Thread: Chavez moves on

Originally Posted by Hootad Binky

I was asking Dr. Bob, not you. Can you read? Apparently not.

I can read well, thanks.
I overlooked that you were addressing Dr. Bob after quoting me, without starting a new paragraph. Odd. Or intentional?

Originally Posted by Hootad Binky

Answer the question: what difference does it make?

You may ask me politely, and then I may answer, in my own words, or not. Actually, reading the Bloomberg piece again, the bottom line is that it will be possible to reelect him after 2013 - 6 years ahead, no wonder this doesn't make the frontpages.

Originally Posted by Hootad Binky

In Canada, we don't arrest citizens for protesting peacefully, a practice of Chavez, your hero, that you applaud. Try and answer a question directly, rather then ask another one and then answer it yourself.

I answered your direct question, and exposed your evading mine!

Originally Posted by Hootad Binky

1) You applaud attempts at total government control of the media
2) You applaud the imprisionment of peaceful protestors
3) You applaud the establishment of a new dictatorship

In your mind, baby. You are misrepresenting what I said, and insist on continuing to do so.

You are an ill-mannered, dishonest debater.

Good bye.

Originally Posted by stroller

Originally Posted by Hootad Binky

I was asking Dr. Bob, not you. Can you read? Apparently not.

I can read well, thanks. I overlooked that you were addressing Dr. Bob after quoting me, without starting a new paragraph. Odd. Or intentional?

You tell me. But, once again, you are muddled.

Originally Posted by stroller

Why don't you respond to the arguments instead of blabbering about liberals and Bush?

Why don't you respond to my arguments and posts instead of blathering on about the legality of protest marches in Canada? To repeat: Canada does not incarceate people for peaceful protest, Venezueal does; prove otherwise.

Originally Posted by Hootad Binky

Answer the question: what difference does it make?

Originally Posted by stroller

You may ask me politely, and then I may answer, in my own words, or not.

Stop avoiding the question.

Originally Posted by stroller

Actually, reading the Bloomberg piece again, the bottom line is that it will be possible to reelect him after 2013 - 6 years ahead, no wonder this doesn't make the frontpages.

You completely missed the point again: when Chavez changes the constitution so that he can rule indefinately, "re-election" will become completely irrelevant.

Originally Posted by Bloomberg

Chavez would have to step down in 2013 under the current constitution if he wins in December.

That's why people are worried about him changing the constitution to allow indefinite rule. Understand?

Originally Posted by Stroller

Besides, you are misrepresenting facts. This is not about Chavez ruling "indefinitely", but about removing the possibility of reelection.

The hyperbole you post clearly shows your bias.

Do I have to explain this again? The nonsense you post clearly shows your ...well, never mind

Originally Posted by Hootad Binky

1) You applaud attempts at total government control of the media
2) You applaud the imprisionment of peaceful protestors
3) You applaud the establishment of a new dictatorship

Originally Posted by stroller

In your mind, baby.

Oh really?

1) You applaud attempts at total government control of the media Ok, this is Dr. Bob's department, but I'm curious as to what you think.

2)You applaud the imprisionment of peaceful protestors

Originally Posted by stroller

How are illegal mass-demonstrations in your country dealt with by authorities?

Your and Dr. Bob's attempt to equate the Chavez' regime's proclivity to incarcerate peaceful protestors as somehow being a reasonable, typically-international standard has failed because in Canada (where I live) the government is not allowed to imprison peaceful citizens. Ok? Need further explanation?

3)You applaud the establishment of a new dictatorship.

Originally Posted by stroller

"Yes, I am biased, I like his politics!"

Originally Posted by stroller

Bring it on, Chavez!

Originally Posted by stroller

A statesman who knows how to play the game and gets things done,

Originally Posted by stroller

I do support his present nationalisation policies ...as well as the South-American alliances.

Do you also approve of Ecuador and Bolivia foillowing his example by threatening their media as well? Think that's a positive influence, too?

Originally Posted by stroller

Words of wisdom, also quoted on Al Jazeera:Hugo Chavez:[...]

Originally Posted by stroller

You are misrepresenting what I said, and insist on continuing to do so.

The preceding quotes were "misrepresentations?" How?

Originally Posted by stroller

You are an ill-mannered, dishonest debater. Good bye.

You like to dish it out, but you obviously can't take it.

Originally Posted by DrBob

Most of the media is opposed to Chavez and most of that media is still a going concern.

This is completely, patently, false.

Originally Posted by DrBob

FFS have can you have a strong opinion on an issue and know sod all about it?

Speaking of that...

Originally Posted by Dr Bob

"According to the World Bank's 1994 data, newspaper circulation in Venezuela totals 215 papers per 1,000 people, which ranks the nation 29th among the 106 for which the data are available. This figure places Venezuela just behind the United States (228/ 1,000) and just ahead of Canada (189/1,000) in newspaper circulation. The same data indicated that the nation owns 180 televisions per 1,000 population, a figure which places Venezuela at number 69 among the 127 countries available" (from link above)

Your data is demonstrably 13 years out of date. Click on the Economist link I provided and please prove the following wrong, please:

Prove this wrong:

Venezuela - After closing RCTV, Chavez goes on offensive against sole remaining opposition TV station

MONTREAL, May 31 /CNW Telbec/ - Reporters Without Borders today accused President Hugo Chavez of aiming to eliminate all the opposition press after he publicly threatened independent TV station Globovisisn and CNN, claiming they were instigating a "vast destabilisation plan," just two days after the closure of Radio Caracas Televisisn (RCTV).

And this:

An opposition gagged

May 31st 2007 | CARACAS
From The Economist print edition
With the closure of RCTV and threats against another television station, Hugo Chávez has left few channels for discontent

Reuters
THEY prayed out loud, they wept and hugged each other. They sang the national anthem and chanted “Freedom!” But there was no stay of execution. Just before midnight on May 27th, Venezuela's Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) went off the air after 53 years. A few minutes later, its Channel 2 slot carried the logo of TVes, a new government-run channel with a worthily anodyne schedule of cooking and cultural programmes, interspersed with cartoons and propaganda for the man who shut down RCTV, Venezuela's leftist president, Hugo Chávez.
He announced in December that there would be no more broadcasting for the “fascists” and “coup-plotters” of RCTV. His supporters argue that the channel's licence expired and was simply not renewed. RCTV's owners and staff, along with many independent human-rights organisations, see its closure as revenge for its editorial line. Troops seized its transmitters in fulfilment of a supreme-court order whose legal basis was unclear.

The country's most traditional and popular television station, RCTV attracted around a third of viewers. Gone are Venezuelans' favourite soap operas, the world's longest-running comedy show, and a breakfast talk-show that has earned its outspoken host, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, a stream of insults and threats from government supporters.

According to opinion polls, an overwhelming majority of Venezuelans oppose what they see as interference with their choice of viewing. In protest, many took to the streets and to such airwaves as are still open to dissenting voices. Students faced tear gas and plastic bullets from riot police for three consecutive days. They were joined by journalists and, in an unusual show of solidarity, by soap-opera stars and news anchors from Venevisión, a rival private channel. Its owner, Gustavo Cisneros, caved in to government pressure in 2004 and removed critical commentary and news items from its broadcasts.

Mr Chávez, who was first elected in 1998, won another six-year term last December. Since then, he has taken a sharp turn to the left, in pursuit of “21st-century socialism”. But many of his own supporters disagree with the closure of RCTV. Ismael García, the leader of Podemos, the second-largest party that supports the president, told the National Assembly this week that, “pluralism should not just be a slogan.” Podemos boycotted a recent assembly session celebrating the decision, and party sources say its deputies are unanimously opposed to it.

Venezuela | An opposition gagged | Economist.com

Originally Posted by Dr. Bob

you didn't even know there was a still an opposition media in Venezuelaso how can you tell for sure that Chavez is heading down the Mugabe path?

You're the one with the flawed, obsolete information, mate; get your own facts straight before making yourself look even more foolish.

Further, prove to me that the above links from Reporters Without Borders and The Economist are wrong. You completely ignored these links last time because they plainly contradict your statement that:

Originally Posted by DrB0b

I've said already in this thread that I don't support Chavez

Your posts have repeatedly endorsed Chavez.

Originally Posted by DrB0b

I do support getting as many facts as possible on an issue.

Facts that are 13 years out of date?

Originally Posted by DrB0b

and as you're ill-mannered enough to fabricate

"Fabricate" what? My links and references are clear enough.

Originally Posted by DrB0b

misinterpret,

How? Prove it.

Originally Posted by DrB0b

and lie

Uh-oh! Prove it. What have I lied about? What exactly? Hmmm?

Originally Posted by DrB0b

I'm too arrogant to bother replying

"Arrogant" is not a word I'd use...

Originally Posted by Dr. Bob

I think Chavez showed far more restraint under the circumstances than most leaders would have doneand while there may have been a certain tinge of revenge in the refusal to renew the licence it was, at least, all done legally. The US govt's whinings about free speech and censorship are just another manifestation of the lies and hypocrisy spewed by a group of people who care nothing about freedom, democracy, or justice.

There's a nice rationalization of the destruction of Venezuela's opposition media; "people who care nothing about freedom, democracy, or justice" are the people who use as much spin as possible to justify Chavez' "Socialist revolution."

Don't embarass yourself by saying you don't support Chavez, your posts clearly show your preference for him and defense of him, and I'll be happy to cut and paste more of your own comments if you lack the integrity.

Originally Posted by Dr. Bob

I don't care much for Chavez, nobody on this thread has claimed they do

You've gone out of your way to defend Chavez and his policies.

Originally Posted by Dr Bob

If you, and others, really have an argument against Chavez don't cheapen it

If you really have an argument in favour of Chavez (something you're predictably waffling on now) don't cheapen it with a cowardly attack on the Fourth Estate.

And what about:

Originally Posted by Economist

Chavez' government controlling "six television channels (two of which are national) and eight radio stations. It also pays for, and thus controls, almost 200 community radio and television stations, along with countless publications and over 100 websites."Please answer a simple, direct question. Are you saying this information is false? Yes or no?

Still no answer on that one, either (and there isn't going to be one, is there?)

Originally Posted by Dr Bob

The opposition media hasn't been shut down. Most of the media is opposed to Chavez and most of that media is still a going concern.

Yeah, sure it is. Check your facts next time if you'd like to be taken seriously.

More drivel:

Originally Posted by stroller

Originally Posted by blackgang

When govt takes over then there is censure of news and events, which is taking place in Venezuela as well as Thailand

The censure of news in Thailand is not related to state ownership of the media.

What a breathtakingly ignorant comment.

Originally Posted by stroller

(Sigh) Chavez is not perfect (sigh)

Thanks for the compelling insight.

Considering the western popular press is pretty much unilaterally anti- Chavez, please read this pro-Chavez report from John Pilger.
Personally, I have mixed views. I do not favour all of his policies, but I do favour most of what he has done and achieved. Bold highlights mine:-

Chavez is a threat because he offers the alternative of a decent country13 May 2006Venezuela's president is using oil revenues to liberate the poor - no wonder his enemies want to overthrow him, writes John Pilger in the Guardian.
I have spent the past three weeks filming in the hillside barrios of Caracas, in streets and breeze-block houses that defy gravity and torrential rain and emerge at night like fireflies in the fog.

Caracas is said to be one of the world's toughest cities, yet I have known no fear; the poorest have welcomed my colleagues and me with a warmth characteristic of ordinary Venezuelans but also with the unmistakable confidence of a people who know that change is possible and who, in their everyday lives, are reclaiming noble concepts long emptied of their meaning in the west: "reform", "popular democracy", "equity", "social justice" and, yes, "freedom".

The other night, in a room bare except for a single fluorescent tube, I heard these words spoken by the likes of Ana Lucia Fernandez, aged 86, Celedonia Oviedo, aged 74, and Mavis Mendez, aged 95. A mere 33-year-old, Sonia Alvarez, had come with her two young children. Until about a year ago, none of them could read and write; now they are studying mathematics. For the first time in its modern era, Venezuela has almost 100% literacy.

This achievement is due to a national programme, called Mision Robinson, designed for adults and teenagers previously denied an education because of poverty. Mision Ribas is giving everyone a secondary school education, called a bachillerato. (The names Robinson and Ribas refer to Venezuelan independence leaders from the 19th century.) Named, like much else here, after the great liberator Simon Bolivar, "Bolivarian", or people's, universities have opened, introducing, as one parent told me, "treasures of the mind, history and music and art, we barely knew existed". Under Hugo Chávez, Venezuela is the first major oil producer to use its oil revenue to liberate the poor.

Mavis Mendez has seen, in her 95 years, a parade of governments preside over the theft of tens of billions of dollars in oil spoils, much of it flown to Miami, together with the steepest descent into poverty ever known in Latin America; from 18% in 1980 to 65% in 1995, three years before Chávez was elected. "We didn't matter in a human sense," she said. "We lived and died without real education and running water, and food we couldn't afford. When we fell ill, the weakest died. In the east of the city, where the mansions are, we were invisible, or we were feared. Now I can read and write my name, and so much more; and whatever the rich and their media say, we have planted the seeds of true democracy, and I am full of joy that I have lived to witness it."

Latin American governments often give their regimes a new sense of legitimacy by holding a constituent assembly that drafts a new constitution. When he was elected in 1998, Chávez used this brilliantly to decentralise, to give the impoverished grassroots power they had never known and to begin to dismantle a corrupt political superstructure as a prerequisite to changing the direction of the economy. His setting-up of misions as a means of bypassing saboteurs in the old, corrupt bureaucracy was typical of the extraordinary political and social imagination that is changing Venezuela peacefully. This is his "Bolivarian revolution", which, at this stage, is not dissimilar to the post-war European social democracies.

Chávez, a former army major, was anxious to prove he was not yet another military "strongman". He promised that his every move would be subject to the will of the people. In his first year as president in 1999, he held an unprecedented number of votes: a referendum on whether or not people wanted a new constituent assembly; elections for the assembly; a second referendum ratifying the new constitution - 71% of the people approved each of the 396 articles that gave Mavis and Celedonia and Ana Lucia, and their children and grandchildren, unheard-of freedoms, such as Article 123, which for the first time recognised the human rights of mixed-race and black people, of whom Chávez is one. "The indigenous peoples," it says, "have the right to maintain their own economic practices, based on reciprocity, solidarity and exchange ... and to define their priorities ... " The little red book of the Venezuelan constitution became a bestseller on the streets. Nora Hernandez, a community worker in Petare barrio, took me to her local state-run supermarket, which is funded entirely by oil revenue and where prices are up to half those in the commercial chains. Proudly, she showed me articles of the constitution written on the backs of soap-powder packets. "We can never go back," she said.

In La Vega barrio, I listened to a nurse, Mariella Machado, a big round black woman of 45 with a wonderfully wicked laugh, stand and speak at an urban land council on subjects ranging from homelessness to the Iraq war. That day, they were launching Mision Madres de Barrio, a programme aimed specifically at poverty among single mothers. Under the constitution, women have the right to be paid as carers, and can borrow from a special women's bank. From next month, the poorest housewives will get about £120 a month. It is not surprising that Chávez has now won eight elections and referendums in eight years, each time increasing his majority, a world record. He is the most popular head of state in the western hemisphere, probably in the world. That is why he survived, amazingly, a Washington-backed coup in 2002. Mariella and Celedonia and Nora and hundreds of thousands of others came down from the barrios and demanded that the army remain loyal. "The people rescued me," Chávez told me. "They did it with all the media against me, preventing even the basic facts of what had happened. For popular democracy in heroic action, I suggest you need look no further."

The venomous attacks on Chávez, who arrives in London tomorrow, have begun and resemble uncannily those of the privately owned Venezuelan television and press, which called for the elected government to be overthrown. Fact-deprived attacks on Chávez in the Times and the Financial Times this week, each with that peculiar malice reserved for true dissenters from Thatcher's and Blair's one true way, follow a travesty of journalism on Channel 4 News last month, which effectively accused the Venezuelan president of plotting to make nuclear weapons with Iran, an absurd fantasy. The reporter sneered at policies to eradicate poverty and presented Chávez as a sinister buffoon, while Donald Rumsfeld was allowed to liken him to Hitler, unchallenged. In contrast, Tony Blair, a patrician with no equivalent democratic record, having been elected by a fifth of those eligible to vote and having caused the violent death of tens of thousands of Iraqis, is allowed to continue spinning his truly absurd political survival tale.

Chávez is, of course, a threat, especially to the United States. Like the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, who based their revolution on the English co-operative moment, and the moderate Allende in Chile, he offers the threat of an alternative way of developing a decent society: in other words, the threat of a good example in a continent where the majority of humanity has long suffered a Washington-designed peonage. In the US media in the 1980s, the "threat" of tiny Nicaragua was seriously debated until it was crushed. Venezuela is clearly being "softened up" for something similar. A US army publication, Doctrine for Asymmetric War against Venezuela, describes Chávez and the Bolivarian revolution as the "largest threat since the Soviet Union and Communism". When I said to Chávez that the US historically had had its way in Latin America, he replied: "Yes, and my assassination would come as no surprise. But the empire is in trouble, and the people of Venezuela will resist an attack. We ask only for the support of all true democrats."

The world needs more journalists like John Pilger.

VENEZUELA/PROTESTS

Most Venezuelans Back Student Protests

Reuters

A majority of Venezuelans support student protests over the closure of an opposition television channel, a poll showed on Sunday, despite President Hugo Chavez insisting the demonstrations were part of a U.S. plot to topple him.

Chavez replaced RCTV, the country's oldest broadcaster, with a state network last month. Since then, there have been regular protests by thousands of students accusing the president of undermining democracy in the OPEC nation.

A Datos poll of 600 Venezuelans across social classes found 56.2 percent supported the students, with only 23.8 percent opposed them.
Of the rest of those surveyed, 19.3 percent had no strong opinion and 0.7 percent said they did not know or did not want to reply.

The poll, published in newspapers on Sunday, was conducted on June 8-10 and had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

Chavez, a frequent and vocal critic of the United States who was reelected by a landslide in December on the back of his generous social spending, dismissed the poll in his weekly television show on Sunday.
"This is all part of the conspirators' plan," he said. "This is an attempt to incite them."

Chavez has accused the students of being part of a U.S.-backed "soft revolution," saying they are trying to model their protests on the 2004 "Orange revolution" in Ukraine.

His supporters argue the students are using gestures seen in the ousting of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in 2000 and Georgia's 2003 "Rose revolution," giving flowers to police and spelling out "Freedom" with their bodies.

Chavez's critics argue his moves against the media are further evidence of centralization after the president politicized the military, judiciary and oil industry.

Chavez is considering indefinite reelection, has won powers to rule by decree and is forging a single governing party to steer his self-styled socialist revolution.

The Datos poll found 66.9 percent of respondents opposed the closure of RCTV. This chimed with a survey from Datanalisis in April that found nearly 70 percent opposed the shutdown, often citing the loss of their favorite soap operas.

Chavez also has threatened to muzzle Globovision, Venezuela's last remaining mainstream opposition channel, if it does not stop inciting protests.

The Datos poll found 75 percent would oppose Globovision being pulled off the air.

Only 7.6 percent of respondents thought the main pro-government state channel, praised by Chavez, was "good" or "very good". Datos found 81.1 percent of viewers thought it was "bad" or "very bad."

Published: June 17, 2007 23:08h

Most Venezuelans back student protests: poll | International | Reuters

Originally Posted by sabang

^ I wish I could have more faith in this Poll. Do you have any info on how it was conducted HB?

The info is already posted.

Originally Posted by sabang

If you know Caracas, or Latin America for that matter, the answers will largely be a function of where you ask the questions. Very different in the Barrio's to the Campuses. Very different in the Mercado's to the Malls.

In that case, the poll would have to be conducted "across social classes," as it was.

Originally Posted by sabang

Personally, I think Chavez did not do the right thing by banning them. They actively supported the violent and illegal deposement of a democratically elected government

This kind of government?

Chavez is considering indefinite reelection, has won powers to rule by decree and is forging a single governing party to steer his self-styled socialist revolution.

That's your definition of democracy?

Originally Posted by sabang

which is certainly illegal

unlike dictatorial power, of course

Originally Posted by sabang

but libel laws and civil lawsuits can take care of that. Not to mention government fines, and popular action.

"popular action?" Lynch mobs, perhaps?

Originally Posted by sabang

Now many Venezuelans are quite peeved because they don't get to see their favourite soap opera's. That does not mean they are anti-Chavez.

Just a misunderstanding over a soap opera? Didn't know university students were such avid fans.

CARACAS (Reuters) - A majority of Venezuelans support student protests over the closure of an opposition television channel, a poll showed on Sunday, despite President Hugo Chavez insisting the demonstrations were part of a U.S. plot to topple him.

Chavez replaced RCTV, the country's oldest broadcaster, with a state network last month. Since then, there have been regular protests by thousands of students accusing the president of undermining democracy in the OPEC nation. A Datos poll of 600 Venezuelans across social classes found 56.2 percent supported the students, with only 23.8 percent opposed to them.

Of the rest of those surveyed, 19.3 percent had no strong opinion and 0.7 percent said they did not know or did not want to reply.

The poll, published in newspapers on Sunday, was conducted on June 8-10 and had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

Chavez, a frequent and vocal critic of the United States who was reelected by a landslide in December on the back of his generous social spending, dismissed the poll in his weekly television show on Sunday.

Hark! The dear leader speaks:

"This is all part of the conspirators' plan," he said. "This is an attempt to incite them."

Chavez has accused the students of being part of a U.S.-backed "soft revolution," saying they are trying to model their protests on the 2004 "Orange revolution" in Ukraine.

His supporters argue the students are using gestures seen in the ousting of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic

Yes, and we all know that the orange Revolution was another CIA plot and that Milosevic was a true patriot!

in 2000 and Georgia's 2003 "Rose revolution," giving flowers to police and spelling out "Freedom" with their bodies.

Well, we can't have that, now can we?

Originally Posted by sabang

This sort of manipulation was widely practised in Latin America during the 80's, especially in places like Nicaragua and El Salvador.

Would that include control of students' protests? If so that's news to me. But, perhaps, as Chavez suggests, it's all obviously an American plot! It's easy for the U.S./CIA to control large numbers of Venezuelan students! Chavez says this, so it must be true!

Chavez's critics argue his moves against the media are further evidence of centralization after the president politicized the military, judiciary and oil industry.

Chavez is considering indefinite reelection, has won powers to rule by decree and is forging a single governing party to steer his self-styled socialist revolution.

The Datos poll found 66.9 percent of respondents opposed the closure of RCTV. This chimed with a survey from Datanalisis in April that found nearly 70 percent opposed the shutdown, often citing the loss of their favorite soap operas.

Chavez also has threatened to muzzle Globovision, Venezuela's last remaining mainstream opposition channel, if it does not stop inciting protests.

The Datos poll found 75 percent would oppose Globovision being pulled off the air.

Only 7.6 percent of respondents thought the main pro-government state channel, praised by Chavez, was "good" or "very good." Datos found 81.1 percent of viewers thought it was "bad" or "very bad."

Interesting that Chavez brings up Milosevic's fate. Character is destiny, I suppose.

Originally Posted by stroller

Originally Posted by Hootad Binky

The preceding quotes were "misrepresentations?" How?

I didn't say they were. You need to stop twisting words to suit yourself.

I was referring to this comment you made on the last page:

Originally Posted by stroller

You are misrepresenting what I said, and insist on continuing to do so.

Repeating this claim over and over again does not make it true. Moreover, sending me reds and calling me a 'fuckwit' doesn't help, either.

Originally Posted by Hootad Binky

Originally Posted by stroller

You are misrepresenting what I said, and insist on continuing to do so.

Repeating this claim over and over again does not make it true. Moreover, sending me reds and calling me a 'fuckwit' doesn't help, either.

Some posters here have absolutely no sense of decency. I suggest you report Dr. Strooler to one of the moderators, and he will probably get a warning, and then probably banned if he doesn't improve his behaviour. Surely this forum can do without people sending obscene messages to other posters.

Originally Posted by Hootad Binky

I was referring to this comment you made on the last page:

Ah, yet you quoted something else. There is nothing that shows I support Chavez attempts to pave the road to dictatorship, not that I approve of the replacement of a private TV channel with a state-run one.

You need to read more carefully and not let your preconceived ideas and judgement interfere with your comprehension.

Chavez threatens to throw out foreigners who criticise him

By David Usborne in New York
Published: 24 July 2007

Hugo Chavez has served notice that foreign dignitaries visiting Venezuela will be deported if they presume publicly to criticise him as he attempts to transform the country into a single-party state dedicated to his vision of "21st century socialism".

"How long are we going to allow a person from any country in the world to come to our own house to say there's a dictatorship here, that the President is a tyrant, and nobody does anything about it?" Mr Chavez asked during his weekly television and radio program, Alo, Presidente, on Sunday.
President Chavez, who is preparing to submit next month to the Venezuelan Congress a radical overhaul of the country's constitution, did not name names. But the outburst was widely thought to have been prompted by critical comments by Manuel Espino, the president of Mexico's ruling, centre-right National Action Party, recently in Caracas.

His six-hour broadcast on Sunday contained numerous hints as to the content of the reform, which his opponents fear will hasten Venezuela's transition to a fully socialist state. With all the deputies in the congress allied with him, the changes are certain to be approved and will be tested in a referendum early next year.

Among them was a confirmation that Mr Chavez, who was re-elected in DEcember by a large margin for a third term of office, will seek term limits on all elected officials with the exception of himself. "If there's indefinite re-election here, it should only be for the president of the republic, not for governors and mayors," Mr Chavez confirmed. "They have governing methods that don't have anything to do with revolution and integration."

Since December, Mr Chavez has moved swiftly to advance what he has called his Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela, named after Simon Bolivar, the hero of the South American independence movement. He has taken steps to nationalise the telecommunications and energy industries, notably forcing foreign oil exploration companies to accept state control of their operations.

He has also launched an ambitious effort to unite the leftist factions already supporting him into a single new party. Officials claim that as many as six million citizens have already declared allegiance to it. Mr Chavez insists that his aim is to shift control of the country's destiny to the citizenry and the poor. It is a strategy that is sure to play well with the masses. Hunger and poverty rates have been slashed under Mr Chavez's rule and provision of education and health care has been greatly improved.

Chavez threatens to throw out foreigners who criticise him - Independent Online Edition > Americas

The Chavez – Spicoli Convergence



CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has praised Sean Penn for his critical stance against the war in Iraq, saying the two chatted by phone and soon plan to meet in person. Chavez said Penn traveled to Venezuela this week wanting to learn more about the situation in the country and walked around some of Caracas’ poor barrios on his own.

“Welcome to Venezuela, Mr. Penn. What drives him is consciousness, the search for new paths,” Chavez said.

Far out, Dude!

Link

It appears the CIA-controlled Venezuelan students have been remotely activated again!

Tear gas used at Venezuela rally


Demonstrators are angry about Chavez's reform proposals

Venezuelan troops have used tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands of students in the capital, Caracas.

The students are demonstrating against constitutional reforms proposed by Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez.

One of the reforms would abolish term limits for the presidency, thus allowing President Chavez to stand for re-election indefinitely.

The students want a December referendum on the reforms to be postponed, to give voters more time to study the plans.

Leaders of the protest have been granted a meeting with Tibisay Lucena, the president of the National Electoral Council to discuss their demands.

The protest follows a similar demonstration on 24 October, in which at least five demonstrators suffered minor injuries after riot police acted to disperse the crowds.

In addition to abolishing presidential term limits, President Chavez is also proposing to bypass legal controls on the executive during a state of emergency, bring in a maximum six-hour working day, cut the voting age from 18 to 16, and increase presidential control over the central bank.

The Venezuelan congress - dominated by Chavez supporters - recently voted through the reform package. If the reforms are approved in the December referendum, then they will become law.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Tear gas used at Venezuela rally

Why can't they just embrace their Dear Leader and let him rule indefinitely, already! Clearly, they fail to grasp his great vision