Fires in the streets in Caracas

[michaelb]

Two nights in a row. Notice how all the Chavez supporters are wearing brown shirts? Oh, my bad, make that red shirts, same difference.

[pan de bono]

I hope the Venezuelans over throw that jackass Chavez.

[Ray]

Yep, it seems that a lot of folks down in Venezuela are sick and tired of their little tin-horn commie dictator.



And now his commie bosom buddy Cindy Sheehan has given up and quit.



And last week that fat-mouth Rosie O’Donnel ran off with her tail between her legs after receiving a verbal ass-whooping on TV.



And the dumb-ass Mexicans made complete idiots of themselves in front of the whole world by booing Miss USA at the Miss Universe Pageant.

And even France elected a pro-American government! Gee wiz, could it be that the world doesn’t really hate us as much as the Dems and the leftist media claim? Are the commies on the run again?

Stay tuned folks… 

[bigstew33]

they are rioting over not being allowed to have free speech.  Thats what the commies do.  Control the media so only they get out what they want.  A quick glance here kinda sums it up.  http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/

[pan de bono]

I would love to see the people take back Venezuela from that commie Chavez and as a result Venezuela become a USA friendly country again. that would be great!

[william3rd]

Hey Stew- Did you READ any of the articles on that link before you posted? The articles are almost all pro-closure of the TV station. Here is a sample-

 Venezuela's RCTV: Sine Die and Good Riddance

Monday, May 28, 2007  Print format
   Send by email

 
By: Stephen Lendman

Venezuelan TV station Radio Caracas Television's (known as RCTV) VHF Channel 2's operating license expired May 27, and it went off the air because the Chavez government, with ample justification, chose not to renew it.  RCTV was the nation's oldest private broadcaster, operating since 1954.  It's also had a tainted record of airing Venezuela's most hard right yellow journalism, consistently showing a lack of ethics, integrity or professional standards in how it operated as required by the law it arrogantly flaunted.

Starting May 28, a new public TV station (TVES)  replaces it bringing Venezuelans a diverse range of new programming TV channel Vive president, Blanca Eckhout, says will "promot(e) the participation and involvement of all Venezuelans in the task of communication (as an alternative to) the media concentration of the radio-electric spectrum that remains in the hands of a (dominant corporate) minority sector" representing elitist business interests, not the people.

Along with the other four major corporate-owned dominant television channels (controlling 90% of the nation's TV market), RCTV played a leading role instigating and supporting the aborted April, 2002 two-day coup against President Chavez mass public opposition on the streets helped overturn restoring Chavez to office and likely saving his life.  Later in the year, these stations conspired again as active participants in the economically devastating 2002-03 main trade union confederation (CTV) - chamber of commerce (Fedecameras) lockout and industry-wide oil strike including willful sabotage against state oil company PDVSA costing it an estimated $14 billion in lost revenue and damage.

This writer explained the dominant corporate media's active role in these events in an extended January, 2007 article titled "Venezuela's RCTV Acts of Sedition."  It presented conclusive evidence RCTV and the other four corporate-run TV stations violated Venezuela's Law of Social Responsibility for Radio and Television (LSR).  That law guarantees freedom of expression without censorship but prohibits, as it should, transmission of messages illegally promoting, apologizing for, or inciting disobedience to the law that includes enlisting public support for the overthrow of a democratically elected president and his government. 

In spite of their lawlessness, the Chavez government treated all five broadcasters gently opting not to prosecute them, but merely refusing to renew one of RCTV's operating licenses (its VHF one) when it expired May 27 (its cable and satellite operations are unaffected) - a mere slap on the wrist for a media enterprise's active role in trying to overthrow the democratically elected Venezuelan president and his government.  The article explained if an individual or organization of any kind incited public hostility, violence and anti-government rebellion under Section 2384 of the US code, Title 18, they would be subject to fine and/or imprisonment for up to 20 years for the crime of sedition. 

They might also be subject to prosecution for treason  under Article 3, Section 3 of the US Constitution stating: "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort" such as instigating an insurrection or rebellion and/or sabotage to a national defense utility that could include state oil company PDVSA's facilities vital to the operation and economic viability of the country and welfare of its people.  It would be for US courts to decide if conspiring to overthrow a democratically government conformed to this definition, but it's hard imagining it would not at least convict offenders of sedition.

 
 

[bigstew33]

Sorry I wasn't clear.  I was stating the reason people are rioting is because the tv network was shut down.  Just the headlines. 

[el_ruso]

People in Caracas riot because they are opposed to the government, and the political culture over there I guess allows for such things.  This is not the first time.  anti-Chavez forces have staged violent protests and demonstrations before.  their goal is to provoke a violent reprisal and call for international intervention or a military coup because they consistently have been losing through the democratic process.  There are people who absolutely HATE Chavez, and there are people who absolutely LOVE Chavez, with apparently few in between.  According to the election results, the group #2 consistently outnumbers the group #1, and by big margins.

Chavez is no angel, but neither is the opposition to him.  Venezuela had a lot of problems and injustice before Chavez, which is the cause of the current turmoil, and so the current situation is the fault of the political forces who are heirs to the pre-Chavez political system (and comprise the opposition).  The Chavez phenomenon is their fault, their failure.  Besides, it is virtually impossible to block free flow of information in today's age, even with closure (or non-renewal) of TV stations.  There is internet, media, etc.

Chavez's anti-Americanism is ridiculous, retarded and pointless.  At the same time it is mostly innocuous to US, because both Venezuela and US need each other economically.  The BAD thing for US would be if the country were to collapse into a civil war which would result not only in problems with oil supplies, but also refugees and calls for financial help to reconstruct which US ultimately will be forced to give.

[pan de bono]

Chavez is taking away thier freedoms one at a time. they need to bring back RCTV and throw the bumb Chavez out of office.

[Ray]

...it is virtually impossible to block free flow of information in today's age, even with closure (or non-renewal) of TV stations.  There is internet, media, etc.

I beg to differ.

China does a pretty good job of blocking the truth from it's citizens. Much of the internet is not available in China and there is government monitoring of what is available. Opposition to the government is not tolerated and the media is tightly controlled.

Most communist governments will not survive for long without suppression of the truth and aggressive control over any and all opposition. Chavez obviously knows this and is working in this direction by plan...

[daytrader]

Video: Fox News reporter calls Chavez apologist an SOB on the air

This was great, I saw it live on Neil Cavuto yesterday (link below).  Report Adam Housley was reporting live from the demonstrations outside of RCTV headquarters and nuked this Chavez- apologist on air.

 Chavez may be on a bridge too far...their balance of payments, currency, capital flight, brain drain and anemic oil production may come home to roost soon.  What is happening is a Cuba-Redux, only almost 50 years later.  Hopefully the 'New Media' can weaken this demogague and force him to lift restrictions on the news media there soon.

DayTrader


http://hotair.com/archives/2007/06/01/video-fox-news-reporter-calls-chavez-apologist-an-sob-on-the-air/

DayTrader

[utopiacowboy]

Hugo Chavez has got to be snickering every time he hears all this tough talk coming from gringos. In the meantime we're making Venezuela and his government rich with our dependence on foreign oil. We're funding Islamic fundamentalists and crackpots like Chavez because we haven't got the balls to do anything about it. Brazil is self sufficient in energy but we aren't? Bush and his cronies have done nothing about this for all their talk about national security. The first and foremost issue of national security is being energy self-sufficient. Until then they can STFU.

[el_ruso]

First of all, I am sure that if a media outlet in the US was calling for a violent overthrow of the government, there would be an action against it. 

Chavez was elected consistently by significant majorities.  There was even a referendum recently to oust him, and he won it fairly easily.  If the majority of people in Venezuela choose to elect him, it should be their right.

The opposition to Chavez has history of violent protests, and in the current situation it clearly is trying to provoke violence as well.  I can't believe that people who have grown up in US, a democratic country, can be in support of violence to overthrow a legitimate government.  They should focus on winning the elections, instead of consistently losing them.  That's what democracy is about.

[william3rd]

El Ruso- It is not the first time that this country has interfered in the politics of other democratically elected governments.

The most glaring example in recent history was the overthrow of Allende in Chile. Replaced by Pinochet. . . .

[daytrader]

To El Ruso -- Chavez was NOT democratically elected after the first election....read the link below.  Chavez has subverted every democratic institution in the country. 

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2007/06/how_jimmy_carter_helped_trash.html

To William3rd -  if you want us to be energy independent, then have people stop electing liberal, socialist Democrats.  Democrats won't let us drill for oil in Anwar and offshore, (even if a majority of Senators consistently vote for it) won't let us build more refineries (no new refineries in 30 years), liberal judges won't let us relax EPA mandates on forcing oil refineries to make 55 DIFFERENT blends of gasoline (Bush relaxed the rules but the courts have it stopped and only make a few blends of gasoline), the price of gas is 50  cents more than it should be just because of this rule change being stopped by liberal judges.  Want lower gas prices and less US currency going to facists and dictators?  Stop voting for liberal Democrats. 

Also, stop the EPA from mandating all these stupid clean air standards on the oil companies, the air is clean enuff!  I've driven by the same gas snifters in the South of Detroit for 40 years and there's no change.  The air is ok.  If you don't like it, move to Florida. 

 Oil companies have spent 40 BILLION DOLLARS in meeting EPA mandates the last 20 years.  If they were allowed to put that money into drilling and refining, gas prices would be much lower and we'd have more domestic supply! 

I'm glad Allende was overthrown by Nixon, he was a Socialist/Communist.  Look at Chile's economy now...They even reformed social security (unlike us cuz of liberal Democrats) and Chhile has a retirement plan the envy of the World.  Nicaragua, Panama, Cuba (Roosevelt did it right, Kennedy screwed up), Kuwait, Grenada, Libya, Pre-Israel Palestine, South Korea and most recently Somalia all were/all better places becuz the USA intervened.  50 million people are (mostly) free from oppressive Muslim facists in Afghanistan and Iraq today.  I'm glad America intervenes, the World is a much better place, IMO. 

We need a political machine that will kick butt on Communist China, Iran, N. Korea & Syria, Egypt IMO.   

DayTrader

[utopiacowboy]

"50 million people are (mostly) free from oppressive Muslim facists in Afghanistan and Iraq today."

I am sure that if you asked them most of them would gladly go back to the regimes that were in power before we intervened. They had the governments (Saddam and the Taliban) that they deserved because those countries don't respond to anything other than brutal dictatorships.

Bush and his cronies are in bed with big oil who are making record profits as a result of shortages that they have created themselves. I know - I worked for one of those companies for many years. If they're going to do us up the butt, I wish they would at least use KY. My ass hurts from the last 7 years.

[william3rd]

Sorry Daytrader- on the issues of overthrowing elected governments such as Chile, you and I can agree to disagree. Pinochet should have gone to the gallows.

[daytrader]

....Pinochet was a corrupt bum, I won't defend him either. 

DayTrader

[Ray]

Brazil is self sufficient in energy but we aren't? Bush and his cronies have done nothing about this for all their talk about national security. The first and foremost issue of national security is being energy self-sufficient. Until then they can STFU.

Huh? Cowboy, where do you get your information?

If you'll do a little research, I am positive that you will find that it's the Democrats and their cronies who have been blocking every attempt at self-sufficiency in energy.

Who do you think has been blocking every attempt to drill in ANWAR? The Democrats! Clinton even vetoed a bill allowing exploratory drilling. How are we going to become self-sufficient if we can't get our own oil out of the ground. I guess you’ll have to choose between energy self-sufficiency and musk oxen.

Try building a nuclear power plant. The leftists/environmental whackos will never allow it.

Ted Kennedy won't even let them put up electricity-generating wind farms in his backyard.

If you replace "Bush and his cronies" with "Ted Kennedy and his cronies" in your statement, then it will be MUCH closer to the truth.

[doombug]

Brazil is self sufficient in energy but we aren't? Bush and his cronies have done nothing about this for all their talk about national security. The first and foremost issue of national security is being energy self-sufficient. Until then they can STFU.

I see this claim all the time in the media. So I don't blame you for repeating it.

Electricity - production: 546 billion kWh (2005) 
Electricity - consumption: 415.9 billion kWh (2005) 
Electricity - exports: 7 million kWh (2004) 
Electricity - imports: 39 billion kWh; note - supplied by Paraguay (2005)

If you're importing that much electricity, then you are not self-sufficient.

Oil - production: 1.59 million bbl/day (2006 est.) 
Oil - consumption: 2.1 million bbl/day (2006 est.) 
Oil - exports: 278,400 bbl/day (2005) 
Oil - imports: 379,400 bbl/day (2005)

If you're importing that much oil, then you're not self-sufficient.

Natural gas - production: 9.66 billion cu m (2004 est.) 
Natural gas - consumption: 17.28 billion cu m (2004 est.) 
Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) 
Natural gas - imports: 8.07 billion cu m (2006 est.) 

If you're importing that much gas, then you're not self-sufficient.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/br.html

[william3rd]

Ray- I have to disagree with you there. We had a republican president and congress for how many years? And what got done? Not a darn thing.

NONE of them want to get anything done because they are PAID by special interests not to get anything done.

When the new president and congress convenes in two years, what will get done? NOT a damn thing-unless the american people clean house and dump all the long term professional legislators.

Last time I checked, Congress can pass a bill by majority and the president can sign it into law. Other than worrying about whether a Supreme Court justice is pro- Roe or not, or perhaps trying to keep a brain dead woman on life support forever, these clowns dont represent us in the slightest.

[Ray]

Ray- I have to disagree with you there. We had a republican president and congress for how many years? And what got done? Not a darn thing.

Last time I checked, Congress can pass a bill by majority and the president can sign it into law.

BUT, you forgot one important factor... the Senate filibuster.

Check the Senate voting records on drilling in ANWR. The Democrats are clearly the obstructionists on this issue.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/253019_anwr22.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10560979

http://www.heritage.org/Research/EnergyandEnvironment/wm692.cfm

http://www.anwr.com/archives/bush_looking_anew_for_alaska_oil_drilling.html

http://www.heritage.org/Research/EnergyandEnvironment/wm1094.cfm

http://www.aim.org/guest_column/4587_0_6_0_C/

etc.,
        etc.,
                 etc...

[michaelb]

Brazil and their alcohol (aka "they do it, why can't we?")  - Yes, they make a lot of fuel alcohol in Brazil, but from CANE, not from CORN. They have plenty of land suitable for growing cane and plenty of cheap labor to process it, not to mention that cane gives a greater alcohol yield anyway. By attempting to turn corn into fuel alcohol, the U.S. has already upset the world grain markets to the extent that Mexicans (the ones who are still in Mexico, just to clarify) are paying triple the price for tortillas than they paid last year-it's actually putting a real strain on the lower income sector's food budget-thus encouraging more of them to seek employment in 'El Norte'. Even without considering that, we've driven up prices on our own meat and poultry as well, what do you think used to eat a goodly portion of that corn that is now used to make our cars run rough and get lower mileage? Of course they are still eating their share, but now at a much higher cost to the producer, a cost which must be passed on to the consumer.

Not that cars won't run well on alcohol, they will run fine on it if that is the fuel they are DESIGNED for it, but putting alcohol in a car designed for gasoline is bad business, yes, it will run, but not nearly as well as it should. Another thing to consider, besides being a fuel, it is also a solvent and it will dissolve gaskets and hoses that weren't designed to deal with it. Yeah, all modern ( +/- 10 - 15 years or less) cars have alcohol proof gaskets, but many people, either too poor to buy newer or rich enough to collect classics are having their cars damaged by this stuff. Oh, did I mention older model boats? It dissolves their fuel tanks as well.

[daytrader]

>>>> Jimmy Carter Redux -- Chavez is a Tax/Spend Democrat using $$$ to buy votes <<<<


Venezuela Budget Gap More Than Doubles on Spending

By Guillermo Parra-Bernal (Bloomberg News)

June 2 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuela's budget deficit more than doubled in the first three months of 2007 to the highest level in at least eight years as President Hugo Chavez increased spending on health care, education and housing.

The deficit widened to 7.97 trillion bolivars ($3.7 billion), the highest since record-keeping began 1998, from 3.05 trillion bolivars a year earlier, the Caracas-based central bank said on its Web site today.

Surging spending on social services and salaries for government workers is outstripping oil revenue and fueling inflation in Venezuela, Latin America's fourth-largest economy. Venezuela's annual inflation rate accelerated to 19.5 percent in May, the highest in the hemisphere.

``Severe fiscal dominance is openly reducing the central bank's ability to bring inflation down to single digits,'' said Alberto Ramos, a New York-based senior Latin America economist at Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

The budget figures include extra revenue from oil sales and unexpected tax collections, while excluding off-budget funds set up by Chavez since 2005 to funnel government money into social programs. Oil accounts for 95 percent of Venezuela's exports and half of government revenue.

The central bank yesterday said that the monthly rate of inflation rose to 1.7 percent in May from 1.4 percent in April. Consumer prices in May rose 19.5 percent from a year earlier, up from a gain of 19.4 percent in April.

Government Largesse

Chavez, using government largesse to consolidate political support, has handed out subsidies to millions of poor families. Spending has outstripped revenue pushed higher by rising crude oil prices.

Spending on salaries, capital improvements and interest on the national debt rose 15 percent to 33 trillion bolivars in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to bank data.

The government posted a consolidated budget surplus of 328 billion bolivars in March, the first in four months, the bank said. That compares with shortfalls of 1.04 trillion bolivars in March 2006 and 3.62 trillion bolivars in February 2007.

Cash reserves at the National Treasury rose for the first month in four to 21.94 trillion bolivars in March, the report said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Guillermo Parra-Bernal in Caracas at gparra@bloomberg.net .


.....submitted by DayTrader

[el_ruso]

I don't think anyone has suggested that Chavez's policies are sound and worthy of admiration.  The issue is that he has repeatedly won elections, and the opposition is repeatedly trying to PROVOKE VIOLENCE.  They have had violent demonstrations before, they even tried to make a military coup.

For instance, many people in US are not happy with president Bush.  Yet they are not calling for his overthrow and incite violence.  Prior to that, there were people who were strongly opposed to Clinton, yet their opposition was non-violent either.  That is how it should be.  If a TV station called for a violent overthrow of President Bush, I am 100% sure its license would not be renewed either.

Regarding deficit spending, the current US government has had colossal deficits, the US dollar is collapsing (it is now equal to 0.65 Euros, and if the trend will continue, it is likely to fall even more).  Yet...  nobody in US is calling for a violent overthrow of President Bush.