FRANK, PETERSON & SHARMA: Venezuela’s Revolution of Hope

[Tace]

By Joshua Frank, Kim Peterson and Sunil K. Sharma -- World News Trust

We hadn’t been in Venezuela for more than three hours and we were already traversing the brilliantly spotless subway system in hope of catching a Sunday Presidential celebration. Earlier, we caught a red-eye flight from Atlanta to Caracas and hadn’t had a wink of sleep. That, and a few beers, will make even the most intrepid of travelers a bit weary.

Fortunately, we managed to pull it together and make it in time to see Hugo Chavez’s entourage and the rally that led up to one of his long-winded speeches. But no matter how long Chavez stands at the pulpit and talks about his political philosophy, his followers always seem to be asking for more.

The event itself was an eye opener for us. Pictures of Chavez and Che were everywhere. From t-shirts to posters, the icons of revolution were ever present. Hope with a “red” flare filled the damp air that day, as did a new brand of socialism. It would be hard for one to walk away from such an experience, where the poor and less fortunate had gathered to hail their leader, and not feel something profound. It was something extraordinary. The only thing that compared to this, for most of us, were the antiwar protests leading up to the second Iraq invasion and the anti-WTO actions in Seattle. No matter what you may think about Chavez or his policies, there is no doubt that Venezuelans adore him.

We were fast waking up to something we hadn’t felt before as we battled Bush day in and day out in North America: revolutionary hope, Bolivarian style. And we hadn’t even had our first sips of Venezuelan coffee yet.

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http://worldnewstrust.org/modules/AMS/article.php?storyid=4014

[StClone]

1. Socialism?

Protecting your resources and stopping the thievery is Socialism? Sounds like a pretty ordinary idea as countries used to go.

[manhunter2006]

2. Cult of Personality...

A cult of personality is always a bad idea, and it usually ends badly. Ask the russians.
Chavez is now the golden boy of the worst and most intellectually immature elements
in the left, based on a hypocrisy that should be apparent to even the
most gullible. Venezuals "socialist" revolution is based on one thing.OIL. Selling
it to those terrible capitalists to power their terrible apitalist industrial machine.
The US finds a better way to power its machines and Venezula is in deeptrouble.
No industry, no way to generate capital for all those socialist programs...
Wake up and smell the crude...