[StJacques]

For those of you who may not know, Marcel Granier is forced to circulate his statement outside of the Venezuelan media, which is being seriously intimidated at the moment. Chavez's is closing Radio Caracas TV (RCTV), Venezuela's largest network by far, because he intends to take over the station himself so that he can command their audience and, much more importantly for Chavez, silence the criticism of his tenure that has surfaced within the news and news analysis programming on RCTV. Garnier's inability to release this statement in Venezuela is why you are finding it on the Chilean El Mercurio newspaper web site.

I have been particularly amazed over time at just how little the leftist spokespersons for Hugo Chavez really do know about the facts on the ground in Venezuela today. I keep hearing that "he was elected in fair elections" (they weren't), "the Venezuelan people love him" (he has supporters but half the country sees Chavez as an authoritarian and fears him), and "Hugo Chavez has supported free speech, you do not see any supression of the news media in Venezuela."

We're dealing with the last of those three lies here today. And this is not the first time. We discussed Chavez's threats against private television stations during the campaign. We also pointed out that the Inter-American Press Association singled out Chavez's Venezuela for its assault on press freedoms, saying Venezuela was "going the way of Cuba." Chavez's assault on the most basic freedom of all has been underway in Venezuela for some time now.

I think Garnier's statement speaks for itself. But the next time you find some leftie out on the web asserting the IndyMedia line that Chavez has permitted a free press, start them off right here.

[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.

[jagusafr]

"a long train of abuses and usurpations pursuing invariably the same object" - c'mon, Venezolanos, put your blood where your machismo is! Lots of words by the Venezuelan rabiblancos, but no real action. It's a marvelous country with a great history, which Chavez is stealing.

Colegio Internacional de Caracas Alumnus

[samson1097]

Any chance that we're setting up a very powerful broadcast in Aruba or Internation Waters to give information (and fuel dissent) to the public? I bet the odds are good we already have something similar using radio waves for broadcasts to Venezuela.

[AmericanVictory]

How long would Hugo last if the price of oil were to head down steadily for a long time?

[DB]

It is only the beginning...

[KarlInOhio]

Just think of it as the Venezuelan version of the Fairness Doctrine.

[FormerACLUmember]

[mvpel]

The leftist apologists don't care that he's shutting down RCTV, because they accuse it of sedition against the government, and thus it deserves to be shut down:

http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2007/01/venezuelas-rctv-acts-of-sedition.html

[reagan_fanatic]

Taking a rifle and pointing at a television cameraman he warned: "With this rifle, which has a range of a thousand meters, you (the cameraman) stop yourself there above and I, with good aim, give it to the little red light that your camera has."

And this is the dangerous lunatic that the left is fawning over.

[lowbridge]

The 14th of July, 2006, President Chavez, dressed in a military uniform, gave a speech on the delivery of Kalashnivkov AK-103 assault rifles. Taking a rifle and pointing at a television cameraman he warned: "With this rifle, which has a range of a thousand meters, you (the cameraman) stop yourself there above and I, with good aim, give it to the little red light that your camera has."

I'm quite sure that ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, etc have a good reason why they havent shown us that. /sarcasm

[BenLurkin]

"President Chavez is verbally violent and crude each time someone dares to have a different opinion"

He could get a gig at Err America.

[randog]

Hmmmmmmm....is there any way we can get the western media to pay attention to this....??

Hey, I know! Send Cindy, Harry, Jimmuh and other assorted leftists down for a hug-fest photo op!

[Alia]

Taking a rifle and pointing at a television cameraman he [Chavez] warned: "With this rifle, which has a range of a thousand meters, you (the cameraman) stop yourself there above and I, with good aim, give it to the little red light that your camera has." Later he announced: "It is necessary to review the television broadcaster licenses."

[conservative in nyc]

I think the statement you usually get from the DUmmie Chavistas about RCTV runs something like - RCTV has called for armed insurrection against the elected Venezuelan government in the past, so Chavez has every right to shut it down.

[shield]

Thanks...

[freemike]

Why would anyone buy gas from Citgo? Why?? I have not bought gas from any Citgo station in nearly a year. I know it is not the station owners fault, but they need to find another business. Citgo needs to be put out of business in this nation. I don't care if the rest of the world buys this dictators gas, we should not. And people that work at Citgo stations should try to find a job elsewhere. It doesn't matter whether it makes a dent in their overall business or not, that isn't the issue.

[goldstategop]

Fidel Castro nationalized all the media shortly after taking power in 1959. Those who quash freedom of the press are not lovers of liberty. They are the forerunners of absolute despotism. And Venezuela is fast sinking into one man autocracy.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus