HIGHTOWER: Messing With Venezuela

[Judi Lynn]

HIGHTOWER: Messing With Venezuela

By Jim Hightower, AlterNet
March 30, 2004

The Bushites seems to enjoy the fun game of Preemptive Regime Change in which they shout, "Weapons of Mass Destruction" before attacking a country with the full might of the U.S. military, tossing out the old leaders, instating some new ones occupying the country, and calling this democracy.


Now, however, they are saying that regime change need not be limited to nations that might pose some military threat to our country. For the past couple of years, these messianic global manipulators have quietly been out to topple Hugo Chavez, the duly elected president of Venezuela. What threat does Chavez pose to us? None. Zero. Zip. What's his "crime?" He's too "leftie," not beholden to the oil giants operating in Venezuela, not properly obedient to U.S. power, and, worst of all, the Bushies just don't like him.


So, they've been scheming with Venezuelan elites to oust him. They exulted in 2002 when an armed coup overthrew Chavez's elected government, but White House elation turned to sour grapes only two days later when the coup turned out to be a keystone kops effort and the people of Venezuela rallied to put their man Chavez back in his presidency.


But this didn't stop the White House. Reams of internal documents have now surfaced showing a startling effort by the Bushites to undermine the legitimate government of Venezuela – a blatantly antidemocratic effort that, ironically, they rationalize by asserting that Chavez is not democratic enough to suit them. Last year alone, they funneled a million of our tax dollars into opposition groups seeking to overthrow Chavez and install Venezuela's moneyed class in power.
(snip/...)

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=18274

[The Zanti Regent]

1. We wouldn't be in this situation if Hightower backed Gore

No, Jim Hightower strutted all over the country in 2000 for his soul brother Ralph Nader and saying the same crap over and over again about there being no difference between Gore and Bush.

My Nephew lies in Walter Reed, a quadraplegic from an Iraqui bullet that Al Gore would NEVER have placed him in the line of fire of!

I cannot forgive Hightower for what he did. If he was any kind of a real man, he would go to Walter Reed and look my nephew in the face and apologize for the lies he told in 2000.

But he wont...

[Avalon Sparks]

2. I just wanted to say...

I'm so sorry to hear about your nephew.

[IndianaGreen]

4. You cannot forgive Hightower, yet you forgive those that voted for IWR

I find your statement and anger to be somewhat misplaced.

Speaking of people responsible for your nephew being wounded in action, how about all of the members of Congress that stood alongside Bush in the Rose Garden:

President, House Leadership Agree on Iraq Resolution



President George W. Bush along with bipartisan leaders from the House and Senate announced the Joint Resolution to authorize the use of the United States Armed Forces against Iraq. "The statement of support from the Congress will show to friend and enemy alike the resolve of the United States," President Bush said during the announcement in the Rose Garden, Wednesday, October 2, 2002. White House photo by Paul Morse.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/10/20021002-7.html

[minkyboodle]

5. thank you

for the brief but needed injection of reality.
Scott

[The Zanti Regent]

7. If Gore was in the White House, this NEVER would have happened!

You can spin for Nader all you want, but the TRUTH is that worthless bastard sold his soul to Bush.

[IndianaGreen]

3. You better have a heart-to-heart chat with John Kerry, Jim

Kerry has endorsed Bush's PNAC policies towards Venezuela and has allied himself with the Venezuelan oligarchy.

Published on Friday, March 26, 2004 by CommonDreams.org
Why John Kerry Must Retract his Position on Venezuela
by VenezuelAnalysis.com

The Democratic candidate for President of the United States, John Kerry, published a statement on his web site this past March 19, setting forth his position on the political situation in Venezuela. In this declaration, Kerry relies on inaccurate information and repeats views identical to those of the Venezuelan opposition to democratically-elected President Hugo Chavez.

We examine below Kerry's statement in more detail:

Referendum

Kerry urges President Chavez to allow the recall referendum against his mandate to occur. The reality is that the President has no legal means, to either impede or permit a recall referendum. It can only be achieved if those requesting the referendum collect the number of valid signatures required by the regulations.

The Senator states that, "the international community cannot permit President Chávez to subvert this process, as he has tried to do up until now." Nevertheless, Kerry does not specify how the President has tried to subvert this process. Kerry conveniently omits the fact that it was President Chávez who proposed to include the possibility of these referenda in the new Constitution that was drafted by a Constitutional Assembly elected by popular vote. Chávez has called for a review of signatures collected by the opposition because, as per numerous credible reports, there appears to have been substantial fraud committed during the signature drive. What is so terrible about denouncing fraud and calling for an investigation of hundreds of thousands of petitions filled out by the same handwriting? Kerry surely would expect the same type of investigation to occur if there were evidence of fraud in any electoral process he was a part of.

As it stands, those whose signatures appear on petitions that were filled out by the same handwriting will soon have the chance to confirm their identity and intention to sign the petition requesting a recall referendum. It is the opposition that has opposed this process. Chávez has repeatedly stated that he will respect whatever decision is made by the nation's electoral authorities regarding a referendum.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0326-01.htm

A Rebuttal to Senator Kerry’s Statement on Venezuela
Monday, Mar 22, 2004

By: Gregory Wilpert - Venezuelanalysis.com

Senator Kerry’s press statement was issued on March 19, 2004.

Italic text is Senator Kerry’s statement. Plain text is Gregory Wilpert’s rebuttal.

With the future of the democratic process at a critical juncture in Venezuela, we should work to bring all possible international pressure to bear on President Chavez to allow the referendum to proceed.

It is not up to President Chavez whether there is a referendum. Venezuela’s constitution clearly establishes rules that must be followed for a referendum to be called. The president has nothing to do with this procedure. If Kerry has any evidence that Chavez is preventing the referendum process from proceeding, then he should spell out what it is that he has done.

The (Bush) Administration should demonstrate its true commitment to democracy in Latin America by showing determined leadership now, while a peaceful resolution can still be achieved.

U.S. interference in Venezuela’s referendum process will distort and damage Venezuela’s democracy more than help it. If there is outside interference, it is more likely that the results of the process will not be recognized as legitimate by one of the sides in the conflict and this would probably lead to violence, not to “a peaceful resolution.”

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1136

[kaitykaity]

6. I saw that from Kerry and as like,

:wtf: Kerry needs to get educated.