Donald Rumsfeld INTERFERES in the Venezuelan Election!

[Joanne98]

:grr:

The Smart Way to Beat Tyrants Like Chávez

By Donald Rumsfeld
Sunday, December 2, 2007; B03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/30/AR2007113001800.html

Today the people of Venezuela face a constitutional referendum, which, if passed, could obliterate the few remaining vestiges of Venezuelan democracy. The world is saying little and doing less as President Hugo Chávez dismantles Venezuela's constitution, silences its independent media and confiscates private property. Chávez's ambitions do not stop at Venezuela's borders, either. He has repeatedly threatened its neighbors. In late November, Colombia's president, Alvaro Uribe, declared that Chávez's efforts to mediate hostage talks with Marxist terrorists from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, were not welcome. Chávez responded by freezing trade with Colombia.

With diplomatic, economic and communications institutions designed for a different era, the free world has too few tools to help prevent Venezuela's once vibrant democracy from receding into dictatorship. But such a tragedy is not preordained. In fact, we face a moment when swift decisions by the United States and like-thinking nations could dramatically help, supporting friends and allies with the courage to oppose an aspiring dictator with regional ambitions.

The best place to start is with the prompt passage and signing of the Colombian free trade agreement, which has been languishing in Congress for months. Swift U.S. ratification of the pact would send an unequivocal message to the people of Colombia, the opposition in Venezuela and the wider region that they do not stand alone against Chávez. It would also provide concrete economic opportunities to the people of Colombia, helping to offset the restrictions being imposed by Venezuela -- and it would strengthen the U.S. economy in the bargain.

Edited to 3-4 paragraphs to conform to DU's fair use policy concerning the citation of copyrighted material.

Lithos
DU Moderator

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/30/AR2007113001800.html

Should we scour the article for secret code words?

[donsu]

1. no, hire some one to stuff Rummy's article down Rummy's throat

may he fall down

[whistle]

2. Send in Blackwater Donald, afterall Blackwater is his private army

[Judi Lynn]

3. Rumsfeld threatened Bolivia's Evo Morales for ages prior to his getting elected.

He also moved behind the scenes, getting in there just before the election took place, and convincing some of the highest military officers to dismantle the missiles Bolivia had up to that point!

The act was not taken lightly by people who watched it happen. Very dirty business from a dirty, vicious, pointless, failed human being.

[seemslikeadream]

5. Nice to bump into you

:hi:

[seemslikeadream]

4. America and Venezuela: Constitutional Worlds Apart

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=72&ItemID=13598

Although imperfect, no country anywhere is closer to a model democracy than Venezuela under President Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias. In contrast, none is a more shameless failure than America, but it was true long before the age of George W. Bush. The difference under his regime is that the mask is off revealing a repressive state masquerading as a democratic republic. This article compares the constitutional laws of each country and how they're implemented. The result shows world's apart differences between these two nominally democratic states - one that's real, impressive and improving and the other that's mostly pretense and under George Bush lawless, corrupted, in tatters, and morally depraved.



US Constitutional Law from the Beginning



Before they're old enough to understand its meaning, young US children are taught to "pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands," and, by inference, its bedrock supreme constitutional law of the land. At that early age, they likely haven't yet heard of it, but soon will with plenty of misinformation about a document far less glorious than it's made out to be.



This article draws on Ferdinand Lundberg's powerfully important 1980 book, "Cracks in the Constitution," that's every bit as relevant today as then. In it, he deconstructs the nation's foundational legal document, separating myth from reality about what he called "the great totempole of American society." He analyzed it, piece by piece, revealing its intentionally crafted flaws. It's not at all the "Rock of Ages" it's cracked up to be, but students at all levels don't learn that in classrooms from teachers going along with the deception or who simply don't know the truth about their subject matter.



The Constitution falls far short of a "masterpiece of political architecture," but it's even worse than that. It was the product of very ordinary scheming politicians (not the Mt. Rushmore types they're portrayed as in history books) and their friends crafting the law of the land to serve themselves while leaving out the greater public that was nowhere in sight in 1787 Philadelphia. Unlike the Venezuelan Constitution, discussed below, "The People" were never consulted or even considered, and nothing in the end was put to a vote beyond the state legislative bodies that had to ratify it. In contrast to popular myth, the framers crafted a Constitution that didn't constrain or fetter the federal government nor did they create a government of limited powers

[Judi Lynn]

6. This article looks great! Going to set it aside to study it when it's easier to focus.

The author is just great. Have read everything I've seen posted or published by this guy. Would NEVER miss anything he wrote deliberately.

Thanks!

Good to see you around, absolutely. Good to see you're watching this, too, this weekend. Almost as tense as what _Bush did to Haiti, and there's no way to rule that kind of destructive bloodbath out here from _Bush, anytime, unfortunately.

[seemslikeadream]

7. You know he has a blog?

http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2006/09/imperialism-101-us-addiction-to-war.html

[Judi Lynn]

8. This really is going to be helpful. The writer has carved out his own place,

and reputation. Can't wait to read these, and save the link.

Thank you. Very kind of you to share this with us.

[bonito]

11. Thanks for the link

I have some reading and digesting to do. P

[go west young man]

9. It shows how desperate the administration has become when

they attempt to outright interfere in another countries election. Of course this will backfire in Venezuela and help Chavez as Rumsfeld is known as a murderer there. Unfortunately the US is just using it as a future build up of a bogeyman so one day they can invade that country too.

[Demeter]

10. How DARE Rumsfeld CAll Anyone Else a Tyrant?!!