Posted on 02/17/2005 2:44:03 PM PST by Kitten Festival
When you think of a government information office, do you think of much more than dusty information pamphlets and glossy tourist brochures full of pleasant platitudes, putting the best face forward on a particular nation? Such is perfectly natural for friendly, and even some not-so-friendly nations, because that's what government information offices normally do.
But Venezuela's Marxist government has an entirely different idea. The innocuously named Venezuela Information Office in Washington, D.C. is an aggressive Cuba-style PsyOps and disinformation operation sponsored by the Venezuelan government. Its operatives not only seek to get the Venezuelan government's castroite message out to the American public, but also aggressively to target American journalists individually. The VIO doesn't have much of a case they can persuasively use in defense of Hugo Chavez, so all they can do now is focus on striking out at Chavez's U.S. critics. They launch Carville-like political slime campaigns against any American writer who notes unflatteringly true things about castroite Venezuela. And they have been busy with list-servs, strategic battle plans, activating propaganda sleepers and organized letter-writing campaigns in their effort to discredit and neutralize critics.
This VIO is now going after Wall Street Journal editorial writer Mary Anastasia O'Grady, who's the most eloquent essayist in America exposing the depredations of the Chavez regime.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Mary Anastasia O'Grady is about the only writer in the US who understands what is happening in Latin American and the Spanish speaking world.
She doesn't get posted often enough here on FR because of the posting restrictions of the WSJ, and I don't think she's as well known as her expertise and good writing merit. But it's truly bad news if Chavez is trying to silence her.
Who can we talk to about this? The WSJ? State?
Ping to CW. Did you know about this? This is truly bad news.
Is there anybody here who knows Mary Anastia O'Grady and can make sure she gets this?
How are they going after her? I see Chavez is funding his spin masters but I'm not sure what he is getting for his money...
Still, its weird that a national government would be going after an individual columnist. They could devote themselves to actually refuting what she says, but obviously they've figured out that is a losing strategy.
They are trying to discredit her. I have got their situation-room documents in my other email, soon as I can, I will post them.
I saw Alek's article detailing the millions paid to US lobbying firms (the usual suspects, as it turns out).
I'm impressed with his research, and further impressed at the millions paid for propaganda work.
My opinion could be had much cheaper, a pie and coffee will usually open up hour-long tirades about any subject of your choosing... I can't believe these guys charge for what I give away in copious quantities for free...
http://www.rethinkvenezuela.com/index.html
This is their website. I would be interested in seeing alternative views of what they say here in terms of their social programs. Is there any evidence that these programs are not taking place?
There's lots of evidence that massive and involuntary socialization is taking place in VZ. As for their "social programs," Cuba has those, too. Next question?
They're stealing left and right. Go visit the Veni blogs for details on how much cash was ripped off that should have rebuilt Vargas.
Strange, because she's read only in a relatively small circle, since her WSJ articles can't be posted and aren't widely available. She had a very good article last week (or maybe it was earlier this week) outlining US failures in dealing with VZ. Perhaps that's gotten Chavez stirred up?
I'm not sure what he can actually do to her, unless she lives there (which I doubt). I imagine it will be one of his attractive 5-hour tirades, like the one where he seemed to believe that Condaleeza Rice secretly wanted to sleep with him.
The joke is that Chavez is not really a departure from previous administrations in terms of his economic philosophy. There is no Republican Party in Venezuela, and never has been. The spectrum there among mainstream political parties runs from pro-business socialism to leftist socialism to ex-guerrilla socialism. It is precisely the populist politics of previous administrations that has driven the country into the ground. Chavez has simply promised, and delivered, more of the same.
And his more aggressive applications of "more of the same" have had the predictable effect of driving the economy further into the ground.
The mainstream parties were unable to confront him ideologically because at heart, they agree with him. This is why they imploded when he ran for office, and this is a big reason why they have been unable to unite around a competing ideology. They know he's a bad guy, but in political and economic terms they are unable to explain why.
True, he is in bed with the FARC and with Castro, but they can't articulate why that is bad. So he rolls right over them again and again.
The idea that prior to Chavez, Venezuelans didn't have access to health care and education is simply silly. But if there is some good that comes from the several thousands of Cuban doctors deployed without medicines around the country, in bartered payment for free oil to Cuba, it still doesn't explain how rural health programs justify turning Venezuela into a FARC ally, or making the US into a propaganda whipping boy. The US has no interest in stopping him from setting up medicine-free clinics around the country, we couldn't care less.
Utterly superb analysis. 100% on target.
Education (including university) has been free since before the constitution of 1961 was passed. Next time any of you happen to bump into a chavista official with a degree from a Venezuelan university ask them how much had she/he paid for their education. It's good fun to see the contorsion of their faces when one asks such a question, specially as I did with Luis Britto Garcia during the Q&A session in a conference in Frankfurt University.
Job training? See above. If they were to refer to technical training or apprenticeship programmes (as in the EU), where have these been implemented?
Housing: official figures show that during Hugo Chavez' administration the number of houses constructed for the poor has actually decreased from 90.000 units/year to 6.000 units/year.
Health care: if rubbing saliva on patients and curing everything from paludism to cancer with aspirin can be construed as a successful health care system (Mision Barrio Adentro with the Cubans) then yes Chavez' plans have benefited the poor. However if one factors that the central government has deviated funds of the already existing free health system of the country to fund its health mission then one finds reality being starker.
see post #15 from a Venezuelan
I know that, but others don't. Thanks for your post.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.