Comment from Venezuelans on Chavez's health and on their revolution...

[Peace Patriot]

Since the corpo-fascist press will NEVER interview or quote ordinary Venezuelans, the great majority of whom have voted for the Chavez government time and again, and who are the co-leaders of the leftist democracy revolution with Hugo Chavez, I thought that the latter half of this article at Venezuelanalysis.com was especially interesting. Several of the people quoted make the same point that I have often made--this is a grass roots movement of the people which has produced a strong, FDR-like leader, not the other way around.

This comment struck me particularly--from Elba de Alastra, of the San Antonio communal council in Coro, Falcon (which I will quote in full because the context is important):

“Chávez isn’t gone, Chavez is in the hearts of the people. Last night I was happy, because I saw and heard my president, as soon as we see him, we know that he is taking care of everything. Last night the Venezuelan people learned that Chávez is human, like everyone, he suffers from the same illnesses as everyone.”

“Although one day, there will have to be someone else, because he’s not immortal...No, no sir, this won’t stop our revolution...it will drive it forward. Look at me, I’m retired, but am I at home? No. I’m out working for my community, the community that Chávez gave to us – we didn’t have this before - now the communities have the power, the communities make decisions. Last night it made us stronger, to see him there and know that he is going to come out of this. We are more united than ever.”

http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/6320

-----------

It was an inspired people who poured out of their hovels in the tens of thousands, into the streets of Caracas and surrounding Miraflores Palace, in 2002, to peacefully defeat the U.S. supported coup d'tat that had suspended the Constitution, the courts, the National Assembly and all civil rights, and had kidnapped the elected president and threatened his life. This was the first time that anything like this outpouring of public sentiment and peaceful defeat of a rightwing coup had occurred in Latin America. It was the beginning of a vast leftist democracy movement in the region--with leftist allies elected soon afterward in Brazil, in Argentina, in Bolivia, in Ecuador, in Paraguay, in Uruguay, in Nicaragua and other countries.

What an achievement for the Venezuelan people! Not for Chavez in particular. He was helpless in the hands of the coupsters and he expected to die-- an achievement of the people, with vast implications. And it is still an inspired people who may be facing the loss of Chavez, if he is unable to recover his health. THEY know that the revolution is deep and wide. It is, in truth, a regional revolution. But the corpo-fascist press keeps most of our people ignorant of this fact, in their manufacture of bogeyman Chavez--a cartoon figure invented by fascist projection, whom they beat up on in order to discredit leftist IDEAS--such as free health care and free college educations for the poor and the use of profits from a resource like oil for social programs.

We need to continually remind ourselves that Chavez was ELECTED to implement the ideas and will of the Venezuelan people. He did not invent himself. They CHOSE him. And they DEFENDED their right to do so--defended it peacefully, with overwhelming numbers and courage.

As this community council member states, while he supports Chavez and is inspired by him, and credits him with implementing ideas like community councils, and while he would clearly be saddened by the loss of Chavez, he jumps in with "No, no sir, this won’t stop our revolution...it will drive it forward"! This is the point on which he feels most strongly: 'Here I am! See me? I AM the revolution!'

The Venezuelan constitution is clear--as the first half the article discusses. Chavez has 180 days total to recover and return to Venezuela, before a successor provision kicks in. And the fascists, of course, are already maneuvering to get around the constitution--a constitution for which they have shown utter contempt in the past--to remove Chavez from power. The dogs.

But, as the various Venezuelans quoted in this article make clear, THEIR revolution will not be over if that occurs. That is a point that needs understanding and repetition for the sake of people who get their news from the corpo-fascist press. The leftist democracy revolution in Latin America is not about Chavez. He is only one leader of it--a courageous and visionary one, to be sure, but just one man--and he is one of millions who have brought it about. Those millions never get any press. They have been rendered invisible. SEE them!

They are the models for the rest of us--people like this retired gentleman actively attending to the grass roots work of democracy--who want to see democracy restored in our own country. They don't have corporate-run 'TRADE SECRET' vote counting to contend with. They've already seen to that--to the honesty and transparency of their elections. They have different problems to attend to. But, by God, they are NOT asleep--and I can't say the same for our people.

[Judi Lynn]

1. It may have been "The Revolution Will Not be Televised" or another documentary I saw

in which one of the Venezuelan people interviewed said, years ago, if they lose Hugo Chavez, the revolution will still continue.

It's easier to direct anti-leader cheap hatred based on the ignorance of those who really DON'T care enough to find out the truth by looking for it. It's exactly as you've said.

People who have suffered know what the value of things is, and is not. They know the value of human beings. They also are keenly aware the purpose of life is NOT to die in old age in a huge house surrounded by expensive trash after a lifetime of seeking to own the biggest and the shiniest, most "impressive" things.

Thanks for the excellent article. Also appreciated the message from Bolivia's Vice President:

In Bolivia, Vice-President Alvaro Garcia Linera expressed his country’s support for Chavez, saying that Bolivia ¨sends him (Chavez) strength for his return, and hopes to see him again with that same energy and integrity that has him leading the processes of social betterment for the Venezuelan and Latin American peoples.¨