Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

June 16, 2006 By Fausta

Venezuela: Goodbye, free press; hello Hugo t-shirts

I opened the newspaper this morning and found Move over, Che: Chávez Is New Icon of Radical Chic. The article (by subscription) starts by saying “Venezuelan Populist Inspires Groups of U. S. Supporters; To Do: ‘Boogie for Bolívar'”

To a slice of the American left, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has become a revolutionary hero, nearly on a par with Che Guevara and Fidel Castro.

To me, he is that, too, but for different reasons: while the Left sees Hugo and Fidel as charismatic-leader-helping-the-poor-offering-free-health-care-education-adult-literacy-and-job-training-initiatives-that-help-millions-of-Venezuelans/CubansTM, I see Hugo as a wanna-be of murderous criminals.

Last year I predicted that Hugo would become the next t-shirt icon. What the WSJ didn’t mention today that I mentioned last year is that The Miami Herald had found that

the Fort-Lauderdale based Venezuelan Information Office keeps track of what’s mentioned against the Chavez administration in the American media and in Congress. According the the Department of Justice, the VIO keeps track of reporters writing on Venezuela for The Washington Post, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune and The Miami Herald. In addition, the VIO has contacted some thirty senators and canvassed at least four Democrat representatives, among them Raúl Grijalva (Arizona), Dennis Kucinich (Ohio), Barbara Lee (California) y Jan Schakowsky (Illinois), for support against the referendum against Chavez, plus it counts on the support of Jack Kemp and former Attorney General Ramsey Clarke.

According to the article, the VIO has reached out to other areas, including Utah, Chicago (where the Armada Libertad – Armed Freedom – group’s slogan is “Defendiendo a Venezuela desde las entrañas del monstruo”, “Defending Venezuela from within the entrails of the monster”), and Canada.

While the American Left worships its new icon, Chavez Threatens to Shut Down Venezuelan TV Stations for criticizing the government. Hear him say it in his own words (in Spanish, via VCrisis).

Publius Pundit points out,

Amid all the Chavista propaganda reported here in the States, suggesting that Venezuela is not a dictatorship because of an existing free press, the fact today is that the media has been threatened with total destruction.

It’s not just TV stations: it’s also the NGOs

The latest pet project by the autocratic and dictatorial Government is a law to control NGO’s. Whether they are political, defenders of human rights, against AIDS or the environment, this new law would impose absolute government control over NGO’s, which would make them subject to Government inspection and supervision.

Sigmund, Carl and Alfred posts that

Even as they left celebrates Hugo Chavez, they do not extend any effort into helping impoverished Venezuelans. They, like the victims in Darfur, are only an impediment to achieving their agenda, a ‘people’s paradise.’ That kind of irony is not lost on any of the psychosphere bloggers.

For good reason: the WSJ article quotes Jake Irwin, a Chavez supporter, saying, “My political belief is that the U.S. is a horrendous empire that needs to end”. A shrink can have a field day analyzing the kind of self-loathing one finds among what Carlos Alberto Montaner’s named the Chávez-‘banana left’ alliance.

Send Jake and London mayor Ken Livingstone a Hugo t-shirt.

While Jake and Ken and their friends indulge in their form of idolatry, others in South America aren’t exactly doing the same. Hispalibertas reports today that Bachelet invita a García a Chile para fortalecer la democracia en la región [Chilean President Michelle] Bachelet invites [Peruvian President-elect Alan] García to Chile to strenghten the region’s democracy. García’s victory was a defeat to Chávez; Bachelet clearly has no interest in becoming a part of Chavez’ unified socialist Latin American state.

The plain fact is that Hugo wouldn’t amount to much without the oil money. Today Forbes has a report on how Venezuela’s Oil Policy Has Risk Premium

A number of factors contribute to the high degree of uncertainty about the Venezuelan oil industry:
1. Oil production.
2. Reserves.
3. OPEC.
4. Contract and fiscal terms.

Despite the attractiveness of Venezuela’s resource base, its oil industry faces a range of uncertainties. These include the obvious reluctance of international oil companies to invest further until the rules of the game are clearer and being followed, as well as the fact that available data may be insufficient to manage risk effectively. Uncertainty creates a risk premium, and Venezuela may eventually have to pay this cost.

For the time being, Hugo continues his shopping spree, and the rifles just arrived. Hugo’s $3bn deal to buy more Russian weapons and 24 Su-30 jets is seen as ‘waste of money’ from either the military or financial points of view. The article says,

The official added that while the acquisition would raise concerns in neighbouring Colombia, a close US ally, the deal makes little military or financial sense. “Advanced fighters are more of a prestige item than a military necessity,” the official said. “This system can give them an edge in air superiority, but against whom?”

It may not make sense if one only looks at Venezuela, but it might if one places China and Russia in the picture.

Having committed $500 million towards a Chinese-made Simón Bolívar satellite, will a $336million Russian floating nuclear power plant be next?

Or will the money and the oil run out?

(technorati tags Venezuela, Cubazuela, Hugo Chavez, Oil, China, Russia, Michele Bachelet, Alan Garcia, Caribbean)

Share

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Tweets by @Fausta
retirees_raise-2015_300x250

Pages

  • About
  • Email

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Previous Posts

  • Mrs. Maisel goes full Alinsky on Mrs. Schlafly
  • Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • You need to unfriend me
  • Go ahead and Kiss the Girl, if you dare
  • Ashamed

Recent Comments

  • John on Mrs. Maisel goes full Alinsky on Mrs. Schlafly
  • Today’s hot topics: Democrats’ collusion shift, tax-return rift, Venezuela drift, and more! – PoliticalWitchDoctor.com on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Today’s hot topics: Democrats’ collusion shift, tax-return rift, Venezuela drift, and more! - AmericanTruthToday on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Did Venezuela’s Minister of Defense Back Out At The Last Minute? on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Roseanne Not Back, Khan not Invited, Operaman’s back, Jobs back, Fausta’s back (but not here yet) Thoughts under the fedora – Da Tech Guy Blog on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?

Archives

  • 2019
    • December 2019
    • May 2019
    • January 2019
  • 2018
    • December 2018
    • October 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
  • 2017
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
  • 2016
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
  • 2015
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
  • 2014
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
  • 2013
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
  • 2012
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
  • 2011
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
  • 2010
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
    • February 2010
    • January 2010
  • 2009
    • December 2009
    • November 2009
    • October 2009
    • September 2009
    • August 2009
    • July 2009
    • June 2009
    • May 2009
    • April 2009
    • March 2009
    • February 2009
    • January 2009
  • 2008
    • December 2008
    • November 2008
    • October 2008
    • September 2008
    • August 2008
    • July 2008
    • June 2008
    • May 2008
    • April 2008
    • March 2008
    • February 2008
    • January 2008
  • 2007
    • December 2007
    • November 2007
    • October 2007
    • September 2007
    • August 2007
    • July 2007
    • June 2007
    • May 2007
    • April 2007
    • March 2007
    • February 2007
    • January 2007
  • 2006
    • December 2006
    • November 2006
    • October 2006
    • September 2006
    • August 2006
    • July 2006
    • June 2006
    • May 2006
    • April 2006
    • March 2006
    • February 2006
    • January 2006
  • 2005
    • December 2005
    • November 2005
    • October 2005
    • September 2005
    • August 2005
    • July 2005
    • June 2005
    • May 2005
    • April 2005
    • March 2005
    • February 2005
    • January 2005
  • 2004
    • December 2004
    • November 2004
    • October 2004
    • September 2004
    • August 2004
    • July 2004
    • June 2004
    • May 2004
    • April 2004
    • March 2004
Content Copyright Fausta's Blog

Site Developed and Managed by 300m.com