US campaign to ring Chavez alarm fails to resonate

[Minstrel Boy]

US campaign to ring Chavez alarm fails to resonate

Sun Aug 28, 2005


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - "Since when did Venezuela become a threat?" asked U.S. radio sports talk show host Tony Kornheiser.

"Since gas went over $3," his co-host joked, referring to soaring U.S. prices and the fact Venezuela holds the largest oil reserves outside the Middle East.

...

A congressional official, who asked not to be named because he was relating a private conversation, said a bipartisan delegation of U.S. legislators met Condoleezza Rice before she became secretary of state to urge her to reach out to Chavez.

According to the official, Rice cut the lawmakers off and said, "We just don't like him."

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-08-28T123315Z_01_MCC845136_RTRUKOC_0_UK-VENEZUELA-USA.xml

[Spinzonner]

1. The Queen has spoken

Nice to know our foreign policy is in the hands of such responsible, mentally balance adults.

God save us all.

[Eloriel]

4. Well, she was just brushing them off

The real reason is he's a leftie and most of all has a lot of oil which he's not handling right as far as the U.S. is concerned -- IOW: we want it for our oil companies, not his.

[burythehatchet]

18. I'm numb

they are mobsters

[calimary]

27. Let's all remember Iraq, too. Look at how well things have gone since

"Major combat operations have ended." Anybody remember who was put in charge of "coordinating postwar Iraq?" Remember the tug-o-war she had with rummy for control? And she won? WOWEE, Contradicta. WHAT a BAND-UP JOB you're doing! I think she's spent so much time with the idiot-in-chief that his Reverse-Midas Touch (everything he touches turns to shit) has rubbed off on her. Yeah, Iraq's in GREAT shape now, Contradicta. And some people say you're presidential material. I guess they're basing that on the model set by george.

[asjr]

2. I don't think we should worry about

Al Queda terrorists attacking America anymore. We are doing a damn good job ruining our country all by ourselves. And, Condi, where do you get that "We?"

[reprobate]

22. That was the Royal 'WE'. King George and consort Queen Kindasleezy

[Mairead]

3. Of course they don't like him! He's doing things for working people.

I don't know how we're going to do it, but we MUST change the system.

I wonder how much international energy there'd be to help us out if we did start something to take back the US. Would Macchiavelli's dictum prove true about the difficulty of trying to change things?

[Peace Patriot]

21. 80% of the vote in the 2004 election was tabulated by two, far rightwing

corporations (Diebold and ES&S) using SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code.

THAT's what we need to change. We need...

Paper ballots hand-counted at the precinct level (--Canada does it in one day, although speed should not even be a consideration, just accuracy and verifiability)

or, at the least

Paper ballot (not "paper trail") backup of all electronic voting, a 10% audit (automatic recount), strict security, and NO SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code! (...jeez!).

See the DU Forum "2004 Election Results and Discussion" for information and action ideas:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=203

------

Prior to 2002, our corporate rulers controlled our political process by simply buying politicians with big campaign contributions, and we ended up having corporate lawyers write our laws. The personal corruption or corrupt thinking affected both parties, and is epitomized, in my mind, by Clinton signing NAFTA with no labor and environmental protections. (NAFTA and other such "free piracy" agreements are the direct cause of the outsourcing of millions of jobs.)

Now, our corporate rulers--and the most rightwing and fanatical among them--are directly controlling the vote tabulation. They want more than complete control over our laws. They want complete control over our military for war profiteering. This, too, is the result of bipartisan corruption--both Dem and Repub election officials succumbing to Diebold's and ES&S's lavish lobbying, and the heady power of brokering big business deals in what has become a billion dollar industry (the counting--or, mis-counting--of our votes!)

The local/state corruption in our election system is a formidable obstacle to election reform--but Washington DC is an Iron Curtain. No hope there at all. And the power over election systems still resides at the local/state level, where ordinary people still have some potential influence.

So, we have to get this done at the local/state level. It's our last chance--and only hope--for our democracy.

Throw Diebold and ES&S election theft machines into 'Boston Harbor' NOW!

-------

For information on who is "counting" our votes, see this amazing web site:
http://www.answers.com/topic/2004-u-s-presidential-election-controversy-voting-machines

For an understanding of the corruption of our election officials, check out this hogfest at the Beverly Hilton earlier this month--a week of fun, sun and high-end shopping for election officials from around the country, sponsored by Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x380340

What's even more disturbing than Bushites stealing elections (I mean, that's to be expected, right?) is Democrats selling out our right to vote for a week at the Beverly Hilton, or future job offers, or other lobbying perks--or for personal power. It kind of makes you want to vomit. (Connie McCormack, Democrat, head of Los Angeles county elections, and a featured speaker at the Beverly Hilton event, is one of the worst. She has done more to destroy the integrity of elections in this country than just about any other person I can think of, and is right up there with Kenneth Blackwell, in my opinion.)

[Peace Patriot]

24. P.S. Hugo Chavez, in contrast to Bush, was elected by huge majorities in

Venezuela, in elections that were closely monitored by hundreds of international election groups, including the Carter Center, all of whom declared the Venezuelan elections to be honest and above board.

Venezuela has electronic voting, but with OPEN SOURCE CODE!

We could learn a thing of two from the Venezuelans about honest elections and about participatory democracy. This is the first time in Venezuela's history that the great masses of extremely poor, brown-skinned Venezuelans have ever been represented in government, and Chavez is proceeding peacefully and lawfully to insure that the majority receives some benefit from Venezuela's oil riches, at long last. It is a limited and business-friendly socialism. It is not repressive in any sense. They are not confiscating anybody's land or riches. They are simply using some of the long-nationalized oil revenues to build and staff schools, medical clinics and community centers in poor areas, and are distributing non-disputed spare lands to landless peasants. And the rich oil elite, which owns all the media, is going nuts over these simple and just measures, that have come about as the result of DEMOCRACY.

It's no wonder that the Bushites hate Chavez with the entirety of their evil, greedy, torturing, murdering, shriveled little souls. He is everything they are not.

[reprobate]

25. At this point, I think there are only two possibilities.

1. Our nation will become the economic target of the rest of the world. It's apparent that we are now either hated or feared by most of the rest of the nations. Iran's opening it's own oil market and trading in euros , as well as other currencies is only the start. When our bonds have trouble selling and we have to raise the rates, look for massive inflation to hit like a brickbat. Of course, our government won't tell us about it, everything's honkey dorey.

Or,

2. on second thought, maybe as a result of 1. a tripping point will be reached where the people finally see the results of their mesmerized trance following the medea's lies. Violence then becomes not only possible, but likely. And in america everyone owns a gun. It wouldn't be prudent-to quote the bastard's sire-to depend on the military or national guard to quell the violence. They are likely to be the angriest and at the front of the charge.

I don't know what gives me this idea, but for the last couple of years I have seen a dark period enfolding our nation, followed by an emergence into the light once more, and our country finally becoming what the founders envisioned originally. And that includes the severe control and regulation of corporations. If they are even permitted to exist in the future.

A noble dream.

[oneighty]

5. "We just don't like him"

Then she continued. "The ass hole intends to share the profits gained from selling off the peasant's natural resources with God Forbid the peasants. Can you Imagine that idea gaining a foothold in the Land of the Free?

Well why not Condi? It works in Alaska.

180

[rodeodance]

6. Bush is more her type

[rodeodance]

8. seems like our policy is a joke. What does this say about the

Bush administration!!

[Freedom_from_Chains]

9. Well keep in mind

It's not just the Bush administration, but our entire foreign policy for the last 50 years. Something that Ward Churchill was trying to point out but which got lost in the anti-American cries, primarily because it is an issue we desperately don't want to address.

[rodeodance]

16. yes, you are right. this is one part of the package.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

17. "It's not just the bush administration"

Thank you. I keep telling people, this goes much deeper.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

19. On a related note

I just heard the mayor of N.O. claim, talking about Katrina that is bearing down on them, that a 1/3 of our foreign oil is imported through that region. Depending on the kind of damage that happens we could be looking at a situation where $3.00 a gallon gas would look cheap.

However, we could potentially make up some of our loses with our west coast facilities except most of the oil that comes through there is coming from Venezuela, but thanks to the loud months of the christian right we just really aren't on good terms with them right now.

[Canuckistanian]

7. "My husb... We don't like him"

[bahrbearian]

10. "and my husband makes the decision to go to war not you"

[Cha]

11. I JUST DON'T LIKE that little

DARTH VADER WANNABE! Why doesn't cheney tell her to go fuck herself?

Oh, cause he's one of the "we" in "we just don't like him"?

Does that mean rice and patwah robertson are on the same page?

conjob rice is so jealous of a man like Hugo Chavez.


VIVA CHAVEZ!

[maddezmom]

12. how very diplomatic

:eyes: Would probably be easier to name the folks you do like. I'm sure it's a short list.

USA

[bahrbearian]

14. Don't forget Poland, or are they still on the list?

I know we don't like Spain.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MasonJar]

15. Well, two can play that game, Condi. I just don't like you or your

boss.

[FlyByNight]

20. "We just don't like him."

Is this what passes for foreign policy these days? The US government has done business with the absolute worst fascist tyrants in the post-WWII period (not grouping Chavez in that category) and Ms. Rice "doesn't like him?" Infantile.

Apparently, not enough of the "right" people are getting wealthy from Venezuela's oil business.

Oh, and Ms. Rice, you have no credibility whatsoever in Venezuela or the rest of South America. You're an embarrassment as is your boss.

:banghead:

[Robeson]

23. Total arrogance....

...they are completely consistent in their total disregard for anyone and everyone. She "cut the lawmakers off", which was basically telling them to shut up. Then she let those lawmakers know regarding Chavez, "We just don't like him". So, in essence, she said, screw you lawmakers, and screw Chavez, too. Total unmasked arrogance.

[Cocoa]

26. it's a big joke where I work

a blue collar environment where politics is rarely discussed, everybody knows about the Robertson-Chavez story, and it's universally seen as a total joke. (the anti-Chavez campaign, that is)

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[knight_of_the_star]

29. As expected for a winger

Who seems to be ignoring that the US SHOULD be above making such statements, what was that little expression, "In defeating your enemy you become him have you truly won?"