Don't look now, but Bechtel was the entire Reagan Administration. From Edwin Meese who said there is no hunger in America on down. If they controlled Reagan polite letters are not going to keep them from selling water in Bolivia. Maybe it is time to seriously consider targeting Bechtel for a massive demonstration. Tell you what, if we really want things to change we need to single the worst corporations out and target them for boycotts and information campaigns. And shut ther corporate offices down, not for a day or a week. Down. Period. These people are criminals and murderers. We need to let everyone know what we do and convince them to stop handing money over to them. Bechtel would be a hard boycott project because they are part of the defense industry. We have to target their corporate headquarters and expose them to the world for what they are.

Peace,

Mike (Whose blood is currently boiling)

This is an article copied from disinfo.com

Bloody Bolivia
Martial law has been declared after armed rebellion erupted in the streets of Chocabamba, a Bolivian city of half a million. After nearly a week of massive protests that shut down that city, and spread across the country, President Hugo Banzer declared martial law on Saturday, April 8th, 2000. Police and military troops moved in. All this began over the price of water.
"The conflicts reflect the poverty under which farmers are living and the fact that the government is not listening to them," Bishop Jesus Juaraz said from Achacachi, quoted by the 'International Herald Tribune' (April 11, 2000).
The protests began when people in Chocambamba discovered that the public water works had been sold to Aquas del Tunari, a private company which is backed financially by Bechtel, a corporation based in San Francisco, California. Aquas del Tunari raised the price of water for the residents between 20 to 50 percent. This can equal as much as a week and a half of earnings for some poor families, or more. After 'La Coordinadora', an alliance of citizens, called for 'La Ultima Batalla' ('the final battle'), and set the deadline for action on Tuesday, April 4th, the government ignored them. The enraged citizens came out in force into the streets that day, demanding that the government break the contract with the company, and demanded that Bechtel get out of Bolivia.
By Wednesday, April 5th, thousands of Bolivians from as far as seventy miles away were streaming into the city, fighting simultaneously against a plan to take control of rural water systems away from public control too. Thursday, during negotiations between 'La Coordinadora' and the government, the government arrested fifteen leaders of the group, holding them until Friday morning. "It was a trap by the government to have us all together, negotiating, so that we could be arrested," said Oscar Olivera, quoted by Jim Schultz, reporting for the Democracy Program.
Late afternoon on Friday, April 6th, while protesters were waiting for government representatives to show up for more talks, it was announced the government had capitulated. But rumors that the government would go back on its word were everywhere, and proved right at 10 AM Saturday morning when Banzer declared a ninety day "state of siege."
Jim Schultz reported on Friday's surprise agreement, quoting Olivera, who said "We're questioning that others, the 'World Bank', international business, should be deciding these things for us. For us, that is democracy." Late last year Chocabamba's public water system was sold in a one-bidder deal, which had been pushed by the World Bank. The money paid up front was only US$20 000, for "a water system worth millions," writes Schultz. When the government ignored them, the people's anger exploded.
On Saturday, April 6th, the troops moved in and began arresting protest leaders again, arresting journalists and shutting down radio stations. As of Wednesday April 12, 2000, at least eight people have been killed and dozens injured. The protests in Chocabamba sparked action across Bolivia, including a police protest in the capital La Paz. President Benzar has appointed two new Governors of the 'State of Chocabamba' in the span of three days. The 'Chocabamba Permanent Assembly of Human Rights' reported Monday, April 8th, that "an unknown number" of those arrested over the weekend are unaccounted for, and are not in any prison or jail in Bolivia. Others have been flown to prisons deep within the jungle.
While Bechtel and Aquias del Tunari agreed on Monday, April 10th, 2000, to pull out of Bolivia, martial law continues. President Banzer is trying to blame the protests on cocoa growers upset over the eradication of their crops. This is sheer, unadulterated disinformation:
It is about control.
Research by Preston Peet
ptpeet (at) cs.com


-I think the e-mail is an important step, hope you folks will send it out!- also, there are a whole lotta links at the end of this article on the disinfo site (www.disinfo.com) about bolivia, if you are interested.