Hugo Chavez disgusts me. I hate that fat Commie more than any other tin-Hitler world leader, and that's really saying something given my considerable rage at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Fidel Castro, the House of Saud, Robert Mugabe and the Burmese junta. Oh yeah, and Ken Livingstone, who really is a third-world leader. He's the mayor of London. 'Nuff said.
But, as for Chavez, well, I've got to hand it to him. Who else would deal with a challenge to his authority by committing a Kent State-style counterpunch? Not even Ahmadinejad sent in his shock troopers when Iranian students were chanting "Death to the president!" (they didn't mean Bush) at Tehran University during a recent protest in the Islamic Republic.
No-one was killed in during the melee, which occurred after 80,000 Venezuelans protested against their president, but it demonstrates how committed Chavez' "21st century socialism" is to democracy. Not.
Chavez responded to the fracas by saying that "rich kids" were responsible for the on-campus violence and that, if he — El Gordo — and his supporters responded in kind, "there wouldn't be a building standing belonging to this unpatriotic oligarchy." Imagine Chavez having the cojones — the sheer temerity — to talk of an oligarchy?
Even Chavez' supporters might tire of his anti-U.S. rhetoric. A recent Financial Times article states: "Venezuelans are accustomed to, and vigorously defend, the typical freedoms of a representative democracy. Venezuela is arguably one of the most pro-US cultures in Latin America, and even poorer Venezuelans dream of visiting Disney World for their holidays. Many Venezuelans are more obsessed by baseball than Bolivarianism." And an article for the New American Media website states that: "[A]nalysts here (Venezuela) are questioning how much further President Chavez can take his anti-yanqui rhetoric. Any rupture in commercial relations with the United States would directly impact Chavez's supporters. Plus, Venezuelans are increasingly fed up with confrontational politics, having endured them for more than seven years from both Chavez and opposition leaders."
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - moonraven
Well, I guess [Personal attack deleted by Comments Editor] Mark just opened himself up for ad hominems by calling Chavez fat.
Apparently that is not such a problem, as a poll indicates that Chavez--who refers to himself as "ugly" shows him to be one of the five sexiest men in Venezuela. [Personal attack deleted by Comments Editor] One can find the poll results featured on Yahoo News.
[Personal attack deleted by Comments Editor]
2 - JP
Hugo Chavez said from day one, he is following Castro's footsteps, no surprise to us Cuban exiles, I like many Cubans have been trying to warn Venezuelans from this Dictatorship in the making, you haven't seen nothing yet, is going to get a heck of a lot worse, as soon as he has his followers armed and organized there will be no freedoms left for the rest of Venezuelans, Socialism Castro's style is the Doctrine of hate and envy they feed their souls on that, and they use all those that have not been served well by pass regimes, is easier to teach them how to hate the pass and build a new future, a future just like Cuba and every other Socialist Workers Paradise,
Feel sorry for you Venezuelans
3 - moonraven
Andrade is lying: Everyone in Venezuela has weapons. The opposition even runs several websites in Caracas where you can BUY them.
So the BEST weapons belong to them--because they can afford them.
4 - moonraven
JP [Personal attack deleted by Comments Editor]:
There are no venezolanos here. What are you talking about?
Oh, and please include a link to when Chavez SAID he was following in Fidel's footsteps.
5 - Baronius
Good article, Mark. But I worry: this site is so dominated by one person, even as its overall readership declines. Is it good that we're writing articles for her amusement?
6 - REMF
"But I worry: this site is so dominated by one person, even as its overall readership declines. Is it good that we're writing articles for her amusement?"
This site dominated by moonraven?!? Methinks thou doth whine too much, Baronius. She's got a LONG ways to go to catch up to Dave Nalle's over 19,000 comments!!
7 - Dr Dreadful
[raises hand]
Er... Mark. I humbly suggest you re-read the CNN report you link to in the second paragraph. Re-read it carefully.
Then tell me where exactly it indicates that the gunmen were police, soldiers or any kind of government agents.
By all means express yourself if you are concerned about Chavez's policies, but leaping to sloppy conclusions just makes you look foolish.
One other thing (and I can see here where MR is coming from when she casts nasturtiums at your command of English): the word oligarchy refers to rule by an elite group. Last time I checked, there was only one Hugo Chavez.
8 - gonzo marx
now now, Doc..
yer gonna get the boy all kinds of confused by all that usage of Facts and Logic and shit like that, you even stick some Questions and a reading assignment in there
an aneurism may occur...or an apoplectic expostulation at the very least
but i digress...
Excelsior?
9 - Dave Nalle
Good article, Mark. But I worry: this site is so dominated by one person, even as its overall readership declines. Is it good that we're writing articles for her amusement
No, no, Baronius. You've got it backwards. We post these articles about Venezuela to irritate her and thereby amuse ourselves.
Then tell me where exactly it indicates that the gunmen were police, soldiers or any kind of government agents.
Although I'm at the BlogWorld Expo I've been following this story and according to the AP the attacks were carried out by a street gang which is frequently hired as muscle by the Chavistas.
the word oligarchy refers to rule by an elite group. Last time I checked, there was only one Hugo Chavez.
I think Mark is not that far off in using the term. Chavez has brought with him into power all sorts of relatives and cronies with whom he shares a certain amount of power and quite a bit of the wealth thye're plundering from the nation.
[Edited]
Dave
10 - brian
I feel sorry for the americans, with their current unelected murderous govt; their brains washing by their 'free' press; the loss of the tax money to support rogue states like Israel andused to fund wars of aggression, while disasters like Katrina get ignored.
11 - brian
Your blog has the touchingly naive but revealing title: 'A sinister cabal of superior writers'
Well, i agree on that 'sinister cabal' bit...With Dave as politics editor.
But 'superior'? isnt that a bit conceited?
12 - Dr Dreadful
according to the AP the attacks were carried out by a street gang which is frequently hired as muscle by the Chavistas.
Far as I can see (reference: a search of the AP site using the term 'venezuela gunmen' about 5 minutes ago) the AP is just running the same story the other networks and agencies have picked up. No mention there of who the gunmen were. Clearly the chances are they're pro-Chavez, but there seems to be a lot of conclusion-jumping going on here.
I think Mark is not that far off in using the term. Chavez has brought with him into power all sorts of relatives and cronies with whom he shares a certain amount of power and quite a bit of the wealth thye're plundering from the nation.
Even if that's true (and I'm not conceding that it is without further research), you know as well as I do, David, that this is not how Mark or most other anti-Chavez commenters are portraying the Venezuelan government. For them it's Chavez all the way. You're splitting hairs.
13 - STM
Brian: "another attack on Democracy....People may like to view Joh Pilgers new documentary: War on Democracy"
Oh, right ... THAT John Pilger, the great champion of democracy.
That is officially a joke, right??
14 - gonzo marx
wow...it appears brian is off his meds...
JuJu knows i'm the first to poke Fun as Mark et al...but somebody seriously needs to investigate some cookies and a nice nap
Excelsior?
15 - brian
STM: 'Oh, right ... THAT John Pilger, the great champion of democracy'
Right, STM, a great champion of democracy, as his decades as an investigative journalism and documentarian show..Glad you agree.....unlike anyone the US can boast.
16 - brian
Gonzo: 'wow...it appears brian is off his meds...
Gonzo...that sound a bit like Bozo....Since im not american, im not afflicted by that need to be on medication just for having an opinion.
17 - gonzo marx
oh the Irony...claiming that the U.S. has no decent Journalists...but Quoting from Time magazine to make a point...
priceless Comedy there, kiddies...i can't make shit like that up
Excelsior?
18 - gonzo marx
brian..it ain't for having yer Opinion...you are more than welcome to have one and speak out on it all you like..i'll Defend anyone's Right to speak their Mind
it's when Reason is pushed aside for Propaganda that i tend ta take notice
an Example is you posting 7 comments in a row, mostly piss poor copy/paste jobs
another is you correcting someone for conflating Bush and the U.S.....but then YOU go ahead and do it yourself just a few sentences later
act like a Fool, and get called on it by a Jester
just a hobby...
Excelsior?
19 - brian
'oh the Irony...claiming that the U.S. has no decent Journalists...but Quoting from Time magazine to make a point...'
an eg:
the decent american journalists didnt see fit to write on the Downing Street minutes till one month after the eurpean press....the US press has also allowed its stories to be veted by th US military, as well now are known universally for their being embedded(in-bed-with) the US military in Iraq...not going to ensure quality and independent coverage....
20 - gonzo marx
that would be the Equality of Opportunity...the U.S. is flawed in that, some points in our History are better than others when it comes to that very subject...
but overall, not too bad a track record, and there is a substantial percentage of the population who work towards that very Issue...we call it the political process...a kind of give and take to make large Decisions for the nation
you might want to look into it...
Excelsior?
21 - brian
Gonzo: 'it's when Reason is pushed aside for Propaganda that i tend ta take notice'
it seems you have trouble recognising propaganda....or propagandistic attacks by the likes of Mike and Dave...
I try not to confuse Bush and america....but its made difficult by the behavior of many americans. Esp those who still believe the propaganda that Saddam was involved in 9-11...
22 - gonzo marx
well now...you ain't been around long, or you would know than nobody has given those two a harder time about Things than yours truly...
i have NO problems with Recognition or Cognition at all
and besides basic tenets of Ideology, there's not a royal cunt hair's difference between you and them, imo
as for your citing of American journalist's failures...you appear to neglect their Accomplishments as well... like this...
you're really not that good at this
Excelsior?
23 - brian
'that would be the Equality of Opportunity...the U.S. is flawed in that, some points in our History are better than others when it comes to that very subject...'
an understatement...even the us $ now is in decline...manufacturing has gone overseas to places like China(amazing how US likes to work with those it denigrates....eg Syria), which as we know makes poisonous toys! lack of good health care etc etc
Politicl process...weve seen in the last elections the democrats promise theyd roll back the iraq occupation...and have since reniged on that promise....because they serve moneyed interests not the people who voted for them.
24 - gonzo marx
might i Advise you to stick with shit you KNow something about
an example - i stay away from getting into shit involving Venezuela...they elected their Government, it's their business...i keep an eye on the news from Objective sources (few that they are), and have a live and let live attitude, as long as no one fucks with U.S. directly (and no , i have been against the Iraq fiasco from day One...same reasons i leave Venezuela alone...get the Idea?)
in that same vein, as some friendly Advice...you might want to stick to what you do Know, rather than pontificate on what you appear to know less than nothing about
because you talking about the U.S. is about the same as the Author of the Article above this conversation talking about Venezuela...
nothing but a shitstorm in a coffee mug
Excelsior?
25 - brian
people should go to the Pilger documentary at about 23:00 minutes onward for a detailed analysis of the infamous 2002 shootings... very revealing.
it turns out the organisers of the opposition march that day deliberately steered their people to the chavistas, where they had waiting snipers to kill their own people