Soter ends his message: "what is a genuine and more pressing issue (to focus upon) from those issues bliown out of proportion to systematically deflect public attention."
I do not pretend to know all the facts but after a lifetime living in UK with a right-wing media stranglehold on news I believe systematic misinformation is typical. Politicians, bands and corporations here employ PR guys so that they can deflect awkward questions. Stonewalling is easy for the rich and powerful, who can hire whoever is useful. All kinds of strategies are used to subvert attention from the facts. eg. the war on terror has enabled empire building by the police and military, and a cloak of secrecy for government's dubious repression/oppression of legitimate protest. Fake-concern for the public during election fever soon disappears once politicians are in power. Re criminalisation used to discredit opponents of mis-use of power: Riot police were used against climate change protesters who do not want nuclear power, ie. Arrested after UK police get rough with them, which reminds me of the brothers arrested and man-handled in Quepem. The mines are a form of fiefdom where the villagers are treated as a nuisance, ie. the land is taken for purposes that are disadvantageous to local people. Rita Grootendorst