| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| PJK |
Posted - 08/26/2005 : 10:51:35 AM
I actually saw Pat Roberton's 700 club broadcast on Monday, not because I am a regular viewer, fact is I never watched the show before, but because it followed Good Morning America on the network at State College PA (PSU) where I had spent the night.
His call to take out Hugo Chavez caused quite a stir among the news media. What I found alarming, was not the fact that a "Christian Right Conservative" called for the assaination of this leader, but the naive comments about Venezuela. IMO Venezuela is far more a threat to the US than Iraq ever was.
I am not saying we should take out Chavez, like Sadam there is always someone waiting to take his place, but we better take him seriously.
I am forever amazed at the power of the media in the US. They filter out so much news that IMO is worthy of being exposed. I have resorted to going directly to newspapers around the world for news. I may still not get "truth" but I do get a better idea of what is really happening in the world than if I relied on the US newsmedia alone.
Just food for thought. |
| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Zachmozach |
Posted - 08/28/2005 : 10:14:31 PM
Well at least someone does, but if nothing else they give me a lot of typing practice. |
| PJK |
Posted - 08/27/2005 : 8:57:26 PM
HAHAHAHA you really crack me up!  BTW I do like your essays! |
| Zachmozach |
Posted - 08/27/2005 : 8:24:52 PM
Deal. Besides I don't know how many more of my essays I can type out. |
| PJK |
Posted - 08/27/2005 : 03:58:57 AM
Zack, I think we can say we agree to disagree. I do think he is a threat and I can't share in your laughter over this, but like Fluffy says, we all have our opinions. I hope you are right on this, some times it is good to be wrong and if I am wrong on this subject I will be very happy! |
| Zachmozach |
Posted - 08/26/2005 : 6:55:09 PM
Chavez right now has a 70.5% approval rating in his country. He has literally taken a completely corrupt economic scheme built around oil to a more socialist form which has benifited the country greatly. He is good friends with Fidel Castro and while Cuba sends doctors by the thousands to help out the Venezuelan poor, he sends oil to Cuba at ridiculously low prices. Cuba of course loves this in comparison to just recieving oil subsidies from Russia. Chavez also seeks to start a revoloution in latin america to start the continent moving towards a more socialist strategy of government in which the countries themselves will benifit from their own natural resources. He is very critical of the war in Iraq, and very critical of the US and all sorts of imperialism. Venezuala of course does provide the US with a hearty portion of oil, and their own state government company citgo has many stations across the US. The US has sponsered a calculated plan to try to get Chavez out of the government. It has been funding opposition groups with Venezuela for years. Most recently there are serious accusations about that the US was behind the attempted coup in 2002.
For these reasons the US powers that be have been spreading a hate campaign against Chavez. To say that Venezuela actually poses any sort of real or meaningful threat to the US is laughable to me. The US is the one threatening a democratically elected government by funding people seeking to undermine it while at the same time talking about spreading democracy. The recently hyped up claims that Venezuala is in some sort of way a threat to the US is just as fake as the war on terror or the combating of extremism. The thing I find funny is that even a Rove sourced feed that is spreading in the New York Times about drug trafficing in Venezuela stating that it's ripping a trail straight through the country or something to that effect. The US is getting it's reporters to make unsubstansiated claims and accusations towards the country, much like they did with Iraq (as we all remember the times stating that Iraq was 6 months away from a nuclear weapon).
Why is the US so concerned about Venezuela? Do they really believe Venezuela is planning attacks against them or threatening their national security? I don't think so. That is as laughable as the threat Iraq posed. No, what the US fears is that more countries will take the stand Venezuela is taking against imperialism and their move towards socialism which does nothing to benifit the hungry US business sector specifically the energy sector which in the past has benifited greatly from the oil rich country. The US is again actively making an enemy out another country in the world by seeking to overthrow the government. The situation for US powers is of course getting more serious though as they rid themselves of the corruption in the oil business and plan on sending as much as 300,000 barrels of oil to China next year. When a country that is the 5th largest oil exporter starts doing things that are against US business goals of course the US is going to begin a campaign against them.
I for one want to know what it is Chavez is doing that is so bad that he is a threat and the other thing which is where is the threat? I also view it as a sleeping dragon, but one that is awakening a revoloution against american business interests. I see nothing about the country that shows it being a threat towards the US and in fact has offered to help out the US poor with cheaper oil prices if the corruption can be shut down and they in turn recieve some much needed humanitarian aid from the richest country in the world. Just watch out that you're not being pulled into the cold war type plan for overthrowing a country with interests seperate to the US.
PJK I know you're not right leaning and I don't suppose that you'll probably be in too big of oppisition to what I'm saying, but I'm saying this for everyone. I for one commend Chavez's efforts to help the poor, and redistribute wealth from oil to his country and provide funding for education and healthcare. I think there is a smear campaing being launched against him and most of the claims are false and unsubstansiated. |
| PJK |
Posted - 08/26/2005 : 3:06:46 PM
Hate is a powerful weapon. Chavez has won the hearts of the lower class people in his country. Part of his strategy is putting the blame for their misfortune on the USA. (which is probably true to an extent) While we do get 10% of our oil from Venezuela, that doesn't make them friends or allies of the USA.
I was trying to say that I see Venezuela as a sleeping dragon so to speak, and I don't think the US is taking them seriously enough. The USA as with all countries must learn to sleep with one eye open.
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| Zachmozach |
Posted - 08/26/2005 : 1:53:09 PM
I fail to see how Venezuela poses any serious threat to the US. The US has been trying to undermine a democratically elected president, and has been linked with providing money to start a coup there. The National Endowment for Democracy has given millions to Venezualan oppostition groups over the years. I think we all know what spreading democracy means by now though. Same thing in Haiti and pretty much everywhere we try to spread "democracy". It's just a code word for economic warfare on the majority of people. Anyway I still don't see where the threat comes from in Venezuela, but if I was an elected leader of a country and I can't say that I wouldn't be working against the country trying to carry out the Monroe Doctrine towards me. |
