Venezuela criticizes US "attempts of destabilization" in Iran

[ChangoLoa]

Source: EL Universal

President Hugo Chávez is one of Ahmadinejad's closest allies in South America. Chávez views the Iranian ruler as his "brother" and recently called him "anti-imperialist gladiator"

Venezuela on Wednesday criticized the "attempts of destabilization promoted" by the United States in Iran, where a number of dissenting demonstrators have been arrested and at least other eight were killed over the weekend, all of which was rejected by Washington.

"The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly rejects the attempts of destabilization promoted by the US government against the Iranian government and people," reads a statement from the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, AFP reported.

The Foreign Ministry was surprised at "a group of governments, led by the US empire, echoing a campaign to divide and spread violence among the people of Iran, thus contravening the basic rules of peaceful coexistence, non-interference and respect of the sovereignty of the states."

Read more: http://english.eluniversal.com/2009/12/30/en_pol_esp_venezuela-criticizes_30A3241211.shtml

[WriteDown]

1. I hear that Neda was a CIA spy.

:sarcasm:

[liberalmike27]

18. Media Content Filters, From Manufacturing Consent

Here are the media content filters that all news must pass through to be shown:

1.) The size, concentrated ownership, owner wealth, and profit orientation of the dominant mass-media firms;

2.) Advertising as the primary income source of the mass media;

3.) The reliance of the media on information provided by government, business, and "experts" funded and approved by these primary sources and agents of power; (Pentagon).

4.) "Flak" as a means of disciplining the media;

5.) "Anti-communism" as a national religion and control mechanism.

These elements serve to reinforce one another. The raw material of the news must pass through successive filters, leaving only the cleansed residue fit to print. They fix the premises of discourse and interpretation, and the definition of what is newsworthy in the first place, and they explain the basis and operations of what amount to propaganda campaigns.

The elite domination of the media and marginalization of dissidents that results from the operation of these filters occurs so naturally that media news people, frequently operating with complete integrity and goodwill, are able to convince themselves that they choose and interpret the news "objectively" and on the basis of professional news values. Within the limits of the filter constraints they often are objective; the constraints are so powerful, and are built into the system in such a fundamental way, that alternative bases of news choices are hardly imaginable. In assessing the newsworthiness of the U.S. government's urgent claims of a shipment of MIGs to Nicaragua, on November 5, 1984, the media do not stop to ponder the bias that is inherent in the priority assigned to government-supplied raw materials, or the possibility that the government might be manipulating the news, imposing its own agenda, and deliberately diverting attention from other material. It requires a macro, alongside a micro- (story by story), view of media operation, to see the pattern of manipulation and systematic bias.

Manufacturing Consent, The Political Economy of the Mass Media, p. 2

By Edward S. Herman, and Noam Chomsky

[WriteDown]

20. So Neda was a spy! Nefarious! nt

[chrisa]

2. This guy is a joke.

I don't care what he's done for his own people. He's still a fool.

[liberalmike27]

16. Very Biased Coverage of HUGO

Some of the most biased coverage on our media, save the obfucated, or ignored, is about Hugo Chavez, or any leader who has a socialist bias.

Chomsky describes one of the five main filters, as Communism. Anything that goes anywhere near improving conditions for the poor, will get hammered in our highly corporatized media. I don't trust anything they say about him. He gets in the way of their savage capitalistic, corporate model, so he gets trashed by our media, which is anything but trustworty, in particular on this subject.

If there is one area of brainwashing we need to free ourselves from, it would be the anti-socialism, or even the idea that Socialism is a particular thing. Economic policies are more of a direction, or a tuning of conditions. We don't have to go hog-wild Communist, to tune up our country a bit, to where things will be better for all of us, and yes, a few Billionaires might take a hit. Big fricking deal, a millionaire won't be able to buy as much, but a hundred million people will be able to, will be able to get a house, pay utilities, and buy stuff, yes, to make the economy better.

Our condition economically right now exists exactly because of our media's bias, and brainwashing, which has been very successful. If you don't think brainwashing exists within our media, then you're probably one of their biggest victims.

[WriteDown]

21. Please correct Hugo's quotes then. nt

[struggle4progress]

41. To which "Hugo quotes" do you refer?

[WriteDown]

42. The ones in the OP. nt

[struggle4progress]

51. But the story is about a statement by the Foreign Ministry, not by Chavez

:shrug:

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

83. Foreign Ministries don't often run their mouths off against the wishes of a country's leaders

[struggle4progress]

91. It depends. People who seek such positions frequently don't suffer from small egos or

an inhibited view of the worthy of their opinions, so it's not that uncommon for folk in such secondary positions to say what they want to say

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

93. If you're correct, we'll see Chavez correcting the Foreign Minister's statements

though I'm not holding my breath on this one.

[EFerrari]

29. No kidding. Witness the uproar the further militarization of Latin America

by the United States has caused and how our media has tried to make it about Chavez alone. Classic.

[Pavulon]

31. Hugo needs those migs for the USAF

I mean those 50 or so jets are designed to defeat US air superiority systems designed at the cost of hundreds of billions to destroy Soviet gear? No, they are designed for his neighbors. Colombia has a right to defend its self and after hugo ordering tanks to the border and threatening invasion they are wise to invite in a superior force to preserve their border security.

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

84. What does your post have to do with the OP, if I may ask?

Seems like merely a deflection, to try and take our minds off of how stupid Chavez looks.

[totodeinhere]

57. If all that is true, I don't know what it has to do with the situation in Iran.

People have taken to the streets in Iran to fight an oppressive illegitimate regime. I know that our CIA has intervened there in the past, but I doubt if even the CIA would able to engineer the widespread nationwide protests against the ayatollahs who run that country that are going on now. Chavez's claim that this is the fault of the US is ludicrous, and it damages his credibility to say so.

And after all, the Iranian regime has received almost universal criticism from the world community. Only Chavez and perhaps North Korea and a very few others are defending Iran on this. The European Union has vociferously condemned the Iranian government. Or is the EU also controlled by the CIA?

[EFerrari]

86. Hugo Chavez has not said a single word in defense of violence

against protesters. Not one.

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

87. You think the Foreign Ministry just randomly spouts this stuff off?

Honestly?

[Bacchus39]

3. at least 8 have been killed in the opposition rally by Iranian forces and the regime supporters

are calling for the execution of the opposition leaders.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091230/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran

"Tens of thousands of hard-line government supporters turned out for state-sponsored rallies Wednesday, some of them calling for the execution of opposition leaders as Iran's police chief threatened to show "no mercy" in crushing any new protests by the pro-reform movement."



you know Iran just wants to repress their people without US interference. that's all Hugo is asking.

[iandhr]

4. re: you know Iran just wants to repress their people without US interference.

that is exactly whats happening.

[David__77]

5. Indeed the US should exercise non-interference.

Interfering will only strengthen the hand of the reactionary Islamists, who can garner support if they can cast opposition as American-inspired. Diplomatically speaking, Venezuela is correct to seek constructive relations with Iran, but goes over the line by portraying its current government as a progressive force.

[Better Today]

13. Well said.

[EFerrari]

33. Agreed. n/t

[fascisthunter]

58. they can't help it... too many resources

greed just needs an excuse

[WriteDown]

6. The usual suspects seem to be missing from this thread. nt

[Imajika]

7. They won't be long...

The DU Chavistas will no doubt tell us the translation is incorrect, or the news source is really CIA propaganda, etc.

They will always have some laughable excuse to explain away Chavez's clownish behavior. My particular favorite is when the cheerleaders try to make excuses for Chavez's close alliances with people like Mugabe, Ahmadinejad, etc. These guys are his "brothers" don't ya know!

The truth is the Chavez fanclub here simply believe the US is the greater evil, are almost always committed marxists/socialists, and will forgive virtually any atrocious thing someone on their side says or does because they believe the ends justify the means.

It is that simple, to them, the ends really do justify the means. Their rotten, wackadoodle leader is okay because he has the correct ideology, but other rotten, wackadoodle leaders are bad because they adhere to some other wrongheaded ideology.

[EFerrari]

8. What utter bullshit.

And I'm still waiting for Obama to denounce the rapes, tortures and murders in HONDURAS.

[WriteDown]

10. Is Honduras near Iran?

:shrug:

[Mudoria]

11. Clueless

[Socal31]

14. So?

And I'm still waiting for a Xmas bonus. Neither one of them have anything to do with Mr. Troll attempting to blame the Obama administration for Iran shooting citizens.

[EFerrari]

26. Didn't we just witness a forged attempt to show that Iran had a nuclear trigger?

Do you honestly believe there is no US presence in Iran?

"Mr. Troll" seems to know not only our history but current events much better than you do. I don't agree with Chavez when he praises Dinnerjacket but he has a point and he's probably right.

[Bacchus39]

28. do you think Chavez and Ahmadenijad dress up as anti-imperial gladiators and go at it?? n/t

s

[Cha]

15. Yeah, anything to change the subject of the asshole Chavez'

tender loving care of the killer Ahmadinejad in Iran because you can't address that one.

[EFerrari]

22. Right, as if our head of state doesn't sit down with killers.

And as if Iran isn't the mess that it is because of the CIA.

Who are the clueless ones here?

[WriteDown]

23. So we are unable to judge anyone?

Do you support the progressive "brothers" who are currently running Iran?

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

85. Whenever someone criticizes Chavez, you immediately reply with "but look at so-and-so!"

and never actually address the issue at hand. It's sad and very transparent.

[naaman fletcher]

38. Well said,

but you are missing the cultural aspect. They sit around coffee houses wearing berets and expounding to impressionable women about their struggle for their revolutionary brothers. They dream of leading the peasants into battle. What happens in reality is they go down to places like Peru and get kidnapped and disappear and then our whole country is supposed to move haven and earth to get them back.

I know, I went to college with people like this. Somehow they always managed not to have jobs to pay for their education like the rest of us did.

[Imajika]

46. Oh, I know the type very well..

"They sit around coffee houses wearing berets and expounding to impressionable women about their struggle for their revolutionary brothers. They dream of leading the peasants into battle. What happens in reality is they go down to places like Peru and get kidnapped and disappear and then our whole country is supposed to move haven and earth to get them back."

Or they travel the world when they finally graduate, party day and night in 3rd world countries and explain to us all how the world we be so much better if we'd give up modern conveniences and live in straw huts and share everything like good little environmentally conscious socialists.

I dealt with endless numbers of these wanna-be revolutionaries when I lived in Thailand. The trust fund kiddie types who hung out for months on end in Khao Sarn Road, drinking all day, and living large because they had plenty of western money to spend while staying in a very poor country. Yeah, poor countries are kinda cool if your one of the few with plenty of cash. For them, the lack of AC, microwaves, etc, is all part of a more wholesome life style. Never mind that they didn't have to live like this and would never even consider it, and never mind that the people actually WANT the material things we have. They'd refuse to believe that, yes, in fact, those farmers actually want tractors rather than oxen.

Your talking about mush headed idealists who have no idea how the world actually works. They will wear their Che shirts, and sing the praises of Castro (and now Chavez), but no way in hell they'd actually put up and go live there. The minute something goes wrong they'd be begging their parents or the US government to come bail em out.

I definately know the type your referring to.

[WriteDown]

50. Good description....

What's funny is I had a few people I knew who went to Thailand after I graduated.

[EFerrari]

60. You know how to regurgitate cliche. And not very well, at that.

[Imajika]

65. No, I think the description is very accurate...

Some of these kiddie revolutionaries are even more obnoxious than I described.

I didn't say ALL Chavez supporters are like this. I didn't even say MOST Chavez supporters are like this. I was just responding to the type of person the previous poster was alluding to. I said I know the type very well, and having dealt with them for years in Thailand and elsewhere, I would say my description is right on the money.

Nothing like hearing the wealthy, Che or hammer & sickle t-shirt wearing, fresh out of uni graduate sitting in a Bangkok McDonalds eating a cheeseburger while bemoaning that there are McDonalds in Bangkok. Even worse when said mush head is yammering on about how we should all live a more modest lifestyle and "share" the wealth, while he/she enjoys every luxury in life the market economy back home has provided them and offers up none of their own money to actually do anything to help the poor (other than champion their cause over some coffee or alcohol with friends). What they really want is for poor 3rd world countries to stay that way, while they get to live it up on western dollars and fantasize that the poor rice farmer working his fields with a buffalo and living in a dirt floor house actually wants to continue living that way. These types can never quite grasp that virtually 100% of the 3rd world poor actually want all the luxuries we have in life including mobile phones, cars, etc.

[EFerrari]

79. When I was in grad school, nobody had time to sit around

spouting off about anything unrelated to their coursework, research or teaching load.

[Zorro]

73. Actually

most of DU's resident Chavistas have never even been to a Latin American country, let alone Venezuela.

[EFerrari]

78. And your proof for that would be what?

And, btw, I didn't study English in England or Algebra in Saudi Arabia, either. lol

[Zorro]

80. So regale us with stories of your experiences in South America

As everyone knows, you've certainly got a big enough mouth to do so.

[EFerrari]

81. Who is this "us", Zorro? Is that the bully's "us"?

I come from a family still active in politics in El Salvador and have spent time in Mexico and Guatemala as well. And you don't need to be in Giza to be an Egyptologist or live on the sun to be an astronomer. But you know that. Happy New Year. :)

[WriteDown]

82. Next time stop in Venezuela and give us an on the ground report.

I really wish we had more current or former Venezuelans on DU. They are a rare breed of poster.

[totodeinhere]

59. +1

[harun]

17. Thread hasn't been around long enough. VIVE CHAVEZ !!!! VIVE CHAVEZ !!!!!

And that isn't sarcasm. U.S. should keep its nose out of Iran.

[WriteDown]

19. True believers are awesome.

Vive Mugabe!

[Crowman1979]

9. The Chavez supporters will wind up with their foot in their mouths, in the near future.

The same way that Mugabe supporters did.

[WriteDown]

12. The DU Mugabe supporters are few and far in-between these days. nt

[EFerrari]

24. We've been hearing that for ten years. n/t

[Peace Patriot]

25. The U.S. did it to Iran in 1954--toppled their new democracy and installed the horrible "Shah of

Iran"--for 25 years of torture and oppression. The reason? Iran's new war hero president wanted to nationalize the oil to benefit the poor. And, as we have been brainwashed to believe, unless the oil profits stuff the pockets of the richest U.S.-based/western corporations, it's not 'democracy' and the U.S. government has no compunction about destroying it.

Do I think they're doing it to Iran again? Probably.

Only three years ago, many people thought that Cheney & Rumsfeld were going to nuke Iran. Apparently that got taken "off the table," but I think that Iran--the Pentagon's potential victim of a nuclear holocaust, or of just plain old bombing and invasion a la Iraq (right next door)--is justifiably worried about it, and may have intelligence that the CIA is fomenting this destabilization, or may be simply so concerned about being a U.S. target that they see internal dissent as a threat.

The U.S. and our corpo-fascist press have completely ignored the far worse violence against anti-coup protestors in Honduras, which was and is completely unjustified by any outside threat, with at least a hundred murders of anti-coup protestors--a situation that is on-going (one prominent anti-coup protestor was found beheaded the other day)--and including torture, rapes, beatings, unjust imprisonment, home invasions, use of live ammunition on protestors, job firings and government purges, martial law, suspension of civil rights and shutdown of all opposition media.

The U.S. doesn't want democracy in Iran. They want to install another 'Shah' or a Saudi Arabian-style absolute monarchy. They want a toady government, run by billionaires who will subdue their people, and keep the oil, or the slave labor, or whatever other resources, flowing--and this has not changed in more than half a century of U.S. policy in the Middle East, in Latin America, and elsewhere.

As for Hugo Chavez, he says what everybody else in the world is thinking--that the U.S. is at it again. I like him for it. He brings a dose of reality to public discussion, which is otherwise clotted unto death with hypocrisy and lies. I am totally sick of the lies, whether spoken by Democrats or Republicans, or the corpo/fascist press.

-----

(Edited to fix a typo.)

[WriteDown]

27. So you support the progressive "brother" in Iran?

The Iranian regime is truly a beacon of light.

[Peace Patriot]

39. The current Iranian government is far, FAR better than the U.S.-installed "Shah" and his

death and torture squads. And it is BECAUSE OF the U.S.-installed, heinous 'Shah' that Iran has the government that it has now, a sort of hybrid mullah-monarchy/democracy. The Iranian people were driven toward the mullahs who supported them in overthrowing the 'Shah' and then installed them in a sort of monarchical position to protect their revolution. They give Iranian society cohesion and unity, against the threat of being ravaged by the U.S. once again. The government otherwise operates fairly democratically, except for women, who are not nearly as oppressed in Iran as they are in other Islamic countries, but do not have full human and civil rights.

Iran's government appears to me to be better than almost any other government in the Middle East--despite their reaction to these protests, which is probably driven by fear--and they have good reason to be fearful, both of U.S. attack, and Israeli attack, and of subversion.

Why do you see everything in black and white? I've noticed this about your and other anti-Chavez commenters. If I or someone else tries to bring facts to bear against the wholly negative and false portrait of Chavez and Venezuela in our corpo-fascist press, we get accused of "worshiping" Chavez. Just because we happen to know, for instance, that he really was elected. We happen to know the facts of Venezuela's election system. That's "Chavez worship"--merely to state facts, to point out good programs that his government has implemented, who his friends and allies are--Lula da Silva, for instance--what they think of him, and so on. We are punished for knowing things--for reading, for researching--and are accused of not thinking, of being emotionally attached to Chavez and thinking of him as a "saint."

You are doing the same thing here. Because I understand the history of U.S./Iran relations, and because I try to understand the Iranian government and people, and because I object to the lies that our government and press told us about Iraq, and are telling us about other countries now--countries with OIL!--I somehow believe that Ahmadinejad is a "progressive" and a "brother." I wouldn't describe him the same way Chavez does, but then I've never met the man. I don't know what he's like. I don't have much sense of him outside of the corpo-fascist news sources, which are bent on demonizing Iran and overthrowing, and fomenting war upon, the current government. So I can't trust them. I suspect that he is not a "progressive" in my understanding of the word. On the other hand, compared to the 'Shah,' he is. And compared to almost anyone whom the U.S. would install in power in Iran, he probably is--that is, progressive relative to U.S. murderers, torturers and puppets. That's not very progressive, but it's something to, at least, desire independence and self-determination for your people.

I somewhat followed the controversy on Ahmadinejad's statements about Israel, and my understanding is that he was misquoted. He did not say he wants to destroy Israel. He said that Israel and the U.S. empire would be destroyed (or would disappear? something like that), and, if he meant this in a self-destructive sense, I agree that that is certainly possible. I believe that that was the gist of what he said. He was not threatening Israel. He was predicting Israel's demise, and ours. And if Israel and the U.S. keep on the course they are on--draining U.S. taxpayers to pay for a militaristic and violent stance in the world--it will be our undoing. I agree with that. I don't want to see it, because our downfall or Israel's will most harm the people who oppose militarism and violence in both societies--it will harm the poor majority and the least powerful, the people who don't have a voice. From what I can see, we are in the late stages of the Roman Empire--the decline. That's why our rulers lash out and demonize other countries, and are trying to grab resources by force--and slaughtered a million people in Iran's neighbor, Iraq--and have been torturing prisoners in violation of so many laws. We are a desperate empire. And we aren't much of a democracy any more, either. The "will of the people" is NOT being done, on almost every front.

So, guess what? Chavez made me think. So did you, in your way. You want a black and white answer? I don't have one. Chavez's remarks are interesting. I don't think I agree with him. But Venezuela and Iran have a trade alliance, and Chavez therefore has a sovereign right, clearly given to him by the people of Venezuela, to have his own opinion of the matter, and to act as he thinks best, in Venezuela's interest. And I like someone coming out with a contrary view on Ahmadinejad--contrary to the dull drone of the corpo-fascist press, that anybody who won't hand over their peoples' resources is a "dictator." That might be true of the mullahs (at least on religion). I don't know if it's true of Ahmadinejad. It's certainly not true of Chavez.

[WriteDown]

40. So you do support the current regime....

Thanks for clearing that up. Progressive brothers such as Ahmadinejad and Mugabe must stand strong against the colonialists.

[Peace Patriot]

61. You really don't understand anything in between "support" and "demonization," do you?

I can appreciate the improvement over the U.S.-installed 'Shah.' I can understand Iran's fears, looking at the frigging disaster next door in Iraq. I can enjoy an alternative view because it makes me think. None of this means that I "support" Ahmadinejad. If I were an Iranian voter, I probably wouldn't vote for him. But I think what you're really asking me is, will I join the mob on this witch-hunt and cheer on the U.S. or Israel in nuking the Iranian people because they don't like Ahmadinejad or the mullahs, and lust after Iran's oil? And my answer is **NO!**. Fomenting hatred for a leader has already led the U.S. mob to incinerate 100,000 innocent people in one week of bombing in Iraq. No more mob violence! We need to think, and empathize, and understand. We need to STOP MAKING WAR.

"Kill the witch! Kill the witch! Kill the witch!" That's what you sound like. And if I have sympathy for the "witch" and don't wish to burn her, then I am "in league with Devil," and perhaps I, too, should be burned at the stake. Hm?

[WriteDown]

75. What's between support and don't support? n

[Peace Patriot]

94. Thought. nt

[cali]

74. that's just pathetic. how about condemning both? they're both worthy of that condemnation.

[Peace Patriot]

96. Not much thought there. More "witch hunt" mob emotion. How about making an argument

to support your view?

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

88. Murder and torture aren't being carried out by the current Iranian govt.?

[EFerrari]

30. Chavez is the guy in the room that says what everyone else is thinking

and he says it first.

[Pavulon]

32. Some times everyone is thinking about Jessica Alba's ass

and it does not need to be said. Hugo should, on occasion, shut the fuck up. Get off his knees for the iranians and start looking at how fucked up his country is. Start building some power plants and milking some cows maybe.

[Flaneur]

34. You're full of ideas. Maybe you should join his cabinet.

[Freddie Stubbs]

44. The problem is that sometimes everyone in the room is nuts

[EFerrari]

47. You realize you're smearing all the leaders in Latin America

but for the two murderers in Colombia and Peru, right?

Anyway, happy new year, Freddie. :)

[Bacchus39]

48. no-one but Chavez is supporting Ahmahdenijad, maybe Morales. you make no sense n/t

s

[Freddie Stubbs]

72. You realize that Hugo is the only Latin American leader supporting that murderer Ahmadinejad, right?

Why are the others silent?

Happy New Year. ;)

[EFerrari]

77. Didn't he just go to Bolivia and Brazil?

I don't know that the others are silent but it makes Chavez looks worse if he appears to be the only one talking. :)

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

95. Right, but Lula isn't issuing statements spitting in the face of the Iranian demonstrators.

[Flaneur]

35. Anyone who thinks the CIA is just standing around twiddling its thumbs...

...in Iran is hopelessly naive, or is deliberately wearing blinders.

[WriteDown]

37. That's why Neda was killed.....

She was a CIA stooge working against the progressive leadership in Iran.

[ChangoLoa]

43. Do you think that any movement of insurrection happening in a country

who's enemy with the US is led by the CIA?

Is the CIA creating, leading, using or helping the green movement?

The presence of the CIA around the world, its history, its methods are well documented facts. But I doubt they have the power to install a puppet government in 2010 Iran. Don't you? I see an insurrection movement in which the progressives and the left are very active, against one of the most reactionary, conservative and repressive systems of power in the democratic (election-based) world.

[Flaneur]

63. I think the CIA will attempt to use existing movements for its own ends,

I think there is a genuine movement to try to unseat the regime in Iran. I'm not sure how progressive or leftist that movement is, or what that even means in the Iranian context. Is Tudeh involved? What is the class composition of this movement? I get some sense that this revolt is led by some of the more privileged sectors there.

[EFerrari]

69. MKO is taking some credit:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4204672&mesg_id=4204672

[enid602]

36. fault

Gosh, the Iranians were saying this morning that it´s the fault of the British. Wish they´d get their stories straight.

[Odin2005]

45. Go fuck yourself, Hugo.

[Flaneur]

49. Ooh, how thoughtful and elegant.

[Mudoria]

54. But how true...

[fascisthunter]

56. lol... what truth is in "go fuck yourself"?

[WriteDown]

55. You want elegant?

You need these people

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/socialites_without_borders_teach

[Flaneur]

64. That was pretty funny, but seriously...

I find contributions to the discussion that consist of no more than "fuck you" to be worse than useless.

[WriteDown]

76. I agree. nt

[fascisthunter]

52. Hey Conservos... get Over it... the US doesn't rule the World

even though you want the US to.

If you think it's bad that Chavez is an ally with Iran, why aren't you all so upset about the US being allies with some of the worst most violent people around the World. Seems there is a double standard here.

Truth is, your objection with Chavez really has nothing to do with Iran or "Im-a-dinner-jacket", it's his democratic socialist ideology, because your ideology is the complete opposite from his. You have to veil your distate in numerous ways, but they always get debunked, and here ya are again, the same people who constantly bash the man through phony right wing propaganda.

Both nations have every right to defend themselves against the US, and they have a very valid reason to think the US will, and it will have nothing to do with democracy or human rights, but instead, natural resources. When a country with the strongest military invades countries the way we have, expect to see an equally radical backlash, and don't act so surprised either.

[Ter]

53. You know what all dictators have in common?

They're all loudmouths, and all disrespectful to other nation's leaders. I'll take Obama any day of the week over this shit head.

[EFerrari]

62. If so, then you'd have to account for the insults our ambassador to the UN

bestowed on Mel Zelaya for returning to his own country. You're not calling Obama a dictator are you?

[Ter]

66. Of course not

You're comparing an ambassador to the leader of Venezuela?

[EFerrari]

67. The ambassador speaks for the government just as the minister

in the OP speaks for Venezuela.

[Flaneur]

89. Go peddle your Fox News talking points elsewhere.

Dictator = elected leader you don't like?

[jakefrep]

68. Iran needs to be destabilized to get rid of the scumbag Ahmedinejad

The protesters in Iran are secularists who are sick of the fundamentalist nutjobbery. If Hugo doesn't like it, he can go fuck himself.

[Imajika]

70. Most of the opposition is religious...

...just not fanatically so. They want Islam to modernize, but the old guard Clerics and hardliners will do almost anything to stop any progress towards a more reasonable, sane government based less on fanaticism and more on secular law.

Chavez considers Ahmadinejad to be his "brother" - along with Mugabe (who at one time also had cheerleaders here echoing Mugabe's blather about how great Zimbabwe would be if only it were not for the colonialist Brits!).

Time is running out for Chavez the clown. His population, along with increasing numbers throughout Central and South America, are growing tired of his populist schtick. His appeal is wearing thin, and when the time comes, if he won't go peacefully, he will removed by his people by force.

[EFerrari]

71. More Latin American peoples are going left, not right.

You people crack me up with your dire predictions that never come true.

[BreweryYardRat]

90. So Chavez condones the Iranian government repressing students, labor activists, etc...

In other words, the sort of honest folks who support him in Venezuela?

Chavez has moved past justifiable nervousness about the U.S. military-industrial complex, and into hypocrisy. Hey Hugo, the enemy of your enemy is not necessarily your friend.

[EFerrari]

92. No. He came out against foreign tampering.

Which is another thing altogether.