Is the OAS Fiddling While Latin America Burns?
By Moishe Smith On the night of July 19, 64 A.D., a fire broke out among the shops lining the Circus Maximus, Rome’s mammoth chariot stadium. History has blamed the infamous emperor, Nero, for the disaster, implying he started the fire so he could bypass the Senate and rebuild Rome to his liking. History tells us that Nero watched Rome burn while merrily playing his fiddle. I ask you Is the Organization of American States (OAS) fiddling as Latin America burns? Does the OAS not recognize that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is “bypassing the Senate so he can rebuild Latin America” under his presidency; a presidency that is in imminent danger of becoming a dictatorship? While this may be a harsh comparison, freedom of speech-the concept of being able to speak freely without censorship-is an integral concept in modern liberal democracies. In June, at the 37th Annual OAS Conference, how could the OAS have focused on energy matters and the environment while not shining a spotlight on the V
