Bolivarismo failing before it barely starts (Updated)

 

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez subscribes to a Latin American version of the British “Third Way” politics (it’s supposed to be an alternative between capitalism and socialism – but it’s really just a step towards socialism) called “bolivarism” – meant to recall Simon Bolivar’s revolution against Spain which led to the liberations of that continent. Bolivar is often called the South American George Washington. Well, this latest move of Chavez’ – shutting down RCTV, the last opposition Television voice on the Venezuelan airways – might have been a step too far according to Bloomberg;

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s shutdown of the country’s most-watched television network has set off growing condemnation in Latin America and may derail his drive to become the region’s leader.

Brazilian senators today debated a motion to “condemn” Chavez after he called lawmakers there “parrots” of the U.S. for criticizing his decision to close the broadcaster. Chavez last month branded Chile’s legislature “a bunch of fascists” after the body passed a resolution objecting to his plans.

“I’m afraid that if we don’t raise our voices to denounce this situation, we could become accomplices through omission,” Chilean senator Jaime Naranjo, a member of President Michelle Bachelet’s socialist party and head of the senate’s human rights committee, said in a telephone interview today. “As Chileans we know how important international solidarity is when a country starts to violate human rights.”

Well, how does Chavez respond? Like everyone else, he blames Bush,according to Associated Press;

 President Hugo Chavez has claimed that a right-wing conspiracy led by Washington is out to demonize his government for forcing an opposition TV channel off the air.

Speaking during an event Thursday with the visiting leader of Vietnam’s communist party, Chavez said “international rightist, extreme-rightist and fascist movements are attacking Venezuela from everywhere — from Europe, the United States, Brasilia.”

He targeted Brazil’s Senate for approving a motion earlier in the day including a call for Chavez to reopen the channel.

“Nobody should interfere,” Chavez said, accusing lawmakers in Brazil of “repeating like a parrot what is said in Washington.”

“To those representatives of the Brazilian right, I say that it is much, much, much more probable that the Portuguese empire will again install itself in Brasilia than that the Venezuelan government will return the expired (broadcast) concession to the Venezuelan oligarchy,” Chavez said.

Fianlly, the Carter Center speaks out against Chavez – not Carter himself, but the Carter Center;

Also Thursday, the Atlanta-based Carter Center joined the European Union , the Chilean Senate, the U.S. government, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders and others who have said RCTV’s removal could chill free speech in Venezuela.

The organization founded by former President Carter, which has observed past elections here, expressed concern that “non-renewal of broadcast concessions for political reasons will have a chilling effect on free speech.”

“A plurality of opinions should be protected,” it said. “The right of dissent must be fiercely defended by every democratic government.”

The center said if the government wants to deny renewal of a license based on alleged crimes, “these should be tried through the justice system before a decision is made.”

Paris-based media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders accused Chavez of seeking to stamp out the country’s opposition media entirely.

“Media that criticize the government will be snuffed out one by one until only the pro-government media are left,” it said. 

I watched Telemundo’s new sbroadcast tonight and some Venezuelan Madeleine Albright look-alike spokeswoman for the Chavez regime accused President Bush and his State Department of fueling the protests. As if Chavez can’t believe that Venezuelans would stand up to his revolution without being incited from outside. Of course, he realizes that maybe he’s not as popular as he thought and he needs to stir up his base using the world’s favorite boogeyman.

Bloomberg quotes Chavez a little differently than AP;

“The extreme right and the fascists are attacking Venezuela from the U.S., Europe and Brasilia,” Chavez said in a televised speech yesterday. “Nobody should be butting in here.”

I guess Cindy Sheehan is writing his material now – no wonder she quit the US.

In spanish-language news, it’s being reported by AP that Venezuelans are leaving with their money and going to Panama – like the Cubans flocked to Miami to escape Castro. I guess the more things change the more they stay the same.

Not surprisingly, the International Action Center (founded by Ramsey Clark – you know, Saddam’s lawyer pal who’s always complaining that this Administration is always violating someone’s civil rights) is sending out an email to defend Chavez’ violation of every Venezuelan’s basic human rights and to anounce their intent to start a media campaign defending Chavez’ government. MFVOV has a copy of the email and the letter from the Venezuelan ambassador reassuring Nancy Pelosi that no Venezuelans’ rights are in danger.

Red Alert warns us that Chavezistas are right here in the US and has the video of Chavezistas shooting at unarmed Venezuelan patriots. Babalu Blog details Jimmy Carter’s role in silencing Chavez’ media opposition.

I’ve discovered an interesting blog about events in Venezuela called Venezuela News and Views (hat tip to The Reaction my current battlebuddy on Real Clear Blogs – Saturday versus Boing Boing and the Daily Kos) for anyone who is interested.

I think this thing happening  in our hemisphere is at least as important as the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. And if it’s true that an important reason we freed Iraqis and Afghanis from their respective oppressors, this should be prominent on our radar screens, too. Maybe moreso – continued oppression of the middle class in South America can only expand illegal immigration here. In fact I remember last year that a boatload of Peruvians were bound for the US until mother nature intervened and sunk their leaky boat off the coast of Panama. So it’s not that hard to imagine a wave of Venezuelans since Congress would rather talk than build a wall.

Category: Hugo Chavez, Jimmy Carter