Thousands gather in Venezuela's capital to support president facing ouster

[Say_What]

<clips>

(08-23) 10:34 PDT CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) --

Tens of thousands of President Hugo Chavez's supporters gathered in the capital Saturday to help the leftist leader counter a renewed opposition push for a referendum aimed at ousting him.

Throngs of "Chavistas," as the president's backers are known, congregated for a march through the capital to show the president's foes he still commands high support among the nation's poor majority.

"We are poor and we back the president," said Yaritza Alfaro, a 38-year-old housewife who was convinced the opposition push for an early vote on Chavez's rule would not prosper. "We won't permit a referendum."

The march formed part of a week-long celebration touting government social programs that have convinced many Chavez is their only hope.

<http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/08/23/international1334EDT0544.DTL>

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Allies of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez march to show opponents pushing for his ouster that the Venezuelan leader still commands high support among the nation's poor majority in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2003. The banners in foreground read 'Doctors with Chavez' and 'Guayana is present.' Guayana is a region in Venezuela. (AP Photo/Marcelo Hernandez)

[The Magistrate]

1. Good

This is the voice of the Venezuelan people, not the shabby collection of petit bourgeoisie shilling for an overturning of an election they lost decisively. Col. Chavez is, and will remain, master of the situation there: by local standards he has displayed extraordinary leniency to those opposing his rule by extra-legal means.

[DBoon]

3. You mean California's governor?

"shabby collection of petit bourgeoisie shilling for an overturning of an election".

Describes Darrell Issa perfectly.

[StandWatie]

14. the parallels are striking..

[PATRICK]

16. Not parallels, the same plan

the same planners. If only we could nail the CIA involvement and WH oversight for a coup against democracy(any true American CIA whistleblowers left?) and show another tentacle of the octopus in California, just maybe we could get our own people in the streets.

[Kbowe]

2. Our failures in Iraq to grab the oil and bring stability is making

S. Americans very nervous. They know that it will be only a matter of time before the US begins in earnest to unseat their elected officials who are for the people and not the corporations. Venezuelans oil is the prize for the coup that the US is about to attempt once again.

[Say_What]

5. Vheadline.com: Nothing will stop the USA from doing its “dirty work” in Ve

<clips>

VHeadline.com commentarist Oscar Heck writes: “Free Trade” USA-style is not free ... it costs. It costs jobs and costs dignity. Free Trade, USA-style, is a tool to ensure the perpetuation of the “American Dream.” And it's a dream since most people in the world can only dream about it.

Canada (unfortunately) joined the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) under the Brian Mulroney prime-minister-ship. By joining NAFTA, the Canadians also quickly began to learn how to become “American business people.”

What are some of the consequences that Canada is living through because of NAFTA and because of the US “business values?” How would an extension of NAFTA into Latin America affect Venezuela?

While working as a professional recruiter in Canada in the late 90’s and early 00’s, I saw a degradation of human values in business decision-making. Human values and their application were exchanged for “American business values” and their implementation. NAFTA promised Canada and Canadians greater freedom to do business ... but guess what happened?

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=10431

[Judi Lynn]

4. It IS creepy that Bush's State Department

was deeply involved in the coup attempt in April of last year, with our own obnoxious ambassador, James Shapiro rushing out to throw both his grubby arms around Pedro Carmona, the would-be king, and also _Bush's own schemers plotting to pilfer California, and overturn the last gubernatorial election results.

They have the nerve to yammer on about countries which don't have multi-party systems. Unbelievable.

For anyone who didn't read it, this article on U.S. involvement in Venezuela's coup is eye-opening:

(snip) American navy 'helped Venezuelan coup'

Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles
Monday April 29, 2002
The Guardian

The United States had been considering a coup to overthrow the elected Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, since last June, a former US intelligence officer claimed yesterday.
It is also alleged that the US navy aided the abortive coup which took place in Venezuela on April 11 with intelligence from its vessels in the Caribbean. Evidence is also emerging of US financial backing for key participants in the coup.

Both sides in Venezuela have blamed the other for the violence surrounding the coup.

Wayne Madsen, a former intelligence officer with the US navy, told the Guardian yesterday that American military attaches had been in touch with members of the Venezuelan military to examine the possibility of a coup.

"I first heard of Lieutenant Colonel James Rogers going down there last June to set the ground," Mr Madsen, an intelligence analyst, said yesterday. "Some of our counter-narcotics agents were also involved." (snip/...)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,706802,00.html

[Say_What]

6. Reuters follow-up article--"More than 100,000 supporters of Chavez"

<clips>

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - More than 100,000 supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez jammed a central Caracas avenue on Saturday in a show of strength to challenge a referendum campaign to oust the leftist leader.

Salsa music and drums rose above a sea of revolutionary red banners and flags as protesters celebrated the halfway mark of the populist president's six-year mandate and rejected an opposition bid to unseat him through the ballot box.

"We here defending ... a president who defends the people. I'm certain they'll never manage their referendum," Infrastructure Minister and close Chavez ally Diosdado Cabello said at the rally.

More than a year of bitter political conflict and street protests have sharply divided Venezuela over Chavez's rule and left the economy of the world's No. 5 oil exporter in tatters.

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=3326420

[The Zanti Regent]

7. Does our Whore Press cover this?

Oh, why even ask??????

[dArKeR]

8. Thousands march for Chavez

Tens of thousands of President Hugo Chavez's supporters marched through the capital on Saturday to help the leftist leader counter a renewed opposition push for a referendum on ousting him.

Blowing whistles and chanting "Oh, no! Chavez won't go!" government backers marched from two points in eastern and southern Caracas toward a downtown avenue, where Venezuelan leader was slated to address the crowd.

Hundreds on roaring motorcycles led the masses of "Chavistas," as the president's backers are known, while Venezuelan folk music blared from loudspeakers mounted on trucks. One banner read: "Chavez until 2021."

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,6119,2-10-1462_1406185,00.html

Isn't 'Thousands' different from 'Tens of thousands'?

http://darker0darker.tripod.com/

[Say_What]

9. AP: "As many as 500,000 supporters"

While the US media whores ALWAYS try to play down the support for Hugo Chavez.
********************************

<clips>

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- President Hugo Chavez celebrated the midpoint of his six-year term Saturday by telling hundreds of thousands of supporters he would not bow to efforts to oust him through the ballot box.

As many as 500,000 supporters gathered on a downtown avenue, according to Caracas fire officials, to hear Chavez and to rebuff an opposition push for a referendum on Chavez's rule. Organizers claimed as many as 3 million people were present.

"Victory is ours, whatever the cost!" Chavez told the cheering crowd. "We are prepared for any sacrifice to fulfill our promise to Venezuela. Long live the revolution!"

Many wore red shirts and berets identifying them with Chavez's "Bolivarian Revolution," a left-wing movement the president and his backers claim is aimed at redressing the inequalities of wealth

<http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VENEZUELA_CHAVEZ?SITE=INMUN&SECTION=HOME>

[tinnypriv]

11. Wow

I'd love to see a journalism style guide that says you call up to half a million people "thousands" :D

[Minstrel Boy]

17. You need ten bodies on the street

for some press to count one.

Now why would that be?

:eyes:

[nn2004]

10. Chavez redressing the inequalities of wealth

How is this effort proceeding? How long before everyone under his rule has equal wealth and freedom? Does Chavez and his staff get any extra benefits, money to spend or a bigger house?

What's the target date for everyone to be equal?

[Judi Lynn]

12. From a speech by Leonel Vivas, Vene. Ambassador in Australia

(snip) From 1958 until 1998, Venezuela was ruled alternatively by two main traditional political parties: one was social democratic and the other, social Christian. At the beginning of 1999, Hugo Chavez Frias was elected as president, supported by an emergent political party he founded two years earlier. Eighteen months later, Chavez won another national election, again beating the traditional political parties by an even greater majority.

It is very important to point out that Chavez was elected president of Venezuela twice, by means of democratic, popular and universal elections.
If Chavez is the legitimate president, if President Chavez is ruling his country in a democratic way, if he is not a dictator and respects the values of Western civilization, then how do you explain the failed coup d'etat of April 11, 2002? Why has there been a brutal, and even terrorist, political campaign of opposition to Chavez throughout the time he has been in power?

Revolutionary struggle

This is very simple to explain. The fact is that today in Venezuela there is a struggle of the past against the future, and against hope. A struggle waged by those who have traditionally been privileged against those who have always been socially excluded. It is a struggle of ignominy against dignity, a battle for the rights of the peoples of our America. President Chavez and his revolutionary movement are the result of this struggle.

Venezuela's petroleum oligarchy, big entrepreneurs, owners of its private TV networks and other media, the bureaucrats of the corrupt and pro-management trade unions, the traitorous military chiefs and the representatives of Venezuela's political past ... allied in a perfidious pro-coup coalition ... intend to take power by any means possible. (snip/...)

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=10550

I can't imagine anyone sober can claim a moral perspective while hoping to see the vicious coup-plotters win in this illegal, immoral _Bush-supported all out assault to steal Venezuela, and overturn its election.

[Terwilliger]

13. Once again, the picture worth a thousand Faux News stories

these people are good folks who know that Chavez, for whatever are his faults, represents their best interests

Looks like the people who marched in our country against the invasion of Iraq (many pro-Chavez folks in the US marches as well)

OnEdit: Omce -> Once

[genius]

15. Hugo Chavez is a really good guy

That's why Bush wants him out.