Third World United States Gets Aid

[Tachikaze]

I gotta check this guy Chavez out very carefully. So, far, I love what he says and does.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/11/22/ven....ap/index.html

[Devastatin Dave]

Wow, what a great guy, you should consider moving down there since this country is so horrible.

[master of the puppets]

hmmm, he is a fine tactician. thats what he want dave support, i'm not saying hes selfish but do not belive that he will gain from this. where all other kindness is lost the one who ismost bountifull in it draws followers like a candle in the dark, he has filled a compassionate void and hopefully others will follow. in the end he and all who follow him will most likely profit but i must say that he is a good person and i will support him, at least more than our own copmpanies.

[Strike For The South]

you nuaghty lil hippie but honestly talk about political brillance

[yesdachi]

I’m not a fan of his but I’ll give him credit for digging on Bush. Although I am not sure why he wants to increase the tension between us?!?!

[QwertyMIDX]

Because he's a smart politican and he realizes that attacking the US is a good way to keep his leftist supports in line.

[Grey_Fox]

A foreign government is doing more for Americans than their own governent. A brilliant move.

Oh yeah, LMAO

[Tricon]

He's wily. I'll give him that.

Humanitarian aid.... that's one of the best one liners this years. Thanks for shaming us. We need it now and then.

[Spino]

hmmm, he is a fine tactician. thats what he want dave support, i'm not saying hes selfish but do not belive that he will gain from this. where all other kindness is lost the one who ismost bountifull in it draws followers like a candle in the dark, he has filled a compassionate void and hopefully others will follow. in the end he and all who follow him will most likely profit but i must say that he is a good person and i will support him, at least more than our own copmpanies.

Gosh, such love for South America's wackiest megalomaniac. I think you and Tachikaze and JAG should get together and write a letter to Chavez asking if he would legally adopt you guys. Once you've been inducted into the Chavez clan be sure to put me on your holiday mailing list. Be sure to convince Papa Hugo shell out the cash for one of those greeting cards that sport a family photo of everyone in front of the Christmas tree. I'm thinking matching red cashmere sweaters with Che's image embroidered on the chest. Tres chic.

I wish this was the 1930s because I'd love to see how you guys respond to the political shenanigans of Adolph and Josef.

[Devastatin Dave]

Gosh, such love for South America's wackiest megalomaniac. I think you and Tachikaze and JAG should get together and write a letter to Chavez asking if he would legally adopt you guys. Once you've been inducted into the Chavez clan be sure to put me on your holiday mailing list. Be sure to convince Papa Hugo shell out the cash for one of those greeting cards that sport a family photo of everyone in front of the Christmas tree. I'm thinking matching red cashmere sweaters with Che's image embroidered on the chest. Tres chic.

I wish this was the 1930s because I'd love to see how you guys respond to the political shenanigans of Adolph and Josef.

[Grey_Fox]

Chavez is as evil as Stalin and Hitler?

What makes him this evil as the twin spawn of Satan?

[Strike For The South]

he is a commie and all commies are inherntly bad becuase america is always right

[Spino]

Chavez is as evil as Stalin and Hitler?

What makes him this evil as the twin spawn of Satan?

Where in my post did I say that? Chavez is like Hitler, Stalin and his bosom buddy Castro in that he is a dictator. These men all share a common bond in that they all went to great lengths to alleviate the common man of the burden of participating in legitimate, free elections and having access to a free press.

Viva la revolucion!

[Red Harvest]

I’m not a fan of his but I’ll give him credit for digging on Bush. Although I am not sure why he wants to increase the tension between us?!?!

Externalization. Typical method for strongmen and totalitarians. If you can keep the focus on some external problem, your people will be less inclined to focus on *your* problems at home. Bush does it too and succeeded for awhile, but Chavez is better at it. Chavez understands something that Bush does not: as we say in chess, "it is the threat that counts." When you actually carry out the threat in the form of an attack you risk failure. If you fail, you are weaker for it. So maintaining a threat can be more effective, and certainly maintain favorable tension longer. Knowing when and how to act is the difference between a master and a patzer.

[Grey_Fox]

He was put into power by the people, and during the coup d'etat he was brought back by the people. I may also point out that it was the media that were a part of the coup attempt and as such are guilty of treason, however it appears that none of them have been shot.

Here's a crazy thought: just because Pat Robinson and Bush say Chavez is evil does not make it true.

[Idaho]

Gosh, such love for South America's wackiest megalomaniac. I think you and Tachikaze and JAG should get together and write a letter to Chavez asking if he would legally adopt you guys. Once you've been inducted into the Chavez clan be sure to put me on your holiday mailing list. Be sure to convince Papa Hugo shell out the cash for one of those greeting cards that sport a family photo of everyone in front of the Christmas tree. I'm thinking matching red cashmere sweaters with Che's image embroidered on the chest. Tres chic.

I wish this was the 1930s because I'd love to see how you guys respond to the political shenanigans of Adolph and Josef.

Stamp your feet and throw your toys around some more - it's funny to watch

I would rather live under Chavez than the US puppets that were the darlings of the US in the 80s - Noriega, Pinochet, etc...

[Lazul]

how come only american says he is a dictator... when i talk to europeans, right and left, they say he is elected by the people. I dont know myself.

anyway, Good going Chavez!... good to see someone is doing something nice to the people theese days.

[Meneldil]

That's indeed weird. As far as I know, he has been elected by the people, just as G. Bush was the first time (= in a not really legitimate way).
Then, as far as I know too, the upper class and media, who weren't really happy, tried to manifest and to kick him out of there.

Now, I may be totally wrong, but I really don't see how he's a crazy dictator (except the fact the US dictators decided so)

[Kaiser of Arabia]

Hah!

Well, Massechusetts isn't exactly first world you know. Their tax brackets are lower than swedens!

</socailism></sarcasm>

[Red Harvest]

how come only american says he is a dictator... when i talk to europeans, right and left, they say he is elected by the people. I dont know myself.

anyway, Good going Chavez!... good to see someone is doing something nice to the people theese days.

I wouldn't call him a dictator and I'm not sure that is what others are calling him. He is a strongman/authoritarian type though. Being elected doesn't really change his *style.*

Milosevic was elected by the people as well. And then there is Mugabe. Chavez shares a characteristic with them in that he seeks to push the interests of a majority socio/political group against minority socio/political group in an extreme fashion.

[Lazul]

Hah!

Well, Massechusetts isn't exactly first world you know. Their tax brackets are lower than swedens!

</socailism></sarcasm>

huh?

[Meneldil]

Milosevic was elected by the people as well. And then there is Mugabe. Chavez shares a characteristic with them in that he seeks to push the interests of a majority socio/political group against minority socio/political group in an extreme fashion.

While in other latino-american countries, presidents usually push the interests of a minority (the wealthy and fat ones) against the majority (the poors). This Chavez is indeed a bad guy

Yet, you're correct on the elected stuff. The fact he got elected doesn't mean he's not an authoritarian leader.

As for the guy himself and his style, as far as my knowledge goes, he seems to be a pretty good politician, and he's apparently bothering about what is happening to the lowest classes in his country. I'm not going to say I'm a fan of Chavez, in case we somehow discover he deported all his opponents to 'gulagos', killed 2 millions people and screwed up his country's economy, but he sure looks to be better than all the formerly supported by the US latino dictator wannabes.

[Redleg]

I'm not going to say I'm a fan of Chavez, in case we somehow discover he deported all his opponents to 'gulagos', killed 2 millions people and screwed up his country's economy, but he sure looks to be better than all the formerly supported by the US latino dictator wannabes.

Kind of like the French supported one in Mexico during the 1800's

Edit: To remove the part of the quote that I was not responding to.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

how come only american says he is a dictator... when i talk to europeans, right and left, they say he is elected by the people. I dont know myself.

So was Hitler.

[Ironside]

So was Hitler.

Not really. He came to power by a political attemt to gain from his populism. Unforturtionably he played with other rules. Hitler never won a election IIRC (not the election in 1933 atleast, did they have elections afterwards?).

Cahvez has been elected and re-elected several times in quite fair elections (focus on the elections, the propaganda from both sides there has been quite noticable).

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Huh. I thought that Adolf was elected in '35...

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Wiki to the rescue.

He was made chancellor/president in August 1934 by "90% of the electorate."

He had been appointed to chancellor previously in '33.

[Soulforged]

Chavez is simply a demagogue, but then again what politician in the history of human kind wasn't. At least he's taking actions and not sitting in a Marfil Tower. Though he's, I must admit, the result of a long chain of what we call here "caudillismo", it has always existed, and will exist as long as we're labeled third world.

[Red Harvest]

While in other latino-american countries, presidents usually push the interests of a minority (the wealthy and fat ones) against the majority (the poors). This Chavez is indeed a bad guy

And to a degree that is a good thing, as I've said before. However, taking it to the extent that he has, and embracing the revolutionary militant trappings he sends out a message that is no better than if it was coming from an elected fascist. He prefers associations with rogue countries. When your hero is someone like Castro who has kept his country perpetually stuck where it was four decades ago, that isn't much of a role model.

And before people blame the U.S., they might want to consider how screwed up European colonialism created the mess that is Central and South America, Africa, the Mid East, South East Asia, and Indonesia.

[Tribesman]

Chavez gets some nice publicity and America tells Spain they cannot sell him ships and planes while at the same time complains that Venezuela is not patroling its borders enough . Who is the lunatic dictator again .

These men all share a common bond in that they all went to great lengths to alleviate the common man of the burden of participating in legitimate, free elections and having access to a free press.

You are just upset that loads of your tax dollars went to the "free" press who plotted a coup and lost , then called elections and recalls and still lost ,you just don't like being associated with losers
Hey your government is even trying to stop broadcasts from Venezuela to other countries , so who is it that doesn't like access to a free press

When your hero is someone like Castro who has kept his country perpetually stuck where it was four decades ago, that isn't much of a role model.

Its amaing how stuck a country can get when it is blockaded , under embargo and has a superpower wrecking its economy isn't it .
Not to mention the foriegn backed terrorists who are trying to overthrow the regime by any means available, you know nice little things like Al-Qaida do , blowing up hotels and airliners sort of thing .