’m in Belmopan and get the full story? According to local television news casts, the program will start with eye operations, like cataract surgery, but will be available for other medical surgeries, not available in Belize, but can be performed in Caracas, Venezuela. The sole criteria will be a pre-screening exam, before such a surgical trip can be offered.
I think Venezuela is to be admired and congratulated on their efforts to change the world, or at least the Caribbean countries with such a socialist medical service. The USA medical service and health system is bankrupt, with about one third of their population lacking the means to get treatment. Those that remain, even with medical insurance, often cannot get decent medical treatment either. The medical system, particularly USA hospital corporate groups are also known to be preying on sick older people and putting LIENS on their house and assets, for outrageously bloated costs for medical treatment, that should cost pennies, not millions of dollars. The medical system in the USA is very bad and not a good example to follow for Caribbean governments. Belize does get USA PRIVATE doctor and volunteer medical groups coming to Belize during their COLD WINTERS, to ostensibly treat remote rural communities here, from the USA. This is to the good of course and Belizeans are grateful. It is a fair trade, a working vacation in our tropical paradise during their coldest snow winters for medical treatments that can be used, for a tax write off in the USA medical and tax regime.
All through Central America, US retirees are moving here for the climate and one of the big reasons mentioned is affordable health medical treatment.
Here in Cayo West, we are proud of our CUBAN doctor medical staff, in the Twin Towns Government General Hospital, they do a darned good job. We welcome this new move by VENEZUELA.
Check out: http://folkmusicfl.tripod.com/retirementinbelize/

VENEZUELA OFFERS ALBA TRADE BARTER WITH BELIZE

VENEZUELAN AMBASSADOR EXPANDS ON BELIZE TRADE THROUGH ALBA TRADE ORGANIZATION.

By Ray Auxillou, Oct. 26, 2008

The Reporter Newspaper had an article on the Toledo District wherein Cabinet Minister Eden Martinez gave his opinions on Tilapia production and food trade with the ALBA Venezuelan Trade Organization in the Toledo District, accompanied by His Excellency the Bolivarian Ambassador of the Republic of Venezuela to Belize, His Excellency, Omar Valdeviezo. The meeting was held in the coastal Toledo District capital of Punta Gorda, population about 5000 people.

The article quoted the Venezuelan Ambassador as saying; ALBA the Bolivarian Venezuelan inter-American trade organization would like to trade Belizean oranges, sea food and other food commodities of Belize, for oil. We currently get oil, gasoline and diesel in Belize from Venezuela, on a down payment, with deferred payments at low interest costs over many years, for the balance. Theoretically we pay something for oil products from Venezuela, but our government economy is actually supported in large part by Venezuela and Taiwanese grants of foreign aid. Whatever we pay for oil, comes eventually from Venezuelan grants in a roundabout way. We rob Peter to pay Paul.

The Honorable Ambassador, His Excellency, Omar Valdeviezo clarified the ALBA Trade Organization being promoted by Venezuela, in his talk in Punta Gorda town. From what I could understand of the Reporter newspaper article and quotes of His Excellency; ALBA TRADE is a BARTER system of trade and not as he is quoted, a DOLLAR VALUE for DOLLAR VALUE system of the capitalist world.

There has been some debate about the ALBA Trade Organization here in Belize, but little is known about it here. There are no details. Nobody in government has a copy of the ALBA TRADE ORGANIZATION membership contract. We were surprised earlier this year, when the Honduras President declined to receive and recognize some Ambassador ( I believe it might have been the USA? ) on the basis of one of the clauses in the joining of the ALBA TRADE Organization, which required membership to include political unity in foreign affairs dealings. Since this would, if true; conflict with CARICOM Belizean foreign affairs contracts, the matter was dropped in the public eye. The local centralized port town media never followed through with investigative reporting, for expanding productive capacity and exports of Belize with ALBA. Our port town media concentration, were notoriously derelict in chasing our economic trade improvements as newsworthy subject matter. Which is one of the reasons we have started our International readership electronic newspaper on the internet, WESTERN BELIZE HAPPENINGS! http://westernbelizehappenings.blogspot.com In Western Belize, the home of most economic production in Belize, we need our voice to be heard.

In the HEARTLAND of BELIZE, farmers, producers and processors are interested in the ALBA TRADE organization; particularly as a MARKET for food products of Belize. What nobody in the Cayo District can figure out, is how to do the TRADE with ALBA? How does one freight perishable food to Caracas? How do you pay for internal shipping and container costs, by whichever freight or airline? How would a farmer, or processor get paid?

A preliminary exploratory step was taken some three months ago, with the first step of establishing a CARICOM AIRLINE out of Belize, with one small initial twin engine freight and passenger plane, which could experiment and explore the commercial trade possibilities with Venezuela. A letter of interest and participation was sent to the Venezuelan Government through His Excellency, the Venezuelan Ambassador and also to the UDP Cabinet of Belize. No acknowledgment of receipt of the queries was received, nor any replies from either the Venezuelan Embassy, or the UDP Cabinet. The airplane was subsequently sold to somebody else. We could however order one from the factory where they build them. Some sort of direct transportation is necessary and the key to any trade with Venezuela. We guessed that the non-interest on the part of Venezuela was; they wanted to deal with our government and not the private sector? Our government did not show interest, because in our political party get personally rich governing system, without a bribe, or piece of the action, Cabinet Members of the UDP likewise were not interested, that was our guess?

Trade with Venezuela is desirable. Costs of freight and other internal costs of transportation are a problem on a BARTER system, based on a government to government basis. Our government does not have the capacity to govern properly, because of the HUGE National Debt. We are in our seventh year of either a BELIZEAN RECESSION, or economic DEPRESSION; depending on your viewpoint. The previous PUP created economic downturn is expected to continue for at least another seven years. Asking our government to establish a TRADE system on the BARTER model with Venezuela is obviously an impossibility. We do not have the capability in bureaucrats to do this, nor the cash flows in our government. Our system of government bureaucracy is heavily party hack infested, which means nine to five work attitudes. This means we do not get good value for the dollar in commercial efficiencies.

Since Venezuela is a socialist country, based on controlling, or owning the means of production and Belize operates as a capitalist free enterprise system, with the government operating as a predator through taxation of private enterprise. Any trade, or barter system in food production from Belize and export to Venezuela runs into the problem of how private enterprise producers get paid and when? The private sector has the capacity to organize the barter trade, but the costs and money factors are difficult to resolve. Nobody in his right mind in Belize would trust the Belize Government to pay them on time, or even eventually, and nothing can work without the lubricant of cash. Lots to think about here for a system of BARTER trade with ALBA under their proposed trade system. It is a market that has Belizean entrepreneurs in the HEARTLAND OF BELIZE salivating with desire to expand into. But how? The government to government restrictions placed by ALBA are insurmountable probably?

ALBA debacle crisis with Honduras, Belize and CARICOM

A HECTIC WEEK OF CRISIS EVENTS IN BELIZE

The two major crisis events in Belize this past week, were foreign policy events. First were the collapse of the EPA negotiations and the Eastern Caribbean countries are now talking about re-negotiating with the EU. In Belize, our Prime Minister showed his lack of grasp of the nuances of the EPA contract with the European Union and announced himself ready to sign the EPA as is; anytime the Eastern Caribbean wanted him to. This not only was a disastrous statement, based on lack of knowledge, which he should have known, and obviously the PM did not even take the trouble to either read, or study the situation. George Bush could have done no worse. Furthermore, when the Eastern Caribbean leaders started to complain about the lack of an escape, or withdrawal clause, it was even further obvious how far out of the loop in international affairs regarding the EU and this EPA contract our Prime Minister in Belize and his advisors in Belmopan really were. We were ashamed! The Prime Minister was not protecting the interests of Belize, or seemed to even care about it?

The second crisis event was the toppling of a string of dominos, in that US Ambassadors around the ALBA signatory countries started getting kicked out in the case of Venezuela, and refused recognition in Honduras. It is not clear that Belize is yet a signatory to the ALBA alleged trade group. We still don’t know by the weekend? Nor has the ALBA contracts been discussed in government, or the open PRESS for public debate. What came clear by the FRIDAY debacle in the capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, when the new US Ambassador was refused recognition by the President of Honduras, was that there is more to the ALBA trade block proposed by 7 socialist countries with tyrannical communist ideological sentiments than was supposed. In fact, from commentator reports, the ALBA trade bloc apparently includes some sections involving united front, International Policy decision making? Something that BELIZE who already is a signatory to a similar CARICOM group, could not sign, or agree to. Trade with ALBA countries yes! International political stances NO! We already have a voice in a united front of Caricom countries for international affairs. Presumably, the port town media will start some investigative reporting and give us some detailed articles on where we stand on the ALBA trade bloc? Our government has already received loans and grants from the ALBA Bank, whatever that means? One gets the feeling that the BELIZE CABINET do not know what they are doing on foreign policy? There is serious lack of leadership and vision. Perhaps some of the bright sparks in the CABINET, like Rene Montero, Edmund Castro and Patrick Faber can turn their attention to long range vision of the future of Belize and foreign policy deals in particular? Somebody needs to do it?