But don't forget Bolivia still needs change badly. Not a Che revolution, but a change to rid the country of exploitation. There is still lots of suffering in that country. The oligarchy is still in control and the racism is at far advanced stages compared to Cuba.

Oh please, Fielding. I'm in a hurry but search this blog for Bolivia and castro, which will tell you what Bolivia's biggest problem is.

So you don't think the oligarchy or racism is a problem? I'm not supporting Evo Morales or any link with Cuba. There is lots of poverty in Bolivia that has nothing to do with Castro. I don't see much to celebrate in Bolivia. You started out by calling this Bolivian appreciation day, but I think at the same time you shouldn't turn your back on the contemporary Bolivian problems.

If you think the problem is all political you're not paying close enough attention. No poverty = no Che = no Evo = No Castro. Sure, Castro might want his hands on a link with Bolivia. I understand your point. But why would the people want this? Because people are sitting around reading Marx? I think it's becuase people are desperate and excluded from political decision making and excuded from fair wages and job opportunities.

It isn't just a question of ideologies battling it out, I think there are root causes to problems as well.

Fielding, no disagreement, and trust me, I get a lot of attention for my work on Bolivia and its problems - and believe it or not, I don't disagree with you about the root causes of Bolivia's problems going on now. But JUST BECAUSE Bolivia has problems doesn't give castro a free license to take the place over. Bolivians are proud people and they took care of business on che when no one else would. That merits a simple Bolivian Appreciation Day from the entire world for ridding the world of a very real plague. You're saying we can't appreciate Bolivia? I got news for you: We appreciate Bolivia!

"But JUST BECAUSE Bolivia has problems doesn't give castro a free license to take the place over."

Yes, I can't argue with you there. Socialism isn't Bolivia's solution. You mentioned work on Bolivia, I wouldn't mind hearing more.

I think Fielding is correct. If the appalling conditions that many Bolivians live in didn't exist, then there would be no Chavez or Castro influence. It really is not an either/or situation. The status quo needs to fundamentally change and no, I don't support a socialist regime.

Do you think the Bolivian people executed Guevara? No way, it was simply a military operation backed by heavy duty sensationalist propaganda (i.e. Che and his men eat children because they are atheists - really!) The people that led the military to Guevara didn't do so out of distaste for Guevara's beliefs and defense of a free market economy, but did so out of coercion and pay offs.

Eduardo: che may not have eaten children but he certainly had no problem killing them. He lined them up against the wall like the rest of the people he killed and reveled in the bloodshed. That's just history. If you don't want to take it from me, see what Alvaro Vargas Llosa has written. che was one hell of an evil guy.

I don't agree with you that Bolivian people had no dislike for che's beliefs - if that is the case, how come the baby-eating-atheist propaganda worked for some of them? We might not respond to such a claim but someone in Bolivia responded to that. And I am not so sure it was only coercion and payoffs either. che was a foreign invader. Bad enough. But he was also an Argentine, and Argentines are famous for their contempt for Bolivians. I am sure Bolivians know this. On top of this yet, he was arrogant. Why did che write such bad things in his diary about Bolivian people? He wrote about how un-revolutionary the Bolivians were and how much he hated them for that. Well, that sure doesn't sound like a pure mercenary dynamic to me. I think Bolivians did in che because they had had about enough of him.