March 23, 2011
I read your column on Evo Morales and Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize. Though I am not a supporter of neither I am objective and also respectful of the human race, hence my reason of writing.
The way you start your column “So Evo Morales, the Bolivian president (yes, one exists)…” is arrogance at its best. No wonder why other nations hate us. This type of sarcasm shows an arrogance and superiority that is a characteristic of a selfish “Yankee”. Please, let’s never forget for one second that we are blessed to have been born in a country where freedom and an opportunity for a good quality of life are at our fingertips. We should be tankful not arrogant.
The continuation of your column shows your ignorance. I hope that no Bolivian reads this since they will be having a great laugh at your expense. For your information, a hectares is equal to 2.471 acre – 1,000 square meters (in case you don’t understand acres either). You accuse Bolivia of being the “world’s third largest purveyors of cocaine”. Seriously? Tell me it was a typo and you meant to write COCA LEAF, because a coca leaf is very different from the cocaine drug. You should go down to Bolivia and visit the Altiplano, I am sure you’ll be thankful for the Coca Tea or the Coca Candy, because let me tell you, the altitude is a killer and the coca leaf really relieves the altitude sickness. Or how about if you go a few feet under and work all day in their mines, chewing a coca leaf will suppress your appetite. See, the Bolivians, especially those that live in the Altiplano region NEED the coca leaf. Of course, theres the other side of the coin where there are people from all over the world and in Boliva, too, that cultivate it to make the drug we all call like to call cocaine, but to say that they are the third largest purveyor of cocaine is just plain WRONG and IGNORANT.
I do not agree with Evo’s political agenda nor stance but he does raise a point “How is it possible that a Nobel Peace Prize winner leads a gang to attack and invade?”. And I agree with you, Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize was premature. We should have given him more time to show his character and later, if deserved, award him with this prize. But to put down a nation, to call them purveyors of cocaine, to make fun of their president is completely unethical, wrong and well – sometimes I think its very American. You do nothing to shed the image we have with the world. Your arrogance and ignorance confirms what I had always feared – even educated Americans have their eyes close to the world.
So I write to tell you, please, next time choose your words carefully and take your time to understand the culture of another country before attacking and belittling them.
Sincerely,
Susan Guerra
