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Truckers strike crippling Brazil, despite authorization to use military force to clear highways

Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 09:00 UTC
Full article 35 comments

A truckers protest over diesel prices that has crippled key sectors of Latin America's biggest economy dragged into Friday night, putting drivers in a standoff with Brazilian President Michel Temer who authorized military force to clear highways. The protest will stretch into its sixth day on Saturday. Read full article

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  • Enrique Massot

    Ah, Temer, Temer! with approval rates nearing zero, the man resorts to his magic solution: Call the army once again and give it extra powers.

    Temer is done.

    Lula da Silva is the democratic solution.

    Down with the Brazilian coup.

    May 27th, 2018 - 06:23 am - Link - Report abuse -1
  • DemonTree

    It sounds like a pretty dire situation, actually. Should the government pander to one sector because they have such a great power to disrupt the economy?

    And yes, Temer is done; he decided to support Meirelles instead of standing himself, for all the good that will do the latter. But it's not looking like Lula will be in the election - at least there will be plenty of other candidates to choose from, unlike in Venezuela.

    May 27th, 2018 - 09:19 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • :o))

    @DT

    REF: “at least there will be plenty of other candidates to choose from”:

    Parasites are in ABUNDANCE - take your pick! The masses do NOT insist on a serious government anyway! Just ANY bunch of racketeers will do!
    https://www.otempo.com.br/polopoly_fs/1.1836558.1527280401!image/image.JPG_gen/derivatives/main-charges-resize_620/image.JPG

    May 27th, 2018 - 11:17 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Enrique Massot

    @DT

    “at least there will be plenty of other candidates to choose from, unlike in Venezuela.”

    Oh come on, DT. What an easy, cheap shot.

    Preventing Lula da Silva from running in the presidential election is a blatant example of democratic denial, and what happens in Venezuela can't change - or justify - what happens in Brazil.

    May 27th, 2018 - 04:36 pm - Link - Report abuse -1
  • DemonTree

    @EM
    “Down with the Brazilian coup” is equally easy and cheap.

    I find it strange that JB is happy to condemn Venezuela for imprisoning and removing political rights from members of the opposition, and you are happy to condemn Brazil for doing the same to Lula, but not the reverse.

    Will you also say 'down with the Venezuelan coup', or do you think it is not so simple there?

    @ :o))
    I don't get it. What is óleo de peroba?

    May 27th, 2018 - 09:18 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Terence Hill

    DT
    “You are happy to condemn Brazil for doing the same to Lula, but not the reverse”
    You could claim that if he supported the practices of the current Venezuela government. But I don't recall any such endorsement, so yours is just an unsupported assumption.

    May 27th, 2018 - 10:12 pm - Link - Report abuse -2
  • DemonTree

    Wrong. In this case the reverse of condemning Brazil would be condemning Venezuela, for example saying 'down with the Venezuelan coup,' which I asked if he would do above.

    As far as I am aware he has not said anything like that, but feel free to have a look back through his posts and see if you can find anything.

    May 27th, 2018 - 11:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Enrique Massot

    @DT

    If I were to follow your logic, I would have to opine on many countries that are suffering from illegitimate or simply bad governments. Some may have the time and energy to comment on every situation and on every country. I'd rather stick to situations I am familiar with.

    May 28th, 2018 - 01:19 am - Link - Report abuse -1
  • bushpilot

    You used the term “democratic denial” and were then asked to comment on the same in neighboring Venezuela.

    You weasled out of a response to that by saying then you would have to comment on all the mismanaged governments in the world.

    You were just asked to “opine” on the political repression in neighboring Venezuela, not the rest of the world.

    In another post you mentioned, “a viable capitalism for Argentina with strong state presence and social inclusion”.

    Venezuela's economy pursues just that. But you haven't noticed and aren't familiar enough with Venezuela to give a simple opinion?

    I would think you've been paying attention to Venezuela's revolution.

    The democratic denial that is going on in Venezuela is part of the revolution for social inclusion so it is legitimate. Right?

    Is that why it never bothered you enough to say anything about it?

    May 28th, 2018 - 03:35 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • DemonTree

    @EM
    For once I agree with Bushpilot; that was a cop-out. I asked you earlier if you had looked at the evidence against Lula and you said you did not need to, yet you are happy to comment on Brazil and in the strongest terms.

    I didn't ask you to opine on every bad government, only one, and one you'd have good reason to be interested in since it's in South America and follows principles which you espouse - socialism and helping the poor - as well as being an ally of CFK and Lula.

    So why the reluctance? Perhaps you are happy to condemn neo-liberal governments on little evidence but want to investigate fully when socialists are accused? Or maybe you don't like to speak of Venezuela because it makes your 'side' look bad?

    May 28th, 2018 - 09:18 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • :o))

    @DT

    REF: “óleo de peroba”: It is symbolically used to keep an expressionless face - particularly when one does not want to admit one's guilt.

    By the way; REF: Bloomberg: “The Real Cost of Filling Up”:
    https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/gas-prices/#20181:Brazil:USD:l

    May 28th, 2018 - 09:53 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Terence Hill

    “Was a cop-out” and “You weasled out of a response” Rubbish the only requirement is to prove any assertion that is made. Not jump through hoops at anyone's behest. Otherwise question becomes “Who died and made you God?”

    May 28th, 2018 - 10:50 am - Link - Report abuse -1
  • DemonTree

    @ :o))
    Thanks, I never would have worked that out. And everything is too expensive in Brazil, but we know where the money is going...

    @TH
    Hypocrite. If someone doesn't reply to your questions then you haul out your bullshit 'silence means consent' quote, but as always you judge others by difference standards to yourself.

    My ''assertion' is that EM has not condemned the lack of democracy in Venezuela. The fact he just refused to do so when invited is pretty conclusive evidence.

    May 28th, 2018 - 12:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Terence Hill

    DT
    So you answered the question by your 'silence'. You are a self appointed God. Here's the string, so go and fly the provebal kite. As there is no requirement to jump through peoples hoops, only to support your assertions.

    May 28th, 2018 - 01:28 pm - Link - Report abuse -1
  • DemonTree

    No, EM answered the question by his silence. Any reasonable person would agree I have supported my assertion, but you are not reasonable and I am not interested in having the same argument again.

    Enrique can speak for himself, so why don't you tell me what you think about the jailed opposition leaders in VZ instead?

    May 28th, 2018 - 03:37 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Terence Hill

    DT
    EM gave a reasoned and adequate rebuttal. Again, there is nothing within the field of Argumentation theory that compels a party to submit to your dictates.

    May 28th, 2018 - 04:03 pm - Link - Report abuse -1
  • DemonTree

    EM dodged the question, and if you have nothing relevent to say then I will wait and see if he replies again.

    May 28th, 2018 - 05:25 pm - Link - Report abuse +1
  • Terence Hill

    DT
    “EM dodged the question” That is untrue, he succinctly answered at http://en.mercopress.com/2018/05/26/truckers-strike-crippling-brazil-despite-authorization-to-use-military-force-to-clear-highways/comments#comment488872
    You cannot show one instance where in Argumentation theory he is compelled to obey your dictates, by continuing past his initial response.

    May 28th, 2018 - 05:40 pm - Link - Report abuse -1
  • DemonTree

    @EM
    Sorry about the diversion. But you must admit that after telling me about the dodgy political and judicial actions in Paraguay and Honduras, and protesting Lula's imprisonment here, it seems a little strange when you say you don't know anything about the dodgy political and judicial events in Venezuela.

    May 28th, 2018 - 07:50 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Voice

    Did Terry Hill just put in a link of Enrique telling DemonTree that he was not going to answer his question...
    ...and had the cheek to say...“That is untrue, he succinctly answered at”
    Yes he answered...that he was not going to answer the question...in other words he dodged the question...

    Hey Terry I couldn't quite put my finger on it before, but now I realise what it is that is not quite right with you...
    You're an idiot...;-))))

    May 28th, 2018 - 11:05 pm - Link - Report abuse +1
  • Terence Hill

    Voice, V0ice, Vestige, Think et al, sock-puppeteer extraordinaire and mythology m
    “Yes he answered...that he was not going to answer the question...in other words he dodged the question...”
    No what he stated was he wan't familiar with the situation. “I'd rather stick to situations I am familiar with”
    Therefor, unlike you he preferred not to make a reply without the prerequisite knowledge. Whereas, you've never been shy about opining about matters you know sweet Fanny Adam about. Which is why you have inevitably been beaten hands down by me. So if I'm an idiot where does that leave you, besides in my dust.

    May 28th, 2018 - 11:26 pm - Link - Report abuse -1
  • bushpilot

    Let's have us a little vote everybody.


    If you think Quique Massot dodged the question, click +

    If you think Quique just doesn't know enough about Venezuela to answer the question, click -

    May 29th, 2018 - 02:14 am - Link - Report abuse +1
  • Terence Hill

    BP
    Facts are an essential component of Argumentation theory. Whereas, I don't recall where there is any provision within Argumentation theory were an exercise of Vox populi is the determiner of any fact, to the exclusion of evidently logic. Remind me what page that can be found on?

    May 29th, 2018 - 02:49 am - Link - Report abuse -1
  • Enrique Massot

    The posts in the above thread show how easy it is, even for a single individual, to deviate discussion about a given subject (in this case Brazil) and direct it towards another subject (Venezuela in the current case), a topic where said individual feels more at ease.

    A quick count gives four or five posts talking about the story topic - that is, Brazil - and about 19 posts around whether the subscriber should or should not comment about Venezuela.

    In the end, we even have an emboldened Bushpilot proposing...(let's sound trumpets, bongos and didgeridoos)...a vote! on whether “Quique” doesn't know enough about Venezuela or...(let's hear maracas, ocarinas and bagpipes)...he dodged the question.

    Hey, BP: Why stop at a vote? I suggest you call for the formation of an MP readers tribunal to determine whether rogue Quique (aka reekie) should be suspended from posting in said MP for a time to be determined (but not to be less than 999 years) so that he stops bothering our comfortable, little world. Unless, of course, said reekie agrees to disclose his inner thoughts about Venezuela, (which in no case should be sympathetic of Chavism or Bolivarian Republic). We need some order here, don't we?

    And so, about the Brazil situation and Temer's performance as president and raising opinion polls on Lula da Silva...?

    May 29th, 2018 - 07:10 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • DemonTree

    @Voice
    You forgot deluded, arrogant and hypocritical. Basically, a walking illustration of the Dunning-Kruger effect.

    Anyway, refusing to answer is an answer in itself. I asked EM if he would say 'down with the Venezuelan coup', and the answer is no.

    @Hypocrite Extraordinaire
    Of course facts are not determined by voting, which didn't stop you once claiming the downvotes I got were some kind of 'peer review' showing I must be wrong, you hypocritical idiot.

    @EM
    “which in no case should be sympathetic of Chavism or Bolivarian Republic”

    Sympathetic is one thing, excusing in Venezuela what you condemn in Brazil is another. But hey, if that's what you believe then have the courage of your convictions. I didn't think you were afraid of holding unpopular opinions, and no one's going to ban you for even 9 minutes, let alone 999 years. JB has no problem telling us he supported the military dictatorship.

    As for diverting the topic, in my first comment I asked whether the government should pander to one sector because they had such a great power to disrupt the economy, and mentioned Temer announcing he will not stand for reelection, but the only thing you replied to was my comparison with Venezuela.

    If you really want to talk about Brazil rather than shout slogans, Temer just agreed to give the truckers everything they demanded, which seems a little dangerous to me. And the last I heard Lula had fallen in the opinion polls, whether directly because of his arrest or indirectly because people know they won't be able to vote for him. Has that changed?

    May 29th, 2018 - 09:56 am - Link - Report abuse -1
  • Terence Hill

    DemonTree the slavish follower aka The Appendage
    “A walking illustration of the Dunning-Kruger effect.” Says the one acting typically to type, the slavish follower aka The Appendage in attempting to conceal his conservative entity.
    “Low IQ & Conservative Beliefs Linked to Prejudice
    There's no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy.The research finds that children with low intelligence are more likely to hold prejudiced attitudes as adults. These findings point to a vicious cycle, according to lead researcher Gordon Hodson, a psychologist at Brock University in Ontario. Low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, the study found. Those ideologies, in turn, stress hierarchy and resistance to change, attitudes that can contribute to prejudice, Hodson wrote in an email to LiveScience.”
    www.livescience.com/18132-intelligence-social-conservatism-racism.html

    May 29th, 2018 - 12:10 pm - Link - Report abuse -1
  • :o))

    At the risk of predicting the apocalyptic events; watch:
    - Soaring Recession
    - Soaring Inflation
    - Soaring Exchange Rate
    - Soaring Unemployment
    - Soaring Lawlessness
    - Soaring Corruption
    - Soaring Impatience of the masses.

    May 29th, 2018 - 12:18 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Terence Hill

    DemonTree the slavish follower aka The Appendage
    “Sympathetic is one thing, excusing in Venezuela what you condemn in Brazil is another. ...
    JB has no problem telling us he supported the military dictatorship.” You have no problem in essentially supporting him, two peas in the the same pod.
    Enlighten me as to where EM was “excusing in Venezuela ..” as I must have missed it.

    May 29th, 2018 - 12:35 pm - Link - Report abuse -1
  • :o))

    REF: “A truckers protest over diesel prices that has crippled key sectors of Latin America's biggest economy”:

    THIS IS NOT AT ALL ABOUT THE PRICE-HIKE!
    http://midia.gruposinos.com.br/_midias/jpg/2016/04/07/500x352/1_sinovaldo_para_0804_2016_cmyk-1413765.jpg

    May 29th, 2018 - 01:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • DemonTree

    @ :o))
    Inflation is actually kinda low, and everything else is so bad already it's hard to see how it can get much worse. But Temer giving in to the truckers is worrying because not only will it cost the taxpayers billions, but now every other group will be encouraged to protest and make demands, further weakening the already shaky economy.

    @The Hypocrite
    Why are you hauling that quote out yet again? I'm not remotely conservative, you Numpty. I certainly don't agree with JB about the military dictatorship, as I have made perfectly clear. The only person giving in to prejudice and bigotry around here is you, with statements such as “Whats wrong with you Argentinians are you all ethically challenged?” Besides, you should realise it's just an average; judging individuals on the basis of that study is prejudice and bigotry in itself.

    And EM wasn't 'excusing in Venezuela'; it's just a hypothetical since he won't say what his opinion is.

    If you're so keen to support him, why don't you do what he asked and talk about Brazil instead of hijacking the thread to harass me?

    May 29th, 2018 - 02:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Terence Hill

    DemonTree the slavish follower aka The Appendage
    “I'm not remotely conservative” says one whom to best of my knowledge has never criticised JB's political view. “JB has no problem telling us he supported the military dictatorship”. Yet you have the effrontery to demand of others what you don't practise yourself. “I certainly don't agree with JB about the military dictatorship, as I have made perfectly clear.” Apparently not, as I have no such recollection.
    “Judging individuals on the basis of that study is prejudice and bigotry in itself.” Hardly it was an inquiry that involved large sets of data, to enhance its accuracy; “The study, by academics at Brock University in Ontario, Canada, used information from two UK studies from 1958 and 1970 , where several thousand children were assessed for intelligence at age 10 and 11, and then asked political questions aged 33.
    The 1958 National Child Development involved 4,267 men and 4,537 women born in 1958.”
    w ww.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2095549/Right-wingers-intelligent-left-wingers-says-controversial-study--conservative-politics-lead-people-racist.html A
    ”The study was conducted using two large-scale, nationally representative U.K. data sets (N = 15,874), and a secondary analysis of a U.S. data set.”
    www.ibtimes.com/people-low-iq-tend-be-socially-conservative-new-study-401470
    Vis-à-vis Argentineans, other than a few uninformed that suggest political compromise. Which is not an avenue that the Charter permits. Without exception, the rest have deliberately misrepresented the historical facts, and outright sophistry.
    I see you're trying to dictate to others what they can do.

    May 29th, 2018 - 03:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • DemonTree

    It's not my fault you have a conveniently selective memory. I wouldn't spend so much time debating with JB if I agreed with him; that would be boring.

    To refresh your memory, I don't support undemocratic governments in any form, whether the military juntas of the past, or Cuba, or what Venezuela has turned into.

    As to the study, you have unsurprisingly missed the point. I didn't say it wasn't valid, but that judging an individual as stupid based on a group they belong to (in this case, social conservatives) instead of on their own merits is a form of prejudice.

    You're evidently very prejudiced against Argentines anyway, and don't even deny it, so I don't know why you're bothering to defend Enrique.

    And Enrique wanted the talk to stay on topic, so I had better stop replying to your idiotic attacks and distractions.

    May 29th, 2018 - 04:41 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Terence Hill

    DemonTree the slavish follower aka The Appendage
    “I don't support undemocratic governments in any form” Nice to see it in print.
    ”That judging an individual as stupid based on a group they belong to (in this case, social conservatives) instead of on their own merits is a form of prejudice.“
    It was comparison of individuals IQ's as children, whom later as adults classified themselves politically. I suspect that the social conservatives IQ was not anticipated.
    ”You're evidently very prejudiced against Argentines“ Hardly, as I have family members from the Argentine. My observation was reserved for those that post on this forum, based on prior experiences.
    ”I don't know why you're bothering to defend Enrique.” Because of yours and others basic bullying.

    May 29th, 2018 - 05:02 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • DemonTree

    @EM
    Do you think I'm bullying you?

    May 29th, 2018 - 08:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • :o))

    @DT:

    REF: “Inflation is actually kinda low”:

    True. It's low [so far] due to the recession, unemployment - stagflation

    REF: “But ..................................already shaky economy”:

    True too but it's Election-Time! So The Crooks have no choice but to satisfy the egos of as many groups as possible.
    http://www.acritica.com/uploads/opinion/image/5218/show_charge_segunda.JPG

    May 30th, 2018 - 10:33 am - Link - Report abuse 0

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