Hugo Chavez seems more and more like an impotent and psychotic clown crying out for someone to notice him.
As the Venezuelan regional elections draw near, Hugo Chavez finds his party's support waning in the polls and increasing grumbling among voters and in the military. Venezuelans are pleased with relative economic prosperity brought by the high price of oil, but are frustrated with massive government corruption, Chavez' increasingly bizarre behavior and irrational hostility to the United States and the bully tactics of Chavista thugs who regularly threaten and intimidate opposition politicians and reporters. Since his defeat in an effort to extend the term of his presidency indefinitely last year, Chavez has attempted to tighten control on the country with presidential edicts which violate even his hand-crafted constitution and have made citizens very worried about their rights and safety.…
Article comments
26 - cuervodeluna
Nalle,
1. Misuse of my posting name is against the rules of this site.
2. What you SAID, Nalle, was that Chavez was no longer passing money to the people of Venezuela.
3. You were incapable of supporting that libelous statement because it obviously was not true and when pressed to provide supporting evidence, you linked to a site which DIRECTLY COntradicted what you had claim, as it cited sources that showed that from 2005 to 2007 the amount of money passed to the people had in FACT DOUBLED.
4. When I busted you and gave you an F for faking it, for trying to be devious and for NOT TELLING THE TRUTH, you decided to attack ME by misusuing my posting name.
[Edited]
27 - cuervodeluna
I have already posted this information on another site, so will simply copy it here:
". Human Rights Watch is largely funded by the US. They have been writing unfavorable reports ON DEMAND since day one.
2. The two HRW shills were kicked out of the country because they violated not only their migratory status as tourists, but they called a press conference in which they publically vilified the country where they were. Writing a report is one thing--breaking the law is another. Here in Mexico, for example, if you are here on a tourist visa and call a press conference the very same thing will happen to you. Article 33 of the Constitution prohibits political activity by foreigners. This is standard all over the region. And for a whole history of good reasons, of which this latest caper was a prime example."
Breaking the law is not the way to get out serious reports. It's a way to create a media show and sling propaganda.
If a Mexican human rights organization (of which there are many since we have an admitted 1000 political prisoners and untold numbers of desaparecidos) had called a press conference in Washington DC and shot their mouths off about gringo human rights abuses they would IMMEDIATELY find their own rights being abused and wearing those charming overalls in Guatanamo.
I rest my case, legal Latin American "experts".
28 - cuervodeluna
Actually, here's a legal addendum:
Turns out that Vivanco whined in the airport in Sao Paulo to the press, saying that it was not fair that he was booted out of Venezuela--when he had made critical comments in Chile without any consequences.
Sounds like he was pulling a duplicitous bit of disingenuity out of his pocket--something that I have seen to be the stock in trade on this site.
WHY do I say that?
Because as a CITIZEN of Chile it is not ILLEGAL for him to criticize HIS government.
But it IS illegal for foreigners to criticize the government of Chile--just like it is in Ecuador and Mexico and every other country I have visited in the region.
But now it's all moot. His compinche who was expelled with him is a gringo.
And they flew back to Gringolandia.
Anyone with an IQ of more than 70 should be able to connect the dots here.
29 - Franco
Dave,
If she wants to try to spin away Human Rights Watch just like Chavez and his cronies as a US backed coup force, let her sing like a bird. It only gives more credance to over 24 other Human Rights Organizations from around the world who have joined in supporting Human Righs Watah report on Chavez. And not one of those has anything to do with the US. So let she her spin those away.
Additionally this in from Chile.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Chile this week hailing South America's determination to defend democracy.
Chavez and eight other South American presidents had gathered in the Chilean capital in response to a developing crisis in Bolivia, where recent violence has heightened concern for that country's stability
Chavez couldn't waste what seemed a prime opportunity to blame the U.S. for a complicated Bolivian internal situation. Grasping at straws, Morales last week expelled U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg, accusing him of conspiring against Bolivia's democracy and integrity. Chavez followed suit and within a day had U.S. Ambassador Patrick Duddy expelled from Venezuela.
At the Santiago summit, Chavez lambasted Washington, alleging that behind Bolivia's crisis was "a conspiracy financed and directed by the U.S. empire, just as it occurred here in Chile."
No other South American president felt compelled to do the same -- including left-of-center leaders such as Cristina Fernandez of Argentina, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Michelle Bachelet of Chile, and Tabare Vazquez of Uruguay. Instead they all insisted that the summit deal with the Bolivian crisis and in doing so revealed a more autonomous region, much less obsessed with Washington and more preoccupied with finding solutions to its problems.
"We believe that the region's problems have to be solved in the region," Chilean Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley said in an interview with Chilean television on Tuesday. "I don't like going around making others responsible."
At one point, Chavez's insistence on conjuring up the ghosts of past U.S. interventions threatened to undermine the summit, according to Foxley. But after six hours of closed-door negotiation Monday night, Chavez backed down. The final declaration makes no mention of Washington.
Reports are Chavez was pissed.
Dave, their getting tired of Chavez's grandstanding down here in LA againsts the US. They are insisting on him going along with them instead of the otherway around. In short, they want him to cut the crap!
If they keep this up, sooner or later Chavez is going to call one of the puppets of the US. He can't help himself. And that is everone elses strength and his weakness. Poor Huey
30 - Dave Nalle
If she wants to try to spin away Human Rights Watch just like Chavez and his cronies as a US backed coup force, let her sing like a bird. It only gives more credance to over 24 other Human Rights Organizations from around the world who have joined in supporting Human Righs Watah report on Chavez. And not one of those has anything to do with the US. So let she her spin those away.
Yep. I'm just ignoring her. Her attacks on HRW just show how totally irrational she is on this issue. All she does is dig herself in deeper as she goes after legitimate and well respected organizations like HRW and defends the ridiculous abuses of the increasingly oppressive Chavez regime. She can keep arguing with the facts and keep losing.
Dave, their getting tired of Chavez's grandstanding down here in LA againsts the US. They are insisting on him going along with them instead of the otherway around. In short, they want him to cut the crap!
Hell, I'm surprised the generally sensible Chileans even let him into the country. The more he acts like a clown the more he discredits himself, and he doesn't have far to go before no one takes him at all seriously, except as a threat to his own people and his neighbors.
Dave
31 - cuervodeluna
Nalle is suprised--and he should be--that a country that still claims Pinochet as its foremost national hero--would "let" Chavez into its genocidal confines.
Maybe Franco would like to stop implying that he has inside knowledge of the high level pols in Chile--as he doesn't.
And he is not in a position to know whether Chavez was "pissed" or not.
As for other Human Rights groups supporting HRW--well, they do hope for a piece of the pie--and in EVERY country in the world all you have to do to be a Human Rights group is give yourself a name.
Franco could be one.
So could Nalle.
So could I--although that would be type casting.
Now, how about the Chilean Pinochetists sceming with the Colombian Uribistas to create those phony e-mails?
Let's hear about THOSE guys.