Flash...Chavez heart defective!!!

News Flash from Reuters....

Chavez says Bush "devil" speech spur of the moment

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela's president calling his U.S. counterpart Satan in a U.N. speech seemed a devilish gambit in the nations' war of words -- but Hugo Chavez says he was shooting from the hip.

"The devil thing, I didn't have it on my mind. I swear, it occurred to me right there," Chavez said at a news conference on Thursday.

"I went out to say what my heart told me," he said. "It's possible that it's one of my defects."

We'll always have Caracas

If you’re like me and have long had a yen to jet down to Caracas, now’s the time. The joint is jumpin’ with some high times and high living. Here’s the scoop from the AP:

Venezuelans are swilling aged whiskey, snapping up luxury cars and treating themselves to plastic surgery in an oil-fueled spending spree worthy of one of the fastest-growing economies in Latin America.

Oh…It gets even better:

Venezuela's economy is expected to expand at least 8 percent this year, the fastest growth in South America, according to the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean. Government and industry figures show construction activity has spiked, car sales are at record highs and banks are earning record profits.
[…]
There are other signs of an economy surging with cash: banks offer loans for plastic surgery, property rentals in swanky parts of Caracas rival those in major U.S. cities and Venezuelans have imported more than half a billion dollars in cellular phones this year.

I mean, dig that rockin’ country! Loans for plastic surgery! If you’ve ever seen my nose and my depleted liquor cabinet, you’d understand my excitement. But again…Now’s the time to go, because the opportunity is fleeting.

Why? Well, as usual the reason involves a word that begins with S and ends with T. Yep, Socialist Hugo Chavez wants it all to stop. Why? Well, because Hugo’s a tyrant who’s full of a (different) word that begins with S and ends with T. Here’s the grim news:

Chavez, however, bristles at Venezuela's consumption boom, which he calls a symptom of a society corrupted by capitalist values."There will be no socialism unless every one of us has ... soaked ourselves to the marrow with socialist values," Chavez lectured in one televised speech. "We have to reflect on the way we're consuming."

"I was looking at the costs of whiskey imports ... exorbitant. We're one of the top consumers of whiskey in the world. What is this?" Chavez said, as he announced new tariffs on whiskey, pearls and other items.

That’s right folks. The Savior of Latin America has been reviewing the whiskey figures, and he’s not pleased. And his people, had better start soaking in the socialism or…well…he doesn’t exactly say. But considering he sports Che t-shirts and kneels before a Fidel shrine at bedtime, I have a feeling what the “or else” is.

So think about a trip south while you still can. If I see you in Caracas, the first drink’s on me. You’ll love my new nose.

Anti-capitalist trends in Latin America

Left wing candidate Rafael Correa wins the presidency in Ecuador. Rolling Thunder contributor MGraves sees this as a trend:

I’d wager that the election of Rafael Correa will lead to the reversal of Ecuador’s dollarization policy, wherein Ecuador has dropped its currency in favor of the U.S. dollar. Of more immediate concern to the U.S. is the march of capitalism rejection taking hold in Latin America. Evo Morales, Hugo Chavez, the return of Ortega, Obrador’s parallel government, and now, the potential elevation of a Chavez ally in Ecuador, are beginning to look like the head of a trend. This is not to say that Correa is an anti-capitalist in the vein of Chavez or Castro, as Correa has served as the finance minister of Ecuador during the dollarization, but his ties to Chavez are cause for concern.

Boycott CITGO

A Balanced Portrait, Part II

Here's the second part of the St. Louis Post Dispatch's profile on Chavez. I think right wing radicals have taken over my hometown paper. This story actually presents a critical view of socialist co-ops.

Oil fuels Chávez's economic shift

A Balanced Portrait

Something truly astounding happened this fine Sunday morning. My local paper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, ran an even-handed, balanced story on Hugo Chavez.

Chavez is potent force

How can I say it was balanced? Well for starters, the story labels Chavez as a 'leftist'. I didn't know journalists could use that word correctly. Second, the story gives good space to Chavez's critics without painting them (too much) as wealthy robber barons. Third, it discusses his dictatorial leanings (comparisons to Stalin are even made), including his threats to Venezuela's independent media outlets.

The one criticism I have, however, is the way the story portrays Chavez's relationship with Castro. For example, the following quotes from a Chavez supporter goes unchallenged:

Luisa Nieves, 53, said a core of impoverished Venezuelans had waited for decades for a leader like Cuba's Fidel Castro to come to their rescue."I believe that Castro is a humanitarian," said Nieves, a coordinator for 15 free health clinics opened in her neighborhood since Chavez took power.

Like more than 400 others that have opened in Caracas since Chavez was elected, each of the clinics is staffed by a Cuban doctor sent as part of an "oil-for-doctors" agreement forged between Chavez and Castro, whose country remains under U.S. imposed economic sanctions.

"Since I was a small girl, I've listened to Castro's name and I've heard of him. If he were a bad person, the people would not be supporting him," she said. "We're headed toward 21st century socialism. It's a socialism of equality, with no racial discrimination."

All of that is of course BS, and the reporters could have at least pointed out that Castro may not actually be a humanitarian. At the same time, however, the Castro stuff does provide a revealing glimpse into the Latin American mind set and so helps explain Chavez's popularity.

Chavez Lite

Well, it looks like Hugo's got a little friend in Ecuador:

Ecuador's Leftist Candidate Slams Bush

Friday, November 24, 2006
By MONTE HAYES, Associated Press Writer

QUITO, Ecuador — Leftist economist Rafael Correa, in a tight race to win Sunday's presidential runoff, criticized President Bush Thursday for the Iraq invasion and claimed his policies led to the Republicans' congressional defeat.

"The American people have been the first to speak their minds in an overwhelming fashion on the errors committed by the Bush administration, above all in Iraq," he said. "I think all citizens of the world have a right to express ourselves about that mistake, which put world peace in danger."

If anyone can explain the connection between American Congressional elections, the Iraq war and Ecuadorian politics, I'm all ears.

Relying on the government for housing

Never a good idea.

Yes. Yes...Gildersleeve first made that comment in his food post below. But given who we're writing about, maybe we should just change the blog name to "Never a Good Idea Watch" because I'm sure the phrase will become standard.

Anyway, here's the housing story:

Chavez's Caracas Home-Building Sows Hope

The article describes a massive home building program run by Chavez. If you want to be bored to tears about all the wonderful things he's doing to make the poor comfortable instead of not poor, there's the link. Have fun. I, on the other hand, want to make just a few observations.

Observation #1...Every AP story has that signature "you can't be serious" (YCBS) sentence. Such a sentence is remarkable for an extra dose of left wing BS, and usually causes any right thinking person to slap his forehead, mutter obscenities, and then laugh for fear of punching his computer screen. In this story, the YCBS sentence offers a description of Chavez's project. See if you can think of more accurate phrasing. Here's the quote:

Chavez has opted for a government-centric approach.

Riiiiight...That's just what I'd call it. Good grief.

Observation #2....The article mentions that this "government-centric" home building project is behind schedule and will make small progress in addressing Venezuela's housing problem. So...People are waiting on homes from an inadequate program that is behind schedule. But the government has told everyone it's building them homes. In the AP's words, Chavez is "sowing hope." Well, guess what's not getting done in the meantime? Correct...Home building.

Observation #3...A fair amount of data accumulated over the years on the success of "government-centric" home building programs has lead to one conclusion: There isn't any (success, that is). Why would this attempt be any different? Sure, it may be sowing hope, but what will it reap? This may give us a glimpse:

Outside one housing office, scores of people sit in a parking lot in plastic chairs waiting for their requests to be heard by officials. "I've been coming here for six years, and they don't resolve anything for me," Victoria Yanez says angrily, holding a worn folder of documents.

Looking forward

In regards to Tuesday's election, Jed Babbin said it best on Friday's Hugh Hewitt Show: "That's past. Let's look to the future."

I worked for John Kerry and his 2004 presidential campaign. I know what it was like after he lost in 2004, and the conspiracies and paranoia that enveloped left-leaning media after his defeat. If you were to listen to Air America Radio, you would hear hosts talking about Ohio being "stolen" and voting machines rigging the elections as if it was fact. They even wrote books about it, expecting the same thing to happen in 2006. They really believed that garbage.

Now since the Dems now have the majority in the House and the Senate, all one has to do is listen to conservative talk radio, go to the blogs, or go right here at Townhall.com to see that none of that is present on the right. We certainly could. Conspiracies are a very good way to keep yourself from accepting what is right in front of you.

Hell, a known leftist leader who openly hates President Bush is currently suspected of having ties to a software company involved in voting systems:

The federal government is investigating the takeover last year of a leading American manufacturer of electronic voting systems by a small software company that has been linked to the leftist Venezuelan government of President Hugo Chávez.

That's not the problem, though. And we know it. The Republican Party has had a falling out with parts of its base and with moderates. It's not all doom and gloom, since we have good men like Lieberman and Webb among the Democrats, who may annoy the Pelosis, Murthas and McDermotts of the party with their hawkishness. But it wasn't them that won, it was the Republicans that lost.

The GOP needs to look at what went wrong and how to keep it from happening again in 2008. I may not fall in to the Republican platform on many issues. I'm strongly opposed to the death penalty, for instance. However, I know that it is those that describe themselves as "conservative" in the United States that have any credibility in the fight against militant Islam. I'm not even sure that Speaker Pelosi acknowledges that radical Islam is at war with the entire western world.

(Originally posted November 13, 2006 at Deschamps Blog)

Relying on the government for food

Never a good idea.

Found this wire article to be very interesting. There's alot of information both on poor Venezuelans' opinion of Chavez, as well as the government run grocery stores put in place by Chavez's government.

This paragraph made me thankful to live in a country where I don't have to rely on beauracracy to get me lunch:

On one recent trip to the store, Oliveros found no tomato sauce, sugar, chicken or mayonnaise. A store clerk, speaking on condition of anonymity because he feared for his job, said an informal strike by unpaid truck drivers has kept some foods from being distributed, while corrupt officials have stolen some supplies.

Also:

It's a view often echoed in the poor barrios of Venezuela, where Chavez remains popular as he seeks another six-year term. He has pledged to eliminate poverty completely by 2021, when he hopes to be in office still.

Yeah, I bet he does.

Democracy in action: Venezuela

According to ABC News, the secret ballot is a freedom not endowed to employees of Venezuela's state-owned oil company. I wonder how this story will be reported by Democracy Now, the voice of the "true Left?"

According to an internal memo obtained by ABC News, workers at Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) were recently instructed to support Chavez's re-election campaign or else be terminated.

The penalties for failing to comply with these new directives are severe. Workers are threatened with the loss of their jobs if they do not cooperate.

One point, highlighted in capital letters, makes this crystal clear, saying "He who is not with Chavez should not be in PDVSA."

It gets worse. This sentence really struck out at me in its sheer Orwellian-ness:

It encourages workers to be vigilant of their colleagues and to turn in anyone who does not appear to be "identified with the process."

This shouldn't surprise many that know the history of hard-line socialist regimes. These populist leaders come to power promising to bring prosperity to their people, only to disenfranchise them.

Paging Dr. Chavez...Paging Dr. Chavez

One of my hobbies is trolling through the AP wire story archives. While to many this may sound rather geekish, I can testify to the hours of hilarity to be had. My favorite stories are the ones that scream, "Who the $%&# decided this was news?!?" For extra enjoyment I play a little mental role playing game of editor and reporter as they go through the process of polishing a story about voodoo spells on President Bush, or whatnot.

Well the Chavez Watch is now the beneficiary of my weirdness. Consider the following with no commentary from me except to repeat the Scatbug mantra, "Who the $%&# decided this was news?!?"

Chavez: Castro Out of Bed and Recovering

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday that Cuban leader Fidel Castro is no longer bedridden and is well enough to walk around.

"Fidel is no longer in bed,"Chavez said in a televised speech."Fidel is in full recuperation and is walking around more than he is in bed."

Chavez said the 80-year-old leader still faces a long convalescence with risks due to his age, but that his recovery"is going well."

After nearly a half century in office, Castro temporarily ceded power to his brother Raul in July after undergoing intestinal surgery.

The "Doh!" heard 'round the world

And so this morning a certain former veep -- over his coffee, Fruit Loops and New York Times -- gave himself a giant dope slap:

"Tipper!!! Why the $%^&* didn't someone think of this for me?"

Unelected Leftist Obrador Swears Self In as Mexican President

Tuesday November 21, 2006
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY — Leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador swore himself in as Mexico's "legitimate" president Monday, launching a parallel government he hopes will prevent President-elect Felipe Calderon from governing.


(Cross-posted at Scatbug's Scatterings)

What is Chavez Watch?

Welcome to Hugo Chavez Watch!

This blog will be a collection of all the Chavez related posts that accumulate while blogging at Deschamps Blog, Rolling Thunder and Scatbug's Scatterings. There were so many we figured they deserved a place all their own.

The blog will only be updated when there is noteworthy Chavez-related news. If there isn't any, there will be silence. If he goes up and calls world leaders names in front of the United Nations again, this place will be buzzing.

You can also consider this a Latin America Watch Blog. I'm not an expert on the politics of that region, but Chavez's buffoonery and the recent election in Mexico have peeked my interest. This blog will carry news of all notable anti-democratic moves in the region.