Letter to the Editor of the NY Times re: "Latin America Losing Hope in Democracy"

By Frances Moore Lappé

(Unpublished Letter to the Editor, Submitted April 24, 2004)

Your article: "Latin America Losing Hope in Democracy" (22 April) made me shudder. It is the narrow marketism of the IMF, the World Bank and the Bush Administration -- pushing the privatization of essential utilities and cutbacks in public services -- that is giving democracy a bad name. No wonder that many poor and middle class citizens don't prize such "democracy."

Happily, alternatives are emerging as citizens assert more control to re-embed the market in their community priorities. In Puerto Alegre, Brazil, for example, I met citizens working effectively with local governments to build food security, better health care and schools in a transparent manner. These Latin Americans are building, not losing, hope in democracy. They deserve more attention and support.

Frances Moore Lappé
April 24, 2004


Go to the Getting a Grip blog for the latest news, links, and thoughts from Frances and the Small Planet team.

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Read or download the MP3 of Voice of America's profile of Frances, "American Activist Promotes Democracy Worldwide."

"Send This to Your Republican In-Laws!" Frances on the reality of Democratic economic policy, via Huffington Post.

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Read and comment on Frances's Huffington Post blogs, including "The Next Time Someone Dismisses You as an Arugula-Eating Elitist," and "NPR Misses Real Story, Plants Wrong Seeds."

Download Frances' 'World Hunger: Roots and Remedies,' from the Oxford book, A Sociology of Food and Nutrition.

Watch Frances discuss the food/democracy crisis on Democracy NOW!

Watch a short film about Frances shown at the James Beard Foundation Awards Humanitarian of the Year Award ceremony. Read her acceptance speech here.

Read Frances's reflections on 1968, "the year I decided to find out why people were hungry in the world," in AARP the Magazine. An extended on-line interview can also be found here.

See Frances in Gourmet magazine as one of "25 People Who Changed Food in America".

Watch Frances in "A Hungry Planet," a special segment on the world hunger crisis from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's evening news broadcast, "The National."

Listen to the May 4th podcast of CBC Sunday Edition featuring Frances on food prices and poverty.

Hear Anna on WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show, discussing whether higher food prices might mean that we'll eat healthier food.

Read Anna weighing in on "Some Good News on Food Prices" (NY Times).

Read "The Only Fitting Tribute," Frances's take on the New Deal written for The Nation and found also on CommonDreams.org.

Read "Hanging with Frances Moore Lappé" (Boston Globe)

Watch Anna as your guru for fair trade and safe beauty products on Howdini.com

Watch The Invisible Revolution, a film about those your Small Planet Fund contributions help to support.

Watch Getting a Grip on Money & Politics, Frances' & Anthony's film about the "Best Kept Secret in America!"

Read Anna's blog as she continues the call to Eat Grub!

• Frances's first book, Diet for a Small Planet, was chosen among 75 Books by Women whose Words have Changed the World


Read more about Frankie’s book, Democracy’s Edge

Read “Creating Real Prosperity” by Frances, in Yes! Magazine and AlterNet

Read "Big Apple to go Trans-Fat Free" by Anna in Alternet

Read News from Brazil’s Zero-Hunger Campaign

• Hear Anna with Ruth Reichl on The Leonard Lopate show.

• Listen to Frances on PBS Now

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Friday, September 5th, 2008, time TBA
Visiting Speaker
Albuquerque Academy
Simms Auditorium
6400 Wyoming Boulevard, NE
Albuquerque, NM
Frances

Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Just Food presents Let Us Eat Local
Event to celebrate the 2008 honorees
of the McKinley Hightower Beyah Award
Long Island City, NY
Anna

More...


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