Hey Folks,
Did I miss something?
I really LOVE “The Daily Show” and John Stewart, and tonight (9-21-06) – the same day I published the Chavez rant (below), Stewart took Hugo on for calling Duhbya “the devil.” He also presented a devil cartoon character who clearly thought Chavez was just as much headed for hell as Bush.
With such respect for Stewart, I asked myself, “Hey, Uke Man!! Are you missing something?"
Unlike his predecessors Chavez has been treating the 80% of his countrymen who are poor better and listening less to the 20% who are wealthy. Some think that’s sinful – but not me.
Chavez refuses to let powerful foreign interests dictate the oil industry in his country. Some think that’s sinful – but not me.
Some claim Chavez’s administration “bought” votes by providing bricks and milk to shack/slum-dwelling Venezuelans instead of “buying” votes by subsidizing the wealthy. Some think that’s sinful – but not me.
Chavez called our beloved president names. Some think that’s sinful – but not me.
I can’t think of anything Chavez has done to hurt the great majority of Venezuelans. He HAS pissed off the wealthy elites who’ve been riding the gravy train since the Conquistadores. So, what was I missing?
Well, then I thought “outside the Venezuelan box.” Yeah, there WAS one thing to criticize the guy for: his embracing of Ahmadinejad. The Iranian has established himself as an anti-Semite; That qualifies him for a hot spot in devil land and, if Chavez shares that mindset, him too. I’m unaware of Chavez’s personal views in that regard but am certainly open to learning them.
If he isn’t an anti-Semite, he definitely has a responsibility to forcefully point his Iranian friend in a better direction. I doubt that he will, though, in which case I agree with Stewart’s devil – in that specific regard.
At the same time, I stand by the criticisms made in the earlier posting. They weren’t made to defend Chavez from justifiable criticism but from the brainless criticism of moronic conservatives who care no more about the welfare of Jews than does Ahmadinejad.
My criticisms were aimed at those who were indignant that someone would officially, confidently, and flippantly “out” the true story of our Emperor’s new clothes.
Chavez may be open to criticism on SOME basis, but not for accurately describing our dimwitted President and his bullying regime.
- Uke Man
Did I miss something?
I really LOVE “The Daily Show” and John Stewart, and tonight (9-21-06) – the same day I published the Chavez rant (below), Stewart took Hugo on for calling Duhbya “the devil.” He also presented a devil cartoon character who clearly thought Chavez was just as much headed for hell as Bush.
With such respect for Stewart, I asked myself, “Hey, Uke Man!! Are you missing something?"
Unlike his predecessors Chavez has been treating the 80% of his countrymen who are poor better and listening less to the 20% who are wealthy. Some think that’s sinful – but not me.
Chavez refuses to let powerful foreign interests dictate the oil industry in his country. Some think that’s sinful – but not me.
Some claim Chavez’s administration “bought” votes by providing bricks and milk to shack/slum-dwelling Venezuelans instead of “buying” votes by subsidizing the wealthy. Some think that’s sinful – but not me.
Chavez called our beloved president names. Some think that’s sinful – but not me.
I can’t think of anything Chavez has done to hurt the great majority of Venezuelans. He HAS pissed off the wealthy elites who’ve been riding the gravy train since the Conquistadores. So, what was I missing?
Well, then I thought “outside the Venezuelan box.” Yeah, there WAS one thing to criticize the guy for: his embracing of Ahmadinejad. The Iranian has established himself as an anti-Semite; That qualifies him for a hot spot in devil land and, if Chavez shares that mindset, him too. I’m unaware of Chavez’s personal views in that regard but am certainly open to learning them.
If he isn’t an anti-Semite, he definitely has a responsibility to forcefully point his Iranian friend in a better direction. I doubt that he will, though, in which case I agree with Stewart’s devil – in that specific regard.
At the same time, I stand by the criticisms made in the earlier posting. They weren’t made to defend Chavez from justifiable criticism but from the brainless criticism of moronic conservatives who care no more about the welfare of Jews than does Ahmadinejad.
My criticisms were aimed at those who were indignant that someone would officially, confidently, and flippantly “out” the true story of our Emperor’s new clothes.
Chavez may be open to criticism on SOME basis, but not for accurately describing our dimwitted President and his bullying regime.
- Uke Man
3 Comments:
HI Tom,
I think the big story here is that the same people who criticize Bush and call him names are upset because Chavez did it - and he's an outsider - shouldn't be picking on our president. This will blow over and Stewart and others will return to a more honest assessment of Bush. Too bad that's the way people are. But then I think someone you know called everyone sinners and got in trouble at church for that. People are ... Sondra
Hi Tom,
You might not be able to think of many things that Chavez has done against many Venezuelans, but you might be doing much research on the subject either. According to a group of interviews conducted by Benjamin Dangl on Alternet (www.alternet.org): "Venezuelan people have not become richer with Chavez, but the poor are now happy to see the rich become poorer," he continued. "Rich people are poorer because with Chavez's politics we are buying more things from the exterior than we produce at home. There are also fewer investments in the country due to fears investors have about unclear policies and an insecure economic future in Venezuela ... I think there is a movement to 'Cubanize' many sectors of Venezuela. This is impossible because there is not an ideological or philosophical revolution going on here. It is just populism."
It's nice to have an opinion, but it's good to do homework on that opinion. The Saudi economy is so completely dependent on oil now that opportunities for livelihoods in that country which are unrelated to petroleum are few and far between, which is just one of the causes of great and discontent for the educated young engineers and natural scientists who study abroad, specifically in the midst of Western prosperity, and return home to a country that cannot offer decent employment opportunities. When young people have no significant work to do, it's convenient for them to hang together and cook up resentments, schemes and activities that give meaning to their lives. Like blowing up American and Western interests.
And as much as you enjoy blogging your opinion, you might not be able to enjoy doing it in Venezuela. In an editorial on January 14 attacking the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the Washington Post wrote, “Mr. Chavez has pushed through a new law that allows the government to fine or shut down private media for vaguely defined offenses against 'public order'.” Something to think about.
And in addition to Chavez aligning himself with an anti-Semitic leader like Ahmadinejad, you might want to ask yourself why he'd want to be pals with someone who is imposing the most primitive right-wing religious government outside of Saudi Arabia on his people. In case you hadn't researched this topic either, Sharia law calls for the death penalty for homosexuality, adultery, premarital sex, and lesser infractions only require the amputation of a hand or foot. Oh, and for all the atheists reading this, under Sharia law, "people of the Book" (Jews and Christians) have a choice of either converting or paying Jizyah (infidel tax), whereas Godless pagans and atheists have only two choices: convert to Islam or die by the sword.
You might want to do a little more research about how "heroic" and "benign" these guys than you seem to be doing at the moment.
Hey Anonymous,
I appreciate your thoughtful comment.
It deserves a thoughtful response.
I'll work on it.
Yours - Uke Man
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