I read yesterday that Venezuela's thug dictator "ordered" his cabinet to stop inflation - seems that Chavez' free spending ways are starting to catch up with him...you can't just spread money around unless there is an economy ready to provide goods for the additional funds...and with Chavez shutting down the economy in his Castroite "socialism or death" program, there's actually less economy in Venezuela than there used to be. WIth that in mind, this bit from NRO's The Corner gets even more interesting:
Polls released today show that 80% of the population is against the government's shut-down of RCTV. The number of Venzuelans who think Chavez is trying to set up a dictatorship has gone from 40% to 60% in the last week.
Alas, this realization may have comes a little too late. The president is already ruling by decree, with rubber-stamp legislature and judiciary. The tragedy of Venezuela has an overwhelming momentum now.
However sad it makes me to see what's happening there, I can't help but wonder, if God helps those who help themselves, what He will think of Venezuela. It's really unbelievable that nearly 50 years after Castro turned Latin America's happiest and most affluent society into its most miserable and destitute, another Latin American country freely elected a pro-Castro leader to chants of "socialism or death." They may have historical amnesia as an excuse, but the Venezuelans really have brought this — and what's coming next — upon themselves.
I, too, shudder for what Venezuela will soon have to go through - either bloody civil war, or a completely Stalinist dictatorship (or perhaps both). There is a small hope that Chavez will be forced out as even his supporters start to realise that he's leading the country into disaster. It does stun that in 2007 even the very poor of Venezuela (who have been treated unfairly by the middle and upper classes) could fall for the sort of kindergarten Marxism that Chavez promotes. It shows that sometimes mankind really is unteachable - that he must learn from experience.
As usual, our domestic left has covered itself in shame over this - lauding Chavez (another in a long line of thugs who use Marxist prattle to gull American leftists) to the skies over the past few years even as it became ever clearer that socialist dictatorship was his goal. EIther the left is monumentally stupid, or in sympathy with dictators - in either case, they come out looking pretty bad. Now do you lefties understand why Venezuelans tried to overthrow Chavez a couple years ago? Put aside your re-hashed Allende conspiracy theories and realise that never, ever has Marxism come voluntarily to a country...there is always fraud and skullduggery (when there isn't outright murder and oppression) in bringing it to power...and the people there, much close to the action, saw clearer, sooner, than anyone else what was happening. They tried to save their country, and failed...and all the left had to say of them was that they were stooges of American imperialism.
Sheesh!
Posted by Mark Noonan at May 30, 2007 12:32 PM
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Posted by: neocon at May 30, 2007 02:23 PM
I've been hearing various reactions over this latest incident all over the place. My favorite so far was on KFI AM 640 Los Angeles. He was compairing this to what could happen here in California if things like the Fairness Doctrin goes through. Because the way he shut them down was by not renewing their broadcasting licence, just like the FCC can do under the old Fairness (and the new one) Doctrine.
Posted by:
Gozer at May 30, 2007 04:20 PM
The difference is that there is a good chance that a TV or radio station challenging the "Fairness Doctrine" here would win in the Supreme Court. In Venezula, the courts, like the legislature are in colusion with Chavez.
(sorry for the spelling errors).
Posted by: kjstrouble at May 30, 2007 04:37 PM
OT, but for Rana:
A quick ot question... Does your first name happen to be Frederick?
No, why do you ask? Be honest, and maybe I'll tell you my real name. Unless, of course, you're stalking me. Then I may contact the authorities...
kj, Republicans need not apologize for spelling/grammar errors. You see, we are supposed to be the uneducated, so we have an excuse for our shortcomings. That's why I go after morons such as kblockhead77, who is an "educated" lefty who claims to have a PhD.
I will never, ever chastise fellow GOP'ers for their typing errors--I play favorites...
Posted by: keefer at May 30, 2007 05:59 PM
Mr Mark Noonan, you seem to ignore the same problem that all the neo-liberal Latin America reformers have ignored, how do you promote democracy and markets at the same time, when the majority of Venezuelans would like more social welfare not less. There is a very real problem in Latin America with income distribution and a majority of Venezuelans believe that socialism is the answer. So how do we pursue markets and democracy at the same time?
Posted by: robert at May 30, 2007 06:09 PM
I think most of us on the right saw this coming. Poor Venezuela!
Posted by: Freedom1 at May 30, 2007 07:44 PM
I remember all the moonbats here defending Chavez after he attacked us at the UN. Great choice in friends.
Posted by: Kahn at May 30, 2007 10:24 PM
This is priceless. How long will it be before they attempt to shut down Fox News?
former Associated Press reporter in Venezuela, Bart Jones, who wrote an approving article in today's Los Angeles Times,...........Jones justifies the closing of that station by the Chavistas by claiming that it supported the 2002 coup against Chavez:
RCTV's most infamous effort to topple Chavez came during the April 11, 2002, coup attempt against him. For two days before the putsch, RCTV preempted regular programming and ran wall-to-wall coverage of a general strike aimed at ousting Chavez. A stream of commentators spewed nonstop vitriolic attacks against him — while permitting no response from the government.
Then RCTV ran nonstop ads encouraging people to attend a march on April 11 aimed at toppling Chavez and broadcast blanket coverage of the event. When the march ended in violence, RCTV and Globovision ran manipulated video blaming Chavez supporters for scores of deaths and injuries.
Posted by: neocon at May 30, 2007 10:29 PM
neocon, why is it that these lefties in the drive-by media like to prop up thug dictators? They love Casstro; they love Chavass. And now the libs in Congress want to quell conservative free speech.
I guess they all miss Stalin...
Posted by: keefer at May 31, 2007 05:13 PM
Commie gsmr plan:
1. Control education
2. Control the media
The rest fall into place.
In the US the leftists already have control of education. They once had the media but lost it to cable, talk radio and the internet. It is their most fervent objective to regain control. After that its all over but the shouting.
Posted by: phnx at May 31, 2007 11:45 PM
Order Matt and Mark's book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble
crickets........
I've been hearing various reactions over this latest incident all over the place. My favorite so far was on KFI AM 640 Los Angeles. He was compairing this to what could happen here in California if things like the Fairness Doctrin goes through. Because the way he shut them down was by not renewing their broadcasting licence, just like the FCC can do under the old Fairness (and the new one) Doctrine.
The difference is that there is a good chance that a TV or radio station challenging the "Fairness Doctrine" here would win in the Supreme Court. In Venezula, the courts, like the legislature are in colusion with Chavez.
(sorry for the spelling errors).
OT, but for Rana:
A quick ot question... Does your first name happen to be Frederick?
No, why do you ask? Be honest, and maybe I'll tell you my real name. Unless, of course, you're stalking me. Then I may contact the authorities...
kj, Republicans need not apologize for spelling/grammar errors. You see, we are supposed to be the uneducated, so we have an excuse for our shortcomings. That's why I go after morons such as kblockhead77, who is an "educated" lefty who claims to have a PhD.
I will never, ever chastise fellow GOP'ers for their typing errors--I play favorites...
Mr Mark Noonan, you seem to ignore the same problem that all the neo-liberal Latin America reformers have ignored, how do you promote democracy and markets at the same time, when the majority of Venezuelans would like more social welfare not less. There is a very real problem in Latin America with income distribution and a majority of Venezuelans believe that socialism is the answer. So how do we pursue markets and democracy at the same time?
I think most of us on the right saw this coming. Poor Venezuela!
I remember all the moonbats here defending Chavez after he attacked us at the UN. Great choice in friends.
This is priceless. How long will it be before they attempt to shut down Fox News?
former Associated Press reporter in Venezuela, Bart Jones, who wrote an approving article in today's Los Angeles Times,...........Jones justifies the closing of that station by the Chavistas by claiming that it supported the 2002 coup against Chavez:
RCTV's most infamous effort to topple Chavez came during the April 11, 2002, coup attempt against him. For two days before the putsch, RCTV preempted regular programming and ran wall-to-wall coverage of a general strike aimed at ousting Chavez. A stream of commentators spewed nonstop vitriolic attacks against him — while permitting no response from the government.
Then RCTV ran nonstop ads encouraging people to attend a march on April 11 aimed at toppling Chavez and broadcast blanket coverage of the event. When the march ended in violence, RCTV and Globovision ran manipulated video blaming Chavez supporters for scores of deaths and injuries.
neocon, why is it that these lefties in the drive-by media like to prop up thug dictators? They love Casstro; they love Chavass. And now the libs in Congress want to quell conservative free speech.
I guess they all miss Stalin...
Commie gsmr plan:
1. Control education
2. Control the media
The rest fall into place.
In the US the leftists already have control of education. They once had the media but lost it to cable, talk radio and the internet. It is their most fervent objective to regain control. After that its all over but the shouting.