Fight the Power!

This is a blog about Oaxaca and I try to stick to that, but every now and then I comment on the world in general.  Certainly, watching the US from outside is a major obsession, interesting, entertaining and alarming, all at the same time.  When I write I am just expressing my opinion.  I had some guy accuse me of be way too left-wing to ever deal with, while at the same time, someone else was saying I was too middle-of-the-road.  Oh well, at least no one is saying I am too far right.

So I have not said much about Wikileaks, because, let's face it, who cares what I think?  However, this story from the Guardian this morning begs a comment.  Corporatocracy, yes, I am looking at you, El Norte, is just plain malignant.

"The US embassy in Paris advised Washington to start a military-style trade war against any European Union country which opposed genentically modified (GM) crops, newly released Wikileak cables show.

In response to moves by France to ban a Monsanto GM corn variety in late 2007, the ambassador, Craig Stapleton, a friend and business partner of former US president George Bush, asked Washington to penalise the EU and particularly countries which did not support the use of GM crops.

"Country team Paris recommends that we calibrate a target retaliation list that causes some pain across the EU since this is a collective responsibility, but that also focuses in part on the worst culprits.

"The list should be measured rather than vicious and must be sustainable over the long term, since we should not expect an early victory. Moving to retaliation will make clear that the current path has real costs to EU interests and could help strengthen European pro-biotech voices," said Stapleton, who with Bush co-owned the St Louis-based Texas Rangers baseball team in the 1990s.

In other newly released cables, US diplomats around the world are found to have pushed GM crops as a strategic government and commercial imperative."

Domestic corn was developed near Mitla 10,000 years ago.  Maiz is one of the backbones of the culture.  Monsanto is a swear word here, the personification of the overlords imposing their will on everyone everywhere.  Nothing pisses oaxaqueños off more than the insidious influx of genetically modified corn into the area. It spreads like pollen on the wind.

What's that song from "Do the Right Thing" by Public Enemy?  Oh yeah, "Fight the Power."