Nerves

Venezuela Solidarity Network (US) Statement on the Dec. 2, 2007 Referendum, Dec. 3, 2007
Part Two of Two:

I DARE Newsweek to print this. If you doubt the content, or the source, look them up.

It is time for the US government and US corporate media to acknowledge that
Venezuela??s electoral process is free and fair. Its electronic voting
machines issue paper receipts which make fraud almost impossible. We only
can wish that electronic voting in the US were as reliable. A defeat by
only 1-1/2 percent would have been converted to a victory by those in power
in many countries. Mexico??s long tradition of dirty elections easily comes
to mind, as do our own last two (or more) rigged elections.

It is time for the US government to stop interfering in Venezuela??s
democracy and time for the US corporate media to stop aiding and abetting
it. Reports are that the US government, through the US Agency for
International Development and the National Endowment for Democracy, spent $8
million of US taxpayer??s money to influence the vote on the referendum.
That would be the equivalent of a foreign country spending $92.6 million on
a national referendum ?? if we had such a democratic tool ?? in the US. Would
we tolerate that? The Venezuela Solidarity Network organized a delegation to
Venezuela in October of 2006 to investigate US government interference in
that year??s presidential election. The US embassy official who met with us
freely admitted that the US was spending $26 million on Venezuela??s
presidential election. What would be the reaction in the US if Venezuela
spent the equivalent $301 million on our upcoming presidential election?

It is time for the US government to close the Office of Transition
Initiatives housed in the US embassy in Caracas. Venezuela??s transition to
a real democracy that began with the rejection of the old political parties
of the elites in 1998 is alive and well and doesn??t need any so-called
??democracy building?? from the United States. Indeed, there??s a lot we could
learn about democracy from the Venezuelans.

Venezuela Solidarity Network (US) Statement on the Dec. 2, 2007 Referendum, Dec. 3, 2007
Part One of Two:

I DARE Newsweek to print this. If you doubt the content, or the source, look them up.

With a registered voter turn-out of about 55%, Venezuelan voters rejected
two referendum questions asking for approval of a total of 69 amendments to
their constitution. Each question was defeated by a margin of 1.5 percentage
points.

As a result, Venezuelans will not have a constitution that gives them a 36
hour work week, that gives informal sector workers social security, that
recognizes the contributions of African and indigenous peoples to the
building of Venezuelan identity, that eliminates discrimination in all
forms. They also won??t have a seven year presidential term without term
limits, definitions for the four classes of property, and other changes that
?? on paper ?? would move the country more rapidly toward what is being called
??21st century socialism.??

Venezuelans get to vote on constitutional amendments unlike citizens in the
United States. In the US, two-thirds of both houses of Congress must
approve an amendment and then it must be approved by three quarters of the
state legislatures. Voters never get a direct say. Which country has the
greater democracy? With 11 national votes in the past nine years since Hugo
Chavez was first elected president in 1998, is it any wonder that
Venezuelans follow only Uruguay among Latin Americans in their satisfaction
with their democracy?

It is time for the US government and the US corporate media to acknowledge
that Venezuela is a vibrant democracy and that Hugo Chavez is its elected
president. He is not a dictator and he obviously does not have autocratic
control of the system or the amendments he supported would not have been
voted down.

It is time for the US government and the US corporate media to acknowledge
that freedom of speech and assembly are alive and well in Venezuela. The
wealthy opposition to the ??Bolivarian process?? owns the great majority of
print and electronic media and was completely free to attack the proposed
amendments and Chavez himself, which it did daily and in language that we
would never see outside of blogs in the United States.

There's something to be said about Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy of "speaking softly but carrying a big stick." In this case, Chavez is doing neither.

I love Hugo Chavez, although I fear he is losing his mind or being corrupted by power. Sad. He had so much promise. Anyone actually following the facts around his life/career in the last 15 years would know he was an exemplary and humane leader.

Chavez is an ignorant dickwad. We don't need his oil or his BS. The Venezualan people will come to their senses and that jerk will be swinging just like Mussolini did.

wilburn p. sanders: "we all PREY you make the right decision"...classic freudian slip. let me translate : "we on the RIGHT like all of our PREY to do what we tell them"...but i think the slip speaks loud enough for itself.

Hugo Chavez is a prime example of a dictator in the making, moving the direction of Adolf Hitler. He is a puppet of Satan, evil in every way, shape or form. He is no leader of the proud people of his country. He allows his people to be hurt by further isolating his country. He is crazy in every sense of the word. If there is to be a true revolution in Venezuala, it should be people electing a leader who stands for democracy, liberty and freedom. One who seeks out the support of the international community. He may have done some good, but overall he has further damaged his country. My rhetoric may be harsh, but I am a true believer of a better way of life for the people of Venezuala. His rhetoric is worse than mine, and he continues on with rhetoric that is unbecoming for a president. I do not believe that Washington should interfere with their soverienty, but should only speak in support of positive reforms. It is important to realize that we as citizen's of the US have a way of life unlike the rest of the world, freedoms that many of us take for granted on a daily basis. Their people are unable to share what we enjoy the most. Americans should never express support for a leader of his nature. He would trample on our Constitution without hesitancy. I am no supporter of Bush, only a supporter of our Constitution. The CIA should avoid at all costs in making attempts of removingyhim from power as it could have negative consequences. Imagine putting yourselves in their shoes, and then you would think twice of providing any support for Chavez. If he loses, he will still point the finger towards the US, even if we are innocent of meddling with the vote. I would think that oil would prevent such meddling from taking place. The Venezualan people will have their say, and Washington should allow that to stand.

The Man is why I refuse to pay the lower prices for CITGO gasoline. I would rather drive on to the next gasoline station than allow any of my monies support that "person". He calls himself a revolutionary which in turn slaps all revolutionaries in the face. He is an ASOCIAL type that blusters about when he should discuss openly about this bogus election coming up tomorrow.

The Newsweek spin doctors are at it again. He didn't write the constitution. He asked the people what they wanted, and with an over 85% majority, the people drafted their own constitution. Socializing the bank and limiting private property are measures to ensure that power (money) is not concentrated in the hands of the few, like it is here. Ironic that Newsweek should suggest Chavez is guilty of vote tampering after we've had two completely fabricated presidential elections, and have been manipulated by the same Bush empire for decades. Our media obfuscates and distracts from the truth. After over 40 years of control by a destructive plutocracy, Chavez is turning his country around. (not too late for us to do the same.) He has erased their world bank debt and created an international banking system for latin america based on constructive socialist ideals (that means helping out your neighbor instead of killing them for money or oil) instead of neo-liberal exploitation for a wealthy few, like we have here. Remember that the CIA tried to overthrow him twice and failed. Why? because of the oil. If he wasn't sitting on one of the largest tar sand reserves in the world, the US would have much less interest in him. However, we are currently building huge military bases in latin america, in anticipation of another US-backed coup. Don't just react and act like a sheep. Educate yourselves. Find out about the School Of The Americas. Read Noam Chomski. Question the Bush-controlled Media lies.

The Newsweek spin doctors are at it again. He didn't write the constitution. He asked the people what they wanted, and with an over 85% majority, the people drafted their own constitution. Socializing the bank and limiting private property are measures to ensure that power (money) is not concentrated in the hands of the few, like it is here. Ironic that Newsweek should suggest Chavez is guilty of vote tampering after we've had two completely fabricated presidential elections, and have been manipulated by the same Bush empire for decades. Our media obfuscates and distracts from the truth. After over 40 years of control by a destructive plutocracy, Chavez is turning his country around. (not too late for us to do the same.) He has erased their world bank debt and created an international banking system for latin america based on constructive socialist ideals (that means helping out your neighbor instead of killing them for money or oil) instead of neo-liberal exploitation banking for a wealthy few, like we have here. Remember that the CIA tried to overthrow him twice and failed. Why? because of the oil. If he wasn't sitting on one of the largest tar sand reserves in the world, the US would have much less interest in him. However, we are currently building huge military bases in latin america, in anticipation of another US-backed coup. Don't just react and act like a sheep. Educate yourselves. Find out about the School Of The Americas. Read Noam Chomski. Question the Bush-controlled Media lies.

He's beginning to sound more and more like an Islamic terrorist. Oh wait, he does hold hands with Irans bearded cupcake armidggededjihad

Can you imagine how dastardly Chavez would look to rest of the world if he had a large and powerful military and used it to force governmental changes on less powerful countries? And now he wants to change their Constitution? What egotistical, self-indulging idiot would do that?

Can you imagine how dastardly Chavez would look to rest of the world if he had a large and powerful military - and used it to force his form of socialism on less powerful countries? And now he wants to change their Constitution??? What kind of ego-maniacal, self-indulging idiot would do that?

This guy is a loose cannon and no good BUT it goes to show you that when you stand for the majority of people who have nothing, the poor, and this wack job brings them hope, you can do and say absolutly anything you want. He just happens to be holding Aces, OIL, which is the only reason the world listens.

I kind of admire the fact that he could care less what others think about him.

Chavez started out looking like an interesting person, but he has developed into quite an unstable kook. With a government-controlled economy and alienation from other major powers in the world, the people there can look forward to very rough times in the future. Look at all the oil-based oligarchies in the Middle East. Few benefit from the wealth. It will end up the same under Chavez. He's an egomaniac with much self-interest.

Venezuela,
If you want communism vote for Chavez, remember free market economics would make you wealthy.
If you are athiests then you will stand alone in South AMERICA. Chavez has aligned himself with Castro.
Is Venezuala ready to die for the power of one man? Comminism would be a sad day for your country and the world. Germany, France, America are retuning to Christianity. It's sad to see so much deception.
Vote Sunday for a prosperious, free Venezuela, this will be your last chance. We all prey you make the right decision.