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I would rather have President Chavez than George Bush
sliverstain
Posts: 340
*Me, Hugo and George*
"I would rather have President Chavez than George Bush"
Cindy Sheehan
Caracas (Venezuela) - 25 July 2006
When I was growing up in Bellflower, Ca., I never, as a child with a
good imagination, could have ever imagined that my life would take the
peculiar turn that it has. I could not have foreseen giving birth to a
child that would eventually be wrongfully and devastatingly killed in
war or that I would be meeting with world leaders or be nominated for
the Nobel Peace Prize.
Along with the Vice President of Spain, Foreign Minister of Ireland,
Attorney General of Australia and countless parliamentarians from all
over the globe, one of the world leaders that I have met and spent a
good amount of time with on my journey is President Hugo Chavez of
Venezuela. Due to the propaganda media and the ignorance of many of my
fellow Americans, I have been heavily criticized for my visit. I would
like to remind my neighbors all over the country that we do have
diplomatic relations with Venezuela and we are not at war with that
country.
On a recent appearance that I made on MSNBC’s Hardball which was being
guest hosted by Norah O’ Donnell, she introduced me as someone who has
been photographed with "dictator" Hugo Chavez. After the introduction
and in a very short subsequent break, I looked at her and said: "You
know President Chavez is not a dictator. He has been democratically
elected to his office 8 times."
To which she replied: "We had a big discussion about that and we decided
that he ruled like a dictator." That statement really shocked, yet
irritated me, because I can’t believe that MSNBC and Norah O’Donnell
would perpetuate the myth that President Chavez is a dictator and
mislead and misinform their viewers, because contrary to facts, they
"decided that he ruled like a dictator." "Then you should call George
Bush a dictator." I said right before we were given the signal that the
interview was beginning.
During the segment which Norah called an interview and I would like to
better term as an "attack," (I gave her a hug after the attack: it
seemed like she really needed one) we got on the subject of Hugo Chavez
and I ended up admitting that I would rather have him as a leader than
George Bush. Since this truthful admission, which comes from experience
and research, my life has been threatened several times and the hate
mail to the GSFP website has increased dramatically.
There are many brilliant pieces written from a more scholarly point of
view defending the administration of President Chavez and trying to
educate our corporate owned media-misled citizenry about the politics,
economics and civil society of Venezuela. Most recently and notably an
article by Jeff Cohen entitled, "Go to Venezuela, You Idiot." So,
instead of writing a scholarly piece, I would like to make some personal
observations about the regimes of George Bush and Hugo Chavez. First of
all and most importantly and as far as I can recall, Hugo has not
invaded any countries in baseless wars of aggression justified by lies.
George has. As a matter of fact, instead of using "Cowboy Diplomacy" and
"Bring ’em on" rhetoric, President Chavez has skillfully used his
country’s resources as a diplomatic tool to make friends and coerce good
behavior from other countries. George uses our children in the Armed
Forces to strong arm his way into other countries making enemies for the
USA and leaving death and destruction wherever he goes.
Secondly, Hugo is an effective orator who can lecture on any topic for
hours (believe me!). He is smart, personable, has a great sense of
humor, and takes the time to get to know people on a human level. (He
never called me "Mom" once the entire time I was with him---unlike
George). I was with him three times in Venezuela and each time he gave
lengthy speeches about American (North and South) history never using a
single note: tying our histories together with the present in very
meaningful ways. On the other hand, George Bush can barely speak when he
is reading from a teleprompter and looks like a deer caught in
headlights when he has to speak off the cuff or answer a question that
he hasn’t been well prepared for. He thinks that people want to put food
on their families and if he doesn’t know a word, he can just make one up.
When Ms. O’ Donnell called President Chavez a dictator, I bet she didn’t
even know that our CIA orchestrated a coup attempt against President
Chavez in 2002 and in the last electoral referendum that Chavez agreed
to submit to in 2004, he was re-confirmed as President with 60 percent
of the vote which was certified by an international election commission
headed by "left-wing, nutcase," Jimmy Carter.
George Bush attained his office by two heavily tainted elections that
should more rightly be called coups. To steal two elections and say and
act like you have a mandate to destroy the world; to circumvent Congress
at every turn with "signing statements" and just not telling them
things; to wiretapping Americans without proper warrants; to reading our
emails and looking at bank records without warrants; to illegally
detaining people and torturing them; to insisting on staying a course in
Iraq that is killing nearly more innocent people per month than were
killed in our country on 9/11; to authorizing the leak of covert agents’
names; to selling our democracy to the highest bidders such as the likes
of Jack Abramoff; to appointing avowed U.N. hater John Bolton to the
U.N. in a recess appointment because he knew that a normal confirmation
process would fail; to allowing the neocons to take over our foreign
policy to the detriment of our nation; to etc, etc---I ask Norah O’
Donnell and MSNBC who is the dictator here? George or Hugo?
The media is far freer in Venezuela than it is here in the US. Stations
after station are hostile to the Chavez government even openly calling
for his over throw at times. Our corporate owned media are either very
ill-informed about world affairs or current events, thereby keeping us
ill-informed, or they are complicit propaganda tools of this
administration. Heaven forbid that one of the outlets, such as the New
York Times, should truthfully report that BushCo did something illegal,
then the outlet will be accused of doing something wrong! Conversely, we
have cheerleaders in the same outlet such as Judith Miller who conspired
with Scooter Libby to out CIA agent Valerie Plame. I would love to see a
segment where MSNBC show hosts are brought together to discuss such
subjects as the high-jacking of our democracy and/or George’s lies and
war of terror on the world, instead of me.
One of the reasons that President Chavez is demonized and threatened by
BushCo is that he has forced American companies in his country to pay
their fair share of taxes and do business properly in Venezuela. Hugo is
resisting the corporate colonialism that has characterized US forced
relations with South America since the USA has been a country. And one
thing that we all know, or should know, BushCo is especially beholden
and subservient to the corporations.
Hugo Chavez also wants to finally realize Simon de Bolivar’s vision of a
united South America which can be together stronger to live more
peacefully with the US and stand in solidarity against the constant
meddling of all of our regimes in their affairs. North Americans should
know about the despicable history of US interference in South America
before they throw stones at people who want to have fully autonomous
countries with control over their own natural resources.
Hugo is also doing something that George would never think of doing: he
is taking from the rich to help the poor. Literacy is currently almost
100% in Venezuela and social programs in health and education have
dramatically improved since he took office and while the poverty rate is
still high, it has made vast improvements. George is a reverse Robin
Hood and even steals from our grandchildren’s future to further enrich
the already obscenely rich of the present. I would rather live under a
President like Hugo who tries to improve living conditions in his
country than someone like George who is demolishing our social
structures and making the poor, poorer.
I will readily admit that I did say that I would rather have President
Chavez than President Bush, but I didn’t say that I would rather live in
Venezuela. I am an American and I love my country which I believe is on
a distinctly disordered course right now. I also believe that my country
can do better and I am willing to fight to realize a vision for America
where the rich share with the poor and we achieve 100% literacy and
schools, day care centers, parks and clinics are built instead of
prisons and the already bloated military industrial war complex. While
the world seems to be coming apart at the seams, it is also important
for our main stream, corporate owned media to get their facts straight
and report the news truthfully and with integrity instead of being tools
for war and greed. Thousands of people are dying while the media are
carrying out vendettas for Karl Rove.
Yes, I would rather have President Chavez than George Bush. But
truthfully, I would rather have countless numbers of people as my
president than George Bush. George Bush is an out of control criminal
that needs to be impeached for his lies; removed from office for his
transgressions; and imprisoned for his crimes against humanity.
*George should never have been President in the first place and he has
been president of my country for far too long already.
*Cindy Sheehan
=====================================================
Good points, very well made.
"I would rather have President Chavez than George Bush"
Cindy Sheehan
Caracas (Venezuela) - 25 July 2006
When I was growing up in Bellflower, Ca., I never, as a child with a
good imagination, could have ever imagined that my life would take the
peculiar turn that it has. I could not have foreseen giving birth to a
child that would eventually be wrongfully and devastatingly killed in
war or that I would be meeting with world leaders or be nominated for
the Nobel Peace Prize.
Along with the Vice President of Spain, Foreign Minister of Ireland,
Attorney General of Australia and countless parliamentarians from all
over the globe, one of the world leaders that I have met and spent a
good amount of time with on my journey is President Hugo Chavez of
Venezuela. Due to the propaganda media and the ignorance of many of my
fellow Americans, I have been heavily criticized for my visit. I would
like to remind my neighbors all over the country that we do have
diplomatic relations with Venezuela and we are not at war with that
country.
On a recent appearance that I made on MSNBC’s Hardball which was being
guest hosted by Norah O’ Donnell, she introduced me as someone who has
been photographed with "dictator" Hugo Chavez. After the introduction
and in a very short subsequent break, I looked at her and said: "You
know President Chavez is not a dictator. He has been democratically
elected to his office 8 times."
To which she replied: "We had a big discussion about that and we decided
that he ruled like a dictator." That statement really shocked, yet
irritated me, because I can’t believe that MSNBC and Norah O’Donnell
would perpetuate the myth that President Chavez is a dictator and
mislead and misinform their viewers, because contrary to facts, they
"decided that he ruled like a dictator." "Then you should call George
Bush a dictator." I said right before we were given the signal that the
interview was beginning.
During the segment which Norah called an interview and I would like to
better term as an "attack," (I gave her a hug after the attack: it
seemed like she really needed one) we got on the subject of Hugo Chavez
and I ended up admitting that I would rather have him as a leader than
George Bush. Since this truthful admission, which comes from experience
and research, my life has been threatened several times and the hate
mail to the GSFP website has increased dramatically.
There are many brilliant pieces written from a more scholarly point of
view defending the administration of President Chavez and trying to
educate our corporate owned media-misled citizenry about the politics,
economics and civil society of Venezuela. Most recently and notably an
article by Jeff Cohen entitled, "Go to Venezuela, You Idiot." So,
instead of writing a scholarly piece, I would like to make some personal
observations about the regimes of George Bush and Hugo Chavez. First of
all and most importantly and as far as I can recall, Hugo has not
invaded any countries in baseless wars of aggression justified by lies.
George has. As a matter of fact, instead of using "Cowboy Diplomacy" and
"Bring ’em on" rhetoric, President Chavez has skillfully used his
country’s resources as a diplomatic tool to make friends and coerce good
behavior from other countries. George uses our children in the Armed
Forces to strong arm his way into other countries making enemies for the
USA and leaving death and destruction wherever he goes.
Secondly, Hugo is an effective orator who can lecture on any topic for
hours (believe me!). He is smart, personable, has a great sense of
humor, and takes the time to get to know people on a human level. (He
never called me "Mom" once the entire time I was with him---unlike
George). I was with him three times in Venezuela and each time he gave
lengthy speeches about American (North and South) history never using a
single note: tying our histories together with the present in very
meaningful ways. On the other hand, George Bush can barely speak when he
is reading from a teleprompter and looks like a deer caught in
headlights when he has to speak off the cuff or answer a question that
he hasn’t been well prepared for. He thinks that people want to put food
on their families and if he doesn’t know a word, he can just make one up.
When Ms. O’ Donnell called President Chavez a dictator, I bet she didn’t
even know that our CIA orchestrated a coup attempt against President
Chavez in 2002 and in the last electoral referendum that Chavez agreed
to submit to in 2004, he was re-confirmed as President with 60 percent
of the vote which was certified by an international election commission
headed by "left-wing, nutcase," Jimmy Carter.
George Bush attained his office by two heavily tainted elections that
should more rightly be called coups. To steal two elections and say and
act like you have a mandate to destroy the world; to circumvent Congress
at every turn with "signing statements" and just not telling them
things; to wiretapping Americans without proper warrants; to reading our
emails and looking at bank records without warrants; to illegally
detaining people and torturing them; to insisting on staying a course in
Iraq that is killing nearly more innocent people per month than were
killed in our country on 9/11; to authorizing the leak of covert agents’
names; to selling our democracy to the highest bidders such as the likes
of Jack Abramoff; to appointing avowed U.N. hater John Bolton to the
U.N. in a recess appointment because he knew that a normal confirmation
process would fail; to allowing the neocons to take over our foreign
policy to the detriment of our nation; to etc, etc---I ask Norah O’
Donnell and MSNBC who is the dictator here? George or Hugo?
The media is far freer in Venezuela than it is here in the US. Stations
after station are hostile to the Chavez government even openly calling
for his over throw at times. Our corporate owned media are either very
ill-informed about world affairs or current events, thereby keeping us
ill-informed, or they are complicit propaganda tools of this
administration. Heaven forbid that one of the outlets, such as the New
York Times, should truthfully report that BushCo did something illegal,
then the outlet will be accused of doing something wrong! Conversely, we
have cheerleaders in the same outlet such as Judith Miller who conspired
with Scooter Libby to out CIA agent Valerie Plame. I would love to see a
segment where MSNBC show hosts are brought together to discuss such
subjects as the high-jacking of our democracy and/or George’s lies and
war of terror on the world, instead of me.
One of the reasons that President Chavez is demonized and threatened by
BushCo is that he has forced American companies in his country to pay
their fair share of taxes and do business properly in Venezuela. Hugo is
resisting the corporate colonialism that has characterized US forced
relations with South America since the USA has been a country. And one
thing that we all know, or should know, BushCo is especially beholden
and subservient to the corporations.
Hugo Chavez also wants to finally realize Simon de Bolivar’s vision of a
united South America which can be together stronger to live more
peacefully with the US and stand in solidarity against the constant
meddling of all of our regimes in their affairs. North Americans should
know about the despicable history of US interference in South America
before they throw stones at people who want to have fully autonomous
countries with control over their own natural resources.
Hugo is also doing something that George would never think of doing: he
is taking from the rich to help the poor. Literacy is currently almost
100% in Venezuela and social programs in health and education have
dramatically improved since he took office and while the poverty rate is
still high, it has made vast improvements. George is a reverse Robin
Hood and even steals from our grandchildren’s future to further enrich
the already obscenely rich of the present. I would rather live under a
President like Hugo who tries to improve living conditions in his
country than someone like George who is demolishing our social
structures and making the poor, poorer.
I will readily admit that I did say that I would rather have President
Chavez than President Bush, but I didn’t say that I would rather live in
Venezuela. I am an American and I love my country which I believe is on
a distinctly disordered course right now. I also believe that my country
can do better and I am willing to fight to realize a vision for America
where the rich share with the poor and we achieve 100% literacy and
schools, day care centers, parks and clinics are built instead of
prisons and the already bloated military industrial war complex. While
the world seems to be coming apart at the seams, it is also important
for our main stream, corporate owned media to get their facts straight
and report the news truthfully and with integrity instead of being tools
for war and greed. Thousands of people are dying while the media are
carrying out vendettas for Karl Rove.
Yes, I would rather have President Chavez than George Bush. But
truthfully, I would rather have countless numbers of people as my
president than George Bush. George Bush is an out of control criminal
that needs to be impeached for his lies; removed from office for his
transgressions; and imprisoned for his crimes against humanity.
*George should never have been President in the first place and he has
been president of my country for far too long already.
*Cindy Sheehan
=====================================================
Good points, very well made.
The world's greatest empires progress through this sequence:From bondage to spiritual faith; spiritual faith to great courage; courage to liberty;liberty to abundance;abundance to selfishness; selfishness to complacency;complacency to apathy;apathy to dependence;dependency back again into bondage
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
my thought exactly.
I'd move to Venezula happily rather than move to USA
But who cares ...... its all a matter of opinion
Bush 'd probably have Chavez before he'd have sheehan.......
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
How about choosing neither of both? In my opinion both are failing BIG TIME to their countries. The only difference between them is that Chavez is a better speaker and has better marketing, but his Revolución Bolivariana has delivered very little of all their grandilocuent promises...
Me, I lived for 17 years in Venezuela and I'm much happier living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Venezuelans are among the nicest people in the world, but in general they are so uptight and conservative I doubt someone from a developed country could feel comfortable...
I think more people on the right use her to make a point then people on the left.
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
really, care to explain. i have seen her with many popular leftists, and the left leaning media just adores her....me, i just wish everybody would ignore her so that she can get well.
I too wish that everyone would ignore her... She started out as a sympathetic figure and has turned into a joke.
On this board and with the right wing pundants, she is brought up A LOT as the queen of the crazy liberals, or as the posterchild of why the left is nutty... While for some unknown reason she still gets her 30 seconds of fame on the so-called left leaning cable news networks whenever she says or does something stupid, I don't think they adore her, it's more like watching a trainwreck than anything.
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
she may be the current queen of the crazy liberals, but its a tight battle, there are alot of nuts on that side of the aisle. anybody see cynthia mckinney's speech after she lost her primary?
I'm hoping that Cynthia McKinney moves to Florida, and her an Kathrine Harris can go head to head in an election... talk about nutty, I would pay money to see those two in a debate
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
Sounds like she anticipated responses like yours and addressed them at the end of the article:
think she has the right to call out the president and those that still sheepishly support him and his views.
She does have the right, but we have the right to criticize what she says, and a lot of what she says is ridiculous.
Then you are obviously ill-informed of Chavez.
Don't believe the hype. There are millions of very angry people in his country and he has hung most of them out to dry.
The money from the Oil, is not being used to build, rebuild or repair the infrastructure and cities. Only in a few isolated cases has he used the money for the infrastructure. Interestingly, it was to help his small and exclusive circle of rich buddies. Everyone else is hung out to dry.
I feel for her and anyone else that has lost a loved one whether it is in war or by other means.
But did her son volunteer for military service?
Anytime you join the military, there is always the possibility of war, and with war comes death, and that is just the unfortunate reality.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Yup, she and others like her probably support Castro and the Chia Dictator in North Korea.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Even if the war is unjust and based on some faulty info. you did subject yourself to that possibility.....
If someone offers me a choice of dog shit or cow shit, for dinner; I'll exercise my right to a third...maybe fourth option.
Just because someone offers me two different turds, doesn't measn I have no other option but the two turds.
I'll decline both turds and seek better eating options.
Maybe more Americans should start thinking along these lines.
no doubt...to protect his country......going into Iraq was not to protect this country...it was wrong...bad decision..and if you had a son/daughter that was lost in this war (and I'm using the word war loosely) you'd be pretty pissed off too.....think about it....she lost her son....has to be devastating...and the reason's this president stated her son made the ultimate sacrifice have all been proven false...you'd be just as livid and fanatical as Cindy.....weapons, ties to Iraq, immenent threat....nucular (bush spelling) threat...was all BS. Cut her some slack...alot of slack...she deserves it. As to those that say she's wacked...your the ones that are wacked, confused, and disallusioned.
okay, all that is BS. i know several military families, and none of them feel that way. you listen to al gore too much.
Less about Bush, what of Chavez and his economic reforms?
courious...what has she said...that sounds rediculous..and again from the point of view of a mother that lost her son in the Iraq conflict.
Americans have a history of getting in wars they probably shouldn't. Parents should maybe educate their children about the possibility that they could go to war. Then if they still join, at least its an educated choice.
The Iraq war has been brewing ever since the first gulf war ended anyways.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
He still volunteered. He had choice, that choice was not to join.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Doesn't it? That was the point. Why choose between two turds, when have we other options?
If you were paying attention, you would have noticed that the similarities between Bush/Cheney and Chavez are uncanny.
As for economic reforms in Venezuela, at this point in time, that is nothing more then a verbal smoke-screen and fictional-political PR inititive. No such thing has ocuured, nor are there any signs of such a thing being put into effect.
Try talking to some Venezuelians and see what they have to say on the subject, lol.