Attempts to oust Venezuela's leader 'expanding democracy' is just rhetoric

[DaveSZ]

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/08/14Venezuela_edit.html

Attempts to oust Venezuela's leader show 'expanding democracy' is just rhetoric
Robert Jensen, LOCAL CONTRIBUTOR
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Saturday, August 14, 2004

Imagine the scandal if a foreign government had for years funneled millions of dollars to political groups in the United States in an attempt to affect the outcome of a U.S. election. Even worse, what if some of the groups that received money had been involved in a failed coup attempt against a democratically elected U.S. president? Would the U.S. public not have a right to be outraged at the attempt to manipulate our political process?

Of course we would — which is why the people of Venezuela have a right to be outraged at the U.S. government's ongoing attempts to meddle in the electoral process in Venezuela.

On Sunday, Venezuelans will go to the polls for a referendum on the recall of President Hugo Chavez. Polls show Chavez running 8 to 31 percentage points ahead. But whatever the result, Bush administration actions in Venezuela should alert the U.S. public that the commitment to "expanding democracy" we hear so much about is largely rhetorical cover for the typical U.S. interference in the politics of nations in Latin America — and around the world.

The vehicle for this meddling in Venezuela is the National Endowment for Democracy, which calls itself "a private, nonprofit organization" but is funded by U.S. taxpayers. Its self-described mission is "to strengthen democratic institutions around the world through nongovernmental efforts."

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[madrchsod]

1. dam i thought the first

paragraph was about the bush family and the saudi government..dam, am i ever dumb.

[reprehensor]

2. Thanks for posting. n/t

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

3. Of course

It's all about the oil.

[Judi Lynn]

4. So proud to see that article appearing in an American paper.

It's fantastic, and 100% different from the trash we've been getting from other sources.

I wasn't a subscriber to your source, but I was so interested in reading that article I registered. It only took a minute, and it was really worth the effort.

Thanks a lot.

[indepat]

5. Democracy, liberty, and freedom are what the Bushies say it is

in their mendacious, duplicitous oxymoronic double-speak.

[DaveSZ]

6. It is a great article

I tried to find it elsewhere, but it was a local editorial from a UT Austin prof.

Use this to try and view it without registration:

http://www.bugmenot.com/