Not to speak for Roger, but my view is that you have to consider the U.S.'s involvement in Latin America in context. When discussing U.S. policy in Venezuela or any other single Latin American nation, it’s important to look at the big picture. Our government has supported many brutal dictators in the southern hemisphere at the cost of many lives of innocent people and to the detriment of democracy and freedom. With that track record, the U.S. deserves a critical look during these types of issues.
So, I think it’s fair to point out atrocities such as Roger’s example in Nicaragua, one of many. Now, I’m not condoning Castro for his murders. But, the U.S. isn’t any better. It’s hard for us to point fingers. Well, on second thought, actually, I guess it’s not, given the free pass the U.S. government is given at home in the media.
I read the article and it seems to me that you’ve been sucked in by socialist propaganda. The article is in no way even-handed but blatantly biased. The byline
should give people a clue right from the get-go.
You should read alternative opinions too. Like Chavez likening the Catholic Church to a tumour. And he doesn’t have a problem with expelling troublemakers according to this article by the BBC.
Here is some more socialist propaganda, from Workers Vanguard. We need it to offset all of that capitalist propaganda we get every day.
This article gives specific info about the involvement of the National Endowment for Democracy (a well known CIA front) and the AFL-CIA.
“The April 12 coup had Washington’s paw prints all over it. In the months leading up to the coup, U.S. officials repeatedly met with Venezuelan business and military leaders who opposed Chávez
and later played prominent roles in the military takeover. The budget earmarked for Venezuelan opposition groups by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a CIA front, was quadrupled to more than $877,000. According to the London Guardian (29 April), U.S. navy
ships “helped with communications jamming support to the Venezuelan military.” The day of the coup, the head of the International Republican Institute, the Republican Party’s conduit for
international political subversion, proclaimed, “The Venezuelan people rose up to defend democracy in their country.” But as the coup quickly unraveled, within two days Washington was furiously backpedaling.”
[snip]
“As in virtually all interventions by U.S. imperialism in Latin America, the wretched bureaucrats of the AFL-CIO, loyal servitors of their capitalist masters, were in the baggage train. The AFL-CIO’s
international arm, the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, served as a conduit for NED funds, channeling $154,377 to the Venezuelan CTV. Two months before the coup, the AFL-CIO sponsored a U.S. tour by CTV tops, paid for by the NED. The CTV bureaucrats who
participated in a closed forum in Washington reportedly “noted that they were here to discuss the chances for a coup” (Labor Notes, May 2002).”
Well, I’m not sure which article you’re referring to, but of course the articles and columns I’ve posted are biased. The question is whether they’re truthful. I think the saddest thing is when the U.S. mainstream media print propaganda for the government under the guise of being nonbiased, of being “the fourth estate.”
As for the “tumour” article, that’s just a feud between Chavez and the Catholic Church in Venezuela. I read the article, and it looks like Chavez has a point if this is true:
Just seems like a conflict in views. Nothing wrong there, in a democracy, that is. (Although, I hope he had no knowledge of the incident where someone threw a grenade in the Cardinal’s home. That’s uncool, and there was no evidence in the article suggesting Chavez was involved.)
And the other article you linked just confused me. I guess you’re referring to this:
One person was arrested on suspicion of treason. We’d do that here in the U.S., too, if the government thought someone was involved in trying to overthrow the government. Heck, they’d probably have fewer rights here, who knows?
The other seven former executives of PDVSA were accused of interrupting with the country’s fuel supply. That’s serious stuff, there, if true.
I’d sure like to know the political leanings of the judge who let these people go without further scrutiny. Seems to me that Chavez has been very restrained in many of these matters. He’s letting the political process work on its own, even if it might be broken.
Just sounds like you’re looking to quibble, with no substance.
At any rate, if the people of Venezuela have a problem with the way Chavez is running things, they should vote him out of office. Same as we do in our beloved republic.
Interesting. Notice that this wasn’t some kind of groundswell campaign, but an accord that Chavez voluntarily signed. He thinks he’ll win the election. He’ll have to deal with the corporate-run media and their shenanigans, but he’s doing it anyway. That’s pretty gutsy.
Which mass graves? The shiites that were slaughtered with Schwarzkopf’s permission using US-supplied helicopters?
Which prior use of WMD? The Kurds that got caught in the crossfire of the Iran-Iraq war and were killed with cyanogen chloride, a chemical weapon used by Iran not Iraq?
What about the invasion of Kuwait? The US has invaded dozens of countries since WWII. Maybe we should bomb ourselves for the aggression we have committed in the world. Oh, I forgot, we are the good guys.
It seems like the Jackal considered himself to be some kind of Marxist revolutionary or something. Maybe that is why Chavez sees him as a kindred spirit.
Ramirez was born in Venezuela and obviously has a hatred toward the Israeli/Western policies toward Palestine, according to this article. That also probably plays a part. I’m not defending Chavez, though.
I know posters want to point out Chavez’s flaws, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I certainly wouldn’t want my nation’s leader to be associated with a known assasin/terrorist. Then, again I don’t want my nation engaging in policies that amount to terrorist activities, either.
But, think about this: If the U.S. would help such fledgling democracies as Venezuela, instead of trying to topple their leaders, maybe the people will eventually vote in the best choice. The U.S. quite likely is helping the oligarchy in Venezuela make Chavez a hero. I realize I said earlier that the U.S. media could sell Chavez as a hero. I really don’t want that. I’d rather have them just try to get to the real issues, and not demonize him because he’s not a capitalist.
Our leaders shake hands with much worse killers. Much, MUCH worse killers. Such as Saddam, back when he was an “ally.” That is, when he played ball with the U.S. He was no worse or better back in 1990. But, he was our guy. Rummy shook hands with Saddam, for anyone who hasn’t seen that photo.
Kurds that got killed in the crossfire. Good euphemism for genocide, there. Tell that to the families of the some 200,000 Kurds that perished in Operation al-Anfal. This was not crossfire. This was genocide.