many people in America fear 'leftists' because our country is one of the few in which a large number of people (at least in the past) had almost free access to land and could therefore hold and profit from private property. This also makes it easier to have a republican representative system and, relative, freedom (in the past.) But what about those countries where almost ALL land is/was owned by royalty, colonisers, or super rich families? In order to have some kind of democratic ideal you need some kind of land reform. You can't freeze current land positions and initiate a democracy. Americans don't understand because we own our homes, historically we could always move somewhere else where land was cheap/plentiful, etc. But in Europe, Mexico, and South America all the land was taken. Where can you move? What can you do? If the rich/royalty didn't give in and allow access to land, jobs, or some kind of incentives then you are going to get frustration and more radical methods of distribution of land and wealth: whether civil war, insurrection, war against another country, or civil disobeience. Likewise though the 'people' need to be logical and allow some 'payoff' to the super rich (whether its allowing them to keep royal figurehead titles, keep some land, or pay for some land appropriated) otherwise they risk no reform, 'death squads', counter-insurgency, genocide, etc.

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It's the MSM, Jim, but not as we know it...

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Houston is a city built upon four things: financial services, the energy industry, shipping and trade. Their loyalty runs to money more than any flag, party or tradition. The editor & publisher of the paper knows this all too well.

I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe, the oil-men in Houston and their related business interests are ready to cozy up to Hugo out of necessity as things continue to sour in the Middle East. If Dubya is stupid enough to provoke Iran the whole Arabian Gulf oil supply could come to a screeching halt, as it all lies within easy range of Iranian Missiles. Take a look at Iran relative to the Gulf and the Middle East and you will see the geographical importance of Iran to the whole area's oil.
View Map
All of the oil in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, UAE, Qatar, Yemen, etc is within easy range of Iranian Missiles. All of our troops currently deployed in the Middle East are as well...

When you get past the Middle East you have Nigeria, another less than stable (or friendly) place, Mexico and Venezuela- most everything else is at capacity or largely unavailable. Hugo knows that for the first time in history, the US needs Latin America more than they need the US and, if they can band together, they can force the US to act more like a neighbor than the bully it has usually been.

If BushCo wasn't bogged down in SW Asia I have no doubt he would have invaded Venezuela or sponsored a better organized cop by now. With Bush literally over a barrel and a mood of reform taking over South America, he knows it's now or never again in his lifetime.

The money in Houston has decided it is better to warm up to Chavez than to get cut off with nowhere to go. They now realize that Dubya marks the high water mark for Energy Banana Republicanism. Forced by risk aversion and the market to choose between their crony gone awry and the guy in power with real assets- they have chosen to go with the crude oil in the ground. The fact that this editorial was run in the Houston paper is a signal that the shift has been made.

Bush/Cheney NeoCon Banana Republicanism has just been sent to hospice. Houston's money knows it and this is just a public acknowledgment, just like the obituary, engagement, wedding or court action pages.

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Thank you, thank you and thank you!

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As commendable as the op-ed is, it's just a drop in a rainstorm of anti-Chavez propaganda.

Venezuela's media, owned largely by the country's wealthy elites, are arguably the most rabidly antigovernment media in the world.

It seems to me that if the coup had succeeded, Venezuela's media would have become the most rabidly progovernment media in the world, even more progovernment than US media.

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...Castro is still -- not dead!

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... and nearly dropped my teeth when I read this the other day. My thought was point for point would I prefer Chavez to Bush as president of the U.S.?

At least Chavez is up front about this 'rule by decree' business. Chavez makes me nervous while Bush horrifies me with his shear brazen deviousness. And Chavez enjoys enormous popular support down there.

But yea, astounding to read something not hysterically anti-Chavez.

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The plan is to take out Chavez and Venezuela eventually, and appropriate the oil. This article marks a first step in identifying the New Fidel (the Saddam of The West, get it?), rolling out the model, so to speak, so that when Hugo's face shows up on the big screen for the Two-Minute Hate we know who we're raving at. These things must be done delicately. We have to make a feint in the direction of supporting the abstract good of feeding the people and liberfreedocracy, so that we speak the correct dialect of liberation when we drop tonnage on Caracas.

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Somebody mentioned land reforms and this is one of the reasons why 'Mer'kaans don't understan dVenezuela's situation. ITA, and wonder how long before the situation on the ground here in the U.S. is much like Venezuela's. And, to make things really annoying to us at the bottom looking up at the consolidation of assets into the hands of the haves, how that same lack of understanding on the part of our fellow 'Mer'kaans (who remain stuck in 1806 in terms of emotional intelligence and worldview) will result in upheaval just like 'Zuela. Course 'Zuela doesn't have to deal with Xtian Nationalism like we do... we're so, so very fucked.

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"The world should remain vigilant to ensure a free press, a free political system and a mixed economy where property rights are respected remain in place in (insert country). If (insert leader) infringes on any of these rights, it should be vigorously protested and condemned. But so far it hasn't happened."

I dunno, this sounds like the good ol USA. Except Bush doesn't care about poor people. And his criminal activity hasn't been vigorously protested or condemned. Clean up your own yard before you take aim at so-called "socialist menaces". Ease up on Chavez (none of your business anyway) and take the real criminals in your own White House to task - finally!

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Hmm, The cynical part of me agrees with the premise that the oil men of Houston are sucking up to Chavez for the oil profits, but the even more cynical part of me, says prepare for the the other shoe dropping.

You all make me want to vomit! What is happening in Venezuela is what I most want to have happen here in amerika! A strong leader redistributing the planets resources where they can do the most good, a leader respected and beloved by his people, a nation working toward the common welfare and not just stealing everything not bolted down and opening secret swiss bank accounts! An entire country working together to advance the education, and living standards of the poorest among them. Where the hell is your joy in seeing the greedy bastards of the right in Venezuela get their comeuppance? Come on ! Celebrate this small victory, even if it is just temporary.
Sol

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I tried to get to the article but was unable to do so. I got a page, from the chronicle, that said that the article no longer existed. How is that possible???
Misguided and uneducated people in the US fear the systems of governance of other countries such as Venezuela???? Look at what we have here!!! An article that reports acurate facts about Hugo's Venezuela suddenly dissapears because the big corporate guys don't like it and don't want us to become more educated and informed.
It is not surprising, since throughout US history, we've been fed the illusion that we live in a democracy, when in reality we live in a pseudo democracy called corporate facism. We've used murder and military force to quash other political parties to flourish, we've used coersion, blackmail, murder and military force to quash labor strikes (in the 1800's & 1900's), etc.
Our pseudo democratic government has used psychological warfare on its people as far back as the begining of our independence from Britain by repeating rhetoric of "the boogie man is comming to get you if you don't quietly submit to our rules" causing intense and generational paranoia & xenophobia. Democratic Socialism, which is what Chavez is seeking for Venezuela is not at all the "evil" system of governance that our own government tells us it is. In fact, it is a more fair system where even the poor are taken care of. Something that our system lacks.
Corporate facism ( democracy American style) only seeks to protect and take care for the big guys with the big money, the rest of the population should just fend for themselves, and the poor should just vanish. Why do you think the Electoral College got created? To prevent the "common people" from electing their own president who might not support the corporate pigs of this country. Clear example: first election of Bush-the popular vote chose another candidate, but the Electoral College chose Bush, so we are stuck with Dictator Dubya.

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