ShareThisAn editorial / By Dale McFeatters
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez suffered a humiliating and well-deserved defeat last week in the United Nations.
Chavez elbowed aside announced candidate Guatemala for the two-year Latin American seat on the U.N. Security Council, a post that would give him more scope for his international endeavors, promulgating his stale and discredited leftist views and denouncing the United States. He campaigned hard, promising hundreds of million dollars in aid and oil in exchange for votes.
Chavez seemed to have overplayed his hand when he called President Bush the devil in a major U.N. speech. In 47 votes by the Latin American caucus, Chavez was unable to oust Guatemala and secure the seat. Finally, the two withdrew in favor of Panama. The United States had backed Guatemala, but the U.S. endorsement is a mixed blessing in Latin American regional votes. Still, Venezuela's U.N. ambassador denounced U.S. "arrogance, bullying and strong-arming."
With his internationalist ambitions temporarily on hold, Chavez has refocused his attentions on Latin America. He seems to have gotten some solace from the apparent victory of Sandinista Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, a fellow leftist whom Chavez backed with supplies of cut-rate oil.
And he faces his own reelection battle at home in the Dec. 3 presidential elections, where even though Chavez controls all the electoral machinery he faces a lively challenge from Manuel Rosales. And while Chavez can't be said to be running scared, he's taking no chances.
He has dominated television time by 22 to 1 over Morales, according to a watchdog group. The state-run oil monopoly has threatened its 40,000 workers with the loss of their jobs if they don't turn out for Chavez. The military has been similarly threatened. And 1 million government workers will get bonuses just before the election.
It all sounds like, oh, for lack of a better description, arrogance, bullying and strong-arming. Venezuela and Latin America would be well served if Chavez loses one more election.
What a spurious piece of
What a spurious piece of propoganda. The only 'strong-arming' taking place was that of the United States, threatening UN member states with repercussions should they vote for Venezuela.
Hugo Chavez
Over 75% of Venezuelans now live in poverty after benefitting from the genius of Hugo Chavez. Formerly, it was approximately 25%. Who can argue with such progress?
The public hospitals in places under solid Chavez control are basically deathtraps, the professional staff are quitting as fast as they can...who would want to lie about being able to provide life saving treatment just to help the emperor continue to receive compliments for his new robes?
THe PDVSA oil company is basically outsourcing most technical jobs to replace those who Chavez fired for insufficient revolutionary zeal. Hmm, guess who is in bed with Chevorn, Halliburton, Bechtel et al? Why are so many former Republican US Reps hanging around Caracas in the Chaez areas seeking lucrative oil contracts?
Elsewhere on the home front, people are being fired even in private companies for failing to sign the loyalty pledge to Chavez. Journalists are under house arrest with a shoot on sight order in place should they disobey. Thousands of persons who attempted to resist Chavez are disappeared into an internal Gulag only the USSR or Bush's extraordinary renditions could rival...
Laws like the Law of the Minors, the Law of National (Armed) Service, the Law of Economic Austerity (a national coupon and state store system last used in 1918 in VZLA, but used in Cuba until the 1990's)...Chavez has given national pasports to many nationals from terrorist groups in Latin America-- Columbia, e.g., Chinese intelligence, Iranians, Hezbollah...
Chavez own family is not doing to badly either, nor are his party's flunkies in the US...Miami e.g. is laden with Chavistas buying six figure sound systems, hot cars, bling bling, blah blah blah...consular types all over the US, even low echelon types are buying hot upscale real estate...where do they get teh dinero