Chavez Loses, Venezuela Wins

I've hesitated to post anything about the recent referendum (a.k.a. power grab) in Venezuela, until the results were reasonably certain. Well, it looks like Chávez's loss is his subjects' gain. He won't be Dictator-for-Life, benevolent or otherwise.

No he querido escribir sobre la vota (¿?) venezolana reciente, sin saber con certitud la resulta. Pues bién, parece que la pérdida de Chávez es el beneficio de sus sujetos. No será Dictador-por-vida, por cualquiera medida.

Lost In Spacey

During the PR push for the release of K-PAX , Kevin Spacey got many questions about his politics. (This was less than a year after the Florida 2000 election debacle.) He declined to answer, claiming that "the less the public knows about me as a person, the more effective I am as an actor."

I guess his career is heading down the toilet, if he no longer wants to hide his sympathies: Kevin Spacey meets with Chavez - Yahoo! News.

"You can tell a man who boozes by the company he chooses," and Sean Penn and Danny Glover make for truly interesting "company."

Removing All Doubt

"Better to keep silent and be thought a fool, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt." Apparently, nobody has told Hugo Chávez this little nugget, because he just opened his mouth. Again.

From Fox News, via Cox and Forkum:

President Hugo Chávez said Sunday that foreigners who publicly criticize him or his government while visiting Venezuela will be expelled from the country.

Chávez ordered officials to closely monitor statements made by international figures during their visits to Venezuela — and deport any outspoken critics.

"How long are we going to allow a person — from any country in the world — to come to our own house to say there's a dictatorship here, that the president is a tyrant, and nobody does anything about it?" Chávez asked during his weekly television and radio program.

I think, like most tinpot egomaniacs, he completely missed the irony of that question.

Ensign, Return To Your Posting!

With so much going on in the world, and an uncooperative desktop computer, I feel overwhelmed at all the comments I could have made, but didn't. It's time to do some catching up.

The Communism-Islamofascism Connection: The admiration of Saddam Hussein for Stalin and his purges is well-documented. Now we also see how Hugo Chávez is buddying up to Ahmadinejad. Isn't it interesting how election-stealing thugs of a feather flock together?

End of the World As We Know It? Glenn Beck is now doing an hour of TV every night on CNN Headline News. I'm hearing rants I never thought I'd hear on a CNN channel.

The Coming Mumps Epidemic: Where did it go? I haven't heard any mention of it on the news for over a week now.

Everything New is Old Again: First, The DaVinci Code. Then the Judas "gospel." People just won't learn that their attacks against Christianity will wither in the face of these two promises from the Lord:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matt. 28:19-20)

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26)

"Unto the end of the world," no matter what attacks we may suffer from the many-lettered among us who consider themselves "above it all." Tertullian knew of the Judas "gospel" and dismissed it out-of-hand because of its inconsistency with the validated historical tradition (later called the "New Testament").

And yet, despite all these attacks, I hear no calls for beheading nor reports of riots. Unlike some other perpetually-offended "victims."

Chavez: 1979 Ayatollah?

Just one simple question:

If Chávez is allowing, or maybe even organizing, attacks against US diplomats, why are we waiting for him to expel them, instead of just recalling them and calling his bluff?

Cheap Insults: Nothing Original

Hugo thinks it's important to be bilingual. Why else would he show the world how uncreative his insults are?

If he speaks English so well, he should study the masters for a while. Or just listen to the venezolanos who really can cry, "Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" I'm sure Hugo could learn some colorful insults from them.

(This post brought to you by TAC.)

Did the Kos Kidz See This?

Stop the presses! Er, stop the Inter Web! More Hugo Chavez perfidy exposed!

This time, it's a Yahoo! search for "hugo chavez torture". The #8 result is a list of reports from, of all places, Human Rights Watch, including a scathing letter to Hugo:

Former detainees told Human Rights Watch that they were beaten during and after their arrests with nightsticks, with the flat side of sabres, and with helmets, gunstocks, and other articles. These beatings often continued as they were being transported in National Guard vehicles. Two detainees stated that their captors hurled tear gas bombs into a closed vehicle in which they had just been seated, causing extreme distress, near suffocation, and panic, while three described how the powder from tear gas canisters was sprinkled on their faces and eyes, causing burns and skin irritation. Three stated that they were shocked with electric batons while in custody and defenseless.

The repeated reports of tear gas powder being sprinkled on the faces and bodies of individuals in custody, as well as the release of tear gas and pepper spray in vehicles crammed with prisoners, are particularly disturbing. Gas used in confined spaces is more concentrated and lasting in its effects than when used in the open. It could cause individuals who are incapacitated or unable to move to suffocate. It is also potentially fatal to those with lung or heart ailments. Direct contact with tear gas powder can cause blistering skin burns, eye injury, and lasting respiratory effects. There should be a full investigation into the alleged abuse of chemical riot control agents and, if the reports are confirmed, strict orders should be issued to prevent a recurrence of this practice in the future.

Innnnnteresting, especially considering that such words come from HRW. I'm surprised they didn't find a way to blame the USA for these crimes.

So if the Kos Kidz think a leash on a terrorist is such a bad idea, I wonder what they think of tear gas in a confined space?

(This posting brought to you by TAC.)

Waving Flags on the Titanic

It looks like Hugo has been doodling again. He wants to show everyone he hasn't forgotten what he learned in art class.

The greater evil is that he forgot his Economics 101 lesson: high taxes cause economic depression. I bet the rampant poverty in Cuba is a source of tremendous cognitive dissonance to him.

Instead of working on real national problems, Hugo would rather just run the new flag up the pole and see who salutes make everyone salute. (And remember, good venezolanos, you don't want to join those lying reporters in jail, do you?)

3 reasons why the new flag of Venezuela is stupid:

1. A new flag will not improve citizens' daily life. Only a new Presidente will.
2. Eight stars don't represent any governmental reality any more than seven did.
3. Hugo forgot to include an image of Che, or at least a hammer and sickle.

(This posting brought to you by TAC.)

Of Course, They Like Him

Just on a hunch, I did a Yahoo search for "hugo chavez misdeeds." The very first result is an open letter from Indymedia, declaring their support for Hugo.

This would be laughable, if it weren't for the brutality of the regimes named in the letter. Then again, why should I expect any less from Indymedia? The more crooked the politician, the more they like him.

Here's a dose of reality: Venezuela ranked 90th out of 167 in the Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders. That's on par with Cambodia, just a little better than Turkey, but worse than Guatemala.

(This posting brought to you by TAC.)

A Banner to Scare Hugo's Minions

Since TAC is already "open for business," and ready to give it to Hugo Chávez, the only thing we need is a logo. I present to you:

The Anglophone blogosphere is watching you, Hugo.
La blogoesfera anglohablante te mira, Hugo.

(Update 2006-03-11 21:07 EST: I release this image into the public domain.)

Marked? Me?

A new conspiracy of freedom-lovers and outspoken critics has been identified: The Anglo-Venezuelan Connection (TAC). In the finest tradition of the VRWC, it is exposed by its self-declared victims, then splashed all over the media in hopes of humiliating the accused conspirators. In this case, the TAC includes any English-language weblog which criticizes Hugo Chávez.

I suppose that makes me a marked man. Oh yes, I'm trembling in my winter boots at the prospect of Hugo and his playmates trying to shut down my blog.</sarcasm>

Hugo and his pissant cowards are marching away from humanity, and the rest of the world (not under some tinpot dictator's thumb) have only scorn for them. No wonder he's so scared. As more bloggers around the world willingly and happily join TAC, it will only serve to expose and humiliate Hugo even more.

(H/T: Publius Pundit)