Should Chavez apologize?

[Zippa D Doodah]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/09/20/chavez.un.ap/index.html


This charming speech is at least as inflammatory as anything the pope has said lately IMO.

 

[Galahad]

Do cartoon characters need to apologize?

 

[Fitswimmer]

Consider the source.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I didn't think there'd be anyone defending this nutball. Glad we can all agree

 

[RitaZ.]

He is a complete moron!

 

[JennyMominRI]

Chavez is an idiot

 

[LukenDC]

Chavez is a whacko who does his country a lot of harm. The guy cannot be taken seriously and his mouth has caused more trouble for Venezuela than any other source.

 

[toto2]

I admire Mr Chavez a lot. Et trully turned is country around and people in Venezuela are really better because of is action.

I've heard that he plans to ask to be president for life. This , I am against , trully and completelly.

If you take out the crazy words in his statement ( devil etc) what he is saying about this american presidensy is somewhat right. Chavez , so far , has been democratically elected ( one of basics of american society and one thing the USA as been ready to go to war to install in other country , or at leat that was the excuse). But obviously , a socialist governement that decides that it will use it's natural ressources to help the people of venezuella instead of making rich corporation ritcher is going to not fly for the USA. a country that will ask for doctors from Cuba to come to and take care of it's poor for free is obviously going to not go down well to a presidensy that thinks that health should be a business that again profits corporation is bad. And when a country is ready to sell it oil for less to poor people in the USA so they can heat there houses in winter , then the US governement is really mad.

I agree that Venezuella could be the next extemist regime in south America and the world need to be a bit cautious , but I think President Chavez said a lot of things that a lot of country leaders think. He just said it in a very inflamatory way. I think to many country are afraid of the concequences of speaking against this Us administration

 

[Fitswimmer]

I would like to hear from someone who is either from his country or knows people that are. I have a friend whose BIL is from Paraguay, and he says in Latin America you are either VERY rich or VERY poor. The politicians say all the right things to get the poor to vote for them, then enrich themselves and nothing changes for the poor. (many would say that's about the same here)

I don't know if it's the same in Venezuala or not.

 

[Anewman]

"he closed to applause..."

 

[Galahad]

I didn't think there'd be anyone defending this nutball. Glad we can all agree

Apparently there was one -

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

I second the motion that he is a moron.

 

[RitaZ.]

Apparently there was one -

So, he wants to be president for life? Now, there's a revelation! I never would have guessed! This is how it all starts... Communism/socialism sounds wonderful in theory, it stinks when put into practice. That's how they lure the poor and oppressed...

 

[toto2]

I think I did not nuance my post very much.

It seems that President Chavez does not like critique a lot and he is not very nice with journalist. So far , There does not seem to be any rounding up of discident voices like in Cuba or like there was in Chili under Pinochet ( a dictator who was put in place after a coup agains a democraticaly elected president, with the sanction of the USA). But we do have reason to be concerned about this fact.

I dont think Chavez is perfect , far from it, but from the different reports I have seen on TV , the poors of Venezuela are alot better of now then before.

I am sure that the fact that he is friends with Castro will come up on this thread , but let's not forget that President Bush is ( literally) holding hands with an Arab king whos counrty is evrything but a beacon of democracy, so ones frienship (or admiration) should not held someone accountable for jis action , in the political spere at least.

 

[RitaZ.]

I dont think Chavez is perfect , far from it, but from the different reports I have seen on TV , the poors of Venezuela are alot better of now then before.

Like I said in the above post, that's how it begins and how they entice the poor.

I lived through communism, so my opinion is somewhat biased.

 

[LukenDC]

Toto, I respect your opinion and the people of Venezuela may have a higher standard of living since Chavez took power (I don't have enough information to have an opinion on the Venezuelan economy). Chavez is alone, however, among world leaders in the way that he talks and represents his country. When speaking about Condaleza Rice, he said "Don't mess with me, Girl." He called the Mexican president a "dog." And Chavez has blatantly endorsed candidates in other countries' elections. Chavez's big mouth has estranged his country from the USA, Mexico, and Chile and he risks alienating other nations in Latin America. Chavez needs a lesson in the fine art of diplomacy and until he learns to control his mouth, Venezuela will continue to suffer ridicule and estrangement from its neighbors.

Chavez claims to be a supporter of human rights, yet he has aligned himself with Iran, which by all accounts has a horrendous human rights record. Chavez has cracked down on his country's media and seems primed for a power grab. The man is no saint.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I can't believe the applause thing either. Sounds like the airing of the grievances rather than something constructive.

Rita, you are just being silly, what do you know? After all he heard about it on the news, so it must be true!

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

My DSIL who is from Colombia is a bit more tuned into SA politics and economy than I am. Her take on things is that Chavez scares the heck out of his people because he is so unstable. He just knows the right buttons to push at the right time, making sort of a straw man out of Bush. I will be interested to hear her opinion on today's speech.

 

[DawnCt1]

I think that Toto was charmed along with many of the members of the UN. Chavez is right about one thing. Get the UN out of the USA so we don't have to host these decadent, depraved thugs and dictators. That's the first step in protecting our borders. I wouldn't give the America hating, President bashing, human rights violators another dime to run that worthless and decrepit organization.

 

[luvwinnie]

I admire Mr Chavez a lot. Et trully turned is country around and people in Venezuela are really better because of is action.

I've heard that he plans to ask to be president for life. This , I am against , trully and completelly.

If you take out the crazy words in his statement ( devil etc) what he is saying about this american presidensy is somewhat right. Chavez , so far , has been democratically elected ( one of basics of american society and one thing the USA as been ready to go to war to install in other country , or at leat that was the excuse). But obviously , a socialist governement that decides that it will use it's natural ressources to help the people of venezuella instead of making rich corporation ritcher is going to not fly for the USA. a country that will ask for doctors from Cuba to come to and take care of it's poor for free is obviously going to not go down well to a presidensy that thinks that health should be a business that again profits corporation is bad. And when a country is ready to sell it oil for less to poor people in the USA so they can heat there houses in winter , then the US governement is really mad.

I agree that Venezuella could be the next extemist regime in south America and the world need to be a bit cautious , but I think President Chavez said a lot of things that a lot of country leaders think. He just said it in a very inflamatory way. I think to many country are afraid of the concequences of speaking against this Us administration

Well, my husband's cousins who first fled Fidel have now FLED Venezuela...I think they would disagree with you.