Hi Tweets,

Just a note about birding in Venezuela; Wendy and I were there on a VENT
Tour around New Years and found it quite safe and delightful. This was a
tour, so we were always with leaders, drivers or pilots, but none of them
seemed the least bit nervous. Independent travel is possible, bearing in
mind that some roads other than the main highways are rough and subject to
closure during bad weather, and there are some areas where you just don't
go. A friend was traveling by bus through Latin America most of last year
and experienced friendliness wherever he went. Don't leave valuables lying
around unsecured, but that warning is just as valid anywhere in the world.
The people are friendly and don't hate Americans. Like everybody, they
would just like the opportunity for a better life. Some seemed apologetic
about their left-leaning government. Also, the owners of large parcels of
land are nervous about land redistribution. We did see some anti-Yankee
graffiti in Caracas and the airport bookstore was well stocked with
pro-Castro books. But remember, the murder rate is higher in the good old
USA than almost anywhere else in the world. We experienced no rudeness or
harsh looks. Don't deny yourself the opportunity to travel to other parts
of the world. The real danger is that you'll want to keep doing it and can
become frustrated by the constraints of time and money.
Lest I forget; the birding is wonderful in Latin America. Everybody knows,
it is the bird continent.

So many birds, and so little time. Good Birding, Alan Roedell, Seattle.
mailto <roedell at speakeasy.net>
-----Original Message-----
From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Stewart
Wechsler
Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2006 6:05 AM
To: tweeters; vogelfreund at comcast.net
Subject: RE: [Tweeters] Venezuela unfriendly to birders?

Phil and Tweeters,

Concerning the below post from Sunday: Greater than the threat to
birdwatchers, I believe arming the Venezuelan public would be a threat to
those in the U.S. government that want to overthrow the democratically
elected Hugo Chavez and install a dictator that will give U.S. oil companies
control all of their oil, while leaving the kind of ecological and social
devastation that the Shell Oil company has left in the Niger delta and
Nigeria. I highly doubt that Venezuelans are interested in attacking North
American birdwatchers, unless some CIA types trying to overthrow their
government masquerade as bird-watchers. This administration has made it
clear that they want to overthrow the Venezuelan government and this
administration has shown its disdain for protecting anything environmental.
If our current government has its way we will get a governmnet in Venezuela
like the one in Columbia - no comfortable, safe place to go birdwatching.

Also remember that a larger portion of the U.S. population is armed than the
large majority of countries. Do birders from other countries hesitate to
come here for that reason? (I expect a small minority actually do.)

I'm well aware that this post is within the banned political category, but I
feel it is too important to make sure the political post below got an answer
that made it clear that people may not agree with the this post. It is
additionally important to me that people see what the effect of this kind of
post may be. I strongly believe that silence is complicity in this kind of
case. I believe we must respond when someone (likely unwittingly) echos
something used as propaganda by this administration. (Sadly, since the BBC
fired it's director for covering the ugliness of the Iraq war, I have often
found it to be part of the propaganda machine of the Bush-Blair
administrations) By speaking up we say no to the next war or coup that this
administration wants to get sufficient support to be able to carry out.

Stewart Wechsler
West Seattle
mailto:ecostewart at quidnunc.net

-----Original Message-----
From: vogelfreund at comcast.net [mailto:vogelfreund at comcast.net]
Sent: Sunday, June 04, 2006 4:32 AM
To: Tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Tweeters] Venezuela unfriendly to birders?


=====================
6/4/06

Looking at BBC on-line nws, it looks like every last person in Venezuela
will be armed with the latest model Russian AK47! That sure doesn't make it
very inviting for American birders, it seems to me.

Phil Hotlen
Bellingham, WA
------------------------------------------


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