Posted on 04/15/2002 2:04:02 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
"Papa" Monzano, he's so very bad
But without bad "Papa" I would be so sad;
Because without "Papa's" badness,
Tell me, if you would,
How could wicked old Bokonon
Ever, ever look good?
[The Calypsos, #47]
Mark W.
Chavez's Gloomy Legacy for The Left*** Now Colombia's government-sanctioned guerrilla haven is gone. So is Chavez after three tumultuous years of leftist agitating, class warfare and a spasm of violence on the streets of this capital, suggesting that leftist revolutions waged even by elected leaders are not the choice of a region still highly susceptible to populist appeals. Or at least not the way Chavez carries out revolutions.
"The lesson here is that charismatic demagogues can still win elections in poor countries," said Anibal Romero, a political science professor at Simon Bolivar University here. "The economic and social instability is still with us. The field is still open for the successful appearance of these figures that, by distorting reality and securing the hearts and minds of the uneducated,win elections."
…………..Part of the problem is the way people such as Chavez, who had been on the outside of a corrupt two-party lock on power for years, play the game once they take office. After his failed 1992 coup, Chavez served a two-year prison sentence and then began a journey of discovery on horseback across Venezuela's countryside. He was accompanied by an Argentine neo-fascist, Norberto Ceresole, who believed that a leader should rule with the army at his side.
After his election, Chavez set out to weaken Venezuela's institutions, first by engineering a new constitution that bolstered his power and then by appointing loyal military officers to run its independent agencies. Chavez set out to run a country with a sophisticated economy, based primarily on its vast oil reserves, as a one-man show. He employed the military to carry out social projects, and passed by fiat such important legislation as a land reform measure that would confiscate private property. ****
Venezuela's Chavez resumes power - two-thirds of Venezuelans oppose him****''The 35 percent who support Chavez are much more organized than the rest, they have a single leader, and they are very, very passionate,'' he said. Chavez returned from detention in the early hours yesterday, and at about 4:30 a.m. he began one of his characteristically rambling speeches to the nation and the national assembly. He told anecdotes about his detention, appealed to God and fatherland, and called for peace and brotherhood among Venezuelans.
Chavez, who during the week preceding his deposition had railed against the independent media and repeatedly interrupted TV and radio with obligatory government transmissions, endorsed free speech and civil rights. However, he also pointedly called upon media owners to ''reflect'' and appeared to outline limits for the actions of political opponents. ''We need an opposition in Venezuela, but one loyal to the nation, loyal to the people,'' he said.
June 2001 ***Chavez addressed the issue during his homecoming speech, insisting that his popularity ``would never fall because Chavez is no longer Chavez. Chavez is the people.'' Increasingly, such rhetoric is frustrating key Chavez supporters - and has created unprecedented friction within his political coalition.***Fervor Fading Over Venezuela's Chavez--trucking in "supporters" giving marathon speeches
the post being for-profit, i don't know how left-wing they are. thanks for letting me know more about chavez -- not that that matters to how idiotically the coup plotters acted. do you have any info on the partisanship of the 11-15( i keep hearing diff numbers) that died on the day of the coup? I've read e-mails that say a disproportionate number were chavez supporters, but no-one, not even the pro-chavez media, will identify them.
Yeah, like not shooting the SOB when they had the chance!
Does Chavez have any idea what he is quoting? George Orwell 1984- Big Brother is the State, the State is Big Brother.
Probably because they're lying. Interesting Chavez didn't even mention the dead in his rambling "I'm baaaaaaaaack" speech where he talked about washing his socks and not having enough time to write a decent poem.
The dead, now being reported around 40, rumors from hospitals put it higher, came mainly from the anti-Castro march reported to be close to 500,000. Chavez's armed civilain supporters, Chavistas, targeted the crowd from rooftops, picking off many reporters, one is confirmed dead. These Chavistas, violent Chavez supporters, coming from his Bolivarian Circles (suggested by Castro and patterned after his communist block watches) looted and burned stores on Sunday. I don't think they met any resistance.
I don't think there was time to give this much thought. The events happened so quickly after Chavez's civilian snipers, positioned on rooftops, started murdering marchers. There isn't someone who stands out as a strong alternative to Chavez, someone who could rally the people and all the political groups. Carmona, I believe, was visible and out there and got stuck with the job. He wasn't up to ruthlessly holding the reigns against the violent operation Chavez has set up. Carmona is a concilator and that isn't the game plan you go with when your opponent is Chavez.
He's not smart enough to make it up.
Chavez needs watching. His active courting and associations with anti-American countries and his pointed attempts
to control the Venezuelan oil supply, makes him a big threat to the U.S. and the free world.
And they have, pray tell, how many troops to enforce this?
Seriously, I haven't heard a peep from the OAS in years- kind of thought they had died off like SEATO did....
Here's the latest Hugo raving.
Captive Chavez prayed under stars for Venezuela ***"Let's hold each other's hand, let's pray here by the sea. Let's look at the stars and let's pray to God," Chavez said as he made his way to the helicopter that would fly him back to Caracas. "Let's ask for God's help so we are able to accept our differences and still come together in dialogue."*** LINKS to what he really thinks about religion and his communist association.
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