...it is clear that Lula and his party, being the founders and the strategic centre of the Forum, had to keep a low profile, leaving to more peripheral members, like Hugo Chávez and Evo Morales, the flashiest or most scandalous part of the job. Hence, the false impression that there are “two lefts” in Latin America, one democratic and moderate, and the other radical and authoritarian. There are two lefts, indeed, but they are rather the one that commands, and the other that follows the first’s orders and thereby risks its own reputation. All that the Latin American left has done in the last nineteen years was previously discussed and decided in the Forum’s assemblies, which Lula presided over, either directly until 2002, or through his deputy, Marco Aurélio Garcia, afterwards. . The strategic command of the Communist revolution in Latin America is neither in Venezuela, nor in Bolivia, nor even in Cuba. It is in Brazil.[My emphasis]
I am interested in Brazil because, as a former Catholic seminarian, I was sent there for a month on an "apostolic" internship. We spent a month in Recife, one of the bastions of liberation theology during the liberal ascendancy of the '70 & '80's. I was there with one other seminarian from Detroit (both of us conservative, orthodox guys). We stayed with two old dinosaur liberation theologians and their quasi-Marxist nun coworkers. That was a trip in more ways than one, let me tell you. It was the first time I had heard of "liberation theology." I was sure their point of view was destined for history's junk heap (this was in 2005--who knew that liberation theology would be a hot item 3 years later!!) We lived in Nova Descoberta, one of the favellas bordering Recife.
Anyway, we met many strange creatures, one of whom was the chief of staff of the district's rep in the federal parlement. We sat in this guy's house and talked about this and that. He was very curious about us two seminarians, what we thought about economics, faith, politics. He gave us some flyers from a recent campaign. Now, the flyers had pics of this guy's boss, not with the Pres of Brazil, but with Hugo Chavez!! Keep in mind, this was literature meant to appeal to Brazilians, and here was the local rep pressing the flesh not with his own President (de Lula), but with the President of another country (Chavez)! This all took place in the spring of 2005. When I saw this, I asked him what he knew about the Sao Paolo Forum. He indignantly answered through a translator that he knew nothing about it, and the exchange pretty much ended our little visit. I had no doubt that I touched a sensitive spot with my question. Afterwards I never had any doubt that all these countries were working together to oppose us.
It made me sad to think that Brazil is run by such nefarious types. Aside from having to live under the supervision of a bunch of Marxist priests and nuns for a month, I totally loved Brazil, I'd go back in a heartbeat. Lovely weather, lovely landscape, lovely girls!! Highest quotient of "feminine pulchritude" outside of Prague and Texas I've ever seen. And ordinary Brazilians struck me as naturally enterprising, hard-working and, yes, capitalistic people. Much more so than the Mexicans.
Anyway, just my two cents. It seems like the whole world is no caught in some mysterious, but palpable undertow towards revolution and revolt. Recent events have put me in mind of so many things I've experienced in the last ten years. Weird times we're living in....
Placemark.