Chavez continues trip down "Paranoia Avenue"

[DeepIron]

Man this guy is really getting paranoid:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americ...vez/index.html

He expanded that threat Saturday, saying he would halt oil exports worldwide if Venezuela is invaded or if attempts are made to oust him.

Anyone planning to invade Venezuela? No one I know...

Chavez used much of the news conference for foreign reporters to criticize the media, singling out CNN in particular. He pointed to an on-screen caption on its Spanish-language network earlier this week that he said was an incitement to assassinate him.

Yeah, major media networks often do this sort of thing...

On Tuesday, CNN en Espanol showed a picture of Chavez with a caption saying, "Who killed him?" at the bottom of the screen. The caption was meant to be used on a story about Washington Redskins football player Sean Taylor, who was killed last Monday. CNN has apologized for the error.

:rotfl:

[August]

He desperately needs an enemy to justify his existance.

[DeepIron]

He's got to be delusional... This "Me Against the World" cr*p is going to cost the Venezuelan people dearly in the long run, just like Ahmadinejad in Iran is doing to that country with his anti-West sentiments.

[Torplexed]

Chavez is a big admirer of Castro and Castro pretty much ran Cuba for half a century under the pretext of: "we're under constant threat of invasion." (especially after the Bay of Pigs) Sounds like he's still following in his hero's footsteps.

[DeepIron]

Too bad Hugo didn't learn from Castro's mistakes... How many people are living below the poverty line in Cuba...

The Bay of Pigs was a complex Cod War issue, and Castro should have known the consequences of trying to face down the US and place Russian nukes on the island... 40+ plus years of US embargoes...

[August]

Originally Posted by DeepIron

Too bad Hugo didn't learn from Castro's mistakes... How many people are living below the poverty line in Cuba...

The Bay of Pigs was a complex Cod War issue, and Castro should have known the consequences of trying to face down the US and place Russian nukes on the island... 40+ plus years of US embargoes...

None of that matters really, when the objective is just to remain in power. That Castro has done.

[Tachyon]

Originally Posted by DeepIron

Too bad Hugo didn't learn from Castro's mistakes... How many people are living below the poverty line in Cuba...

The Bay of Pigs was a complex Cod War issue, and Castro should have known the consequences of trying to face down the US and place Russian nukes on the island... 40+ plus years of US embargoes...

And possibly 40+ assasination attempts on Castro after that. Didn't enhance the CIA's credibility a bit , they should have asked the KGB to do it for them

[DeepIron]

None of that matters really, when the objective is just to remain in power. That Castro has done.

Quite true...

And possibly 40+ assasination attempts on Castro after that. Didn't enhance the CIA's credibility a bit , they should have asked the KGB to do it for them.

LOL! Yeah. The poisoned milkshake episode is the one that I recall...

Well, it is said, "The People get the Government they deserve." and I guess that applies to every nation...

[Onkel Neal]

Take that, you wannabe Hitler.


Editorial: Chavez defeat a win for democracy

Score one for democracy. In oil-rich Venezuela, Hugo Chávez has narrowly lost a referendum that would have made him president for life.

Had Chávez won the raft of constitutional changes he was seeking, Venezuela would have become a dictatorship. Chávez would have been granted the power to declare martial law at will and suspend civil liberties, expropriate private property without legal recourse, shut down the news media without justification, rescind the independence of the central bank and control all foreign currency reserves, do away with regional and local elections, and handpick local leaders.

Hoping to rely on the support of the poor and the young, Chávez threw in some sweeteners: reducing the workweek from 40 to 30 hours, boosting pension payments and bringing the voting age down to 16. It didn't work. Even loyal supporters balked at granting Chávez's toxic dream.


It was a rare defeat for Chávez, the first he's suffered since he was voted into office in 1998. But the White House was right not to rub it in, even as much as Chávez irks it. Instead, Washington simply praised Venezuelans for their support of democracy. That was enough. Trying to make the best of the stinging rejection, Chávez said the ballot taught him that "Venezuela is maturing." With luck, it will continue to mature without him after his term expires in 2012

Venezuelans Bring Chavez to His Knees

[baggygreen]

I read about this, apparently it was 49% to 51%, and he will continue with his goal of securing power for life...

[August]

Originally Posted by baggygreen

49% to 51%

And with a turnout of only 60% of eligible voters which i think is just as significant.