[speaker001:] Well, we haven't really heard that much in the news lately, about, uh, U S involvement in Latin America, since, uh, all this Middle East crisis began. So I haven't really paid that much attention like, since back in August when all of the news and all of the media began to focus in on, uh, Iraq, and, the, so the last thing that I remember hearing that much about is the Iran Contra scandal that happened in the Reagan presidency. Can you think of anything else that's happened recently?
[speaker002:] No, I would agree with you. We haven't had too much, but, uh, historically, we've always, uh, almost been like a big brother to, in, and to the Latin American area, and, uh, almost used them,
[speaker001:] [Throat clearing].
[speaker002:] I, I, I feel.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Uh, I think something will have to be done down there very soon about, uh, about Mexico and, and, uh, some of the other areas, but, but, with the Persian Gulf, as you said, it's just, uh, been very quiet. I, I keep pretty close tabs on the paper and you don't hardly see a, unless it's there and we're just not seeing it.
[speaker001:] Well, the only, uh, references that I have seen lately has been, uh, in, part of the overmilitarization of Iraq was due to companies selling them arms and things, and,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] and they made references to in the past, how we have given arms to, uh, Nicaragua and to other places in Latin America, and that those might turn around and haunt us someday.
[speaker002:] Well that's,
[speaker001:] I mean, not, not to this large scale as Iraq, but that,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] whenever we give arms to people, a-, as we did, and as we sold arms to, [throat clearing] pardon me, to Iraq, when we wanted them to fight Iran,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh, uh-huh.
[speaker001:] and then, uh, and then it turn around and,
[speaker002:] I, I agree we're the largest munitions producer in the world, and so, uh, there's a lot of money to be made there, and it's, uh, be very difficult to, to cut it back to a,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] a level where it should be. And, and, uh, it will come back to haunt us, it seems to come in cycles.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh. And I know when I spent, the time that I've studied in Mexico, uh, se-, Spanish was one of my majors in college, that, uh, there was a kind of a lot of resentment there towards America,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] about, uh, like you say, using them, yo-, our interest there is, you know, what profit we could make off of any kind of relationship with them,
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] and that we weren't normally very interested in them, and they have, in other, in most Latin American countries, they, there are a lot of the kind of problems that we've fought for in other countries, you know, that they have corruption, and, and they don't have, uh, I mean, there's just very few really modern cities.
[speaker002:] Right, and the, probably the bigge-, biggest problem down there is that's where the, that's the drug entry points,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and their economy is, of s-, several of the countries, especially Columbia, is so built on the, on t-, on the drugs, that, uh, our, our little war on drugs has really been laughable. It's just a, you know, such a small amount, and it doe-, it just, it, uh, cuts off just a trickle, and, uh, if, if we can't get a handle on that through some, through some, uh, method, I don't know where, whe-, that will be another big problem.
[speaker001:] Well, that's right, because that's just so much of the way that they make their money and so many communities have, uh, have to have that for farming [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Right, right.
[speaker001:] And they don't look at it so much as, you know,
[speaker002:] And as long as we're the largest, uh, consumer, then, uh,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] this is the market.
[speaker001:] That's right.
[speaker002:] If we can cut back the usage, then uh, maybe it will have to go someplace else.
[speaker001:] And I think it's really very sad that north of the border, you know, the United States and Canada is so different,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] from the S-, from South America,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh, yeah.
[speaker001:] and Central America. There's really a disparity between the, uh, what a e-, I would call civilization of the countries, you know.
[speaker002:] Right, yeah, *should this be two slash units? we're just so much wealthier, and, uh,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and, uh, there has to be resentment built up, and that's where, uh, leaders can use, uh, use that whenever the opportune moment arises.
[speaker001:] Yes, it's really kind of sad, and,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] that we would go all the way to Iraq and that we would be very concerned with the situation between Jerusalem and, uh, Israel and the Middle East Arab countries, and, and when we have, when we have a lot of problems, r-, r-, right in our own back door.
[speaker002:] That's right. Our own hemisphere, but we've, that's been, uh, that's been the way it's always been.
[speaker001:] Um.
[speaker002:] So, uh,
[speaker001:] So I guess we've kind of neglected Latin America.
[speaker002:] Very much so, except when we need them. You know when they found oil in Mexico, then we got very friendly with them again.
[speaker001:] Ri-, recently [LAUGHTER],
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Yeah, fairly recently. Well, that's really sad. I hadn't thought about that in a long time.
[speaker002:] Um.
[speaker001:] Well, I guess then, I will go, but I,
[speaker002:] Okay.
[speaker001:] made me stop and think a minute about,
[speaker002:] Sure did.
[speaker001:] not worrying so much about the Middle East crisis. I know that it's not settled but, there are other areas that we could focus our attention on.
[speaker002:] Always, yes ma'am.
[speaker001:] Well, thank you, you have a good day.
[speaker002:] You too, dear.
[speaker001:] Bye-bye.
[speaker002:] Bye.