Miami foes of Chávez, Castro unite

[Mika]

Miami foes of Chávez, Castro unite
Venezuelans opposed to President Hugo Chávez's socialist
agenda have found a political kinship with Cuban exiles in Miami.
http://www.miamiherald.com/519/story/130042.html

The recent unrest in Venezuela -- student protests, clashes with state police, the government shutdown of a popular television station -- has reinforced the sympathies for Venezuelans in a city where fears of socialism are more than a vestige of the Cold War.

In South Florida, Cubans living in el exilio see a natural political kinship with Venezuelans who oppose President Hugo Chávez, albeit one separated by nearly five decades of history and circumstance.

''Few communities can find such close parallels,'' said J.C. Bermudez, a Cuban exile and mayor of Doral, a city that has become home to a thriving Venezuelan population.

``There is a lot of empathy here. We know what they're going through, because we went through it, too.''

Local Spanish-language radio programs, which frequently denounce Chávez for his close ties to Cuban leader Fidel Castro, have ratcheted up the anti-Chávez rhetoric in recent days.

Blogs and online forums devoted to Cuban issues have set up separate threads allowing postings that express solidarity with students protesting the Chávez government's decision not to renew the broadcast license of Radio Caracas Television, RCTV, one of the few television channels producing news reports critical of Chávez's policies.

On the message board for listeners to Miami station WQBA (1140 AM), one poster -- whose online avatar is the image of a Cuban flag -- notes optimistically ''there is still a chance to turn things around and root out this cancer,'' referring to Chávez.

MESSAGES POSTED

Hundreds of sympathetic messages have been posted in recent days on the online forum Café Cubano, which also dedicated a multimedia section to Venezuelan topics -- including a link, via YouTube, to an hourlong documentary on RCTV's history and final days.

The children of Cubans, who have heard the tales of exile filtered through parents and abuelos, feel a sense of familiarity as well.

''When we were kids, those stories seemed so impossible for us to imagine,'' said Ilia Cuesta, 27, who grew up in West Kendall with two brothers, all well versed in the saga of their family's flight from Cuba in the 1960's.

Her father, Daniel Cuesta, left Cuba with his family aboard the Freedom Flights when he was 11.

''But now you're seeing it on TV, and it illustrates what my family went through. It strikes a chord,'' said Cuesta, who was moved by the images of student protesters in Venezuela.

``All of a sudden those old fairy tales become very real.''

CHECKING ON FRIENDS

Diane Cabrera, a 24-year-old Cuban-American activist, has worked with counterparts in Venezuela through the International Youth Committee for Democracy in Cuba.

This week, worried about her friends' safety amid the protests, she tried with limited success to call them in Venezuela.

The phone connections were dicey, but she was able to make sure they were all safe.

''They were doing well despite all the craziness,'' said Cabrera, a Georgetown University graduate.

Cabrera is an an administrator for Raices de Esperanza, or Roots of Hope, a network of young Cubans, as well as the spokeswoman for Directorio Democrático, which fights for human rights and democracy in Cuba.

Born in Miami to Mariel refugees, Cabrera describes herself as more politically passionate than her parents -- and especially attuned to events not just in Havana but Caracas as well.

''I've always had Venezuelan friends, but now these two tyrants have brought us even closer together,'' Cabrera said.

``We exchange stories, learn from each other, so that history is not repeated.''

She added: ``But unfortunately that seems to be happening.''

`BOLIVARIAN'

Chávez, a former army officer who led a failed coup in 1992 before his presidential election in 1998, has called his political agenda for Venezuela, ``Bolivarian Socialism.''

He has taken over the country's main telecommunications company, the capital city's electric utility and oil production facilities from multinational corporations.

Chávez has won reelection twice, but opponents charge he has undermined Venezuelan democracy by filling the courts and other government institutions with political allies and ruling by decree after last year's election, which many voters opposing him boycotted.

Unease has prompted many Venezuelans to leave their homeland, many settling in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

An estimated 50,000 live in South Florida, and the number of asylum claims has spiked dramatically in recent months.

`BROTHERS'

''We've been embraced as brothers,'' said Rafael Adrianza, director of Unidos por Venezuela y América in Miami.

As ties between Venezuela and Cuba have strengthened in recent years, so have the bonds between those opposing Chávez and those who fled Castro, said Adrianza.

''They have the experience of 50 years,'' he said.

``Venezuelans are now just opening their eyes.''

[Billy Burnett]

1. A marriage made in heaven.

Keep in mind that four years ago on the day of the largest global protests in world history against the impending US attack on Iraq, the largest Miami rally was a PRO WAR rally. 30,000 marched down Calle Ocho led by reps Ileana Ros Lehtinen, Lincoln Diaz Balart and his brother Mario, and various mayors of cities within Miami-Dade county as well as prominent hard line exile leadership.

The large banner being held by the aforementioned front line plus others read:

----------> PRESIDENT BUSH - TODAY IRAQ! TOMORROW CUBA AND VENEZUELA! <------------

[Larkspur]

4. More like a marriage made in Hell

[Daveparts]

2. The Little Revolution that Couldn’t

Howard Stern the self-proclaimed king of all media, all tasteless media that is, has inked a deal worth over $500 million dollars to do his fart joke shtick for Sirius satellite radio. Over the course of his career his previous employers paid out close to three million dollars in fines to the FCC. The government chose to view Stern’s antics as criminally obscene rather than criminally childish.

Republican politicians pandering to their conservative base who probably had never heard Stern in their lives approved, after all obscene is bad. A government chooses to control things they don’t like with legislation and the sharp rise in fines for fart joke comedy is a perfect case in point. You will hear dirtier jokes around the office and can see far dirtier acts at your local jiggle joint but Stern made himself a lightening rod of controversy by standing up for himself.

The Japanese have a saying, “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.” Stern’s refusal to bow down and say so sorry has placed him under scrutiny and made him a target. Millions of your tax dollars are at work to protect the precious ears of America from fart jokes and as silly as it sounds these people are serious. Stern’s departure from broadcast to the realm of satellite must be at least due in part to government pressure.

But you don’t get off that easy, if the government wants you they’re going to get you, Sirius radio finds it’s plans to merge bogged down by the securities and exchange commission. But Stern is harmless, literally the goofy kid next door. Why the vendetta for nothing more than fart jokes it’s not like he advocated overthrowing the lawfully elected government.

Hugo Chavez in Venezuela shut down RCTV (Radio Caracas Televisión) but actually he didn’t shut them down he just declined to renew their license to broadcast. Like our own FCC the government took offense to RCTV’s blatant support of the coup plotters over the lawfully elected government. In the United States active support of an armed insurrection is considered treason and is punishable by the death penalty.

In Venezuela you lose your broadcast license and point blank it doesn’t matter what Chavez does the western media has it in for him no matter what. I watch with amusement the media coverage of this so-called uprising, photo’s taken from inside the crowd to make it impossible to determine its actual size. Numerous photo’s of armed riot police not battling with protesters but standing at attention. The protestors most young all well dressed well fed and well supplied gives it the look of an important story on Faux news or the 700 club.

The western media including the so-called liberal New York Times are calling it an attempt by Chavez to silence his critics. Ignoring the fact that it was a media attempting to silence the lawful government so Stern gets fined three million dollars for fart jokes so what would the fine be for attempting to assist in the over throw of a sovereign government?
American tax dollars are at work through out the petro South American states. Five billion a year in Columbia alone with oil company’s still smarting over renegotiated oil contracts, men who have long memories and short fuses. Why the very nerve of a South American country standing up to a sovereign oil company.

So did Chavez close down all media that was critical of his administration? Why didn’t he close them down three years ago when the coup first happened? Because he was trying to negotiate a settlement, Chavez has been public and above board with RCTV towards trying to work out a settlement and just like Howard Stern if you thumb your nose at power you will get hammered down.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so easy to take Chavez’s side if America’s behavior in South and Central America hadn’t been so heinous. Chavez for all his faults and failings is genuinely trying to help his people, the poor the indigenous the sick and elderly. Maybe that’s what makes him less than popular with the well-dressed well-fed University student protestors but these decisions are to be made at the ballot box not at the television box.

Is Chavez perfect? No, I don’t think so. He is fighting an entrenched establishment of a ruling oligarchy who view this battle as a life or death struggle. If they win they can continue as the ruling elite if they lose they lose everything, privilege, power and wealth. Like kings and princes dethroned they will be forced to walk the streets with the commoners. Is Chavez paranoid? I don’t know, is it paranoid when you have already been deposed once and have US Special Forces on your border?

None of the US media articles chose to fathom a guess at the number of protestors, I wonder why? A reporter from the Financial Times was giving a color report on C-spin when a caller then asked him a financial question then he backed down and blushingly admitted he was a free lance journalist who though he had sold pieces to the Financial Times worked mainly for the rabidly right wing Miami Herald. I wonder why C-spin had Financial Times correspondent under his name.

And so it goes the battle to stop this crazy lawfully elected dictator, a madman that brings in 20,000 doctors in to the country to treat the poor. A tyrant that gives land to indigenous farmers and makes oil conglomerates pay fair market value for Venezuelan crude. A Castro who buys the debt of his neighbors from the World Bank and refinances it at lower interest rates. A leader who calls for fair trade not free trade in the continent is it any wonder the globalist want him gone? And will try again and again to remove him with more tin pot conspiracies like RCTV.

[MrPrax]

3. Excellent Review!!

Nice piece of writing...maybe you should consider a journal or a blog.

[Cha]

7. Thank you, Daveparts!

Very interesting contrast between the US's Howard Stern and Venezuela's "coup enabler" station.

"Maybe it wouldn’t be so easy to take Chavez’s side if America’s behavior in South and Central America hadn’t been so heinous. Chavez for all his faults and failings is genuinely trying to help his people, the poor the indigenous the sick and elderly. Maybe that’s what makes him less than popular with the well-dressed well-fed University student protestors but these decisions are to be made at the ballot box not at the television
box."

"And so it goes the battle to stop this crazy lawfully elected dictator, a madman that brings in 20,000 doctors in to the country to treat the poor. A tyrant that gives land to indigenous farmers and makes oil conglomerates pay fair market value for Venezuelan crude. A Castro who buys the debt of his neighbors from the World Bank and refinances it at lower interest rates. A leader who calls for fair trade not free trade in the continent is it any wonder the globalist want him gone? And will try again and again to remove him with more tin pot conspiracies like RCTV."

Viva Chavez~

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. Yeah, yeah, and they supported the Contras, too

You remember the Contras, don't you? They were the CIA-funded guerillas who tried to overthrow the Nicaraguan government. They were so opposed to the Sandinistas that they concentrated on destroying the schools, medical clinics, irrigation projects, and other beneficial infrastructure that the Sandinistas had built.

[Mika]

6. I sure do remember.

I live in Miami where there are lots of Nicaraguan "exiles" also. Miami seems to be a magnet for corrupt right wingnuts, bravely fleeing from socialism and justice.

[Cha]

8. THey got the

bucks to do it.

[Vidar]

9. The same mob of reactionary thugs they used to kill Kennedy. How charming!