Elected! War!


Each day my class starts with a devotional led by students, and manipulated by me (for sanity’s sake: most students are climbing-the-wall Pentecostals). My latest antidote is for them to form their prayers using Scripture. Today we read about the woman from Samaria, so the student interceded for relationships with neighbouring Venezuela.

Colombia’s elections are in 4 weeks time, and Venezuela’s President said yesterday that if a particular person were elected it would mean war. He was speaking about the most popular candidate, right-wing Juan Manuel Santos.

One conflictive issue is the influence of the USA. Colombia has 7 US military bases and Venezuela claims these are for espionage. Venezuela has an anti-capitalist policy, particularly anti-USA, which has led to the seizure of assets and an exodus. Colombia is pro-USA, gets 550 million dollars and lots of enemies.

Both policies are wonky; for the sufferers are the poor, the educated and the voices crying, “Enough!” One of Olwen’s sewing women confessed to having just got married: to an unknown 71 year old who usually lives in Miami. She paid him a fortune which she didn’t have. And now the difficult part is to dupe the US authorities into giving her American citizenship.

So the poor become poorer. And Olwen will get into a spot of bother if the CIA read this.

Photo: Should they put on an extra star for Colombia?

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