by Mel Martynn
Now that I've got your attention.... The best of the Latin American government models are on display this very summer. Director Oliver Stone's new documentary film "South of the Border" brings us a lot of easy-to-understand information about what's currently going on down there. Bring your middle-of-the road family and friends to this plain vanilla but entertaining presentation about an amazing progressive bloc and what socialist actions in the concrete look like in South America. The film opens with a lengthy section on Venezuela, and its president, Hugo Chavez. There are good sections about prior U.S. involvement and Chavez' subsequent rise to being elected president, and his care and concerns about uniting all of South America like early liberator Simon Bolivar envisioned. Other countries covered include Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Ecuador, and Cuba. Although sometimes it's a bit too much of "talking heads," (each country leader is formally interviewed), "South of the Border" de-demonizes this leadership and what is happening there, and more importantly, brings to public attention the