AP: "Thousands" march in support of Chavez

[leftchick]

more likely TENS of thousands at least. VIVA CHAVEZ!!!.....















A supporter of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez stands beside an Uncle Sam cartoon during a rally to endorse Chavez's decision to shut down TV station Radio Caracas Television, RCTV, in Caracas, Saturday, June 2, 2007.(AP Photo/Howard Yanes)

Photo link to rate them UP!....http://news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/events/wl/030204venezuela



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070602/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_chavez_vs_tv

CARACAS, Venezuela - Thousands of red-clad supporters of President Hugo Chavez strode through the Venezuelan capital Saturday seeking to counter a national outcry over the government's removal of an opposition TV station from the air.

The march was in response to a week of large, sometimes violent protests by students who warned that freedom of expression is threatened by Chavez's refusal to renew Radio Caracas Television's broadcast license, which forced it off the air May 27.

Reggaeton music blared and fireworks crackled as thousands of "Chavistas" gathered at an opposition stronghold in wealthy eastern Caracas before converging with other marches in the capital.

Information Minister Willian Lara said the march would "demonstrate before the world that the non-renewal of (RCTV's license) ... is a democratic conquest," claiming the private media has been "held ransom by a small economic group."

Chavez accuses RCTV of inciting a failed coup in 2002 and violating various broadcast laws.

[Mojambo]

1. Man! That's a lot of people.

Say what you will about him, but he's a popular dude.

[leftchick]

2. but they are poor and working class

so they don't matter to the USA media machine. I am shocked the AP reported this at all.

[madokie]

69. I'd take Hugo over our w any day

[flyarm]

3. ahh yes Chavez shut down the CIA/* network of propaganda!!

the network Cahvez shut down was used by the * admin to try a coup on Chavez..i don't blame him for shutting down that propaganda !!

he is one man who will not put up with little lord pissy pants shit!!

fly

[leftchick]

6. and he waited five years!

for their contract to expire. Would bush/cheney have done the same??? LOL!

[EFerrari]

35. Dictator school would have to flunk him. n/t

[OnyxCollie]

109. Chimpy would have bombed it. By accident, of course. nt

[Robbien]

4. Surprising the media reports this at all

of course it is only one small article on the web and not 24/7 coverage received by the US taxpayer paid violent student riots against Chavez.

[Missy M]

5. The article also said there are many privately owned....

media outlets critical of Chavez and they are still allowed to broadcast. What do the critics of Chavez have to say about that. Why would a dictator, as he is called by so many, allow the other media outlets to still be on the air. I would hardly call it a dictatorship. He still has a lot of support.

[OilemFirchen]

16. He's not a dictator, sez most

According to the overwrought anti-Chavistas he's a dictator-in-waiting. No, he hasn't flexed his muscles yet, but just you wait and see...

It's a clever:silly: response to the earnest entreaties: if he's a dictator, why did he wait five years to refuse RCTV's license renewal? Why hasn't he mowed down the "college protesters" or, at the very least, hauled them off to a gulag? Why didn't he suspend, or at least overrule the anti-Chavista Supreme Court when they ruled that no coup had been attempted? Why hasn't he "shut down" all of the corporatist media?

Because, of course, he's not a dictator yet. And all the good he's done is mitigated by the fact that he will be.

[EFerrari]

38. Then, I'm a dictator in waiting too. (Listening to Mitt Romney

comparing Chavez to Putin as I type. What is the matter with people.)

[Wilms]

55. I always wondered about you.

:evilgrin:

[EFerrari]

80. I grew up in an authoritarian Latino family. It's just DNA.

:shrug:

[liberalmike27]

68. Anti-Communist Media Filter at Work

Read Chomsky's Manufactured Consent (Content). This is a beautiful example of the Communist media filter. Once anyone associated with Communism or Socialism goes through our corporatist filter, then it is going to look bad. Anything good that might occur because of his takeover, or Castro for instance, will likely never be heard. In Castro's case, even though his country is poor, mostly because we won't trade with them, they still have one of the best health care systems in the world. Poor folks can actually get health care, what a concept, one still not fully realized in America.

The media brainwashed, from birth. We are brainwashed, by our parents, who've already been brainwashed. Only when you look at everything you've learned as suspect, start to research it with an open mind, and decide for yourself when you observe the other side, the more liberal side, when you see how the poor live, can you make a well-informed decision. All learning is suspect when it is done through any government related agency, or school even. It is almost as fictitious that schools are liberal as when they say the media is liberal.

Let us all face the fact that a group of the poorest people in Venezuela have benefited from him taking office, and for not too much suffering of the wealthiest people. While huge crowds protested the closing of this station also, they did so with Ipods, and cell phones. The people supporting Chavez, however, have to worry more about meat, potatoes, and having a roof over their heads so they can feed themselves. I ask you, which is more important?

[nick303]

88. Not too much suffering

A few property owners shot, but you know, no big deal.

[Moochy]

99. "No big deal"

Property owners are the ones who are being tortured!! They can't have their daily dose of un-reality pumped into their willfully ignorant upper crust brains anymore!!

So which march would you be in? The march to support Venezuela's Anti-Chavez coporations' right to free speech ? (read: tell lies on tv, and push a pro-coup agenda over the state-owned airwaves)

[nick303]

100. I didn't say anything about RCTV in my post, did I?

[ProudDad]

108. Who?

Links please...

[nick303]

117. You can't read this without NYT TS

But it's there. Not surprisingly I do not think you will find much coverage of the story on Venezuelanalysis or zmag, or the other rag sites out there.

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30D11FC3B550C748DDDAC0894DF404482

[peacetalksforall]

83. We haven't heard about dictating through signing statements and throwing out

environmental, weapons, and peace treaties - like our dictator.

[slick8790]

85. Not ruling by signing statements like W?

If this isn't signing statements, I don't know what is...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6277379.stm

[peacetalksforall]

89. I would need to know more. I know about the oil dictums and I

approve of them saying what happens to their oil as it relates to predators like us.

I would have to know more to know what is constitutionally doable and why it's being done. So far, I haven'theard of anything that dittos previous Venezuelan leaders who sold the citizens to poverty and didn't strive to educate them - the ones living in Marbella who allowed all the deals with IMF and the World Bank. So fare I haven't heard that his freinds are living high and invading other countries and killing the people as well as his soldiers. I haven't heard about no-bids and mercenary armies and sleep-overs by Rev Dobson.

[LynnTheDem]

90. You don't know what is.

Coz that ain't "signing statements".

[slick8790]

102. No, it's not.

It's worse, and thats what I was implying. Sorry I wasn't more clear. Honestly, I don't know much about Chavez and what he's done. But just as I don't support W's disregard for the constitution by using signing statements, I can't support ANY rule by decree. I'd like you to explain how one is any different from the other.

[Chemical Bill]

107. Rule by decree...

is more akin to an executive order. We have had those for a long time, from many (real) Presidents. A signing statement is the same as overturning a law passed by congress. * specializes in those.

Bill

[immoderate]

84. It's the 1% Doctrine at work...

From Ron Suskind's book: (hoping I'm understanding him right) Bush and Cheney treat any threat with a more than one percent possibility as if it's imminent reality.(!)

This, of course is one of the stupidest things they do, and that's saying a LOT! How could it NOT lead to major blunders and catastrophes? How could it NOT lead to depletion and diversion of the resources of our civilization? How could it NOT lead to depletion of capital, economic, political, and human? (The Doctrine, as applied by Bush and Cheney, assumes unlimited access to resources. That there's always somebody to foot the bill.)

This is why the Bush administration is so toxic to the Earth and all its inhabitants.

Here in south Florida, I have occasion to meet Venezuelans. I usually try to get some sort of indication of what they think of Chavez. My informal impression is, that of the Venezuelans that I bump into, they are about evenly split, positive vs. negative, about Chavez. Furthermore, I think the sample, is weighted toward the upper classes, whom I think are normally opposed to Chavez.

If he had been committing major crimes against his people, such as torturing, killing, imprisoning, and disappearing, we would be hearing about it constantly. I hope Chavez has a chance to democratize his country further. His seems a personality driven government and that is not good.

--IMM

[ret5hd]

7. Beautiful.

viva chavez!

[sanskritwarrior]

8. Nothing to see here folks

just a gathering of the "We love Chavez, the red dictator with the heart of gold" fan club..................:eyes:

[ProudDad]

110. Nothing to see here

just the obligatory knee-jerk fascist reaction to anyone to the left of Milton Freidman...

[Tom Joad]

9. I appreciate the work of the people of Venezuela in resisting corporate/capitialism.

[lostnfound]

17. Nicely put, Tom. nt

[Cha]

10. They like red!~ Just the opposite

up here. I like Blue!

What a Time they're having down there..I wish them the best of Luck regarding the bushitistas(El Norte y El Sur)!

Unca Sam with a slash through him..they should have unca dick's face.

They always under report protests..unless it's a freeper outing and they multiply it.

[Judi Lynn]

20. Entirely right about that. People have marvelled since the marches before the invasion

at how they EVER managed to report the stories of "thousands" of demonstrators when it was obvious in every conceivable way there were HUNDREDS of thousands of Americans in the streets protesting the impending unwarrented invasion of Iraq.

Someone uncovered the information that at some point, years ago, the metropolitan police departments STOPPED GIVING OFFICIAL ESTIMATED COUNTS of crowds turning out to protest various government actions here, even though they used to do it routinely.

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com.nyud.net:8090/iraq-rally.jpg

Hundreds of thousands of Americans
poured into Washington to attend the
Free Republic demonstration in favor
of _Bush's Iraq war.

[David__77]

11. There's no "national outcry" supporting RCTV.

The article is incorrect. The "outcry" is restricted to narrow social sectors in the large cities. Bastions of class privilege. The majority of Venezuelans support the government, as has been confirmed numerous times.

[EFerrari]

33. Yes. The oligarchy -- like those rich ladies in designer clothes who

tottered out in the tens during the coup, caught on hilarious tape in "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised".

[Joanne98]

12. ONE MORE REC!

[ret5hd]

13. Done

[Joanne98]

15. YAY!

[leftchick]

19. hey sista!

:)

[Joanne98]

25. Hey!

:hi:

[Downtown Hound]

14. Man, those two ladies make me want to Viva Chavez!

[leftchick]

18. lol!

I knew a few would appreciate those abs! :)

[Usrename]

61. Of all the tens of thousands of people,

you put them at the top of the page.

It's appreciated! :)

[leftchick]

64. there are about five or six pics of those two at the link

I think the photographer really liked them. :)

[Usrename]

66. I know, I voted 'em up, too!

What's not to like? :)

[Cha]

21. They remind me of

Green Day fans! Enthusiastic!~

[EFerrari]

44. LOL! Yeah and what kind of paint is that? They're gorgeous.

[Downtown Hound]

59. Venezuelan women are often regarded as among the most beautiful in the

world. Chavez? Ah, dictator schmictator. Who cares? If I were him, I'd be pulling Bill Clinton's left and right with my fan base, which seems to be very large and well equipped.

As for the paint, well, the only way to know for certain what kind it is would be to taste it, right?

[Judi Lynn]

Excuse! Accidental double post.

?

[Judi Lynn]

22. Thanks for posting these great photos. Excellent! Looks like an enthusiastic event.

?

[leftchick]

23. sort of diminishes those "anti-Chavez" protests

doesn't it? :hi:

[Forkboy]

24. Boy...they sure look oppressed.

[leftchick]

26. I know, they look so unhappy don't they?

:sarcasm:

The USA needs to GET A CLUE about REAL Democracy! Before it is too late!

[starroute]

27. Notice the clever way the misleading part is phrased

"Thousands of red-clad supporters of President Hugo Chavez strode through the Venezuelan capital Saturday . . . Reggaeton music blared and fireworks crackled as thousands of 'Chavistas' gathered at an opposition stronghold in wealthy eastern Caracas before converging with other marches in the capital."

In other words, the "thousands" refers to one group that gathered in a wealthy, anti-Chavez area before joining with others. They're not even trying to say what the total size of the march was -- just giving you the illusion that they have.

(Do they teach how to do that at Propaganda Camp?)

[leftchick]

30. clever indeed for the uninformed

but then that is their target audience, the USA. The rest of the world recognizes real Democracy when they see it.

[EFerrari]

40. Yes, they do. And this precise deception was discussed

on Amy Goodman's show by the RCTV news manager that resigned in protest during the coup. I think it was the Thursday show last week but it could have been Friday.

www.democracynow.com

[leftchick]

72. Thanks! Here it is...

n a moment we'll have a debate on this issue, but first let's turn to a documentary made by two filmmakers who were in Caracas during the 2002 coup. The film is called "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised."

* "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" - excerpt of documentary produced by Kim Bartley and Donnacha O'Briain.

That clip featured an interview with Andres Izarra, a news manager with RCTV during the 2002 coup. He later quit the station in protest over its coverage. Andres Izarra joins us now from a studio in Caracas. He later served as Venezuela's communications minister under President Chavez and is now president of TeleSUR. And joining us on the telephone from Connecticut is Francisco Rodríguez, an assistant professor of economics and Latin American studies at Wesleyan University He is a a former chief economist of the Venezuelan National Assembly.

* Andres Izarra, former news manager at RCTV. He served as Venezuela's former communications minister under President Chavez. He is now president of TeleSUR, a multinational satellite network.
* Francisco Rodríguez, assistant professor of economics and Latin American studies at Wesleyan University, and former chief economist of the Venezuelan National Assembly.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/31/1412206


Thank God for Amy! :)

[Joe Chi Minh]

75. Liked the "strode", too. Look like happily and confidently "ambling" to me.

[slipslidingaway]

28. Thanks K&R n/t

[burrowowl]

29. If you haven't already go here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1024022&mesg_id=1025563

Lists facts and myths anbout the station Chavez shut down most probably CIA sponsored.

[originalpckelly]

32. Excuse me, but that's something their government put out...

might that just be propaganda?

Is it really that outrageous to suggest that a government "fact sheet" would contain the government's position on an issue?

[Forkboy]

36. Could be....What did ya think of the pictures?

propaganda? or genuine?

[originalpckelly]

37. How many "happy" people are in this picture?

[Forkboy]

39. Looks nice and safe....not overly happy.

The girl in blue on the bottom right looks especially excited.

What did you think of the pics in this thread??

[originalpckelly]

41. That was a picture of a military parade in Pyongyang, DPRK (North Korea)

I guess they did look happy, maybe they were the lucky ones who didn't starve to death there. Happy photos are not indicative of a country's democratic values or lack thereof.

And by the way, I'm not entirely certain, but one of the photographers cited in the Yahoo! Photos gallery was "Juan Barreto". This may be the same person who is a journalism professor at one of Venezuela's Universities. He is also a member of MVR, and he is the mayor of Caracas Venezuela. For some reason that just seems a little odd, but I don't know if I can investigate it any further.

[Forkboy]

45. But I said they didn't look overly happy.So I was right.

Unlike the pics posted here where the people look thrilled,your spin and desperation to portray this as an unhappy event is rather weak,and not one one your better efforts.

Maybe you should investigate it further instead of trying to use terms like,"I'm not entirely certain" or "This may be the same person" to make your points. :shrug:

[originalpckelly]

46. I feel sorry for those people, they deserve a happy moment.

I can show you overly happy people if you want me to.

[Forkboy]

47. I feel sorry for happy people too.

:eyes:

Feel free to trot out pics of people who were gaga over Hitler if you want.That would fit the level of desperation I'm seeing already.

[originalpckelly]

49. You'll be eating dyed red crow in a couple of months.

I have a feeling Chavez has picked 2007 to pounce. He's also planning on unifying the people who support him, but are in different parties, into a single larger party. That doesn't make any sense to anyone who's a real democrat, why would he do that? These aren't other parties that are supposedly CIA plants, these are his own supporters. I think it's because he's gunning for absolute control.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Socialist_Party_of_Venezuela

[Forkboy]

50. Maybe,maybe not.

YOU have a feeling,and are projecting from there.Nothing more,nothing less.

I've said in a post above that your view may be right.Will you admit you may be wrong?

And I'll pass on the crow,but if you serve up some spaghetti I'll be there.

[originalpckelly]

51. Definitely, I'd like to be wrong.

Unfortunately, no matter how I try to forget how it ends, I've seen this movie before.

[Forkboy]

52. Well every now and then there's a surprise ending.

:)

[LynnTheDem]

58. Hey, don't knock feelings! George bUsh had a "feeling" we'd be

greeted as liberators and find tons and tons of "wmd" in Iraq!

And look how that turned out.
:rofl:

[leftchick]

65. lol!

no kidding!

:rofl:

[ProudDad]

111. So by your reasoning

Sweden should be soon closing down their hospitals and removing 1/8 of their population from their health care system so they can emulate the U.S. of Fucking A., eh?

What a faulty analogy -- comparing North Korea to Venezuela. Get a grip...

[Oak2004]

118. I just had a long conversation with a friend about how I want to

organize the myriad factions of a particular "special interest" movement into a unified coalition (I am positioned to do so, but first need to be able to delegate some of my current responsibilities to free up my time. This is not a pipe dream, but the first steps of a plan).

Do I want to do this so that I can be the unchallenged dictator of the movement? Hell no -- I don't even care if I am a part of the leadership of the resulting organization. Correct that: it would be a wonderful thing indeed if I *did not* have to serve as a leader in the resulting umbrella organization.

No, I want to do this because if we can create a working umbrella group, we will be much more effective.

[fishwax]

48. that's an interesting catch with respect to barreto

He was a journalist by trade, right? I'm sure he was at the rally, and it doesn't seem far-fetched that he would snap a few pics, so it could well be the same guy.

I'm not sure it's weird, though ... are you suggesting this makes it propaganda?

[1932]

71. It's not the same Barreto,

I assume, since it would probably be hard to be an employee of AFP and mayor of Caracas at the same time, and since it might have made news if the current mayor of caracas had been shot by an anti-chavez protester while taking pictures in 2004.


Gunmen shot at reporters

Continuing the opposition protests of Friday and Saturday, small groups of protesters confronted National Guard troops again in the upper-middle class neighborhood of Altamira and in several other locations in the eastern part of Caracas.

In the course of one of the clashes on Sunday, unidentified gunmen opened fire from buildings, shooting behind National Guard lines and hitting a cameraman for Univision in the foot. “A boy from the opposition side shot me in the chest with a 9mm pistol,” said Juan Barreto, a photographer for Agence France-Presse (AFP). Barreto survived the incident because he was wearing a bullet-proof vest.

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1209

[fishwax]

77. thanks for clearing that up

Barreto was actually in the assembly at that time (he wasn't elected mayor until fall of '04, I think), but it still probably would have made news :) Also it there are some photos from the last several days with the same byline which appear to be taken from behind opposition lines in clashes with the guard--a place I'd assume the mayor wouldn't be inclined to venture just to snap a pic or two :) Just a coincidence, then ...

[Judi Lynn]

92. Good grief! Had never heard an AFP phtographer was shot by an opposition member.

Without that vest, he would have bought the farm.

You note they targeted two people who could have gotten good photos of the shooters, too. Sounds as if they wanted to eliminate any chance of identification early in the game, doesn't it?

Sure glad you shared this information. Although creepy, it surely reinforces the picture already in place of what kind of people were driving this thing.

[Joe Chi Minh]

76. Well they sure mourned bitterly when the old boy died! Like the Ayatollah, too

There aren't too many Western leaders elicit that scale or intensity of grief.

[Jed Dilligan]

112. Oh yeah, that looks exactly the same

:sarcasm:

[Vidar]

31. K&R.

[originalpckelly]

34. Odd how I didn't see any police.

I wonder why they were there to provide "security"?

[killbotfactory]

53. I guess the protestors weren't planning on throwing bricks at police

Since there is no reason to do that unless you are trying to stir up trouble.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

42. Chavistas? ROFLMAO! I Knew It Was Like A Cult!

Sorry, but when there are cult like followers like that of any government leader that always leads to bad things. Chavistas. My god. This guy's such a tool.

[originalpckelly]

43. Cult leaders always find a way to twist the good in people for their own purposes...

I'd say the same of personality cult leaders as well. It's sad, those are all probably really nice people, and they have no clue at all what's about to happen to them when they do something Chavez doesn't like.

[ProudDad]

113. Ah, now we've

heard the obligatory ad-hominem from the capitalist knuckle-dragging faction :eyes:

[DancingBear]

122. A perfect description!

Just remember, we're not laughing with them, we're laughing at them.

Hi'ya, ProudDad. :hi:

[burrowowl]

54. KICK for tomorrow!

[Cleita]

56. Have you noticed that the Chavistas are much browner than the

protestors who oppose Chavez? This truly is class warfare. The underclasses in all of Latin America are made up of indigenous people and those black African decendents brough here as slaves. It seems it's no different in Venezuela. This is Hugo's constituency. No wonder there is such an outcry of rage that "those people" might actually make some gains in their lives through the bounty of oil their country has an a leader who is trying to divert the profits for the benefit of the underclasses.

[EFerrari]

79. Yes, I have noticed. No wonder the chelitos hate Chavez so much. n/t

[rec_report]

57. K&R! n/t

[Onceuponalife]

60. And that TV station that was shut down

would be showing cartoons if they were still on the air instead of the Chavista rally. Like they did before the election. I guess anti-Chavez rallies are the only ones that are newsworthy.

[nick303]

93. Right, but the state-run stations would never do that, right?

Oh wait, that's exactly what they did with the anti-Chavez rallies.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/01/world/americas/01venez.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[David__77]

62. I don't think it matters most whether or not we as US citizens "like Chavez" or not...

...I think the most important thing is to recognize that we must oppose any and all acts of US aggression or interference in Venezuela's sovereign affairs. Venezuela has its own national rights and political system, and it isn't the job of Americans or their government to determine what system that should be. Can't we agree on that at least???

[LynnTheDem]

63. Absolutely agreed. But we see the American SOP at work;

lie, obfuscate, mislead, demonize. Whilst interfering by supporting those who will eventually become our enemies.

Then attack militarily to "liberate" the people, or just assist with military coups.

For a very recent end example there is HAITI. The bush regime sent US forces to assist with overthrowing the popular and democratically elected president. Sure don't hear much about that within the USA. Sure do outside the USA. The people of Haiti want their elected president back. Ask the people of Iran how to get rid of unwanted US-installed & supported regimes.

[EFerrari]

82. Remember Reagan called the "contras" freedom fighters?

Most of them were mercs! I think he also compared them to our founders. :crazy:

[ProudDad]

115. And you can read a few of the brainwashed product

of the US right-wing media spin machine right on this thread.

[EFerrari]

81. Yes. However, one of the ways the US undermines democracy

in Latin America is to demonize progressive leaders and drum up support for funding their overthrow. So, in a way, American public opinion is important to that project.

[Cleita]

105. But...but...but. it's what we do, interfere in the politics of sovereign

nations, depose or assassinate their leaders and install a RW dictator as a puppet more to the liking of our oligarchic business interests.

[1932]

67. I like these three pictures:

[Judi Lynn]

97. Priceless. Wildly funny idea, too. n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

70. Those poor tyrannized people sure look miserable. Surely, they won't vote Chavez in again.

I mean, it's their country, they have the vote, if they're that crushed by a cruel dictator, they'll be eager to vote him out.

Won't they?

[bvar22]

73. VIVA Chavez!

Praying that these reforms migrate to El Norte.


The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

[leftchick]

74. And The Highest Rated Photo on Yahoo Is.......

:)



Supporters of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez take part in a march to support Chavez's decision to not renew the license of RCTV broadcasting station in Caracas June 2, 2007. The supporters marched on Saturday after RCTV was forced off the air when Chavez's administration refused to renew its broadcasting license last week. REUTERS/Jorge Silva (VENEZUELA)

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/sm/1750/p:1

[EFerrari]

78. Why do these girls hate democracy?

lol

:hi:

[leftchick]

86. I know, I feel sad for them!

Not!

:hi:

[TahitiNut]

94. It makes me wish I'd taken more art courses ... and gone into the body-painting business.

:evilgrin:

[Forkboy]

96. As someone who took art courses I can say our models never looked like that.

:(

[Lord Balto]

101. You don't suppose it's the boobs?

I hereby volunteer to paint white stars.

[leftchick]

104. no

it's the Abs!

:)

[Chemical Bill]

114. It's those nice big...

smiles! :)

Bill

[progressoid]

87. Looks just like the enthusiastic crowds Bush gets when he travels around the US.

[LynnTheDem]

91. LOL!

:D

[Marr]

95. I wonder... do they still have something like Habeas Corpus?

I mean, really- any country with a regime that ignores things like Habeas Corpus and the Geneva Convention probably shouldn't be throwing stones.

[ProudDad]

116. The U.S. doesn't have "habeas corpus" any more

do you mean you want to be sure that the Venezuelans don't?

[Up2Late]

98. At least 10s of Thousands, and Thank You paint girls!

Gotta love that!

[Judi Lynn]

103. Leading British voices support Venezuela's RCTV decision

Leading British voices support Venezuela's RCTV decision

1 June 2007

The following letter, signed by a range of prominent figures in Britain, calls for respect for the Venezuelan government’s decision not to renew RCTV’s broadcasting licence. Signatories to the letter, which appeared in the British Guardian on May 26, include Tony Benn, John Pilger, Tariq Ali, Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter and various MPs and trade union and student leaders.


We believe that the decision of the Venezuelan government not to renew the broadcasting licence of RCTV when it expires on May 27 is legitimate given that RCTV has used its access to the public airwaves to repeatedly call for the overthrow of the democratically elected government of President Hugo Chavez.

RCTV gave vital practical support to the overthrow of Venezuela’s elected government in April 2002 in which at least 13 people were killed. In the 47 hours that the coup plotters held power, they overturned much of Venezuela’s democratic constitution — closing down the elected national assembly, the Supreme Court and other state institutions.

RCTV exhorted the public to take to the streets and overthrow the government and also colluded with the coup by deliberately misrepresenting what was taking place, and then conducting a news blackout. Its production manager, Andres Izarra, who opposed the coup, immediately resigned so as not to become an accomplice.

This is not a case of censorship. In Venezuela more than 90% of the media is privately owned and virulently opposed to the Chavez government. RCTV, far from being silenced, is being allowed to continue broadcasting by satellite and cable.

In Venezuela, as in Britain, TV stations must adhere to laws and regulations governing what they can broadcast. Imagine the consequences if the BBC or ITV were found to be part of a coup against the government. Venezuela deserves the same consideration.

More:
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2007/712/36967

[leftchick]

106. VERY Impressive!

thank you Judi Lynn!

:hi:

[Judi Lynn]

119. Chávez is no enemy of free speech

Sorry to have posted this to another thread when I couldn't find this one earlier tonight. Just tried to remove it from the other thread, but got the message I had waited too long.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
from the June 4, 2007 edition

Chávez is no enemy of free speech
Hugo Chávez let Radio Caracas Televisión continue to air for five years after the station supported a coup attempt.
By Bart Jones
Page 1 of 2

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's refusal to renew the license of Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) might seem to justify fears that Mr. Chávez is crushing free speech and eliminating any voices critical of him. Amnesty International; Human Rights Watch; the Committee to Protect Journalists; and members of the European Parliament, the US Senate, and even Chile's Congress have denounced the closure of RCTV, Venezuela's oldest private television network. Chávez's detractors got more ammunition last week when the president included another opposition network, Globovisión, among the "enemies of the homeland."

But the case of RCTV – like most things involving Chávez – has been caught up in a web of misinformation. While one side of the story is getting headlines around the world, the other is barely heard. The demise of RCTV is indeed a sad event in some ways for Venezuelans. Founded in 1953, it was an institution in the country, having produced the long-running political satire program "Radio Rochela" and the blisteringly realistic nighttime soap opera "Por Estas Calles." It was RCTV that broadcast the first live-from-satellite images in Venezuela when it showed Neil Armstrong walking on the moon in 1969.

But after Chávez was elected president in 1998, RCTV shifted to another endeavor: ousting a democratically elected leader from office. Controlled by members of the country's fabulously wealthy oligarchy, including RCTV chief Marcel Granier, it saw Chávez and his "Bolivarian Revolution" on behalf of Venezuela's majority poor as a threat.

RCTV's most infamous effort to topple Chávez came during the April 11, 2002, coup attempt against him. For two days before the putsch, RCTV preempted regular programming and ran wall-to-wall coverage of a general strike aimed at ousting Chávez. A stream of commentators spewed vitriolic attacks against him – while permitting no response from the government.

More:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0604/p09s01-coop.html

[Socal31]

120. Dictator.

Why does being a Chavez supporter make you more progressive than me or anyone else? Look at whats going on....dont let our hate for "The Dubya" divide us. Thats what makes us lose elections.


No Offence DU, but I've been an avid post-reader for years. Yes, my post count is low. And that is getting me ZERO respect around here. And thats OK, I dont think respect is a right. But I even had a post DELETED when I disagreed with a 1000+ poster. We are all on the same team, lets act that way!!!! Peace my friends.

[leftchick]

121. he is not a Dictator

look at the facts. And there are plenty of them provided in many links on this thread. Then get back to me.