Chávez is eager to meet `Mr. Danger'

[Say_What]

"Mr. Danger" :rofl:

From the Oligarch's Daily.


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CARACAS - (AP) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, a frequent critic of the Bush administration, said he is looking forward to sitting down with the U.S. leader at a summit in Argentina next month.

Both presidents plan to attend the Summit of the Americas, and Chávez said he understood they would be seated at the same table.

''That summit is going to be really good if that gentlemen goes, if Mr. Danger goes,'' Chávez said Wednesday in a speech.

Chávez didn't explain what he meant by ''Mr. Danger,'' but he has frequently accused President Bush of trying to oust him, including through a short-lived 2002 coup. U.S. officials strongly deny it.

Relations between Caracas and Washington have been tense, with U.S. officials expressing concern over the health of democracy in Venezuela and Chávez criticizing ''imperialist'' U.S. actions in places from Latin America to Iraq.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/12839665.htm



"Chavez the messiah, Bush the devil"

[Say_What]

1. Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez Frias: A series of Myths & Facts!

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MYTH #1: HUGO CHAVEZ IS A DICTATOR

FACT: Hugo Chavez has promoted more citizen participation in political processes than any other President, including those excluded or left out in the past for economic reasons. No other Venezuelan government has allowed as much transparency and citizen participation in its political system. President Hugo Chavez won the 1998 presidential elections with more than 56% of the votes, after he had promoted the creation of a new constitution historically ratified by popular referendum with over 70% support; he then won elections again in 2000 accounting for 59% of the votes. In 2004, a recall referendum, a provision set forth in the new constitution, was called against the Venezuelan leader, but he again made of with 60% of the votes, ratifying his government. All these elections were witnessed by numerous international observers, including the Carter Center and the Organization of American States (OAS), which found electoral processes in Venezuela to be free and transparent.

MYTH #2: CHAVEZ IS A COMMUNIST AND IS CENTRALIZING POWER

FACT: The Venezuelan political system is characterized as participatory democracy. Citizens may participate in political processes now more than ever before. The rights to private property, international investment, freedom of speech and association are enshrined in the Venezuelan Constitution. Current endogenous development programs are means for communities to become self-reliant and to govern themselves at a local level; they are true expression of decentralization of power towards local authorities. Add, setting up work committees to implement new environmental, media, property, and other important laws, involving citizen participation at all levels. The 1999 Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela implements five powers instead of the former three: the Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Moral, and Electoral. These five powers are autonomous and are not controlled by the Executive. President Chavez recently promoted a new concept called “21st Century Socialism”, which is aimed at developing a new social-democratic model of government which guarantees social, economic, cultural, political and civil rights to all Venezuelans and allowing the country to prosper economically in the international arena.

MYTH #3: CHAVEZ REPRESSES MEDIA

FACT: There is more freedom of speech and press in Venezuela than in any other country in the world. Venezuela is the only country where private media outlets are owned by the opposition and where they openly promote biased political agendas. Private media outlets have a monopoly of information, they control four out of the five television channels in the country – one of them is a state-owned TV station. Despite the fact that these media outlets supported the April 2002 coup d’etat against President Chavez, and later triggered an economic sabotage in 2003, causing the country billions of dollars in damages, none were shut down or censured by the government. At the end of 2004, the legislative passed the Social Responsibility on Radio and Television Law to implement a system of legal regulations for telecommunication in the country, very similar to those of the Federal Communications Commission of the United States of America, but less strict. Article 58 of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela guarantees “truthful and accurate” information. The new Law provides that all Venezuelans have the right to truthful information, as well as to avoid media manipulation, distortion, and fraud. For the first time in Venezuelan history, the government has promoted and financed community and independent media outlets, and provided them with the necessary resources, equipment and training for their development. Media outlets continue to enjoy the sacred right to freedom of speech.

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=46279

[Moderator]

2. duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1830484