PALAST: Dick Cheney, Hugo CHAVEZ and Bill Clinton's Band (BRILLIANT!)

[DoveTurnedHawk]

Why Venezuela has Voted Again for Their 'Negro e Indio' President
Monday Aug 16, 2004

There's so much BS and baloney thrown around about Venezuela that I may be violating some rule of US journalism by providing some facts. Let's begin with this: 77% of Venezuela's farmland is owned by 3% of the population, the 'hacendados.'

I met one of these farmlords in Caracas at an anti-Chavez protest march. Oddest demonstration I've ever seen: frosted blondes in high heels clutching designer bags, screeching, "Chavez - dic-ta-dor!" The plantation owner griped about the "socialismo" of Chavez, then jumped into his Jaguar convertible.

That week, Chavez himself handed me a copy of the "socialist" manifesto that so rattled the man in the Jag. It was a new law passed by Venezuela's Congress which gave land to the landless. The Chavez law transferred only fields from the giant haciendas which had been left unused and abandoned.

This land reform, by the way, was promoted to Venezuela in the 1960s by that Lefty radical, John F. Kennedy. Venezuela's dictator of the time agreed to hand out land, but forgot to give peasants title to their property.

But Chavez won't forget, because the mirror reminds him. What the affable president sees in his reflection, beyond the ribbons of office, is a "negro e indio" -- a "Black and Indian" man, dark as a cola nut, same as the landless and, until now, the hopeless. For the first time in Venezuela's history, the 80% Black-Indian population elected a man with skin darker than the man in the Jaguar.

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http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=362&row=0

DTH

[Vladimir]

1. Very very very true

It is shocking, is it not, that 84% of the oil profits go to the oil companies, not the country? Can anyone say exploitation?

[CanIgonow]

2. Even the most rabid capitalist should be able to see that if

the people derived some benefits from the oil revenues the capitalists themselves would benefit even more,sort of like Henry Ford's insight that his own autoworkers could become his biggest market.I guess in the privileged sanctuaries of Latin America such thoghts would be considered heresy, not the least because of the racist thinking that Palast exposes so well.

[NewJeffCT]

4. good post - welcome to DU

I'm just hoping we don't become a bigger version of Venezuela here.

[Vladimir]

5. LOL, it would be a big step forward n/t

[NewJeffCT]

6. well

We're not quite up to the top 3% controlling 77% of the country - yet... I know the top 1% here control 40-45% of the wealth, but I don't think the next 2% control another 30-37%?

I could be wrong, though.

[Vladimir]

7. I was being jovial

although nothing would surprise me when it comes to the Developed World...

[CanIgonow]

8. Unfortunately, history is not on our side, NewJeffCT.Countries like

Venezuela, as they empower their long dispossessed are going to be on the ascendant along with countries like Brazil, Chile,Argentina, Peru
which does not bode well for the Empire seekers from Washington, D.C.The wasting of our wealth on foreign military adventures like Iraq and God knows where else is going to drain our blood and treasure unless we rveerse course in November and set this country on a firm course of peace, reconciliation and yes, prosperity ,along with the people of Venezuela.

[NewJeffCT]

9. not just those countries

China & India both have growing middle classes and a lot more people than the US... Granted, both countries have issues - China has banking problems & the Taiwan issue, while India has nuclear neighbor Pakistan and other issues I'm drawing a blank on right now.

If Europe, Canada, South America, China & India keep developing, along with Africa hopefully, pretty soon nobody will want to buy the US dollar any more and our economy really goes into the tank... Or, they can all just collectively give the US the finger and figure that they can take a few lumps, but it will be much worse here.

[Veggie Meathead]

12. The bible says Blessed are the meek.Hugo Chavez has shown that

this biblical adage is true.It is going to become a thunderous stampede in the decades ahead as you have rightly pointed out.Either we join this righteous revolution of the dispossessed or we will be left in the dust.

In this connection our own Governor Jennifer Granholm quoted the scriptures of how her obligation is to look after the least among us setting off anger from the Republican fundamentalist crowd.I am glad we have people like her among us.

[loudsue]

3. This needs to happen world wide.....THE PEOPLE need to rise up

And take their part from the efforts of their labor. Globalization has become a class war....not of the PEOPLE'S making, but of the elite's making.

And I agree with the above poster that the resources, oil, gold, etc., of a country BELONG to the PEOPLE. The elite can benefit handsomely for their efforts in organizing businesses that EXTRACT and MARKET those resources WITHOUT oppressing the people of the country, and WITHOUT the criminal "good-ole-boy cliques" that try to wrestle every penny away from the PEOPLE, and build armies to keep the "slaves" in line.

WE OUTNUMBER THEM!! And we're about to level the playing field!!!!

:bounce: I love it!! :bounce:

:kick::kick:

[goclark]

10. Bingo! That's what this is all about

Kerry MUST win this election because we must send a message world wide that "the rich can not inherit the ENTIRE earth."

The real reason that I know that BushCo and the Neocons will do absolutely anything to stay in power is...

RACISM - they(certainly not the huge majority of White people) know that the minorities of the world are really the majority. This coming election for us is like Custer's last stand.
If Bush and the NeoCons don't win this one,WE will have learned how to give power to the people instead of the Nazis.

M O N E Y - they must win because they don't want to give one dime in Medicare, Social Security etc. They ( when I say they I don't mean all rich people,it is just the power grabbers) know that this election is Custer's last stand. Even though Kerry is extremely wealthy, his core beliefs are for taking care of everybody. Edwards believes that too.

Last night I saw "The Hunting of the President," it is a powerful movie. It makes the same case. They went after Clinton because of his core beliefs not Monica.

I am so happy for the results of the recall!!!!!

Power to the People!! Martin L. King Jr. would look down on this day and be happy.

[AP]

11. Adverse possession. We have this in the US. Not even a freeper would

call it socialism. It's capitalist at is core. People who aren't using their land productively, and care so little about it that they don't know people are using it will lose it to someone who uses it beneficially, openly and notoriously, and for the proscribed period of time.

That's how you ensure the economy creates as much wealth as possible. That's what capitalism is all about. When Chavez does it, they call it socialism. It makes no sense.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

13. Kick

This is a really great article!

DTH