He's wrong about president Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.


Re. Countdown: Worst Person Nov. 19th, 2007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw7gDnRuIPQ

Inspired by http://olbermannwatch.com/

Since Olbermann gives essentially no specifics as to why he thinks Chavez qualifies as one of the worst persons in the world, it's hard to refute his claim.

Presumably the claim is based on things that "we all know" about Chavez because it's what the mainstream media keep telling us. The same mainstream media that - save for a few exceptions such as Olbermann - keeps repeating uncritically what the Bush government says about Iraq, the war on terror and the economy, while uncritically keeping silent about what the Bush government does not say about those and many other things.

I think it's odd that Olbermann can see through the lies about the Bush administration, but can't see through the lies about Chavez.

Instead of writing an essay about Chavez i'll give one example and list some of what i think are reputable sources to counter Olbermann's claim.

Among the things that "everyone knows" about Chavez is that he is either in the process of passing, or already has passed a law that will allow him to stay president for life. More often than not it is put in words to that effect, and although there's some truth in it, it is characterized above all by absense of truths. Lies of ommision are the easiest, that's why there's a lot of it.

Judged by the way how it is phrased one would think this law does not involve elections, that it is Chavez' doing and that it applies only to Chavez. As though he's essentially declaring himself dictator.
On december 2nd 2007 there is a nation-wide referendum on a package of proposals for constitutional reforms one of which is this law. The original constitution was also created under Chavez. Both then and now there is a lot of involvement by the electorate.

If it passes the referendum, what it will do is no more and no less than lifting the term limit of the presidency so that anyone can be elected president for an unlimited number of consecutive terms. All one has to do is keep winning elections, one after the other. It doesn't mean there can't be other candidates or anything like that.

This might still seem a bit scary until one realizes that the heads of State of several respected Western democracies can serve an unlimited number of consecutive terms.

Ask yourself:

For how many consecutive terms was Margaret Thatcher elected?
Tony Blair? Helmut Kohl? John Howard?

All served more than 2 consecutive terms, not in violation of some law on term limits. Many modern democracies do not have term limits on many of the positions in government. The US did not have a term limit until 1951 (22nd amendment).

But the media don't tell this so hardly anyone knows. If the public would know, current events in Venezuela could not be spun as 'proof' that Chavez is a dictator or has dictatorial tendencies (something the Chavez opposition does not seem to agree on with itself).

One of the sources i list below is American-Venezuelan lawyer Eva Golinger, investigative journalist and author of "The Chavez Code" and "Bush vs Chavez".
Among her contributions is obtaining through FOIA requests some CIA documents that reveal not only foreknowledge but also involvement of the US government in the 2002 coup against Chavez.

I hope one day Olbermann will invite Golinger to his show. She knows an awful lot about Venezuela's turbulent political history. She has interesting tales to tell, backup with documents and all that.

sources:

Welcome to the Chávez revolution - where the rich keep getting richer
Guardian Unlimited  
Rory Carroll
http://www.guardian.co.uk/venezuela/story/0,,1946883,00.html

Spinning Chávez
Newstatesman
Hugh O'Shaughnessy
http://www.newstatesman.com/200711260004

THE PROOF IS IN THE DOCUMENTS: THE CIA WAS INVOLVED IN THE COUP AGAINST VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT CHAVEZ
venezuelafoia
Eva Golinger
http://www.venezuelafoia.info/english.html

Eva Golinger
talk on Social Justice Revolution in Venezuela (4 parts)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3520662585166035017
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2337430781927596105
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7548254045442993860
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=354420337034529317

What is at Stake in Venezuela's Reform Referendum?
Znet
Sujatha Fernandes
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=14258

Venezuela Between Ballots and Bullets
Venezuelan Democracy, the Presidency of Hugo Chavez and the Great Majority of Popular Classes Face a Mortal Threat
Counterpunch
JAMES PETRAS
http://www.counterpunch.org/petras11142007.html

Coup D'État Rumblings in Venezuela
by Stephen Lendman
Global Research, November 19, 2007
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?c..va&aid=7369

The Rich (And Poor) Get Richer In Venezuela, But Can It Last?
Cox News Service
MIKE WILLIAMS
http://www.coxwashington.com/news/content/reporters/stories/2007/03/26/BC_VENEZUELA_RICH_ADV25.html
...""They're afraid of Chavez, that he'll take their cars and houses," said Leon, citing polls that show 35 percent of the middle class {16% of the population} would leave the country if possible."...

comment: Some people in the US are afraid that liberals will take away their guns, the Bible and Christmas also. And what's with "if possible"? It IS possible to leave Venezuela.

..."This used to be a great country for everybody"...

comment: Just ask the 80% of the population that was poor before Chavez.


In some ways the poor in Venezuela still are poor. Many certainly have poor housing. But now there's a free healthclinic nearby.
Now virtually all have free healthcare, free education, free food for the really needy - all things they didn't have before Chavez.
You see, there's poor and there's poor. Contrast with typical US family (living the American dream or somesuch) with no or insufficient but still expensive healthcare (see Michael Moore's "Sicko").

And yes Venezuela is rife with corruption and associated crimes - the opposition has supporters all over the place including the bureaucracy, the army and the police force. I'm a bit worried Chavez may be underestimating the problem.
Who benefits from destabilisation? Last time it served as pretext for a US supported coup. How many millions do you think NED gets from the US government to finance opposition groups in Venezuela, many of which consist of a mere handful of individuals?

So how exactly is it that Chavez is pissing on Venezuela's laws and citizens? Who's pissing on who?