Good riddance

It has been a long time, but I did need to return to say, "Good riddance to bad rubbish".  He is being feted by all the "right" people, so it is fairly obvious what a heinous creature he was.

May G-d have mercy on his soul.

Farewell

Hugo Chavez Watch is defunct. My interest in analyzing the Venezuelan dictator has dissipated quite dramatically since I started this blog, as I think it has for a few of our contributors. It was a good run, and was enlightening.

If there are anti-Chavez writers that are interested in taking up the mantle of this blog, I will be very willing to hand over this domain to them. Otherwise, consider this blog defunct.

Thank you for reading.

Video: Bolivian President Evo Morales on The Daily Show

Hugo latching onto power

It's hardly news to anyone following the man's career, but it appears that Hugo Chavez plans on lengthening his stay in order to build the socialist economic framework for his country ( a feat that would take a long, long time, since socialism doesn't work). From Fox News' political grapevine:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez — who has likened President Bush to the devil — wants to eliminate presidential term limits so that he can remain in power for another 20 years.

In his weekly radio and television program yesterday, Chavez said he needs more time in office to establish a socialist economic model in Venezuela and that if voters approve his constitutional reforms, he could continue governing until the year 2027.

Government opponents are crying foul, accusing Chavez of trying to become a dictator like his close friend Fidel Castro. Venezuela's National Assembly is expected to approve the proposals in two to three months, after which they'll be presented to voters.

Castro's acolytes in the Western Hemisphere

Evo Morales.

Hugo Chavez.

Daniel Ortega.

Rafael Correa.

And now, if the American Left has it's way: Sen Barak Obama.

What do all these men have in common?

Apparently they all think the U.S. is far too mean to that noble democrat Fidel Castro. (They also think the U.S. is imperialist).

I exaggerate.

I hope.

Overblown Ego

Quiz time...Study the following AP photo carefully:

Ready? Okay...Which of the following two captions appeared with the photo?

1. Aug. 15: Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez smiles prior to delivering a speech to the National Assembly in Caracas.

2. In a speech to the National Assembly President Hugo Chavez compares his love of Venezuela to that of a father to his baby: "Who's my cute little bootsy-boo...goochy, goochy, goochy..." (Rough translation).

The answer is of course #2. (I'll make the next quiz a little tougher.) You see, Papa Hugo gave a speech last night to "his people" informing them that they are not ready to live on their own, away from his protective embrace. To keep a watchful parental eye on their development to "21st Century Socialism", Hugo has presented a plan to the "legislature" for perpetual "reelection". While critics claim this stunt is nothing but a naked power grab in a string of such grabs, supporters agree with Hugo or wind up in prison.But...the most important development last night was the unveiling of the first ever literal demonstration of an inflated ego:

Ahead of Chavez's speech, actors sang in the National Assembly as they performed a scene from the life of South American independence hero Simon Bolivar, the spiritual father of the socialist movement that Chavez calls the Bolivarian Revolution.

Crowds of red-clad supporters cheered outside the National Assembly, holding flags and signs reading: "Yes to the reform, on the path to 21st Century Socialism." Giant video screens were set up, and folk music blared from sound trucks near a two-story-tall inflatable figure of Chavez.

BBC

Here's to hoping the Venezuelan people reach adolescence quickly and steal daddy's car keys.

The "hero of Latin America" continues media consolidation

It's been over half a month since I've updated this blog, and even that last post was the first in a previous absence. There has been plenty of news swirling around that tied in with the ghoul in Caracas, most notably the shutting down of a major private news source in Venezuela by the Chavez government.

The Paris group Reporters Without Borders condemned the action, claiming that Chavez is seeking media "hegemony:"

"It was a political move, one that establishes government hegemony over the broadcast media and constitutes a grave danger for editorial pluralism," the Paris-based group said.

The organization said Chavez's decisions "were conducted outside of all regular legal channels and in defiance of the jurisprudence established by the Organization of American States."

HCW regular Scatbug also posted on this story over at his Townhall.com blog.

Meanwhile, this cartoon was delivered to me via commentor Pedro Morgado: