[StJacques]

First pay attention to what Chavez is doing and forget the explanation he gives for a moment. Entering the last two weeks of his campaign for re-election and without naming names, Hugo Chavez is threatening to take action against the news media in his own country. It is a perfect threat to implement state control of the media as the election approaches. And once you realize what Chavez is doing, then read more carefully and examine his explanation in light of his objective. Chavez has now postulated a threat to the elections and the country originating in the business and media sectors and he is attempting to mobilize the Venezuelan state, including the military, to act to prevent it. Whether the threat is made good or not, the implications are obvious.

In at least some way Hugo Chavez is recognizing that he could possibly lose the upcoming election to Manuel Rosales.

Forget all the opinion polls and prognostication about Rosales's chances to unseat Chavez. Pay attention to what Chavez is doing and see the truth.

[StJacques]

A Latin American Left Watch ping for you all.

Anyone wishing to be included on the ping list may either ping me from this thread or contact me via Freepmail.

[marron]

The rumors are that he will launch an "auto-golpe", which will only be possible if the military is on board, and this will require that the press be firmly muzzled or shut-down.

Rosales is looking good in the polls, but beyond that people know that Chavez isn't leaving whatever the polls say. He controls the vote-counting machine, and everyone knows it. But when he steals this election people know they either accept him as president for life, or prepare a more definitive response.

There is no question whether Chavez will become "president for life". He already is. The only question, once this election has been engineered, is do you let him do a Castro and die of old age still living in the presidential palace, or do you force him out. You can't vote him out. All that is left is to learn to love Big Brother or pull the plug on him yourself.

[mylife]

Will Jimmah Carter be on hand next month to bless the electoral process once again?

[norton]

"Chavez denounced that "new destabilizing plans" existed for the next elections in which he will seek re-election.
...some media and business sectors who would be in favor of destabilizing plans.
He urged on civil employees, prosecutors, and the National Armed Forces that...(we must)...take action against those sectors who would be supporting these acts.
...after recounting the events of April 2002 which removed him from government for two days.
"I am not myself obliged to take drastic actions because I have no thoughts of any type except safeguarding the sovereignty and stability of the country," Chavez added.
"The Venezuelan armed forces has to be "red/light red," patriotic to the marrow, he made clear.

Sounds to me like he is telling the mobs and the military that he isn't going to order repression (too angelic for that) but they have a green light to beat the crap out of anyone possessing a different political view.

[supremedoctrine]

All this puts Hugo smack dab in the mainstream of the Democrat Party from '92-'00. He'd be right at home.

[SmoothTalker]

And yet Bush is the real threat to freedom in Venezuela. ;)

[popdonnelly]

Up yours, Hugo.

[Rome2000]

Sounds like a plan for victory to me.

Why let your enemies in the media have a free ride to destroy you politically.

The socialists in this country have the media so in their pocket they don't even have to call themselves socialists.

If W and the RNC had flexed some muscle instead of acting like milquetoasts the socialists would not be in control of Congress.

Fight fire with fire.

Lead or get the hell out of the way.

[StJacques]

A second Latin American Left Watch ping here with a follow-up translation of a new article today in which Hugo Chavez is continuing, and evidently in a somewhat more open fashion given the length of the article, his call to "all powers of the state" to confront "Destabilization." What is unusual about this translation is that, unlike his comments quoted in the article at the beginning of this thread, for the first time Chavez mentions "constituted power" as part of the "destabilization conspiracy," which may suggest he is about to move against duly-empowered government officials and agencies since the use of the Spanish word constituido (constituted) implies representation, as the word itself is sometimes used. You will see that Chavez does in fact name "Governors and Mayors" as part of this "constituted power."

We could be seeing the prequel to a very hard crackdown on democratic freedoms, such as they remain, in Venezuela.

This is up at:  http://politica.eluniversal.com/2006/11/18/elecc_art_73001.shtml

And I really think it is worth reading.

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Chavez demands government functionaries confront destabilization

President denounces a conspiracy of the media, businessmen, and "constituted power."

Pedro Pablo Peñaloza

El Universal (Caracas)

After warning of the existence of "new destabilizing plans which are the order of the day," President Hugo Chavez reminded public functionaries and the citizenry in general, that "they have the unrelinquishable duty to defend Bolivarian democracy and the institutions of the Republic."

"I call upon all government functionaries from all branches of the State for us to take the lead and and make the law respected," Chavez expressed, annoyed at what he perceived as something he called "a timidness among the civil and military authorities in enforcing the law."

The Chief Executive spoke these words yesterday in the Antonio Diaz municipality, in Nueva Esparta state, where he lauched the Revolution in Energy Mission.

Of special note, the dignitary sent a message to the Ministers of Interior, Jesse Chacon, and Defense, Raul Isaias Baduel. "Mr. Minister of the Interior, Mr. Minister of Defense, we're going, 24 hours. Military and civil prosecutors, 24 hours pending, in a small way I am showing that any attempt at destabilization will have to pass from view with forcefulness, firmness, in ways which are foreseen in the Constitution and the laws."

Chavez denounced that hiding behind the conspirator's plans are representatives of the communications media, business sectors, and "above all those who, products of the neoliberal era, occupy strategic spaces like the telephone company and the electricity [company]," and members of the "constituted power such as governors and mayors." To them he asked "don't make me demonstrate that what I have said is true, that the permissive Chavez stayed behind in 2002."¹

The head of state revealed that he met with the directors of DISIP² and the DIM³ Thursday night, to know the details under which the intelligence bodies of the country are operating.

"Anyone who goes to a television station to call upon the military to overthrow the government, when leaving the station should go to prison. A TV channel which lends itself to the spreading of messages of terrorism, of hate, of war or calls for the non-recognition of the authorities, must necessarily be closed. We are not going to permit Venezuela to run with blood again!" the President warned.

After giving this speech, and converted back into a candidate, Chavez traveled to the Mariño municipality aboard his coach.⁴
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Translator's Notes:
¹ 2002 was the year of an unsuccessful coup against Chavez. This is his way of saying "I'm not the nice guy I used to be."
² Acronym for the Dirección de los Servicios de Inteligencia y Prevención (Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention Services), Venezuela's premier intelligence agency which has "an extensive record of human rights violations." (read more here)
³ Venezuelan military intelligence.
⁴ Apparently Chavez is traveling by train.
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I still say it looks like Chavez is preparing to take some very forceful action against his opposition.

Will stay tuned ...