La Lucha es en las Calles: La Lucha es en las Calles

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- It says George Bush is an assassin and calls Americans Nazis.

It says no to the United States. Yes to Costa Rica.

It tells America to leave this country alone.

Anti-American graffiti in San Jose's city center is sprayed on houses, businesses, and public parks.

It's everywhere.

The graffiti is part of the political and economic debate that most Costa Ricans have been consumed by for the past year:

The ratification of CAFTA, the free trade agreement with the United States.

President Oscar Arias and the government are in favor of entering the agreement. Arias attempted to fast track a measure ratifying it through the Costa Rican government earlier this year.

But the upheaval from dissidents was so loud -- including widespread protests, source of much of the graffiti, in February -- that Arias conceded, and called a public referendum scheduled for early October.

American officials -- with strong support from the White House -- began negotiations with Central American nations in 2005 on this trade agreement, a sort of mini-NAFTA.

Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras have joined.

Translated, the trade agreement is the Tratado de Libre Comercio or TLC.

People aren't shy to express their opinions on the matter here.

Around the city, some businesses and houses have stickers with "Si TLC!" One hardware store had a huge banner in support of it on its front.

But the young, especially, have expressed their opposition using graffiti, which has been sprayed all over San Jose's walls, sidewalks and light posts.

Anti-American feelings are clear. Anti-Bush sentiments are even clearer.

Curiously, these young ones compare Americans to Nazis, something I haven't figured out why. It seems they think the agreement has racist undertones, and call it "neoesclavitud" or neo-slavery.

They want "skinhens" out of Costa Rica.

Another spray said "no to communism."

So far, the people I've talked to -- taxi drivers and vendors at a crafts market -- are against it.

They hear I'm from Guatemala, and they asked if it worked there. I say what I know: that many sweatshops have opened, and those are owned by foreigners.

And that many Guatemalan businesses are being killed by the onslaught of bigger, richer American companies.

Costa Ricans will soon get a chance to decide about CAFTA. It will be the first nation in Central America to let the people decide whether to enter a trade agreement.

But for now, graffiti all over the city reminds Ticos that many of their young want America to "fuuk off."