Saturday, January 17, 2009
Broken Record
Fanatical Christians are as much of a problem in Bolivia as elsewhere, fascist Catholics in particular. Not that the pentecostals don't support repressive measures against Indians, but the Catholic aristocracy is on the verge of losing its stolen privileges, now 500 years old.
Both might support the global Christian crusade that currently plagues such powerful institutions as the United States armed forces, but for now the concern of Bolivia's landed aristocracy is the indigenous peoples' wealth they've plundered and would like to continue plundering. Their idea of autonomy has nothing to do with freedom, and everything to do with white supremacy--an unfortunate position for elements of the Catholic church to back.
We saw what religious hysteria combined with economic panic did in the 14th century; we don't need to repeat that nightmare in the 21st.
Both might support the global Christian crusade that currently plagues such powerful institutions as the United States armed forces, but for now the concern of Bolivia's landed aristocracy is the indigenous peoples' wealth they've plundered and would like to continue plundering. Their idea of autonomy has nothing to do with freedom, and everything to do with white supremacy--an unfortunate position for elements of the Catholic church to back.
We saw what religious hysteria combined with economic panic did in the 14th century; we don't need to repeat that nightmare in the 21st.
