A different take on Hugo Chavez

[James Heaps-Nelson]

Michael,

You actually raise several good points in your last post. In one of my posts I gave an upside and a downside. You disagree with the downside. My point in bringing up Milosevic was to point out that democratic elections, even valid ones do not validate a government.

No I don't see ethnic cleansing, but I do see the possibility of something of the reverse of what happened in Videla's Argentina where Chavez starts disappearing large numbers of the rich and middle class. Perhaps I should have bracketed Videla as the downside. That would be bad enough. My family was down there during Videla and we had no idea what was going on. Our mail got opened a couple of times.

I don't harbor any illusions that anything I say here will make a damn bit of difference, but I have to say it anyway so that 30,000 people are not tortured and killed again and reruns of people long dead don't show up on TV as proof of life etc, etc without me saying something.

Jim

Edited June 6, 2007 by James Heaps-Nelson

[Chris Grieb]

Michael;

If you are correct and the reason we have seen the riots this past week in Venezuela is because the TV station Chavez has taken over means some their favorite soap operas are not available two ideas come to mind. 1.Venezuelans must really love their soap operas. 2. Why doesn't arrange to show the soap operas.

I wonder if the taking over of the TV station isn't seen as the final straw Inflation is very bad. The quality of food is down. Now no soap operas.

The Venezuelans are recognizing that all their problems are not the fault of the United States or George Bush.

Edited June 6, 2007 by Chris Grieb

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

You actually raise several good points in your last post. In one of my posts I gave an upside and a downside. You disagree with the downside. My point in bringing up Milosevic was to point out that democratic elections, even valid ones do not validate a government.

No I don't see ethnic cleansing, but I do see the possibility of something of the reverse of what happened in Videla's Argentina where Chavez starts disappearing large numbers of the rich and middle class.

Jim,

Just so we are precise, I never said that democratic elections validate a government. I said that the problem of having Chavez in power was because the majority wanted him. They voted him in, time and time again. Trying to get rid of him and ignoring this fact is the ultimate exercise in futility. Even if you assassinate him, they will vote another in just like him to replace him. Do you think there is a lack of candidates who would not love to fill his shoes?

I would also qualify your prediction. I don't predict a particularly large number (but I do see some), unless Chavez manages to trash the constitution for good. I strongly foresee confiscations and imprisonments.

What makes this issue complicated for me is that neither side is right. It is folly to pretend that the rich in Venezuela are like Bill Gates, and are people who earned or produced their money. These exist, of course, but they are in the minority. A great many of the rich in Venezuela are sons of government privilege of previous regimes and they have done things that are just as despicable as what Chavez has done in order to obtain their wealth. (Notice that the poor people were just as poor when these people were getting rich. That part never changed, regardless of who was in power.)

Where you see a battle of good against evil, I see gang warfare between two gangs with some splinter gangs, a minuscule scattering of freedom lovers, and an overwhelmingly vast majority of indifferent people who vote for the gang leader who promises them the most.

Michael

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

I wonder if the taking over of the TV station isn't seen as the final straw Inflation is very bad. The quality of food is down. Now no soap operas. The Venezuelans are recognizing that all their problems are not the fault of the United States or George Bush.

Chris,

If only this were the case. Then reform would be easy.

Michael

[Brant Gaede]

Chavez is best compared to Robert Mugabe. Another SOB who needs shooting.

--Brant