Originally Posted by MAGraduate

Can they do this when I am not in the country?
Thanks.

ROFL.

On a serious note, as a heterodox political economist, I do support a counter-hegemonic movement against US dollar imperialism. At the same time, Chavez and Ahmadinejad need to realize that any efforts to further cripple the US economy, would have widespread ripples and effects that would be to the detriment of a lot of underdeveloped countries. We live in much more globalized and interconnected world than before. Besides, are they so blind in nationalist fervor that they don't realize that poor, oppressed, marginalized people live in this country too? There's really no straight answers for these things... I can't deny the legitimacy of anti-American sentiments and at the same time I cannot support this sort of ridiculous short-sighted approach by people like Chavez. Anyway, he is just barking. America should be smart and start investing and patenting alternative energy at rapid speeds instead of focusing on acquiring oil reserves by overthrowing sovereign governments. This country's foreign energy dependency is a tremendous weak point that other countries can exploit to their benefit.