Hey! I disagree with Chavez about something!

He's wrong about the pipeline, and I hope that the indigenous people can get the oil people to alter their plans or scrap the deal completely.


http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/082107F.shtml

On the other hand, Chávez's fossil-fuel-based development plans - including a proposed gas pipeline from Venezuela to Argentina - are hardly visionary. As currently planned, the 5,000-mile pipeline will traverse areas of extreme ecological and cultural sensitivity. Several possible routes are being evaluated, but all run through the Amazon. Environmental and indigenous rights groups throughout Latin America have voiced opposition to the behemoth project, and have asked the Venezuelan government to halt all plans until they can be publicly debated.

sovereignty that would allow South America to protect its natural resources more effectively?

I mean, if the cost of having governments that could protect the rainforests from US agribusiness and lumber companies was a pipeline through part of the Amazon, then wouldn't that be a good trade-off?

Indigenous Venezuelans need to be empowered too.

including oil companies to Venezuelan and latin american democratic governments. This pipeline is a way to do that.

So far they aren't.

and not so popular with some white americans who work for NGOs, some of which get funding from corporate donations.

However, the indigenous people STILL want more say over the pipeline!