SFP Commentary 2002-06: Venezuela: Next Chile? -Pilger

From: elohimjl <[email protected]>
Date: Sat 16 Mar 2002 - 11:14:45 CET

Dear colleagues and congeners,

I thank Prof. Gary Boyd from Canada the sending (14 March 2002) of the
message enclosed below which I dare to assume it is necessary to diffuse
among some of us: humans who are learning to be increasingly aware about
the urgent need of finding out how humans must determine the humane
perspective for humankind.

Hern�n L�pez-Garay from Venezuela has commented the content of that message
saying

Mi estimado elohim:

LA CAMPA�A DE DESTABILIZACION Y BLOQUEO TOTAL AL GOBIERNO POPULAR Y
LEGITIMAMENTE ELECTO DEL PRESIDENTE HUGO CHAVEZ ES MONSTRUOSA. DICHA
CAMPA�A --EN LA QUE LOS MEDIOS DE COMUNICACION JUEGAN UN PAPEL VITAL----
CREO FIRMEMENTE ESTA ORQUESTADA EN CONJUNCION CON LAS FUERZAS MAS
REACCIONARIAS TANTO DENTRO COMO FUERA DE VENEZUELA.

The campaign for breaking the stability and totally blocking the popular
and legally elected Government of Presideent Hugo Chavez is monstrous.I
firmly believe that this campaign - in which mass media means are playing
the main role - is jointly orchestrated by the most reactionary forces
located inside and outside Venezuela

DADA LA NEGRA HISTORIA DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS EN NUESTRO CONTINENTE (v.gr.
Chile, NIcaragua, El Salvador, Panama, Republica Dominicana, Guatemala,
COlombia, Peru, Uruguay...etc. etc. etc.) Y OTRAS EVIDENCIAS, NO ME CABE
TAMPOCO DUDA DE QUE EL DPTO DE ESTADO Y LA CIA ESTAN METIDOS EN ESTA
CAMPA�A.

Based on the drak history of United States of America in our continent
(e.g. Chile, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panam�, Rep�blica Dominicana,
Guatemala, Colombia, Per�, Uruguay,...etc. etc. etc) and (based) on other
evidences, I would not have any doubt that the State Dept. and CIA are
involved in this campaign

Un abrazo fraterno y latinoamericano

Hern�n
______________

I dare to argue that one of our main tasks in FIS is to identify the
sources of RELIABLE INFORMATION, but also to recognize who is interested in
organizing the DISINFORMATION and as well to denounce FALSE INFORMATION
SPECIALLY IN THE DOMAIN OF SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL CONCERNS. There
are indeed minority groups in powerful positions who become experts in
lying in order to maintain their positions. In case we do not notice such a
danger it will become improper and contradictory to manage INFORMATION
without realizing that it is very often "infected" by political actions
that aim at disorganizing through defamation the efforts of people to build
their perspective supported by their own resources.

elohim

�����������������

14 March 2002

Elohim;

"there are troubles in your backyard too it seems which need the light of
day cast upon them?"

Gary Boyd

>Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2002 11:17:18 -0500 From: Paul Hamel
><paul.hamel@utoronto.ca>
>Subject: SFP Commentary 2002-06: Venezuela: Next Chile? -Pilger
>
>List-Id: <sfpcan.helios.physics.utoronto.ca>
>
>While the myopic eye (singular) of the western media tries to focus on the
>events the U.S. government wishes them to report on, the U.S. continues
>its economic aggression and destabilization of the democratically elected
>government of Venezuela. As has occurred throughout Latin America
>whenever the people vote for a real change in policy rather than for the
>usual selection of the economic elites, the U.S. once again is not
>allowing the "irresponsibility" of the Venezuelan people supporting Hugo
>Chavez to stand in the way of the "right kind" of democratic process.
>(that process in the U.S. is typically a meaningless excersize in voting
>between the far right and not so far right business parties). The
>standard "democracy-promoting ideology" of the U.S. was well articulated
>by that war criminal (revered senior statesman in the U.S.) Henry
>Kissinger who stated I don t see why we need to stand by and watch a
>country go communist because of the irresponsibility of its own people"
>when Salvador Allende was elected democratically in Chile. Chavez in
>Venezuela has committed the ultimate sin of actually attempting to lessen
>the grinding poverty in Venezuela by using oil revenues to distribute such
>luxuries as health care and education to all people. I suppose we knew
>there was something "not quite right" with Chavez when he traded oil for
>Cuban doctors and health professionals rather than for U.S.-made military
>equipment and personal offshore bank accounts. These are dangerous ideas
>in a region where such policies are typically overthrown by U.S.
>intervention or by the military personnel who are "properly" trained in
>issues of democracy and coups at the School of the Americas. This, then,
>represents another important front on the
>"war-against-everybody-who-doesn't-like-my-daddy's-New-World-Order"...I
>mean "the war on terrorism". Have a nice day.
>
>
>ZNet Commentary
>
Venezuela: Next Chile? March 13,
2002
By John Pilger

He has won two elections, and he has made a start on relieving poverty.
So now the US wants to get rid of Venezuela's president

Almost 30 years after the violent destruction of the reformist government
of Salvador Allende in Chile, a repeat performance is being planned in
Venezuela. Little of this has been reported in Britain. Indeed, little is
known of the achievements of the government of Hugo Chavez, who won
presidential elections in 1998 and again in 2000 by the largest majority in
40 years.

Following the principles of a movement called BolIvarism, named after the
South American independence hero Simon BolIvar, Chavez has implemented
reforms that have begun to shift the great wealth of Venezuela, principally
from its oil, towards the 80 per cent of his people who live in poverty.

In 49 laws adopted by the Venezuelan Congress last November, Chavez began
serious land reform, and guaranteed indigenous and women's rights and free
healthcare and education up to university level.

Chavez faces enemies that Allende would recognise. The "oligarchies", which
held power since the 1950s during the corrupt bipartisan reign of the
Social Christians and Democratic Action, have declared war on the reforming
president, backed by the Catholic Church and a trade union hierarchy and
the media, both controlled by the right.

What has enraged them is a modest agrarian reform that allows the state to
expropriate and redistribute idle land; and a law that limits the
exploitation of oil reserves, reinforcing a constitutional ban on the
privatisation of the state oil company.

Allied with Chavez's domestic enemies is the Bush administration. Defying
Washington, Chavez has sold oil to Cuba and refused overflying rights to
American military aircraft supplying "Plan Colombia", the US
campaign in support of the murderous regime in neighbouring Colombia.
Worse, although he condemned the attacks of 11 September, he questioned the
right of the United States to "fight terrorism with terrorism".

For this, he is unforgiven. On 5-7 November, the State Department, Pentagon
and National Security Agency held a two-day meeting to discuss "the problem
of Venezuela". The State Department has since accused the Chavez government
of "supporting terrorism" in Colombia, Bolivia and Ecuador. In fact,
Venezuela opposes American-funded terrorism in those three countries.

The US says it will "put Venezuela in diplomatic isolation"; Colin Powell
has warned Chavez to correct "his understanding of what a democracy is all
about". Familiar events are unfolding.

The International Monetary Fund has indicated it supports a "transitional
government" for Venezuela. The Caracas daily El Nacional says the IMF is
willing to bankroll those who remove Chavez from office.

James Petras, a professor at New York State University, who was in Chile in
the early 1970s and has studied the subversion of the Allende government,
says that "the IMF and financial institutions are fabricating a familiar
crisis. The tactics used are very similar to those used in Chile. Civilians
are used to create a feeling of chaos, and a false picture of Chavez as a
dictator is established, then the military is incited to make a coup for
the sake of the country."

A former paratrooper, Chavez apparently still has the army behind him (as
Allende did, until the CIA murdered his loyal military chief, opening the
way to Pinochet). However, several senior officers have denounced Chavez as
a "tyrant" and have called for his resignation. It is difficult to assess
this; in its rumour-mongering, the hostile Caracas press plays a role
reminiscent of Chile's right-wing press, with poisonous stories questioning
Chavez's sanity.

The most worrying threat comes from a reactionary trade union hierarchy,
the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV), led by Carlos Ortega, a hack
of the anti-Chavez Democratic Action Party. The CTV maintains a black list
of "disloyal" and "disruptive" members, which it supplies to employers.

According to Dick Nichols, writing from Caracas, Chavez's most serious
mistake has been his failure to move against the union old guard, following
a national referendum in which a majority gave him a mandate to reform the
CTV.

The crime of Hugo Chavez is that he has set out to keep his electoral
promises, redistributing the wealth of his country and subordinating the
principle of private property to that of the common good. Having
underestimated the power of his enemies, his current counter-offensive is
imaginative but also hints of desperation.

He has set up what are called "BolIvarian circles", of which 8,000 are
being established in communities and workplaces across the country. Based
on the revolutionary heritage of Simon BolIvar's triumph in the war against
Spain, their job is to ..."raise the consciousness of citizens and develop
all forms of participatory organisations in the community, releasing
projects in health, education, culture, sport, public services, housing and
the preservation of the environment, natural resources and our historical
heritage".

Allied to this is a popular command "unifying and strengthening the forces
in support of President Chavez".

These are fighting words that echo through the continent's history of epic
struggles. They say that yet another South American country, in offering
its people an alternative to poverty and foreign domination, the "threat of
a good example", is entering a period of great uncertainty and fear. The
achievements in Venezuela are a clear response to those who say that
radical dreams and change are no longer possible. Chavez should be
supported by all democrats. Chile must not happen again.
Received on Sat Mar 16 11:11:46 2002

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